(From top) Artistes perform at the folk dance festival on Thursday. Foodies enjoy the Rajasthani festival at Kasbah restaurant on Friday and Children’s Day being celebrated at Sohum Shoppe. Pictures by Eastern Projections

It is a celebration of the colourful cultural legacy of the Northeast. The inaugural ceremony of a three-day folk dance festival of the Northeast at Shilpgram in the city on Thursday was testimony to the evolved cultural heritage of the Northeast.

The festival, organised by North East Zonal Cultural Centre (NEZCC), was inaugurated by Nagaland Governor Shyamal Datta and chairman of the cultural centre. After lighting the lamp, Datta praised the folk heritage of the region in his speech and called upon the younger generation to save the age-old cultural legacy.

“The festival celebrates the indigenous performing arts of the Northeast. Folk artistes from across the region have come to participate in the festival,” said an official of the centre.

Be it the famous Bihu dance of Assam or the bamboo dance of Mizoram, all dance forms were thoroughly enjoyed by connoisseurs.

“We were hardly aware that in a single region of the Northeast, we have hundreds of varied folk dance forms. And all are equally entertaining and colourful. I am enjoying every moment of my visit at the festival,” said Piyali Sarma, a private bank executive who was once a Bihu dancer.

Foodies’ haven

It was food from Rajasthan, which was the toast of foodies at the swanky multi-cuisine restaurant Kasbah at Fancy Bazar.

The eatery on the sixth floor in Shoppers’ Point organised a three-day Rajasthani food festival, which brought the flavours of Rajasthan to the heart of the city.

“Generally Rajasthan is perceived as a land of sand dunes and magnificent palaces. But the food festival is meant to introduce foodies to the rich and delicious cuisine of the land,” said Santanu Paul, manager of Kasbah, at the inaugural ceremony of the festival.

All the dishes served at the festival were vegetarian, a prominent feature of authentic Rajasthani cuisine.

The festival cleared the pre-conceived notions that Rajasthani food is generally dry and sweet. It established the fact that the food of the rajas and maharajas of Rajasthan is not only spicy and mouthwatering but leaves one craving for more.

All the delicacies served at the festival were cooked in pure desi ghee. Some of the dishes popular with the foodies are gatta curry, papad mungdi, samri saag, Jodhpuri aloo dam and raajma rashmisa, along with a variety of rotis made from bajra, missi and makai.

The all-time favourite chaat in its various avatars also won many a connoisseurs’ heart. Be it dahi vada, papri chaat, dhokla or moth chaat, the chefs prepared the dishes with a generous helping of curd. Some of the sweet dishes available were kheer, halwa and ras madhuri.

“For a long time I have been yearning to taste authentic Rajasthani food. The festival gave us a chance to indulge our tastebuds in traditional Rajasthani cuisine,” said Smriti Agarwala, a self-confessed food freak.

C for children & cheers

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Teddy bear and Tweety — they were all there at Sohum Shoppe in the shape of muppets to greet the little ones on their special day today.

Besides lining up their favourite cartoon characters, the popular shop gave the tiny tots plenty to cheer about, starting today.

On every purchase of kids’ items, including dress and playthings, the shop is giving a special Children’s Day discount of 20 per cent till November 20.

Buyers can avail a 10 per cent discount on all goods till Wednesday.

“Children are special and Sohum has always worked hard to provide the best of dresses, toys and accessories for children. Thus, we too thought of celebrating the children’s favourite day in a befitting manner,” said Sandeep Jalan of Sohum Shoppe.

“My 10-year-old child, Shreya, loves to buy her dresses here. So when we heard about the Children’s Day celebration, we made it a point to be a part of it,” Mili Mahanta, a housewife, said.

The Hub, another popular shopping destination in the city, also saw a large number of children trooping in with their parents to buy a gift on the occasion.

Mukesh Sharma, an executive of Hub, said: “Though we did not have anything special, we had many young visitors throughout the day.”