East Twipra

10/12/2025

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08/12/2025

On 7th December 2025, Eh Huhu successfully organised the Saidra Literature Festival with the support of the Rangchak-Richa’s Foundation and the Young Kokborok Writers’ Association. The event took place in the serene surroundings near the Saidra River at Chandra Sadhu Para, Hathai Kotor, bringing together writers, scholars, cultural activists and community members in a vibrant celebration of literature and identity. The festival began with the lighting of the traditional lamp “Homchang”, symbolising purity, knowledge and cultural continuity. This was followed by a soulful rendition of the traditional song “Jaduni Rachapmung", setting a spiritually rich and culturally grounded tone for the day.

In the welcome address, Mr. Lincoln Murashing highlighted the purpose of the gathering and emphasized the importance of collective efforts in preserving Kokborok language and heritage. The programme featured two distinguished resource persons Dr. Bijoy Debbarma and Mr. Ajit Debbarma who delivered insightful talks on the cultural significance of the Kokborok-speaking community. Both speakers stressed that the increasing use of inappropriate or distorted words is gradually eroding the linguistic identity of the community. They also highlighted the crucial role of translation work in language development, especially in a multilingual state like Tripura, where indigenous languages need scholarly attention and preservation efforts.

A significant moment of the event was the address by the local village head, who expressed concern over the renaming of the Saidra River as Howrah. He emphasized how such changes gradually erase the historical and cultural memory of the Tiprasa people, underscoring the need to safeguard indigenous place names that carry ancestral narratives. The festival also featured a vibrant multilingual poetry session, where poets from Hrangkhal and Rupini linguistic communities recited their works. These poems were translated into Kokborok as well. Which showcases linguistic harmony and mutual respect among the diverse indigenous groups of Tripura.
Contributed by Suprachita Debbarma, Research Scholar of Kokborok Speaking Community.

16/11/2025

A quick chat with Shingli Jamatia ( ) at the Khumulwng Music and Arts Festival 2025.

14/11/2025

Two neighbouring states, two different roads.
Mizoram just won a national award for its disciplined, no-honking culture — a city where traffic flows with respect.

Tripura, meanwhile, struggles with ignored zebra crossings, constant honking, and low civic sense.

Mizoram proves that good traffic isn’t about big roads but responsible people.
A lesson Tripura still needs to learn.
By Payel Debbarma ( )

13/11/2025

A quick chat with KMAF’s sound engineer, John Twiphang Debbarma ( ), after the event.

11/11/2025

The recent Khumulwng Music and Arts Festival featured a diverse lineup of artists, from new and young bands to well-known contemporary musicians of Tripura, and even content creators. Though small in scale, the event was experimental and refreshing in its approach.

Most of the audience came from the capital city, Aguli, which says a lot about why music culture is still yet to be widely embraced in Tiprasa-dominated areas, well, that’s a topic for another day, but the Aguli crowd’s taste in music can easily be described as very westernized. And the lineup reflected this, featuring genres like rock, fusion rock, experimental, and hip-hop. The stage setup was technically impressive, equipped with all modern sound systems and perfectly synchronized, everything was handled in a professional manner.

Yet, one of the most surprising moments of the festival came from the oldest performer, SADAGAR. Unlike the other artists, he didn’t come with a band. He arrived alone, carrying only his modified Chongpreng. Sitting alone on stage, he performed his most popular songs, songs that have swept across the state and even made headlines beyond Tripura.

SADAGAR’s music doesn’t rely on electric guitars, bass, or drums. His songs are performed using his modified short Chongpreng, simple, raw, and heartfelt. And it’s exactly that simplicity which his young audience admires, something that’s often missing in today’s contemporary music filled with auto-tune and repetitive compositions.

His reach goes far beyond Tripura. Last year, he performed at the Ziro Music Festival in Arunachal Pradesh, a testament to how widely his music resonates. Even Papon performed his song “Jadu Hinmale” at the Festival of Indigenous Tiprasa ’21, alongside Elizabeth Kalai.

The Khumulwng Music and Arts Festival succeeded in blending the old and the new. And SADAGAR’s presence proved something powerful, that even in a generation who are more connected to the world than to their own roots, it is simplicity and authenticity that truly resonate with them.

10/11/2025

An Rapid Fire questions session with the one and only WAARA (We are another Rock Act)

10/11/2025

On November 9, the Saidra Co-ordination Committee celebrated Mamita Ter for the first time in Agartala, Nandanagar, in front of Don Bosco School.

Mamita is best known for its traditional Mamita Dance, the celebratory dance of the Tiprasa people during the harvest season. Mamita Ter or Mamita Festival is celebrated in the months of October and November to mark the period after the harvest of Huk (Jhum cultivation).

Traditionally, Mamita was not celebrated as an event with a stage or flashy performances. It was a simple yet deeply significant village tradition observed through Mai Kwtal Chalaimani, literally meaning “eating of new rice.” During this time, people would invite their neighbours and fellow villagers to share a feast made from the new harvest.

Often, many households in a village would host their feasts on the same day. Villagers would go from house to house, tasting food and enjoying Maimi Hangar Bwtwk, a form of alcoholic beverage made from Maimi rice, grown only in the Huks and brewed in a Langi (a type of clay pot). People from neighbouring villages would also join in the celebration.

Mamita is not just a harvest festival but also a time for reconciliation and community bonding. Sharing food and drinking Bwtwk together, often from the same Chungi (bamboo straw), is considered a gesture of trust and unity among the people.

The organizers of the Mamita Ter in Agartala hope to revive the long-lost traditions that many young people today are unaware of, and to remind everyone why these customs should be continued, to foster deep unity and trust within the community once again.

08/11/2025

While people still don’t have the habit of paying to watch live music concerts, let alone a three-day music festival, the culture has to start somewhere. And right now, it’s Khumulwng where it’s taking shape.

Artists deserve to be paid for their work because creativity is labour. Yet, many people are astonished by the idea of paying artists, and some even lash out, saying the ticket prices are too high. In such an environment, organizing a paid music festival is a bold move, especially when a “free” version of a so-called music/promo fest is happening just around the corner. One would think few people would show up, but surprisingly, people are showing up, and they’re actually paying to attend. However, yes, the crowd size is still small compared to other paid festivals..

The reason behind this is that the public has grown used to watching concerts for free because the government usually sponsors everything, bringing in big-name artists without charging the audience. This has become the norm, and as a result, the idea of paying for music feels foreign.

The Khumulwng Music and Arts Festival is an effort to change that, to build a culture of open-mindedness and appreciation for music. Yes, the organizers need funds to pay the artists, and it’s true that others have also found ways to pay their performers. But often, they do so by running gambling games right behind the stage, or shall we say, in the shadow of the music. People come less for the performance and more for the gambling.

This needs to change. A new culture must emerge, one that values art and artists, where people invest in good music by buying tickets, showing up, and offering their moral support.

Khumulwng is showing the first signs of that change. It may still be small, uncertain, and experimental, but it’s a beginning.

And we can surely claim that the revolution has begun, and it’s playing out on the stages of Khumulwng.

05/11/2025

A new indie music festival is emerging in Khumulwng, the Khumulwng Music and Arts Festival — much like how Arunachal’s Ziro Festival began with independent artists. Ziro’s organic growth has made it one of Northeast India’s biggest music festivals, now supported by the government for its role in boosting tourism.
Similarly, KMAF has the potential to shape Tripura’s cultural identity if nurtured by local artists and supported by the community. Unlike government-run festivals that depend on political continuity, independent artist-led festivals can sustain themselves through creative collaboration, with the government playing a supportive, not controlling role.
For KMAF to thrive and become a source of pride and organic tourism for Tripura, public support in its early stages is essential.

04/11/2025

For decades, the political landscape of Northeast India has been fragmented, divided across ethnic lines, regional identities, and state-based interests. While the region has often shared common struggles, its political voice at the national level has remained scattered. But now, a significant shift is unfolding.

On November 4, 2025, four prominent leaders from the Northeast, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K. Sangma, Bubagra Pradyot Bikram Manikya, Founder of TIPRA M***a, Mmhonlumo Kikon, Former Spokesperson of BJP, and Daniel Langthasa, Founder of People's Party, came together in New Delhi to announce a historic collaboration titled “One North East.”

According to their joint statement, the leaders have decided to form a united political platform that represents the “aspirations of the people.” The idea is simple yet revolutionary, to bring together various regional voices into a single, collective political entity that can advocate for the interests of the Northeast as a whole.

This initiative, inspired by the legacy of past leaders who fought for the identity and development of the region like Hill State Movement, aims to create a common political platform, much like how the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) unites students’ bodies across the eight states.

Until now, politics in the Northeast has largely been shaped along ethnic lines or state boundaries, with major national parties taking smaller regional outfits under their umbrella. These regional parties were usually aligned either with the UPA or the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), an extension of the BJP-led NDA, but never united at a pan-Northeast level. Most of them operated within the larger national framework, giving national parties considerable influence over state politics.

However, “One North East” could represent a homegrown, indigenous alternative, one that seeks to reclaim political autonomy and collective representation without the shadow of national parties.

If this alliance gains momentum, firstly, it could challenge NEDA’s dominance, secondly, create a common Northeastern agenda on issues like identity and development, thirdly, empower indigenous leadership by giving local voices control over policies, and lastly, foster political stability through greater collaboration across states and communities.

The leaders have announced the formation of a committee to deliberate on the structure and future course of this new political entity. While it’s too early to predict its full impact, the move has already stirred conversations about a regional resurgence, a Northeast that stands together, politically and ideologically.