SILCHAR, NOVEMBER 10 (MExN): The ‘Online Global Fest’, a virtual cultural platform launched on October 31, 2024, is set to add a special tribute to three iconic Indian figures—Jana Neta Hijam Irabot, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and Dr Bhupen Hazarika—as part of the upcoming Barak Festival 2025. This cultural competition, open to global participants, invites people to engage with the rich literary and musical contributions of these legendary figures through poetry recitations, song performances, and dance dramas.
Participants will have the opportunity to recite poems of Jana Neta Hijam Irabot in Meitei language and Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s poems in Hindi. Additionally, participants can showcase the iconic songs of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi. These performances can be presented in a dance drama format, adding an extra creative layer to the competition.
The competition is divided into three categories-Students, Youth, and Senior Citizens. Participants are invited to submit video clips of their performances, which will be showcased across the organisers' social media platforms. In addition to the thrill of participating, a range of cash prizes and surprise gifts will be awarded to the top performers. Each participant will also receive a digital participation certificate from the KRC Foundation, along with appreciation letters and feedback from jury members and viewers to encourage further artistic growth.
This special edition of the ‘Online Global Fest’, which pays tribute to the works of Irabot, Bachchan, and Hazarika, is part of the Barak Festival 2025 and will be held in Silchar from January 10 to 12, 2025. The event is being organised by the Knowledge Resource Centre (KRC) Foundation in collaboration with the Barak-Manipur Friendship Association (BMFA).
The competition will be managed by Vision Art & Cultural Centre, a long-established organisation that has worked for over three decades to promote art and culture in Nagaland, and is now managed by the KRC Foundation. The aim of this competition is to bring the literary and musical legacies of these three luminaries—Irabot, Bachchan, and Hazarika—into the global spotlight and cultivate an appreciation for their works at the grassroots level.
In the statement, Biswadeep Gupta, Managing Trustee of the KRC Foundation, invited all Assamese, Manipuri, and Hindi-speaking individuals with a passion for poetry, song, and dance to participate in the competition. He further encouraged anyone, regardless of language or nationality, who has an interest in dance to join the event.
Gupta also revealed that, in addition to the announced prizes, there will be several special awards presented on January 12, 2025, the concluding day of the Barak Festival 2025. "We want to make this a global movement and expose our younger generations to the beautiful works of these three greats of India," he added, expressing his deep-rooted connection to the cultural ecosystem.
