NORTH EAST SINGS A SONG AND TAKES DELHI ALONG

New Delhi, 19 October 2015: The capital city of New Delhi came alive with the beautiful colours of the Northeast region of India over the past three days, as the North East Festival was held at IGNCA from 16^th to 18^th October, 2015.  The 3^rdedition of the festival, which was bigger and better than before with some special additions, saw a footfall of over 3 lakh people, who thronged the festival for a first-hand experience the very best that the North East has to offer.

Apart from showcasing the entire gamut of North East';s culture, cuisines, handicrafts, music et al, promoting and boosting tourism in region was the key focus of this year';s edition of the North East Festival. Special sessions with high level dignitaries were also held to discuss the strategic importance of the North East region and the Look East Policy.

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. North East Festival is organised by the reputed socio-cultural trust, Trend MMS, in association with IGNCA. 

Mr Arvind Kerjriwal, CM Of Delhi appreciated the initiative of North East Festival and promised support for the extensive marketing throughout Delhi to promote the concept. He assured the North East community people in Delhi full security and support. 

During all the 3 days of the Northeast Festival, cultural events, folk dance forms put on a spectacular show all through the festival. Delectable cuisines from the entire region drew visitors from and outside North East.  Music, dance, fashion, food, exhibition of art, photography, cartoon,traditional sports, film, discussions and much more was at display in the three day Festival. With support of  Delhi Tourism many foreign tourists came to visit North East Festival and taken part in various activities. Around 50 artisans/weavers/textile entrepreneur of NER showcased their unique designs and participated in Buyers Sellers interaction. 

Few serious discussion sessions were organized. One on Potential for Food Processing sector in the NER was organized by FINER with support from MoFPI, Govt of India, One session on Tourism B2B wherein tour operators, hoteliers, top officials of Govt, Ad flim makers from Mumbai etc interacted with North East Stakeholders. One session on design improvement of the textile weavers were organized and a B2B session on textiles were also organized.  A seminar on India';s Strategic importance and Act East Policy was attended by Mr. Ram Madhav, Mr. Ravi Capoor, JS, Ministry of Commerce, Mr. AM Singh, JS, DoNER, top intellectuals of the region, North East leaders. 

The festival saw an unprecedented line-up of established and upcoming talents music, culture and fashion. Around 40 bands performed, and the top designers and gen-next designers from North East showcased their creations. Painting, Photography, Cartoon Exhibition, Live sketch, handloom-handicrafts of the region proved to be great draw among the audience. 

Musicians took centrestage in the evenings with some amazing performances – Zubeen Garg, ​Lou Majaw, Boomarang, Purple Fusion, Abiogenesis, Traffic Jam, SKD, ​Parikrama,The Local Train, Girish & The Chronicles​,​Anaya Brahma,  et al enthralled crowds. 

Dazzling fashion shows saw models walk the ramp in stunning outfits from the region, around 20 designers participated in the show.  

The last day of the evening was dedicated to Majuli and a short audio visual presentation showcased Majuli';s heritage, resources and the growing concerns of erosion. Singer Zubeen Garg while presenting spoke about the need of national media attention to protect Majuli.

North East Festival Football Competition was organized at Jawharlal Nehru Stadium wherein top football team of North East participated with well known colleges of NCR. Venketaswara College became eventual Champion beating Hornbill Club. 

Speaking about this year';s edition, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Organiser in Chief, North East Festival informed that this year North East Festival';s focus of handicraft and tourism. Extensive coverage in national media would help in creating positive perception for the region. Substantial Delhi population came and appreciated the various facets of NER and we have made some progress in building bridges.