Month: September 2016

Rootsandleisure_Ziro

Photos and Video | Ziro Festival of Music 2016

Some of our readers have shared some lovely photos for those of us who couldn’t make it to the festival. The location is beautiful and it definitely looks like a lot of fun out there! Check out the photos and a video. Hope you enjoy it 🙂 Waiting for the shows to begin! And there’s food as well! Oh just in case it’s not obvious, our friend (Sukesh) is trying to eat a grasshopper. Slurp!   Members SOFYIUM and Koloma bands warming up before the show. Italian band Gramlines playing at the fest Photo courtesy : Naren Jamatia, Rohan Abraham

RootsandLeisure_Ziro

Folks! Ziro Festival of Music 2016 is Happening!

What’s Ziro you ask? Only the most fun outdoor music festival in India! The Ziro Festival of Music is set up at Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and is scheduled to enthrall Indian music fans from 22 – 25 September 2016. For the uninitiated, Ziro sums up as a place to experience a brilliant mashup of Indian indie music scene in the heart of India’s most underrated travel destinations of all time! The Ziro Festival of Music is India’s youngest music festival featuring independent artists compared to the likes of  NH7 Weekender Series and Chasing Storm Festival. But its founding fathers Bobby Hano, who manages independent alternative rock band Yesterdrive, and Menwhopause guitarist, Anup Kutty are on to a good thing here. Because if it weren’t, Ziro Festival wouldn’t have been as magical and enchanting as it was. See it for yourself [recap of Ziro 2015] And this year, IndiaTrail’s founder and chief traveller Rohan Abraham is heading out with his fellow travellers to be a part of this musical experience. Driving up from Tezpur (Assam), it looks …

RootsandLeisure_Crab

Recipe | Naga Style Crab Dish

During the rainy season, we get a lot crabs –  fresh from the small streams and river we have around us [in Nagaland] . So  today we would like to share a simple crab recipe. So next time you catch hold some fresh crabs, do try this out. Before you start the preparation, make sure you soak the crab (especially if you buy them alive) in hot boiling water for about 10 minutes. After this, wash them with cold water 2 to 3 times.  Ingredients you’ll need:  Fresh river crabs ( 15-20 crabs) 8 red dry chillies 4 tablespoons of fresh bamboo shoot juice 5 gloves of garlic 1 small ginger 1 handful of spring onion finely chopped 750 ml of water Salt to taste Directions to Cook: After the crabs are washed thoroughly, place them in a deep saucepan /wok. Put all the ingredients together and cook till all the water has been absorbed. Usually 30-35 minutes. Serve with rice, Naga style.

Meet Aunty Sinju and her Mouthwatering Local Snack

“About 10 years ago my daughter suggested that I open a small shop. So I started selling Sinju* and I am happy that I have many customers today. I’m known here by the name ‘Aunty Sinju’ *laughs* Editor’s note: Aunty Sinju sits at Pakai College entrance gate , and her Sinju is so popular that people come all the way from Dimapur (about 15Kms away) to buy the snack. *Sinju is a local snack, which is a mix of shredded cabbage, nokna leaves (water crest), meat , crispy (uncooked) wai wai noodles , papad, chilli sauce and the special sinju masala. It is the perfect afternoon snack on a cold rainy day!

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Meet Asibu – Maker of Glamorous Jewellery

Lately, we have been witnessing some pretty awesome jewellery designers coming up from every corner – especially from the vibrant state of Nagaland. And we’re very proud to showcase each and every one of them. One of the most recent one to join the growing band of upcoming jewellery entrepreneurs is Asibu Yhoshu Peseyie, an NIFT graduate. We came across her jewellery brand  ‘Asibu‘ and they are absolutely gorgeous! No wonder everyone’s talking about them. If you haven’t yet come across them , fret not. What else are we here for? : )   Asibu has worked as an Assistant Designer for Amritraj Bora Couture, fashion brand that has styled for the likes of Malaika Arora Khan and Madhu Sapre. She has also worked alongside the renowned fashion stylist Mahima Shukla as an Assistant Stylist. Her career has now taken the natural turn by launching her own jewellery brand, Asibu. And, we can’t have enough of it! Tell us a little more about ‘Asibu’ and the design mantra behind it? Asibu is a handcrafted home-based jewellery brand that …

RootsandLeisure_Nalemtur

Na Lemtur – Nagaland’s Hottest Fashion Photographer Right Now

We chatted up Temsuna Lemtur (aka Na Lemtur) who is currently creating rifts in Dimapur, Nagaland with her fashion photography. Lemtur decided to gain a better insight into photography after leaving Delhi, where she worked as a freelancer for a while. Almost at the same time her younger brother Moanungsang Lemtur aka Shinobi (who we covered a short while ago) was finding a footing in the creative design arena. #ArtistSiblings for the win! Na Lemtur’s creative journey since then has taken her places and to newer heights. Here’s presenting the pretty and very talented, Na Lemtur. Why did you choose photography as a career option? Photography just happened to me and I went with the flow. There definitely wasn’t a “eureka” moment as such but my interest in photography developed alongside my growing interest in fashion. I began it as a hobby with a Yashica compact digital camera and I remember being fascinated by a photograph’s capacity to suggest my subjects’ personality and bring out the life within them for everyone to view. That’s how I …

RootsandLeisure_StoneArt

Turning Pebbles to Art by Iboli Zhimo

Do you ever wonder about all the tales one would unravel if all the stones around us could start talking? Mother Nature has countless mysteries laid out around us. They’ve laid silently for a thousand years and more, and eventually us humans have forgotten to take notice of her. Except for a few artists among us – who take the time to pause, listen and create. Meet Iboli Zhimo who’s making random stones tell beautiful stories. Iboli is based out of the small town of Satakha under the Zunheboto district in Nagaland.  She works as a pebble artist for Regalia Entertainment in the state and is also pursuing a Masters degree in History. Zhimo fell in love with this unique art form because of its challenging nature. With sheer dedication and passion, Zhimo sets out to find the fitting pieces for her creations. And find she does. Take a look yourself. Also, you can buy her unique pebble arts on the R&L SHOP Elvis Etched In Stone Tree of Life Happy Stones – Music, Dance and Fun! Iboli Zhimo with …

RootsandLeisure_Verie_MySummer

New Music Video by our Favorite Naga Artist Virie

Folks – the gorgeous and talented singer and songwriter Virie just released her latest single “My Summer” on YouTube. The video is as dreamy and magical as her voice – shot in the beautiful Dzulake Valley in Nagaland. And as though the song wasn’t enough to enchant the listeners, the beautiful backdrop takes the viewer to a fairytale land – where summer and winter come together in perfect harmony . . ♫ How, how long will I walk alone Thousand miles on my own Miles to go before I sleep  Those summer days is all I dream ♪ Will I ever see you on the other side? Will you ever sing to me and make my night? ♪ This video was shot on a winter afternoon (2015 winters, according to Virie). But by the looks of it, it appears that Virie was indeed able to summon the summers after all. Check out the beautiful sun rays blending in perfectly with the color of winter. Watch the official music video ‘My Summer’ by Virie Song written and composed by Virie …

Rootsandleisure_Chingngam

Harajuku Inspired Fashion Designer | Chingngam

  Meet Chingngam Awungshi Shimray, a Mumbai based fashion designer who recently started her own label inspired by the fashion scene in Harajuku street – centre of Japanese youth culture and fashion – which started as a result of the young people’s curiosity towards western culture. Harajuku fashion can be described as an outer expression of something inside that is just waiting to get out and this is how people in Japan use fashion – as a means to express themselves. Chingngam Awungshi Shimray is one such designer who brings out her inner expressions and creativity through her clothes and describes her clothing label as ‘fun fashion‘. I had a brief chat with the upcoming designer over WhatsApp , and here’s an excerpt : Tell us something about yourself “I am from Manipur. After graduating from St. Mary’s college in Shillong Meghalaya, I followed my heart to become a fashion designer and moved to Mumbai. As a fashion designer, I believe that inspiration does not have a measure. It hits me at random moments . But, I do have …