Khandu reviews NE festival plan

Itanagar, Aug 17 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh ChiefMinister Pema Khandu today reviewed the North East festival –’Songs and Dances of the North East" to be organized by thestate department of tourism in Mumbai on August 27. The event is sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC),which is conceptualised and designed to bind together thediverse culture and heritage of the North East on a commonplatform and connect it with the rest of India. The chief minister asked the department to make thefestival successful and also to ensure that all the northeastern states including Sikkim are equally represented in theevent, an official statement said. Tourism Secretary, Dr Joram Beda informed the ChiefMinister that this is the second such North East festivalafter the success of its first edition held in New Delhi,which was organized by the Government of Meghalaya. Popular folk dances such as Oki Soyim of Nagaland,Cheraw of Mizoram, Wangala of Meghalaya, Cham of Sikkim, LaiHaraoba of Manipur, Hojagiri of Tripura and Bagurumba of Assamwill be performed in the festival. From Arunachal — Buya dance of Nyishis, Peacock danceof Khamptis, Erap dance of Galos and Pakhu Ittu dance ofApatanis will be showcased. Apart from folk dances, the best of North Eastern folkfusion and contemporary musical bands, arts and handicraftswill be exhibited at the festival. The festival is expected to witness the performance ofLou Majaw, Omak Komut Collective, The Vinyl Records, TakarNabam, Taba Chake, Rida & The Musical Folks, Guru RewbenMashangva, Mangka, Koloma, Dolly Das, Sofiyum and many more,the statement added. PTI UPLNN