Hangathik Northeast to enthrall Mumbai crowd with their gig

An earlier gig organised by Hangathik Northeast

The senseless killing of Nido Tania in Delhi was a watershed moment back in 2014. It made us sit up and finally ask hard questions: How far are we, as a country, willing to allow discrimination against residents of the Northeast? To what extent are we okay with racist slurs being flung at them willy-nilly? And more importantly, what can we do collectively to give them a sense of assimilation, before yet another youth from Arunachal Pradesh is bludgeoned to death in broad daylight on a busy street?

There aren't any easy answers to these. But certain steps can help push us in the right direction. Take what Hangathik Northeast has been doing in Mumbai since 2008. The collective of youngsters organises monthly events that are aimed at giving people from the mainland a window into the cultural milieu of the neglected region. The next show is lined up this weekend and called The White Room, a gig that's billed as"Mumbai's biggest northeastern night".

It will feature seven DJs, three of whom are from Mumbai while the rest belong to Gangtok and Guwahati. One of them, Raktim Roy, is among those who started Hangathik Northeast ("hangathik" means"massive" in Assamese). The 30-year-old tells us,"The concept behind this gathering is that it's not restricted to the northeastern crowd, but open to everyone. There is a certain taboo that exists in the mainland about our region.

Raktim Roy

Even today, some people are confused about whether Shillong is in Meghalaya or Meghalaya is in Shillong. So, what we wanted to do is bring mainlanders and residents of the northeastern states under one roof for a regular club night, and get artistes from the Northeast to perform so that their music sees a wider reach." Roy adds that he is originally from Guwahati, and arrived in Mumbai 10 years ago to study sound engineering.

"Back then, there was almost nothing associated with the Northeast in the city. There were no restaurants apart from one or two serving our cuisine, for instance. So, we gradually started promoting our region through events. And our aim was to get Mumbaikars involved, because that's the best way to break cultural barriers. But it's hard to promote these as cultural nights, because people generally don't attend those things," he reveals.

Now, a decade later, the efforts have started bearing fruit. Cyco and Tony are two DJs based in Guwahati who play a mix of hip-hop, moombathon and trap music. They have been regulars at Hangathik Northeast events, and Roy says that the visibility that the duo has gained has translated into them being invited for gigs in Delhi and Jaipur. He adds that a place like Guwahati often gets big-name DJs playing at clubs like Terra Mayaa, a pioneering venue that opened doors in Assam for electronic musicians. But the eventual aim is to reverse that process so that artistes from the Northeast get regular call-ups to play gigs in the mainland, as is happening with Cyco and Tony.

Roy also says that none of these initiatives are meant for profit."We either just about break even or end up paying from our own pockets," he confesses. But that is no deterrent to the cause, he continues. And the hope is that the continued efforts will one day lead to a much-needed acceptance that will ensure that no life is needlessly lost due to discrimination, as was the case with Tania.

On: June 22, 10 pm
At: Kitty Su, The LaLit Building, Navpada, Marol, Andheri East.
Call: 61043553
Entry: Rs 3,000 per couple (full cover)

Big guns from Guwahati