While Arunachal Pradesh has Ziro and Nagaland has Hornbill, the music-loving community in Mizoram has been without any form of music festival for decades, until now.
On Saturday, the youth of Aizawl were immersed in an experience that had never left its mark in the blue hills of Mizoram – the state’s first ever music festival.
Around 10 kilometers from Aizawl, the collaborators, Local Events House and bby animals, an event management group set the stage perfectly with a bonfire, yellow fairy lights and food stalls selling steamed babek chicken and hot momos. The artist lineup had all the biggest names in indie pop and punk rock on the roster. A little rap flavor was added to the mix with the biggest name in the state’s rap industry, G’nie. Hundreds of young people jump to the familiar beats of Avora Records and Boomerang, while swaying their heads to G’nie spinning magic on his new tunes. However, the crowd remained silent when artist Benjamin Sum sang about the problems in his country of Myanmar, belting his symphonic voice to a punk rock beat.
In one corner of the crowd, away from the stage, a college student, Muanzuala and Muanzuali who had just graduated sat on a wooden bench shaking their heads and laughing, when they laughed. EastMojo ask them what they think of the festival. With a smile, they said, “It’s our first time attending a music festival and we’re having a great time. The artist lineup is really good and has a good variety of genres, it has everything from indie rock to hip-hop. However, we wish there were more food storage.”
“Young people need more festivals like this, there are many people who love music like us and there are no concerts. Besides, local artistes need a platform where they can shine, a platform where music lovers and music creators can meet,” said Muanzuali.
Sanga, drummer of Avora Records and one of the founders of event management group ‘bby animal’ said EastMojo that lack of funding and support from the government is one of the main reasons why there are no music festivals in Mizoram.
“Since Mizoram is a dry state, it is really difficult to get a big sponsor because alcohol brands are usually associated with big festivals and we cannot do such deals with any big brand. Moreover, the government does not want to take any part in festivals organized by companies or private groups. So the lack of funding is the main reason it took so long for the festival to take place.”
According to Sanga, this has been the dream of bby animals ever since it was founded.
“Bby animals have dreamed of organizing a big and modern festival since 2018 when we founded the group. Our motivation comes from our dissatisfaction with the existing festivals in Mizoram, which are all policed by the Mizoram Government. Repeatedly, they are outdated and are filled with speeches and solo acts and we want Mizoram and its people to experience a music festival more in line with festivals around the world.”
As of now, the biggest festival held in the state is Chapchar Kut – a spring festival, and the Anthurium festival where the dignitaries preside over the programs and speeches with some cultural programs and performances infused in between.
Bby animals and his team of 8 people did the design, social media marketing, video, sound engineering and grounds for the festival while the organizing partners ‘LOCAL’ and their team of about 8 people took care of the logistics and financing. It was a common interest in the direction of music and its promotion in Mizoram that brought the two teams together to organize the first Mizoram music festival.
One of the participants, Hruaitluanga, a videographer, told EastMojo, “This festival shows how much the music industry has progressed in the state. For music lovers like us, this is perfect. For our artists to expand beyond our state they need more platforms like this, festivals like this will help them gain recognition in the Northeast. However, we still don’t have very good space for these programs. The place is a little too far, many people would like to go in might not be able to because of the location.”
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Zomawii Khiangte, the local owner of Event House said.
“This is our first year, and if it goes well we want to organize it every year. We want to make it a tourist attraction, something on the lines of the Ziro music festival in Arunachal Pradesh. We want to bring out artists from Northeast states. There is a lot of uncaptured nature in Mizoram. People travel for hours on the road to reach the Ziro festival. Similarly, if we have the platform and space, we can bring them here.”
Zomawii Khiangte and her husband Felipe Rodriquez are the owners of Local All Natural Sodas and Local Event House. They are the first beverage industry from Northeast to move to metro cities. They came to Mizoram in 2017 with a great passion to develop the beverage market in Mizoram.
Like Khiangte, Sanga strongly believes they are here for the long haul.
“As artists, we have no platform or support from the government or any organization. The culture and community are important for our scene to grow. We will start small and then we will build. The first LOCAL music festival is proof that the local population wanted an outdoor Music Festival. Our participation exceeded our expectations. Young people are starting to understand the importance of live music and over the years, we truly believe it will only get bigger. We’re here for the long haul.”
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