City to host 2nd edition of the North-East festival from Nov 7-10
The national Capital will wear the carnival colours next month as it plays host to a four-day festival that will offer a taste of North-East through music, dance, fashion and food of the region. The second North-East Festival from November 7-10 festival will also focus on various business and investment opportunities that the region presents, apart from showcasing the multifarious culture and rich heritage of the North-Eastern States.
Twenty three music bands and musician, including Bollywood singer Zubin Garg, Tetseo Sisters, Guru Rewben Mashangva, Imphal Talkies, Soulmate, Girish and The Chronicles, and Vinyl Records, will perform during the festival to be held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in the Capital.
“MTV will cover the event and also scout talent for its MTV Indies stage. There will be ethnic dance performances, a film festival, fashion shows and many more. Overall, it will be a carnival atmosphere from 11 am to 10 pm every day,” says Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organiser of the festival.
There will also be a special performance by singer Ash King of Meherbaan (Bang Bang), I love You (Bodyguard) and Te Amo (Dum Maaro Dum) fame.
Besides, 25 designers from the North-East will showcase their products. Another highlight of the festival will be the delectable ethnic food from all the eight States and various tribes and communities of the region. There will also be an agriculture and food processing exhibition-cum-sale related to organic farming and floriculture and handloom and handicraft shows besides photography and art exhibitions.
“The aim of the festival is to make the people of Delhi know about the North-East,” says Mahanta. The 8th Delhi International Art Festival to be held from October 28 to November 11 will promote the North-East Festival,” he says, adding NDMC has also agreed to put up 40-50 hoardings about the event across the city.
Icons from the North-East like pugilists MC Mary Kom and Shiv Thapa, footballer Baichung Bhutia and Everest conqueror Anshu Jamsenpa, among others and policy makers, intellectuals, students, investors and tour operators, are expected to attend the event, the theme of which is ‘Insurgence to Resurgence’.
The festival is organised by socio-cultural trust Trend MMS in association with the North-East community of Delhi and IGNCA. There will also be roundtable discussions on issues of security of people from the North-East living in Delhi, IT& ITeS opportunities, education, sports, agriculture, food processing and tourism.