All posts tagged: Manipur

Rootsandleisure_Augustine_Shimray

Ziro Festival Of Music Special | Meet Augustine Shimray of Featherheads – A Multi Talented Musician and Artist Who Is Deeply Rooted and Proud of His Naga Culture

From music to modeling to designing artifacts, the multi-talented Augustine Shimray is one creative talent you’ve got to know! Brought up in Dimapur, Nagaland, Augustine is very proud of his North-Eastern roots and incorporates his culture into everything he does. For the moment, he is excited to perform at this year’s edition of Ziro Festival of Music with his band, Featherheads.  “Today everything that I do, the way I look, whatever I represent… like my tattoos incorporate modern designs with my ancestors’ headhunter tattoos, the earlobe piercings, the costumes that I wear, the songs that I sing…  I walk my roots everywhere I go.”  We are happy to feature the multi-talented Augustine Shimray from North East India, as he lets us into his creative mind space and tells us about his inspirations and how his curiosity to learn about his roots has helped shape his life and work. Hello Augustine! How are you? Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’ve been up to. I am Augustine Shimray, a free spirit born in the 80’s in …

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NorthEast India Fashion | Street Style Trend Report From The Local Fashionistas of Arunachal, Manipur and Tripura

Street style culture has been trending for a while now, with individual style taking precedence over everything else. In the North East of India, street style is more than just a fashion statement – it’s a showcase of individuality and the region’s diverse cultures, mixed tastefully with global influences. Today, we catch up with some of the trendsetters from three states of North East India – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Tripura – to give us the lowdown on their personal style and what’s trending on their local fashion scene. Arunachal Pradesh Jomter Karlo | Fashion Student at NIFT Mumbai A fashion student from NIFT Mumbai, Jomter Karlois originally from Arunachal Pradesh. She loves to keep it edgy, funky, and unexpected by styling her outfits with accessories in unconventional ways. “I am not much of a ‘dress’ person. I like to mix & match my outfit to create different looks each time and my wardrobe consists mostly of crop-tops, shorts, pants and skirts. I am just old school like that. I’ve grown up being inspired by …

Rootsandleisure_Faces

“Capturing Her Wrinkles Felt Like Capturing a Lifetime of Emotions – Frozen on Her Face” | Old Lady at Maring Village, Manipur by Gautam Raj

“I don’t know her personally. Met her at the local market as we stopped by at Maring village in Manipur on our way to some other village. She was selling fresh vegetables from her garden and was calling out to us to buy them. That’s when I saw her face – and call it timing or luck, the sun was just setting making the lighting perfect for a picture. So I grabbed my camera and asked her if I can take a picture instead. She stared blankly at me, perhaps disappointed that I didn’t buy her vegetables. My first attempt failed.  I told her she was beautiful. She was indeed. In my eyes, the wrinkles on her face made her look even more beautiful and her eyes seemed like she had a story to tell. She smiled shyly and then, laughed a lot when I complimented her smile. Her laughter gave out a feeling of genuine happiness inside. That’s when I clicked the second photo – this picture. This time it came out good. I …

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Three Friends From Northeast India Bring Yummy Food and Great People Under One Roof | Meet the Founders of “Cultured” Cafe, Delhi

Dubbed as ‘The mini North-Eastern food hub’, Humayunpur located in Safdarjung , New Delhi is a haven for North-eastern cuisine lovers and fashion enthusiasts. The streets are filled with restaurants, cafes and chic clothing stores. And as you walk through the lanes, “Cultured” cafe trails you back to another narrow passage – which is as beautiful as a picture (read: #Instagramable) and a perfect representation of the place that awaits the visitor. This pet-friendly (yes! you heard that right) cafe cum co-working space serves freshly brewed coffee and absolutely delightful food – ranging from breakfast favorites to wholesome and healthy meals to fresh desserts, prepared by one of the founders, who also happens to be a passionate baker. Here’s a chat with the founders of “Cultured” cafe – a team of three friends from Northeast India. They talk about their passionate venture, their collective roots and their influence, and of course, the food! Hello guys, please introduce yourselves! Hi, I am Esha and 1/3rd of “Cultured” cafe. I am 24 years old and a communication graduate. …

rootsandleisure_recipe

Recipe of “Uti Thongba” Manipur’s Favorite Vegetarian Dish – Contributed by Tushar

No grand feast in Manipur is complete without ‘Uti thongba.’ Uti thongba is a classic manipuri vegetarian dish and there is a variety of how the locals cook and it is enjoyed as a main dish or even a side dish with your favourite meat curry . Today our contributor Tushar from Manipur shares his favorite type of Uti Thongba called ‘Usoi Mangan uti’ (Whole grain with fresh bamboo shoot uti). Read on to find out how to make it! Cooking time: 40-50 minutes Ingredients: 2 cups of overnight soaked dry peas 1 cup of sliced bamboo shoots 2-3 tbs of mustard oil 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 green chilies 1 bay leaf 1 and a half serving spoons of chopped chives 1 and a half serving spoons of chopped winter leek 3/4 tsp of salt 3/4 tsp of sodium bicarbonate. Ingredients: Clockwise(L-R) Sliced fresh bamboo shoot, chopped chives, and Overnight soaked dry peas Clockwise (Top R-L) Bay leaf, Cumin seeds, Green chilies, oil, Sodium bicarbonate and salt Directions to cook : Heat …

RootsandLeisure_FashionDesigner_Zimik

How This Young Designer from Ukhrul Is Breaking Through The Clutter In The Fashion Realm | Easternlight Zimik

  “It is said that a person’s personality is reflected through the clothes they wear and that it depicts your true self. Each piece of a clothing has its own story to tell. As a person we wear a different face every day, wherever you go you are a different person and the clothes you wear tell a different story, the real story.” ~Fierce Berry Easternlight Zimik is a fashion designer, illustrator and print designer who draws inspiration from music, poetry and Japanese holistic fashion. Zimik graduated from NIFT, New Delhi and aims to create a voice through his designs where concept meets commercial value. He is currently working as a head designer for a brand called ZINGRIN in Delhi. Tell us a little about yourself. Hi ! I am Easternlight Zimik from Ukhrul, Manipur. I am working as fashion designer, fashion illustrator and print designer. I am in my mid-twenties. I did my graduation from Delhi University and fashion designing at NIFT Delhi. I am currently based in New Delhi working as a head designer for the brand, ZINGRIN. Besides …

RootsandLeisure_BiakHauzel_WeddingPhotographer

Catching Up with Biak Hauzel | Wedding Photographer from Manipur

Earlier, it was not everyday that we stumbled across accomplished people often who followed their passions over 9 to 5 professions and achieved greater heights in the same. But today, the scenario is completely different, as we see more and more people opting out to make off-beat career choices over regular jobs. It is all the more surprising to know that they had no prior intentions, ambitions or whatsoever to take up their current choices and had only landed there by pure accident. We caught up with one such individual from Manipur, Biak Hauzel, who took up wedding photography as his career choice years back and has been creating a rage ever since! Hi Biak! Tell us a little about yourself. I was born and raised in Imphal, Manipur. I finished my high school and then moved on to pursue my BA at the St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Science in Bangalore. To be honest, it’s been only 3 years since I’ve taken up wedding and event photography for a full-time profession and I …

RootsandLeisure_Lungshai_DoodleArtist

Doodler Extraordinaire – Lungshai Leisan | Doodles, Illustrations and Comics

“The world is not made of atoms. It is made of stories” – Muriel Ruykeser  That is exactly what Lungshai wants to express through her pretty illustrations – the flair to be able to convey emotions, moods, ideas and narrative in all. Lungshai Leisan, 26, is currently pursuing Visual Communication from the College of Art, Delhi. Hailing from Ukhrul, Manipur, she freelances as an artist in her free time. She holds a degree in Multimedia Animation. Northeastern Natives | Doodle Illustrations by Lungshai Leisan. Hi Lungshai! We found your illustrations pretty amazing. Tell us something about it. How did you get started? My illustrations are founded on life and everything that surrounds me. Drawing has always been a delight for me since childhood. I remember how I used to draw everything and anything in my notebooks and textbooks in school. I never knew I could take up drawing as a profession until that summer back when I was in high school. I was intrigued and fascinated by my younger cousin, Ati’s drawings and paintings. I was …

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Capturing The Unique Story of Two Souls | Photographer Manoj Sagolsem

Returning with the follow-up series of wedding photographers, today we feature another passionate photographer from Manipur who took years to pursue his passion, constantly on the path of learning, now stands as an inspiration. Wedding photography being one among his photo genres, he believes wedding is an unique story of two people and is delighted to have the opportunity to capture it. Born in Wangoi, Imphal and educated at St. Anthony’s School Shillong, Manoj Sagolsem graduated from Delhi University and went on to work in a corporate company for eight years in the capital until one day he decided to drop everything for the passion of photography and move to Dimapur. Abstract expressions on faces and abstract emotions in the soul attract and inspire this photographer to document and compile his images. When did you start taking pictures?  One fine day I decided quit my job all for the sake of my passion for photography. It wasn’t an easy thing to do.  My family and friends thought I was insane. At one point, I had …