New Delhi, Dec 20: In a moment that connects ancestral memory with contemporary cultural recognition, Moranngam Khaling alias Mo Naga an indigenous tattoo artist and cultural practitioner from Manipur, was conferred the Travel + Leisure India Champion of Diversity & Culture Award 2025 at the 14th edition of Travel + Leisure India’s Best Awards, held at ITC Maurya, New Delhi.
Mo Naga’s recognition is rooted not merely in artistic excellence, but in over a decade and a half of research, revival and cultural activism dedicated to safeguarding the endangered tattoo traditions of the Naga communities of Northeast India.
Through Headhunters Ink, Khaling has emerged as one of the most significant voices reclaiming indigenous tattooing as a living cultural practice, deeply embedded in identity, ecology and oral history.
Born in Manipur and trained at the National Institute of Fashion and Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad, Moranngam Khaling began documenting vanishing Naga tattoo practices as early as 2008.
His work extends beyond tattooing into research, textile collaboration, public pedagogy and institutional engagement, working closely with traditional weavers, museums and cultural bodies to ensure that indigenous knowledge systems are preserved with dignity and context.
Over the years, Mo Naga’s work has travelled far beyond the region. His research and artistic practice have been exhibited at leading global institutions including the Horniman Museum, London, the Humboldt Forum, Berlin, and the Museum of Vancouver, positioning Naga tattoo traditions within global conversations on indigenous heritage, repatriation and cultural continuity. He is also among the Top 100 tattoo artists in the world, as featured by Yale University Press in The World Atlas of Tattoo.
Presenting the award under its 2025 theme, “Passport to Possibility,” the editorial team of Travel + Leisure India & South Asia cited Khaling’s work as a powerful example of how indigenous aesthetics and ancestral wisdom can find renewed relevance in contemporary cultural landscapes, without being stripped of their meaning.
Speaking on the occasion, Moranngam Khaling alias Mo Naga said, “This recognition is deeply humbling. Tattooing in our communities was never just ornamental; it carried stories, responsibilities and identity. This award belongs to the elders who carried these traditions on their skin, and to the younger generation from the Northeast who are now reclaiming their culture with pride, research and respect. I see this as encouragement to continue the work, not a destination.”
Beyond individual practice, Khaling has played a quiet yet influential role as a mentor and educator, delivering lectures at universities, participating in global symposiums, and engaging with institutions in India and abroad on indigenous aesthetics, design ethics and cultural sustainability.
His work has also intersected with popular culture, contributing to award-winning cinematic projects and national design collaborations, while remaining firmly rooted in community narratives.
At a time when cultural diversity is often spoken of in abstractions, Mo Naga’s journey offers a grounded reminder: that some of India’s most compelling cultural futures are being shaped by artists working patiently at the intersection of memory, research and lived tradition, far from the mainstream, yet increasingly impossible to ignore.
