Northeast Festival 2017 starts off :: Report

New Delhi, 3rd November, 2017:

B2B Tourism Meet : Northeast Festival 2017 at New Delhi on 3rd November, 2017

Northeast Festival starts off with a roaring performance by Zubeen Garg
- Fashion show unveiled colourful fabric interwoven with modern flair from the region
- Tourism of the region was strongly advocated as a business model in a stimulating discussion
- An array of gastronomical gourmet relished by thousands of excited people

North East Festival, a festival that brings the numerous colours and talents of the region to Delhi, started off with a roaring performance by the popular heartthrob and singer, Zubeen Garg here today. Earlier in the day, the Northeast Rock Battle set the stage for an exhilarating musical experience with standout performances by many promising rock bands. The rock battle competition will continue throughout the festival with the finale scheduled to happen on Sunday. The evening turned haute couture when designers and models from the regions displayed their colourful, chic, and charismatic fabrics from the region.

During a B2B Tourism meet, there was an encouraging discussion on the potential of tourism in the region attended by many thought leaders of the sector. Representatives from Ministry of DoNER, North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) and many others deliberated about ways and means to push the scope of business of tourism in the region. Speaking to an engrossed audience, Mr J S Pradhan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of DoNER said, “The government of India is committed towards inspiring business in tourism in the region. In continuance with this commitment, we are working to get all heads of the states of ASEAN countries on one single platform to discuss and create a tourism business proposition for this region.” More than 30 tour operators from the North East interacted with India’s top tour operators about the various tourist attractions that the region offers.

North East Icons Papon and Anshu Jamsempa were also present at the tourism meet and invited people to visit North East India. Papon emphasised on clean air, clean water and noise free homestays in North East and said that the region is completely peaceful now and ready to welcome tourists.

Among many other events that happened during the day, many dance troupes performed throughout the day at the pristine open amphitheatre. All these troupes performed more than 30 exotic dance forms like Bamboo Dance from Mizoram, Hojagiri from Tripura, Wangala dance from Meghalaya, Lion dance of Arunachal Pradesh and many more. As a special attraction, there was a Mukha Bhaona from Samuguri Sattra in Majuli, Assam that mesmerized the audience.

North East Rock Battle : Northeast Festival 2017 at New Delhi on 3rd November, 2017

Speaking about the festival, Mr Shyamkanu Mahanta, Organiser, North East Festival, said, “We are extremely humbled at the love and affection that the city of Delhi has bestowed upon us. People of the city have really thronged to the IGNCA ground. This festival is all about fun and frolic but at the same time, we tried to act as a bridge between stakeholders of tourism to highlight the region as tourism centre. The delicious food put up by people was relished immensely. We would like to thank everyone who in someway or the other has helped the festival to reach this point of success.”

With support from NEHHDC (North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation), a Buyers-Sellers Meet and Design weekend is being organized, showcasing the top designs of North East to be presented by beautiful North Eastern models and celebrity showstoppers.

North East is famous for its organic fruits and vegetables. With support from NERAMAC (North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation), an Organic hub was presented various organic products of the region including food processing products. North East Festival has helped in creating North Eastern food brands, and many new restaurants have emerged from the Festival. This year also around 30 stalls will present delectable North Eastern cuisines for a mouthwatering experience.

An exhibition of North Eastern films, an Exhibition of Art and Photography, Graphiti, Doodle Art is also an interesting platform for the young artistes of the region who showcased their works. The North East Festival this year has been a collaborative attempt of IGNCA, NEHHDC, various Governments of North Eastern States and driven by well-known Socio Cultural Trust, Trend MMS which also organizes the famous Rongali Festival of Assam and Colours of North East in Mumbai.