New Delhi, Apr 4 : Living in the capital, you can now experience the rich culture and lifestyle of the seven sisters and one brother state of northeast India.
The ongoing indigenous northeast festival being held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) gives visitors the chance to not just sample the unique cuisine of these states but also enjoy live performances and buy traditional goods at the crafts mela.
The participating states in the festival are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim and it will be on till April 30.
The cultural performances, however, are only on till April 10. According to officials, the fest comprises of various kinds of expressive human play forms, rituals, rites and theatrical activities giving a glimpse of the creativity and splendour that is an integral part of the north eastern people with about 300 artists performing live various kinds of artistry.
While the cultural performances are scheduled for evenings, artists keep visitors entertained during the day with live acts like the traditional stick dance from Manipur. "I have been practicing this dance for fifteen years and perform it several times a day," said artist Santosh Singh from Manipur.
While the textile exhibition has apparels and other cognate objects depicting the artistic fervour of the people, which are in synch with their ecological situation such as the high altitude mountains, river valleys, marshy lands, forested hilly topography, etc, the crafts mela is a haven for shopaholics with a wide variety of handicrafts, garments, etc for sale.
From Manipuri pottery products to dry flowers from Nagaland to bamboo and cane products from Tripura, there is something to suit everyone's interests.
Products are also priced reasonably with wooden items like pen holders, key chains, etc selling for less than Rs 100 to cushion covers and cotton bags going for up to Rs 450.
Paintings are priced a little higher — over Rs 1,000 — while cane and bamboo products start at Rs 200 and go up to Rs 1,500.
IGNCA, as part of the fest, has also organized a magnanimous four-day workshop from April 4 focusing on issues pertaining to indigenous theatre, their past, present and future in a close interaction amongst artists of northeast India and their colleagues in the rest of the country.
The participants will get a chance to rub shoulders with various scholars, practitioners and policy makers and be heard.
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