NEW DELHI, Oct 31 - The three-day North East Festival will get under way at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts ground here from November 8.
Briefing reporters in this regard, organiser-in-chief of the North East Festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta, today said that as the North East has over 220 ethnic languages spoken by various tribes and sub-tribes, the seventh edition of the North East Festival will celebrate the cultural diversity of the region and create awareness about extinct tribal languages through workshops by tribal language experts, ballads and art installations.
The annual festival will be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju. Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu and his Nagaland counterpart, Neiphiu Rio, besides Union Minister of State Rameswar Teli, are likely to present on the occasion.
As many as 100 stalls of exotic handloom products of the North East will be set up for the festival. There will be a buyers-sellers meet on North East textiles to showcase the growing textile market to local artisans.
More than 40 food stalls will display diverse food items from the North East. Fashion shows of 20 designers will be another festival highlight. There will be a �Rock Battle� among bands from colleges in Delhi and the North East.
Music artistes and bands including Bipul Chettri, Zubeen Garg, Papon, Frisky Pints, Island Warrior, Mc Heam and Friends will take part in the festival, added Mahanta.
