President inaugurates cultural festival ‘Vividhta ka Amrit Mahotsav’

President Draupadi Murmu inaugurated the 4-day cultural festival at Amrit Udyan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on February 8, 2024. The event is being organized under the name ‘Vividhta ka Amrit Mahotsav: A cultural festival unveiling the richness of North-East India’.

• On this occasion, Union Minister of North Eastern Region Development, Culture and Tourism G. Kishan Reddy was also present.
• The event is being organized as a part of the Udyan Utsav, 2024 at the Amrit Udyan inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex.

Organizer of Vividhta ka Amrit Mahotsav:

• The Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region is organizing the event in partnership with the Ministry of Culture.
• The programme is being managed through North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Limited, a Central Public Sector Undertaking of the Department of Development of North Eastern Region.

Objective of Vividhta ka Amrit Mahotsav:

• The festival is designed to showcase the rich diversity of North East India through a blend of traditional arts, crafts and cultures.
• Envisioned as a cultural mosaic, the festival is much more than a festival.
• Its objective is to promote exchange in traditional handicrafts, handloom, and agricultural products. It also aims to become a catalyst for the progress and development of this sector.

Highlights of the Festival:

• The Mahotsav is being participated by over 320 weavers, artisans, farmers and entrepreneurs through eight dedicated stalls for each state of the North Eastern region.
• It will also serve as a platform to showcase the distinctive aspects that make the North Eastern region a cultural jewel.
• The festival aims to present the best achievements of North East India under one roof with exquisite, handmade products, handlooms and textiles and sustainable handicrafts.
• Northeast India offers a range of sustainable organic products in which  mainly: 
  • High Quality Organic Tea
  • Bamboo Products
  • Spices
  • Herbal Medicines
  • Hand Woven Garments
  • Organic Pineapple
  • Honey
  • Traditional Rice Varieties.
• Most of the handicrafts in this region use raw materials such as cane, bamboo, wood, terracotta, kauna, hyacinth, bell metal and brass.

About North East India:

• It is also addressed from the North-Eastern region. Eight states of North Eastern India fall in this region. These are as follows:- Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
• Many descriptive nicknames are also famous for the North-Eastern states of India, these can be mentioned as follows:
  • Assam:- Gateway to North East
  • Manipur:- Jewel of India
  • Meghalaya:- Abode of Clouds
  • Tripura:- Land of Diversity
  • Mizoram:- Land of Blue Mountains
  • Nagaland:- Land of Festivals
  • Arunachal Pradesh:- Dawn Lit Mountains
  • Sikkim:- Himalayan Paradise