Arunachal Pradesh plans folk music fest in February to preserve culture

Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to organise an indigenous folk music festival in February this year to promote such songs and culture, a minister said.

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Friday convened a meeting with senior officers of various departments to make arrangements for the programme.

“Arunachal Pradesh being a multi-tribes state is very rich in folk songs, music and dances. However, the resonance of folk music and such performances are diminishing owing to the adoption of modern culture into our everyday life,” the deputy chief minister said.

The decision to organise the festival has been taken to revive the essence of the state’s indigenous culture and to promote the state’s tribal folk songs, music and dances, Mein said.

The deputy chief minister pointed out that there is a need to showcase Arunachal Pradesh's folk heritage to a larger audience outside the state, in a bid to foster stronger connections with the culture, language, music and dances of the other states of India under the broader vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.

The state government would also host another important event called ‘Bharat Lok Sangeet Arunachal Utsav 2024’ wherein cultural troupes on folk songs and dances from other northeastern states and some selected states from the Himalayan region and South India would be invited.

The event is scheduled to take place in the later part of February this year.

The meeting was attended by principal secretary of finance, planning & investment Sharat Chauhan, secretary general administration Sadhana Deori, tourism secretary Swapnil M Naik, planning secretary R K Sharma and other senior officers.