Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 4
Dimapur | March 4
The North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) has lined up a series of exciting events for the Spring Festival, 2014. The festival which took off on March 3 will culminate on March 9 with more than 365 artistes, including school children, from across the North East as well as from other Zonal Cultural Centres partaking.
Addressing a press conference on the second day of the festival, NEZCC director, Lipokmar Tzudir, stated that the festival will feature various folk art forms, besides theme-based entertainment. The curtain raiser on March 3 was themed ‘Music in the Park’, followed by ‘Movies in the Park’ on March 4. The entertainment section will conclude on March 5, which will feature magic shows. “Considered almost a dying art in the country,” the NEZCC is happy that it is in a position to promote the art, said Tzudir of the magic show-themed evening on March 5.
Following a break on March 6, the final three days will exclusively feature various art forms, mainly from the North East, to be choreographed by award-winning folk artiste from Assam, Dr. Prasanna Gogoi. Additional highlights will be folk art forms from the South and North of the country.
“It is a platform for artistes from not only the region but for artistes from various parts of the country,” said Tzudir of the festival. Another important objective of the event will be the promotion of artistes from rural areas. According to him, for too long, information and resources have been, primarily and largely, focused in the urban areas. However, he said that it has been realised that it is in the rural regions where folk art flourishes. “Our resources, our programs will be channelled to the rural areas...so that there is an understanding of their importance because we recognise the fact that most of the art forms actually are being practiced in the rural areas;” in due course bringing it to the larger domain, he said.
On upcoming events, he added that the Spring Festival is a warm up to the ‘Yatra’ (chain) programme scheduled for an April start.
As an institution of the Ministry of Culture for the promotion and conservation of the indigenous culture of the North East, Tzudir said that the NEZCC will also focus on eradicating misconceptions associated with people from the region. Alluding to the regular incidents of race-related discrimination and sense of alienation generally experienced by people from the region in the mainland, Tzudir said, “We have understood and recognised the fact that the alarming news (of racists remarks and attacks) that are making headlines are primarily out of ignorance of the NE region.” In this regard, he said that the NEZCC will also work toward debunking myths and prejudice associated with the region; while bringing the North East’s vibrant way of life to the forefront of the national mainstream.
