Metropolis 2016, the Urban Winter Festival

14th January 2016

Metropolis 2016, the Urban Winter Festival – a three-day-long festival organized by Assam Tourism in association with Northeast Today, was held at Nehru Park and Uzan Bazaar Ghat in Guwahati from January 8 to January 10. This time the State Youth Festival organized by the State Level Advisory Committee for Students & Youth Welfare, Assam, is also organized along with the Metropolis. This fusion of the urban and rural flavour made the art fiesta one of the biggest festivals of the Northeast India.

Day I highlight:

The festival was kicked off in a vibrant and fun-filled environment on January 8. Day 1 of the three day festival saw events like Tattoo workshop and competition, B-Boying Competition, BMX Competition, Painting Exhibitions, Digital Art Exhibition, Sculpture Exhibition, Interaction with the author Ankush Saikia, Quiz competition, Stressbuster Workshops, Acoustics Competition, 3D Art, Bike Display by XBhp, Various Fun Games, Tarot Card Reading, Treasure hunt for kids, Doodle art exhibition by renowned artist Santanu Hazarika and Chiranjeeb Bhowmik, Cinepolis, Red Bull DJ show, Water Show, Fashion Show, Tee- Shirt Design by PopTales, Fun Filled Games, Photo booth, etc.

On the inaugural day, Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Tarun Gogoi inaugurated the State Youth Festival. Shri Gogoi was present along with the member of State Youth Advisory Committee, Debarata Saikia. The Chief Minister awarded some budding talents of the region like danceuse Bhanu Rashi, artist Mukta Sangmai, Himan Baruah, Lobsang Nima, Santanu Hazarika among others, Shri Gogoi stressed the importance of the involvement of the youth in the cultural sphere of the region and nation.

Emphasizing the fact that the youth of the Northeastern region are as developed and progressive as any of the world, Shri Gogoi called upon the youth to take up the oppurtunities present before them and make themselves and the state proud. 800 participants from the various districts of Assam were gathered at the State Youth Festival. The Chief Minister also witnessed performances by different groups from the state, notably the seven sisters dance troupe from Sonitpur.

At Uzan Bazar concert Sakina Khan, Ambush, Mo and the shooting stars and Bombay Bassment gave some scintillating performance much to the delight of the audience.

Day II Highlight:

Metropolis is not just a youth festival, it's a celebration of life, creativity and imagination. It's a platform which exchanges creative ideas, giving wings to talents which deserves to be known by all. The BMX motorcycle stunts made a specular display of skills on the bicycles.

Prism, the literary events by Northeast Today, held media session on “Is print media dying down?” and “media ethics” which was addressed by Jayanta Kumar Sarma, PRO, NF Railways and attended by the young media persons from across the city. This session was followed by tiny tales and ink blot test competitions.

There was also the tattoo and lifestyle convention. A huge numbers of bands from across the Northeast region participated in the in the Acoustic (Unplugged) jam. There was also rap competition and face painting completion.

Day III highlight:

The final day of Metropolis witnessed a huge gathering of crowd on Sunday. From designers showcasing their creations amidst a cheering crowd to talented dancers and musicians reverberating the venue with their pulse throbbing beats, the third and final day of Metropolis exhibited a powerhouse of energy. The following were the noteworthy events of day three:

Bmx final, Acoustic final, Flash mob, Sketch Competition, Poster making Competition. Alaap was organized at the Northeast Today literary hut, where some top brass cartoonists from Assam share their ideas. This was followed by the YFFP convention, where Babita Sarma, Swapnanil Barua and Prof Asha Choudhury spoke on possibilities of connecting Northeast to Southeast Asia through various cultural exchange programme. There were also workshops for Filmmaking and Photography.

At the concert of Uzan Bazaar, Joker’s whoop, We the giants, Tritha Electric, Yesterdrive, Poll Engers mesmerized the crowd with their performance.