North East Festival - connecting people

Connecting people, celebrating the cultural richness of India's north-east and looking at possibilities of developing the region are some of the objectives of the annual North East Festival, currently in its second edition.

Bridging the gap between people in the north eastern states and those in the capital is a vital motive behind the gala, said a key official.

The fest, being held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts here, began Friday. It has been giving the Delhi crowd an opportunity to taste the culture, food, art and films as well as understand the economic conditions of the states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

The prime motto of the four-day gala is to "connect people" from the north-east to Delhi, Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser-in-chief, North East Festival, told IANS.

"There are two objectives of this festival -- one deals with connecting people. We are trying to bring the north-east closer to Delhi, and make Delhi understand our north-east.

"The second aim is celebrating life. We are trying to showcase the talent of the north-east. We are giving a platform to our local talent, who never get a chance to exhibit their craft," Mahanta said.

The festival is rightly a window into the rich culture of the north-east.

Photography and painting exhibitions, guided by Vikramjit Kakati and Bikramaditya Choudhury, add colour to the fest, and are complemented by an exhibit of cartoons.

A film festival kicked off with the screening of two films -- "Sonam" and "Raag, The Rhythm of Love".

For the fashionistas, a fashion show gave a glimpse into the heritage of the north-eastern region. Local designers like Dhiraj Deka, Garima Saikia Garg, Yana Nogba, L.D. Rosylyn Konshai, Arita Kashyap, Ephica Lyngdoh, Manhira Christina, Neikupe and Lalremsiami brought their wonderful creations alive on the stage.

A musical evening also enlivened the experience of the fest. Rocking performances by talented regional artists including Tetseo Sisters, Guru Rewben Mashangva and Bluestring Path, added to the spunk, as did a livewire performance from talented singer Zubeen Garg.

The venue was packed with not just talented people, but also an enthusiastic audience which appreciated and applauded the spectacle.

A key feature of the fest, which is themed 'Insurgence to Resurgence', is to attract investment and tourism promotion for the north-east region.

Thus, a group of panellists also discussed the possibilities of expanding the IT (information technolgy) sector.

"A lot of emphasis has been placed upon how to bring investment in the north-east. We are here to go for resurgence. Economic development, employment and IT are our objectives.

"By 'insurgence to resurgence' as our theme, we wish to say, 'Enough of negativity, let us talk about development now'. Overall, our fest is talking about connecting, celebrating and developing the north-east," he added.