10th North East Festival to Begin Today in Delhi

According to an official statement, the four-day festival will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the national capital after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-induced lowdown. Narayan Rane, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, will kick off the carnival.

The 2022 edition features a colourful array of dance dramas, music performances, fashion shows, open-mic sessions, interactive sessions, art and photography exhibitions, and much more. A North East Rock Battle will be held, with top rock bands from all over India competing for the title. To encourage cross-cultural awareness and exchange, up to 50 food stalls will showcase diverse cuisines not only from Northeast India but also from across Delhi-NCR.

An exhibition showcasing 'Made in North East' products will include an MSME zone where more than 100 North East Indian MSME entrepreneurs will showcase agri-horti products, handloom, handicrafts, processed food products, and much more. "Dozens of stalls will set up for this exhibition to create a marketplace where visitors can explore and purchase authentic products from the region," as per organisers.

A Business-to-Business Tourism Meet will be held, with stakeholders from the North East interacting with leading tour operators. GK Vardhana Rao, Director General of Tourism, Government of India, will be present. APEDA will also host a B2B Agriculture Meet, where agro entrepreneurs from the North East will have the opportunity to meet with prominent buyers from the Delhi-NCR.

A cultural extravaganza showcasing folk dances of eight North Eastern states, including Satriya dance, Naga folk dance, Manipuri martial arts, bamboo dance, Tamang Selo dance from Sikkim, and Rikhampada dance from Arunachal Pradesh, to name a few, will be inaugurated by Governors of Assam and Nagaland, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, and Hari Banu Kambhampati of Mizoram.

Popular bands such as Klanzan, Khanzaadi, Flying Cupid, Serpents of Pakhangba, Traffic Jam, When Chai Met Toast, Terrace Effect, and Sangpoispo, as well as singing sensations such as Zubeen Garg, Teri Miko, Thana Chake, Jessie Lyngdoh, Achurjya Barpatra, Bipul Chettri, and The Travelling Band, will perform.

Fashion designers Meghali Das and Arbin Tonjam will display their haute couture ensembles, which will be worn by top models as they walk the runway to an electrifying fusion of folk and rock music. Collections from Maxwell, Baru, Rosemary, Adriana, and Sampriti Goswami will be on display.

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, will release a booklet titled 'Know Your North East' in the presence of the Governor of Mizoram, Dr Kambhampati, Secretary, DoNER, Lok Ranjan, Secretary, Culture, Govt. of India, Govind Mohan, and Commissioner of Police, Delhi, Sanjay Arora. This book will be distributed further in schools and universities to educate and inspire people to explore and identify the region's rich heritage.

The event will conclude on December 26 with a valedictory session attended by Union Minister for Tourism and DoNER, G Kishan Reddy. Piyush Goel, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and K Moses Chalai, Secretary, North Eastern Council, will also be present.