Hues of North-east

A festival that brings the numerous colours and talents of North-east to Delhi is back again this November. The 5th edition of the North-east festival will be held from November 3-5 at IGNCA, Janpath in the Capital and promises to be bigger and better than ever before with several added attractions. For the last four years, the festival has evolved into one of the most talked about events in town, attracting lakhs of people who come to immerse themselves in the frenzy and fervour of the North-east.

The festival will bring to the fore a colourful montage of North-east including 30 dance forms like the Naga warrior dance, Thang ta of Manipur, Hojagiri of Tripura, Bamboo dance of Mizoram, Wangala dance of Meghalaya, Lion dance of Arunachal Pradesh among others. Along with the famous Ram Vijay Bhaona with mask presentation of Natum Kamalabari Sattra of Majuli, Assam and the rhythms of Manipur, the North-east carnival promises to light up Delhi's cultural mosaic.

One can also go through the region's exotic handloom and handicraft products as the festival will bring together 150 weavers and artisans to show their magic. With support from NEHHDC (North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation), a buyers-sellers meet and design weekend is being organized, showcasing the top designs of North-east to be presented by beautiful North-eastern models and celebrity showstoppers.

The North-east festival has helped immensely in the promotion of tourism in the region. This year as well tourism will be one of the core focus areas. Around 30 tour operators, who are coming from the North-east, will exhibit various destinations of the region and a B2B meet on tourism will see tour operators of North-east interacting with India's top tour operators about the various tourist attractions that the region offers.

North-east is famous for its organic fruits and vegetables. Organic North-east, an organic hub, will present various products of the region including food processing. The festival has helped in creating North-eastern food brands, and many new restaurants have emerged from the festival. This year also around 30 stalls will present delectable North-eastern cuisines for a scrumptious experience.

It doesn't end here, an exhibition of North-eastern films including Rebellion Bejeweled – a story of a surrendered ULFA cum social worker, an exhibition of art and photography, graffiti and doodle art will give a platform for the creative expressions of the region.

One of the major attractions of the festival this year will be the NEF Rock Battle, which will see the top rock bands of Delhi's biggest colleges fight it out in a competition. The evening musical stage will see some of the finest musical talents of India rock the city including names like Papon, Zubeen Garg, Alobo Naga, rapper Borkung Hrangkhawl, heavy metal bands such as Pulse Pandits, Girish and Chronicles (GATC), Traffic Jam, Avora Records, Lucid Reccess, Jelly Kayi, international DJ Teri Miko and many others. The daytime stage will see around 20 young musical bands performing non-stop throughout the day. This will be the biggest collection of musical talents in one place that Delhi has ever witnessed.

The North-east festival this year will be a collaborative attempt of IGNCA, NEHHDC, various Governments of North-eastern states and is driven by well-known socio-cultural trust, Trend MMS which also organizes the famous 'Rangoli festival of Assam' and 'Colours of North-east' in Mumbai.

Shyamkanu Mahanta, the chief organiser of the festival informed that various North-eastern states and developmental councils will present investment and tourism potential of the region. He added that plenty of tour operators and foreign tourists are expected to attend it. The entry for the three-day festival is free and the timing will be from 11 am to 10 pm.