North-East Festival 3.0 at IIT Kharagpur Showcases Northeast’s Culture, Tourism, and Innovation

The North-East Festival 3.0 provided a vibrant platform to highlight the Northeast’s traditions, foster cross-cultural dialogue

The North-East Students’ Forum at IIT Kharagpur hosted North-East Festival 3.0, bringing together diverse communities, industry leaders, and innovators to celebrate the region’s rich cultural heritage, tourism potential, and burgeoning startup ecosystem.

The North-East Festival 3.0 held on March 16 provided a vibrant platform to highlight the Northeast’s traditions, foster cross-cultural dialogue, and encourage investment in its growing industries, further strengthening its presence on the national and global stage.

This year’s edition saw prestigious collaborations with NagaEd, a pioneering EdTech company from Nagaland, Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), Assam, and the Kolkata Assamese Cultural Association, reinforcing industry-academia partnerships.

Key Highlights of North-East Festival 3.0:

Cultural Night – A vibrant display of the Northeast’s traditional music, dance, and artistic expressions.
Exhibition – A platform highlighting the region’s tourism, startups, and local crafts, with participation from Meghalaya Sales Emporium and Nagaland Sales Emporium.
Food Stalls – Offering an authentic culinary experience with traditional delicacies from the eight Northeastern states.

A key highlight of the festival was a special Mental Stress Management Workshop conducted by Dr. Mythili Hazarika, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Assam.

Held in memory of Late Nripendra Chandra Hazarika, the first Assamese alumni of IIT Kharagpur of the 1952 batch, the second batch of IIT Kharagpur, the session was supported by the Pathan Hazarika Charitable Trust, in the presence of Manjula Hazarika, Chairperson of the Trust and a well-known writer, poet and lyricist of Assam.

The North-East Festival 3.0 also honoured eminent Indian classical musicians for their contributions to music, including Dr. Dilip Ranjan Barthakur, Dr. Murchana Adhikary Barthakur, Pandit Abhishek Adhikary, and Madhurjya Ranjan Barthakur.

Dignitaries from Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, and various Northeastern states, along with IIT Kharagpur alumni, graced the occasion.

Representatives from Manipur Students’ Association Kolkata (MASAK) and Kolkata Arunachal Students’ Association (KASA) also participated, strengthening the Northeast’s cultural footprint. Additionally, Hiten Hatkhowa, Acting President of the Kolkata Assamese Cultural Association attended with other association members.

Further enriching the event, various regional student societies at IIT Kharagpur including Tech Keralites (Kerala), Tamil Sangam (Tamil Nadu), Maharashtra Mandal (Maharashtra), Gujarat Cultural Association (Gujarat), Telugu Cultural Association (Telangana & Andhra Pradesh), and UP-Bihar-Jharkhand Cultural Association were invited, fostering a unique cultural exchange. Professors and Deans of the institute were also present.

With enthusiastic participation and impactful discussions, North-East Festival 3.0 successfully promoted the Northeast’s culture, tourism, and entrepreneurial ecosystem, strengthening its identity on both national and global platforms.

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