After a hugely successful inaugural last year, the second edition of the North East Festival kicked off in great style in a brand new avatar in the Capital. Being held from 7 to 10 November at IGNCA, Janpath, this year’s edition of the festival with the theme Insurgence to Resurgence is focusing on the various business and investment opportunities that the region presents, apart from showcasing the multifarious culture and rich heritage of the North Eastern states.
North East Festival is organised by the reputed socio-cultural trust, Trend MMS, in association with North East Community of Delhi, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Department of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA).
The chief guests at the inauguration of the four day extravaganza were Union Minister Gen. VK Singh and minister of state (home) Kiren Rjiju along with MC Mary Kom, Brand Ambassador of the North East Festival. In the inaugural session, medal winning athletes from the North East who brought glory for the country in the recent CWG and Asian Games, including names like Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, L. Devendro Singh, Dipa Karmakar were felicitated under NEC Chairman’s Sports Awards for Excellence in International and National Sports meets.
Adding colour to the proceedings, artistes from various states of North East India along with Sangeet Natak Akademi presented a range of ethnic dances from the region. Sumptuous cuisines were in abundance in the various food stalls along with exquisite handicrafts and ethnic handlooms from the region. Various music bands like from NER like Guwahati Lights, Akhu - Imphal Talkies, Vinyl Record, Soulmate, The Local Train etc. performed all through the day much to the delight of the onlookers.
During the morning session, a discussion was held on ‘Alienation feeling in the North East and Implementation of Bezbaruah Committee Recommendation’ with the help of North East Community of Delhi. The North East Festival, has become a brand which is synonymous with the unification of the various stakeholders of North East under one dynamic platform.