Imphal, Dec. 19: Sangeet Natak Akademi Northeast Centre, Guwahati, and Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy have jointly initiated a festival-cum-workshop - Pena Utsav - after nearly two decades.

The festival has been organised to promote the indigenous musical instrument - pena - and its makers.

Rajat Ganguli, director of Akademi, Northeast Centre said, 'The art of playing the pena is facing extinction as it is hard to find a guru under whom students can train.'

The festival, being organised under the guidance of gurus Rajen Singh and Tomcha Singh, ends on Sunday.