BeyondHeadlines Correspondent
Art and culture is the best way to understand a region. India is very rich in cultural heritage. Delhi always gives opportunity to see and observe various art forms of the country. National Foundation for India (NFI) organized a festival “ArtEast” to show the beauty and tradition of Northeast states at India International Centre.
“ArtEast” is a festival of art installations, cinema, performances, music and workshops on various art forms etc. Actually it’s an initiative of NFI to raise pertinent questions through a series of engagements on livelihood, social justice, climate change, communication, past and present issues that have a far reaching impact on everyday lives of people in the region.
Many art forms are now in dying condition in this region. Artists are struggling for livelihood. Audience witnesses the visual impact of cultural beauty of northeast region through cinema and photography at the ArtEast festival.
Day one of the festival was very lively. And the young crowd was enthusiastic to see the various traditions through art installation, films and photography.
There are art installations and other art forms. One of the highlights of ArtEast is on Majuli. Majuli is the riverine island, now a district, threatened by erosion and climate change and its centuries old tradition of mask-making under threat with displacement and migration.
There are discussions on the problem of northeast region by experts also. A session titled “Of Other Partitions” focuses on Eastern India’s stories of Partition that somehow remain outside the general narrative of Partition of India and “The Ground Beneath: Governance and Civil Society in India’s Northeast”.
There is a session called Adda: The Lost Art of Conversation. The Adda will carry on the culture of adda and perhaps the shrinking space for conversations and opinions as well.
Last session called Songs She Carries. This session will carry on to an intimate music gathering with songs by Moushumi Bhowmik, a songwriter and singer who chronicles oral history on homelessness and Tajdar Junaid who is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist.
This ArtEast brings the beauty and challenges of northeast region. This festival also raises the important questions of livelihood and displacement of northeast region. The festival will close with tea tasting session.
ArtEast festival closes today in the evening.
