First-Ever ‘North East India Festival’ In Thailand at Central World – 9-10 February 2019

[Jonathan Fairfield]

First-Ever ‘North East India Festival’ In Thailand at Central World – 9-10 February 2019

 

 

The first-ever ‘North-East Festival of India’ will be held in Bangkok, on 9th and 10th of February, at Central World (Zones A and B).

 

The North-East region of India consists of seven exotic and culturally rich states- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura. Some of the ethnic tribes in the region speak the ‘Tai’ language (which closely resembles the Thai language), and infact, it was none other than HRH Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn, who visited this region some years back.

 

These North-Eastern states which have close geographical proximity to Thailand, have become a great gateway to SE Asia, and infact, have come to the forefront of India’s ‘Act East’ policy.

 

To quote the newly-arrived Indian Ambassador to Thailand, HE Ms Suchitra Durai- ” I am delighted that the first-ever North East India Festival outside of India is being held at Bangkok on 9-10 February, 2019 at the Central World.  North East India has much to offer – breathtaking landscapes, top class human resources, a rich and diverse cultural heritage.  We invite Thais to savour this distinct region of Incredible India.”

 

In order to introduce the riches of this region to the Land of Smiles, the Embassy of India, in collaboration with various partners , has organised a mega ‘North-East India Festival’, on the coming week-end, which covers a large and exciting range of activities.

 

They include seminars and discussions on bilateral trade and investment, education, tourism, with important participants from both countries. They include academics, historians, entrepreneurs, tour operators, and hi-level officials from the Govt of India, State Govts of North-East India, and Govt of Thailand.

 

These ‘Business’ meetings will be held at the Lotus Suite, Centara Grand Hotel, on the mornings of  9 and 10 February.

 

The afternoons will be studded with Exhibitions, and a scintillating range of music and dance performances, in Zone A and Zone B, of Central World.

 

The seven North-East states or ‘Seven Sisters’ as they are called, have a rich and varied range of folk traditions, and these will be in full display at the Festival, through their colourful and charismatic folk-dance forms, like the Naga, Manipuri, Bodo, Bihu, Bagrumba, Assamese and other dances.

 

What’s unique about the North-East region of India, is that apart from ethnic tribes, they have a diverse range of communities, religions, thanks to which they boast of diverse and rapidly developing music forms. Thus, they have brilliant pop, rock, rap bands, and also some famed individual singers.

 

Many top rock bands of North-East India, like The Chronicles, The Featherheads, and others will be performing at the North East Indian Festival, as also well-known individual singers like Rahul Rajkhowa, Zubeen Garg, and international DJ Teri Miko.

 

What’s exciting to note is that there will be many Thai musical artistes also performing in conjunction with the North-East Indian performers.

 

The Fashion-scene is big in the North East Indian states, thanks to their rich textiles, ethnic traditions and individual styles. There have been some excellent fashion-shows from the region earlier, in Bangkok, and another scintillating one is coming up, at this Festival, by well-known designers Atsu Sekhose, Arita Kashyap and others.

 

There will also be many Exhibitions at Central World, with numerous stalls displaying the rich and varied textiles, arts and crafts of the region (handlooms, cane, bamboo), not to forget their horticultural products (fresh fruits, organic vegetables), as also the famed teas of Assam.

 

Last but not the least, will be the varied and vibrant cuisines of the seven North- East Indian states, which will be available on both evenings, at Central World – a rare opportunity to get a taste of the unique food of this region.

 

So, watch out for a dazzling blitzkrieg of activities, this weekend, at the North- East India Festival – everything, from culture and cuisine, to economics and academics, trade and tourism. And most important, people-to-people contacts and exchanges.

 

Infact, a special program of the Festival, involves a unique ‘People to People Exchange Programme’ on 10th February, among students, academicians, historians from North East India and their South East Asian counterparts, in order to discuss their shared heritage.

 

It’s easily one of the largest and most holistic Indian Festivals to be held in the Land of Smiles, and not to be missed.

 

All the events at Central World, are Free and open to the public

 

All the events at Centara Grand Hotel, are on Invitation.

 

North East India Festival POSTER

 

For more details of the ‘North East India Festival’, please check: 

 

http://northeastfestival.com/#schedule

https://www.facebook.com/IndianEmbassyThailand/