Northeast Festival 2022: 180 exotic stalls, 135 entrepreneurs canvassing Northeast region in a new light

The Northeast Festival 2022 kickstarted in Delhi on December 23 with a conglomerate of musical extravaganza to a whole new exotic Northeast carnival embellished with food stalls to tribal handloom decorating the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, day-in and day-out. 

After nearly a long hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the 10th edition of the Northeast Festival 2022, has come back with more participation from the business fraternity to the tourism sector. 

Divulging a few excerpts from the festival, Chief Organiser of North East Festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta, while speaking to India TodayNE exclusively said, “The biggest strength of Northeast India is tourism. If you look at the earlier perception it was more about floods and insurgency. But now a change has been witnessed. A lot of effort have been put forth by the media and the government. A change is being created; a positive vibe can be perceived not only in local but even in the national media. Even the infrastructure is good. Now if you see Guwahati has 25 flights, Agartala has a direct flight, and Aizawl has a direct flight from Delhi. So with the improvement of law and order, connectivity and perception, tourism is the best industry in the Northeast. I believe the Northeast’s main focus should be sustainable tourism where you are given the experience of wildlife, and the experience of nature in the Northeast. So a lot of projects are coming up in the coming days in eco-tourism destination”.

With 180 stalls and 135 entrepreneurs participating from every nook and corner of the Northeast, the Northeast Festival’s prime focus is inspiring people to explore and identify the region’s rich heritage. As many as 50 food stalls have been set up to showcase diverse cuisines not only from Northeast India but across Delhi-NCR to encourage age cross-cultural awareness and exchange.

Apart from this, 75 tribal entrepreneurs, and 60 women entrepreneurs from across the Northeast region are participating in the four-day event that aims to provide a platform for cross-cultural interaction and also promotion of the region in the mainstream land.

While highlighting the products of the Northeast region getting its due attention not only in the country but even oversees, Shyamkanu Mahanta credits the development to social media interaction and changed the perception of media and government for their efforts in providing a positive vibe about the region that has been neglected earlier for poor connectivity.

“Mahatma Gandhi once said Assamese weavers can weave dreams. So that is the strength of Assam as well as the entire Northeast. Earlier there was a problem with selling. Now if you see in Instagram many of our designers who are participating in the Northeast Festival fashion shows over the years, are selling their products to the US, and UK while sitting in Dhemaji, sitting in Nagaland. So how do they do? They promote their designs on Instagram and the designs are so exotic. So we get lot of attention because people are very active in Instagram. So Instagram has changed the business for Northeast. Earlier my people could not go outside and sell their products. But now with social media sponsored campaigns helped people get a business platform where they now promote their products online”.

Speaking on the NE region’s booming cane and bamboo industry and its international demand, Mahanta further added, “Let's say about handicrafts. People nowadays are making very beautiful houses so they need quality products. When it is to the Northeast then this region produces quality products. Another product is the cane. Cane tiles have a huge demand in Delhi and other places. Similarly, bamboo tiles and bamboo mats are a huge thing. So cane and bamboo is creating an eco-friendly revolution in the entire country, is providing the right background”.

The Northeast Festival has promoted many local artisans, designers, food processing units, and tour operators who jointly are helping the region get recognized. From the value-added tea as the next best business idea to the new market scenario maturing in the country, an optimistic Mahanta feels the region is on the right track to getting a newfound identity. With the IT sector booming and cross-border trade, and export increasing, the Northeast region’s development is crossing all hurdles to evolve as the new business hub.

According to the event's organizers, "Dozens of stalls will come up for this exhibition to create a marketplace wherein visitors can explore and purchase authentic products from the region."

Stakeholders from the North East have met with leading tour operators at a B2B Tourism Meet. 

The event was attended by GK Vardhana Rao, India's Director General for Tourism. A B2B Meet on Horticulture by APEDA has also coordinated wherein agro-business people from the North East were able to connect with conspicuous purchasers from Delhi-NCR.

Also read : From Zubeen Garg to ‘When Chai Met Toast’ Northeast Festival 2022 to offer a musical milieu