Manipur band wins top prize at Guwahati International Music Festival (GIMF)
- Guwahati, March 12 2020 -

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Aiyushman Dutta founder of GIMF presenting the cheque to Salt and Light Travelling Band of Ukhrul Manipur

Ukhrul-based band, Salt and Light Travelling band, won the best band award at the Rhythms and Aromas of Northeast contest which was held with the 4th edition of Guwahati International Music Festival.

Thunders Cave from Shillong and Nagaland-based band Paradigm Shift were adjudged the first and second runner-up in the competition.

After rigorous rounds of auditions across each of the 8 Northeast states, several top bands from the region took part in the grand finale at the Guwahati International Music Festival (GIMF). Music bands from across Northeast India were up for a treat when they got a chance to be a part of the region’s first-of-its-kind music conference which was hosted in Guwahati as part of GIMF.

The selected bands took part in discussions on music label branding and marketing, recording and several other panel discussions and master classes. “This music conference witnessed the presence of the stalwarts of the Indian music industry.

The basic idea behind the conference was to create a more vibrant eco-system for the stakeholders of the music industry so as to ensure speedy development of the industry and for the betterment of the artists,” stated Guwahati International Music Festival Founder Aiyushman Dutta.

Aiyushman Dutta founder of GIMF presenting the cheque to Salt and Light Travelling Band of Ukhrul Manipur

Prior to the finale in Guwahati, auditions for the bands were held at Dimapur for bands from Nagaland and Assam; Aizawl for Mizoram; Shillong for Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura and at Ukhrul for bands from Manipur and Sikkim.

Organized by Eastern Beats Music Society in collaboration with North Eastern Council, Government of India, the 4th Guwahati International Music Festival showcased a line-up that brought together some of the most significant artists from the Asian circuit along with the leading stakeholders of the industry.

On March 1, popular Bollywood singer Lucky Ali performed at the festival along with a host of bands from across the region. Day before, popular Thai Folk-Jazz band Asia7 performed at the festival before Funktuation featuring Benny Dayal enthralled the audience.

A brainchild of Northeast-based writer and cultural activist Aiyushman Dutta, the idea of Guwahati International Music Festival was mooted way back in 2010 in order to provide a platform wherein musical maestros from across the globe can share stage and collaborate with our indigenous music and cultural practitioners.

In the first two editions, the festival had helped create new vistas for cultural collaborations of our topmost Northeastern folk exponents with the finest of musicians from Goa, Nepal, UK, USA, Germany, China, Bangladesh, and the like.

ABOUT EASTERN BEATS MUSIC SOCIETY:

Eastern Beats Music Society is a non-profit organized formed in 2009 to harness the healing power of music, sports and the arts. The Society is registered with Registrar of Societies, Assam and Niti Ayog, Planning Commission, Government of India.

Over the past decade, it has partnered with numerous agencies of the Government of India – NEZCC (Ministry of Culture), ICCR (Ministry of External Affairs); Government of Assam, Government of Goa, PSU’s like NTPC, NHPC, NEEPCO, NRL and musical giants like Musicians Institute (USA), Suzuki Music International (Japan), Thompson Music (USA), besides others.

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