Urban Haat wears a deserted look as the three-day charity event for COVID-19 orphans struggles to draw audience. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 25
In what was considered as a note worthy undertaking towards donating relief to COVID-19 orphans, a three night star-studded free concert organised by the reigning Miss Nagaland, Mharoni Khüvüng met with a lacklustre response from the people in the first two nights of the event.
The charity concert had all the ingredients for it to succeed, a star-studded line-up of singers and artists turning up to give their best performance, adequate marketing and publicity displayed across all platforms. However, barely a handful of people turned up for the show in the first two nights that was held at Urban Haat, near Dhansiri Bridge, Dimapur on March 24 to 25.
Empty stalls and a handful of people could only be seen at the venue. Talking to The Morung Express on the second day, stall owner Sharon expressed that she was disappointed with the way things turned out to be. “Hardly 50-60 people turned up on the first night. It was surprising given the fact that most of the artists present were so well known to the people of the state,” she said.
Sharon has open a thrift clothing stall at the venue hoping that a huge crowd would turn up with enthusiasm. “I sell clothes and personally made earrings which ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 200,” she said.
But given the situation, she was not able to sell much at all. Sharon shares that she also runs an online accessory store on Instagram. “Mharoni is a dear friend of mine so I thought that I would help her out by setting up a stall here,” she mentioned.
“I think March is a bad time to host such events because most people are busy with other obligations and activities,” she commented.
Stall owner of Good Earth cafe, also shared his experiences on the event as well. “The response was kinda okay for me since I ran a food stall,” he said. However he frankly admitted that the entire response of the audience was indeed poor and unresponsive. But expressed optimism in the final day as it will be on Saturday.
In the late evening of the programme, Opang Jamir, designer and modelling coach also shared his thoughts on why there was no response and said that it could be due to the non-payment of salaries to the government employees. “My cousins haven’t gotten four months of their salaries as well,” he revealed. He will be among the designers showcasing their collection on the last day of the event.
The second night saw a slight improvement in crowd turn out however the organisers had to wait till 7:00 pm for enough people to show up at the venue. All the shows were originally scheduled to begin at 2 in the afternoon.
The event is termed as a ‘Transformative Purpose: For the cause of COVID-19 Orphans,’ is hosted by Mharoni Khuvung, Miss Nagaland 2021 and sponsored by Liamtra, an online marketing app first set up in Dimapur.
On the last day (March 26), the event will witness a host of artists such as Mengu Suokhrie, Virie, J Pollnd Putland, Moko Koza, Nikato Tamang, Opang Jamir and many more.
