Bow to the land pristine

The first-ever Northeast festival Songs and Dances of the North East is all set to take the Capital to a traditional treat on April 11 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The Government of Meghalaya has taken a major initiative to create a platform for organising the event.

More than 5000 students from Northeastern states are enrolled in various undergraduate and post graduate programmes in Delhi University, an equal number are studying in JNU, JMI and other such institutions. It is for the first time that the Capital shall witness all eight Chief Ministers and Governors of the Northeastern States on one single platform for this extravagant festival. 

The festival will help to enhance the multi-ethnic character of the country’s capital and dispel impressions that it was hostile to outsiders, particularly people from the Northeast.

The festival shall represent ‘The Octave’ – Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur.

The festival showcases the rich, cultural ethnicity and diversity of Northeast India. It will take Northeast and its heritage outside the Northeast for the first time in such a big and multidimensional way to Capital of India and in a sense to the rest of the country and the world. It is a day-long festival where visitors experience almost everything from the Northeast - from food, songs, dances, culture, and much more. It is the perfect time for people from all walks of life to get a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of the region.

The goal is to deliver, engage and exhibit the best of Northeast in a creative and exciting atmosphere bringing the people together under one platform of unified diversity. It has been constituted to work out various means of attracting tourists, film makers and holiday seekers to the Northeastern region, which will generate immense opportunities for job and revenue generation.  It also provides a right platform to the artistes of the Northeast to project their talent to the rest of India.  

Witness the grandness of each state as they set up their stalls and display a plethora of the finest products from the Northeast for the world to discover. North eastern cuisine will be on display with 15 stalls that will offer a wide variety of mouth-watering delicacies.  Music lovers and culture connoisseurs will have a splendid time attending this festival as performances by Northeast bands will be a major attraction of the festival.

The festival will showcase the celebration of the way of life of the people there with a great sense of mysticism and cultural euphoria.  There will also be a lively discussion session on Integrating North-East India through education where eminent speakers will discuss ways in which education can be used as an important tool.