With a variety of cuisines, refreshing cultural programmes, and discussions on important issues including the NRC list of Assam, the sixth edition of the popular North East festival is all set to begin on October 26.
The festival, which will be held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), promises to be "a colourful extravaganza, greater spectacle, bringing together the magnificent North East under one forum".
The North East festival will hold a special seminar titled 'NRC - Untruth, Half-Truth and Truth', featuring some of the most noteworthy voices from the region, leaders from various tribes and communities who will delve deep into the National Register for Citizens and its significance.
The Supreme Court-monitored NRC process aims at identifying illegal immigrants, who came to Assam after March 25, 1971, the cut-off date fixed as per the Assam Accord.
The final draft of NRC, published on July 30, this year, identified 40 lakh people as the ones who did not have valid documents to prove citizenship of India.
"The biggest positive of the North East Festival is that it has been able to connect with Delhi and helped in bridging the gap. It has helped in giving a platform for North Eastern people to showcase their talent to the people of Delhi. This year, the festival promises to be even bigger," Shyamkanu Mahanta, founder and chief organiser of the festival, said.
The multitude of cuisines from the region will be one of the main attractions of the festival with more than 40 food stalls from Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal, Sikkim, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya.
"The region's food is famous for the herbs and their health quotient, which will be showcased in plenty. Another attraction will be a presentation of organic fruits and vegetables of the region," the organisers said.
The vibrant fashion from the north east will also find prominent place at the festival with designers like Yana Ngoba, Barsha Aditya Singh, Rupert Lynrah, and Escape Engmoiya among others will showcase their creations.
The annual event will also witness 25 of the top rock bands of Delhi's colleges fight it out in a competition.
Exhibitions of art and photography will present a canvas of colours from the north east in the festival.
The three-day event will also feature dance forms of the region including Hojagiri dance of Tripura, Naga Warrior dance, and Bamboo (Cheraw) dance.
The North East Festival Rock Battle which will see 25 of the top rock bands of Delhi's biggest colleges fight it out in a competition.
The evenings will be equally enthralling with popular names from music industry such as rapper Khasi Bloodz, classical Rock band Still Waters, Naga folk band Tetseo Sisters, Arunachali folk band Omak Komut Collective, and brand ambassador of North East festival, Zubeen Garg, performing at the event.
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