Carnival showcases culture of northeastern region in Delhi

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The northeast has a rich and diverse culture. To raise awareness about it, various festivals and fairs are held across the country on a regular basis.

Recently, a northeast carnival festival held in Delhi provided a chance to residents of the city to find out more about the region.

Under the theme of "connecting people, celebrating life" a two-day-long Northeast carnival festival was held at the Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts here. The event not only showcased the culture and traditions of the region but also aimed to create awareness about the region, its prospects and potentials.

The festival was organised by Trend MMS, with support from the eight northeastern states, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of DoNER. As part of the event there were discussions on security, tourism opportunities, employment options and various other issues that affect people of the region.

Boxing icon MC Mary Kom from Manipur and star Adil Hussain from Assam attended the event.

"People of northeast want to connect each other. Connecting people means connecting with each other. We want to connect with the rest of the country. We want to connect to people of Delhi, Punjab and other states. There is lots of misconception about Northeast. Sometime our women are targeted, sometime Northeast people are called Chinese so those issues we need to address. Northeast is unique region with diverse culture, dialects but they are proud to be an Indian," said Shyamkanu Mahanta, Organiser- In- Chief, North East festival.

The major attraction at the venue was the food zone where people of the region put up their traditional food stalls. Delhites got a chance to enjoy some delicious food.

"This platform has given us a chance to introduce our traditional food and we are able to demonstrate how we cook. People here like it very much and they are quite impressed," said Sneha Lata, from Assam.

The festival also included a photography exhibition, and ethnic handicrafts and handloom stalls from all the 8 states. Many visitors appreciated the products on display.

"People here appreciate our products because it's not a machine made but it's handmade. I Nagaland we weave, and it has vibrant colors like black and white, it's a warrior's colors. They really appreciate our work and even advise us to expo outside," said Toni, an exhibitor from Nagaland.

"We are coming here for the first time and we got to see lots of different products from northeast and their culture. So it's very good," added Kavita, a local.

At the night, the audience was enthralled by Guru Rewben Mashangva, father of Naga folk blues from Manipur. Later Mami Varte, a Mizo singer entertained the crowd, which appreciated her performance of Mizo songs. Bollywood singer Zubin Garg and Zublee Baruah from Assam and Omak Kamut from Arunachal Pradesh also mesmerized the audience.

"This is my pleasure to come here because the Northeast festival is organizing in the mainland. There is lots of confusion in Northeast so we as a musician have come here to send a message of peace through music," said Guru Rewben Mashangva, Naga folk singer.

"I am extremely happy to be part of this event. I had so much fun here and I get to see lots of different people coming together so I am so happy," added Mami Varte, Mizo singer.

Such festivals help to bridge the gap between the Northeast and other parts of India. They also help in promoting myriad tourist spots and music culture of the region.