K-Pop in Nagaland

Korea is a very small country in terms of its geographic extent... but if one were to measure the size of its cultural territory, it covers mainland China, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal and more recently, parts of north east India- specifically Nagaland. Young Nagas are dressing in the latest Korean street fashion and sporting the hair dos of their Korean pop idols. CDs and DVDs of Korean movies are selling by the dozen in its markets and Korean words are casually tossed around in conversations. Commonly referred to as K-Pop, the musical genre is now also a popular subculture with its style and fashion derived from diabetically sweet and catchy tunes sung by cute, virginal idol groups dressed in bright candy colors.

This peculiar product of our increasingly globalized world may seem surprising given the absence of any historical exchange between the two seemingly distant, disparate parts of the world- now linked through You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and most significantly, the Arirang TV Channel. The phenomenon has been ushered in within the last decade with the airing of this popular Korean TV Channel, coinciding with the ban on Bollywood films and Hindi channels in Manipur by the Revolutionary People’s Front in September 2000. The videos and movies offer an alternate reality with beautiful, happy boys and girls frolicking around, far removed from the hardships and political turmoil the Naga youth live through. At the same time, they can identify with the Korean idols due to the closeness of their features when compared to Bollywood and Hollywood actors. In the light of the tensions and distrust that mark Nagaland’s relation with the Indian government, a style of dressing which is distinctly different from the ‘Indian’ way of dressing also became a statement of expressing this difference and establishing a separate identity. 

Just as the older generation across India bemoans the loss of traditions to Western culture, many of the older Nagas fear the loss of their culture and identity to this Korean Wave. Though I have to confess this culture from the farthest east does catch on fast, with the bubblegum-popping, ice cream-slurping, carefree teens providing sweet respite after a hard day at work, given my cynical origins. My initiation began with Generation Girl (SNSD) which I would recommend as a must watch to get a generous syrupy dose of K-Pop, which should be followed with Kara, After School, Wonder Girls, to name a few girl bands. The Big Bang seems the least effeminate of the boy bands and would be my pick over others like SuperJunior, SHINee, 2PM. Though, while I was flipping through their photographs in the name of research, this gorgeous, gelled up fifteen-something from the band SS501 caught my eye, only the next day I couldn’t remember which one it was… there are always so many of them in a group...!