Northeast takes centrestage

Amit Sengupta

Look East is coming right at the door step of the capital of India, and the rich kaleidoscope of arts, craft, culture, music, dance, literature and cuisine from the eight sisters of the Northeast is at once brilliant, beautiful and undiscovered. The India International Centre is hosting its annual festival from October 27 to October 31 celebrating the rainbow coalition of high art and culture: Experience: A Festival of the Arts.

Separated from the rest of the country by geography and long distances, the multiple cultures, languages, dialects, architecture and pluralist traditions of the eight sisters, including the border states, hide within themselves an amazing and unexplored treasure of refined and sensitive sensibilities. It is foremost reflected in their dance and music, as much as in their arts and craft, as well as in its unique and original repertoire of great classical and contemporary literature. Curated by Urvashi Butalia, publisher of feminist publishing house Zubaan, this festival will focus on women’s literature from the Northeast, while showcasing important landmarks in literature penned by men.

Among other events would be a performance by the famous Shillong Chamber Choir conducted by Neil Nongkynrih. There will be concerts from popular Manipuri folk traditions, contemporary theatre from Meghalaya, a rock concert from Sikkim, and Raas Leela from Manipur’s legendary chronicles of the Bhakti Movement and love for Krishna, the musician, dancer and lover. There will be exhibitions from Tripura showcasing photographs, collection of bamboo and handicrafts, fine arts by the finest painters in their genre and classical and modern films from the various states.

Writers and poets will read from their books and interact with the audience in the section: These hills we come from… The film festival will showcase an Aribam Syam Sharma retrospective as a tribute to the filmmaker’s extraordinary contribution to Manipuri and Indian cinema. There will be award-winning feature and documentary films and the filmmaker will be open to discussing his genre of films with film lovers. The festival will also present award-winning contemporary feature films from the North-East in New Cinematic Voices: A Festival of Fims.

Finally, there will be food from across the distances, celebrating the finest traditional cuisine from the different states: the festival calls it ‘Fusion Food’. There will be traditional Meitei temple food of Manipur, traditional Khasi meal from Meghalaya, and Assamese, Naga and Sikkim delicacies. Indeed, it’s time to celebrate the Northeast.