North Eastern States look to Thailand to explore shared history and to promote people-to-people exchange, trade, and business

Guwahati: North Eastern States to go to Thailand to explore the shared history and to promote people-to-people exchange, trade, and business.
India’s North East has a long-standing relationship with Thailand. To celebrate the 75th year of India’s diplomatic relations with Thailand, the Second Edition of the North East India Festival will be organized on 30th and 31st July 2022 at Central World, Bangkok.

The first edition was organized in February 2019 and was very well attended. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi during his town hall address in Bangkok in 2019 opined that for the first time a Festival is organized outside the country to create awareness between both North East India and Southeast Asia.

With support from Indian Embassy in Bangkok and various North Eastern State Governments, North East India Festival is organized by Socio-Cultural Trust, Trend MMS, the organizer of North East Festival initiatives.

The second edition of the North East India Festival will start with an Inaugural session on 29th July evening at Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok hosted by Indian Embassy.

Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Chowna Mein, Tourism Minister of Mizoram Robert Romawia Royte, Assam’s Minister of Handloom & Textiles Urkhao Gwra Brahma, Union Minister for State, External Affairs, R.K Ranjan, senior officials of various NER States, Commerce Minister and top bureaucrats of Royal Govt. of Thailand, top industrialists and influencers of Thailand will be present in the session.

The main festival will be on 30th and 31st July 2022 at Central World, Bangkok. A large exhibition of State Governments of North Eastern States, around 30 MSME entrepreneurs will showcase products from the NER with special focus on Tea, crafts, agro horti products, tourism etc. Exhibition of delectable cuisines, art exhibition is also organized. Spectacular cultural display on both the days presenting various dance forms of North Eastern States.

This time the focus is on Tai culture of North Eastern region. A large team of Tai Khamti and Tai Ahom community will present the history, heritage and culture of the Tai communities. Some of the most popular dance forms of Thailand will also be displayed. The two-day festival will showcase fashion show presenting top designers of North East India such as Anuradha Kuli, Robert Naorem, Priyanka Lama, Mami, Bidyut & Rakesh, Iba Mallai, Kivitoli Chishi, Meghali Das, Daisy Momin, Prajapati Assamese Jewellery. Bollywood actress of the recent Anek movie, Andrea Kevichusa, popular actresses from the North East such as Nishita Goswami, Pritikongkana, and some very well-known Thai actors will walk the ramp for North Eastern fabrics. Well-known musical bands of NER such as Soulmate, David Angu & the Tribe, Zubeen Garg and band, Tetseo sisters, and a very unique presentation by TaFMA of Nagaland including choir music, dance, and rock music. Jina Rajkumari, Jutimala & Tai Folks, Rhythms of Manipur, and many others.

Famous rock band from Thailand, STAMP will perform on the first day of the festival. Governor of Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt, Ambassadors of various ASEAN and QUAD countries, experts, and the local Thai community are expected to attend the festival. An extensive campaign is presently highlighting the festival in various metro stations of Bangkok.

With the vision of Act East Policy of Govt. of India, a series of B2B Meets are organized to promote bilateral trade. Business Meet on tourism will be attended by major tour operators of Thailand interacting with Tourism Deptts of North Eastern States and the operators of the region. A buyer sellers’ interaction will be organized for the sellers of North East and Thai buyers with an aim to promote a market for North Eastern products. Shyamkanu Mahanta, the Chief Organiser of the programme informed that unprecedented support from various State Government , business community and Indian Embassy, Thailand has helped in creating a large platform which is expected to create new vistas of opportunity in trade and tourism.

He also informed that a People to People exchange programme is organized to focus on Tai culture and shared history between both the region. The session will be attended by prominent Thai scholars, historians, Tai experts from Ahom, Khamti, Phake community who will present the tai migration and history of the community. The festival proposes to focus on tai tourism circuits of upper Assam, Tai ahom historical monuments, Tai phake village, Tai khamti areas of Arunachal Pradesh. More than 400 delegates are travelling to Bangkok to participate in the festival, that is considered the biggest ever event outside, especially in South East Asia.

Mahanta also informed that the North East Indian Diaspora of Thailand under the organization NEIA is also supporting the entire event.