Mumbai : The North East Fest- brainchild of Basics Advertising in association with The National Textile Corporation and the Home Ministry of India flagged off with Ministers from various departments of states in the North East, acclaimed and local designers of the region and beyond and celebrities. The event was inaugurated by Mr. Jayanta N Choudhury, DGP, Assam, in the presence of Mrs. Radha Choudhury, President, Assam Police Wives Welfare Association (APWWA), Ms. Barnali, Senior Project Leader, National Mission for Empowerment of Women in India (NMEW).

Followed by a press conference with key people from BASICS on the dice including Mayank Jha, Founder & CEO, Basics Advertising, Anand Kumar, Founder & COO, Basics Advertising,Joi Barua-Singer, designers like Yana Ngoba and Sunita Shanker; Mrs. Radha Choudhury, President, Assam Police Wives Welfare Association (APWWA), Ms. Barnali, Das, Senior Project Leader, National Mission for Empowerment of Women in India (NMEW) and Dr. Sulochana Vasudevan, Senior Project Advisor, Poverty Elimination and Economic Empowerment, NMEW; Mr. Shyam Kanu, Director, APGCL, Mr. Shambhu Singh, Joint Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs, North East Division. They gave brief introduction on the initiatives taken by them to support the social causes like Women Empowerment, Women trafficking by NTC, APWWA, and NMEW, and to promote North East Fest Fashion Show, Culture, Sericulture, Music, Handicrafts etc.

North East Fashion Show was inaugurated by Mr. Mayanlk Jha, Mr. Anand Kumar, Ms. Parineeti Phukan, Minister Culture & Handloom Textile. Brand ambassador Soha Ali Khan walked the ramp for designer Sunita Shanker, reputed for her leanings towards Indian craftsmanship. This was followed by other fashion shows sponsored by well prominent designers such as Jenjum Gadi, Rajdeep Ranawat and Nida Mahmood. They showcased the best of North East Fashion with their unique designs.

The Fest took its mission of promoting overall development of the North East region a step forward on Day 1 with the inauguration of the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW).Using the platform of NEF, social issues specific to the North East like the declining Sabha’. Soha Ali Khan addressed the need for women in this region to take practical measures towards financial independence.

Mr. Mayank Jha, Founder & CEO, Basics Advertising said and “ Mr. Anand Kumar, Founder & COO in unison said that “We as an event company would always try to do event which bring value to people’s life, brand our nation’s rich culture and heritage and promote Women’s Empowerment”

Ms. Barnali Das, Senior Project, National (NMEW) stated, “We at the National Mission for empowerment of Women, are working hard to empower the women of this country holistically and we seek the support of everybody in our endeavor.”

The first day of NEFF was also high on the entertainment front with all day performances by Karbi, Boro and Hajang followed by Shillong based singer Gwyneth taking centrestage in the evening. A mob dance performance was also lapped up by the visitors on Day 1 while stalls selling local handicrafts and the famous muga and eri silk drew eager patrons all day.

Soha Ali Khan commented, “I am elated to see how well NEFF has taken off. A lot of hard work and organization has gone in to planning and executing a Fest of this scale and I am pleased with how it has gone so far. The atmosphere is really charged with buzzing activity and talent showcasing across fashion, music, cuisine and much more and we truly hope this event does for the North East what scattered and sparse efforts so far have been unable to do. The strong backing of the Government with the fashion fraternity is poised to take NEFF on another level in the coming days.”