Delhi to host North East Festival from Nov 3

November 3 will mark the beginning of 2-day fifth edition of North East Festival that will be held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). This year, the fest promises to be much bigger than the previous years. This annual fest aims to promote cultural heritage of the north-eastern states with a number of folk dance performances, music contests and a football match. Folk dance performances such as bamboo dance of Mizoram, Thang ta of Manipur, Wangala dance of Meghalaya, Hojari of Manipur and many more will be the highlight of this event. The festival will also host a rock music contest between well-known bands of Delhi and colleges.
According to the main festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, “The festival has helped to reflect a positive picture of people from the North East. The incidents of racial violence in the capital city have also reduced after the warm response that we have got from the people of Delhi year after year.” This time, organic food farming is the prime focus of the festival. There will be more than 30 food stalls serving a range of delicacies from all the north-eastern states.

Eminent artists from Assam including Papon, Zubeen Garg and Borkung Hrangkhal will perform at the festival, which will be a major draw here. Besides, an exhibition of North Eastern films, art and photography will also take place. A formal interaction session will also be held with India’s top tour operators to promote tourism in the region. Addressing the media, Mr. Mahanta said, “The festival has helped us many folds to promote the diverse culture of the North East. The increase in tourism has created better job opportunities for the locals there.”

This time, the Delhi Police will also be collaborating with the festival organisers and will be organising a quiz competition. “With four successive editions, the event has become a community movement where everybody is joining hands with us. This time we will also present awards to some of the outstanding people from North East who are known worldwide for their talent,” added Mr. Mahanta.