A festival showcasing the varied music and dances of North Eastern India will be organised here beginning Thursday, seeking to promote the rich folk culture of the region.

Titled “Amazing North-East…Paradise Unexplored,” the festival organised by city based NGO, Life of Vision Foundation, will see over 22 artistes from the region performing the local songs and dances of the seven sisters.

“This is to give artistes from the region a platform to showcase their art and offer these dying art-forms more visibility. We want to promote them because they come from families where their art is their only profession. So, if we do not support them, they will not be able to pass it on to the next generation,” says Sumita Basu, founder of the NGO.

The evening will begin with a musical performance by a choir from Manipur and Mizoran and will be taken forward by a group of Bihu dancers and drummers from Assam.

Basu says that the performers will be dressed in their traditional wear, giving the audience a glimpse of the life that they lead in the North East.

The show will also serve as a medium to draw the audience’s attention to the hardships faced by the people living in the region and encourage more support from the citizens of the rest of the country.

“This creative stage will also be used to draw attention to our current prevailing need in the North-East,” says Basu.

Eminent dancer Sonal Mansingh and academic scholar Sanjoy Hazarika will be a part of the talk show that will discuss the challenges that the region comes across, seeking to suggest solutions that may propagate its growth.

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“This event is an attempt to create platforms for North-East artistes through the medium of music, art and culture. The North Eastern culture draws its charm by virtue of the folk music that accompanies the native dances, hence the need of preservation, development and dissemination of cultural heritage of India,” says Basu.

Another festival, scheduled to be held in October will focus on the youth of the country and raise awareness about the discrimination faced by young people from North Eastern India living outside their homes.

“The next festival scheduled for October is meant for the youth and students from across the country. But, the North East region will have maximum participation. We will be talking about the plight of students who stay away from their homes,” says Basu.

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