NE food fest to garnish Bengaluru
Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal

New Delhi, January 19 2015: A North East Food Festival is being organized in Bengaluru on January 24 by North-East communities at United Theological College, in Benson Town.

The North-East food festival will be followed by a cultural programme.

The event is an attempt to showcase ethnic cuisine, tradition and culture of the eight States.

The event is organized in aid of North - East Helpline, a collective of activists, individuals in Bengaluru.

Based in Infantry Road, Bengaluru 1, the Helpline is the only existing crisis intervention in the city.

It works with the local police and also serves as an information centre.

The Helpline reached out to over 35,000 NE population in Bengaluru during the "Exodus of 2013" .

Moreover a group of NE women started a unique idea of North-East Bazar.

The weekly market is a meeting place.

"A chit chat time" says Dr Rini Ralte the founder member and president of NE Solidarity, Bengaluru " We came out with an idea for a meeting point of North East women to come together once a week " said Rini Ralte.

It started when a few of the women who came down to live with their children in the city started kitchen gardens.

Along with items brought from their Home State and the kitchen garden produce, they sell them door to door.

Thus the idea of a bazar was conceptualized and came into existence in Julv 2014 .

The items on sale includes Ngari , Yongchak, Samtawkte, Soyabean, sticky rice , bean leaves, pickle, chilly varieties and other NE delicacies.

According to Rini Ralte, the basic concept is to come together sharing concern and spending time together.

Beside earning augmenting the income, it was initiated with the larger perspective of bringing out and showcasing North East food and delicacies to a wider audience, said Ralte.

Further the bazar eventually turned into a major hub of the North East people in Bengaluru.

And it was effectively utilized for various purposes.

Rini who had been involved in taking up issues from trafficking to assault on NE youth explained that a donation box is also kept at the bazar.

"The small amount received as solidarity donation were used for extending help to people in need and in times of crisis" Rini narrated and added that the solidarity activities require finance such as in police case, legal charges, providing shelter and food to victims and many other basic requirements, especially in a big city.

North East Bazar in Bengaluru has opened up doors to the North East people to network and get to know each other better.

Through the Bazar, they share their needs and help one another in looking for a room , finding a job and other opportunities, beside updating each other of happenings back home or in the city and other parts of the country "it has become an information hub , it is indeed a blessing " exclaimed Rini.

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