North East Students’ Festival opens at Delhi’s Talkatora Indoor Stadium

Bamboo shoot curries, folk music and traditional textiles filled Talkatora Indoor Stadium on Friday as the ninth North East Students’ Festival opened in Delhi.

The two-day event, themed “The Sound of India’s Yuva Shakti”, brought together food, craft and cultural stalls from across the North-East. Naga students ran stalls including Kim’s Kitchen and Baga Hills Kitchen, while visitors also sampled Manipuri food such as Exotic Adan Chai Khum.

For Amelia, a Delhi University student from the North-East, the draw was the chance to explore cultures beyond her own state. Tenzin, 25, said he tried dishes he had not tasted before and spoke with students running the stalls about the foods and products on display.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia attended the inauguration. Rain later in the day led some visitors and stall operators to leave early.

The festival’s second day is set to include traditional dances from Meghalaya, Assam’s Bihu and a fashion show featuring North-Eastern attire. It was also included in GTK’s Delhi-NCR events guide for September 5-6.