JOIN USFood, fashion and fusion create magic at Northeast fest
The aroma of pungent delicacies from Northeast India and the sight of people in their traditional finery filled the India Campus Crusade for Christ church in Kammanahalli on the occasion of ‘Miss Northeast 2016 and Northeast Food Festival’ on Saturday.
Decked in red colours of the Lotha tribe of Nagaland, N Sungbeni, who has been living in Bengaluru for the past six years, talked about ‘machinhan,’ a traditional dish of dry fish and bitter gourd. “When my friends from here taste our dishes, their reaction is ‘wow’. They really love it. We have invited a few to the fest and they will have one hell of a feast,” she said.
In another corner, Derrick Kharkrang from Meghalaya was busy setting up his food stall. Apart from traditional Khasi (a tribe in Meghalaya) dishes such as ‘janeiong’, rice with sesame seeds and beef roast, what attracted attention was the people serving food in their traditional dresses. “It feels good to be around people of the region,” he said. “It feels as if I am at home.”
There was representation from almost all states of the region, with 17 girls taking part in the beauty pageant and almost all seven states in the food fest. Two rock bands made the people groove to their beat.
A number of locals who were at the fest relished every bit of the food, fashion and music. A hardcore foodie, Danston John, a local who was at the fest, gorged on chicken rice porridge, a traditional dish from Mizoram, and washed it down with tamarind juice. His wife is from Darjeeling.
Urmila Chanam, general secretary, Northeast Solidarity, the group which organised the event, said there was a need to set up a network of northeastern people in Bengaluru that worked for a common cause.
“The event is aimed at reconnecting with the youth and empowering them through culture and tradition. We are working to make the event bigger in the coming years,” she said.
Deccan Herald was the media partner for the event.