By RG Lyngdoh
Now that the NH7 festival is over, and the dust has settled, the time has come to retrospect and learn for the future. It was the first festival of that scale for the North East region of the country. Credit has to be given first to the management of “Only Much Louder” and of “Springboard Surprises” who believed it was possible, and who sank in the money for the venture.
The first learning is that events can happen outside urban centres, even in rural settings. Most public events and festivals in Meghalaya have tended to be urban-centric. Organisers have always been wary that footfalls at a festival would drop if it was not held at a “convenient” place near an urban centre. NH7 has shown that the content of the festival is far more important than where the festival is held. The huge crowd that attended the two-day festival bears testimony to this.
However, the bigger learning in this regard, is that the rural people are ready and willing to join hands in organising such events. It was heartening to see youth organisations, women’s groups, VDPs and traditional organisations coming forward to share the responsibility of organising the festival. At the NH7 festival, parking, housekeeping, venue cleaning, traffic management were some of the jobs taken up by the local people of the area.
The second important learning is that our youth have come of age and can enjoy themselves without being a nuisance to others. Till recently, local administrations and traditional bodies used to equate “rock shows” with excessive behaviour and trouble. But, going by the smooth manner in which the festival happened, it can be safely concluded that our youth can be trusted to actually enjoy themselves thoroughly without creating any problems for others. Even the presence of so many liquor bars at the venue, which provided excise revenue to the government exchequer, did not create any problems to the local and district administration. Both male and female guests were courteously treated and given proper “tribal” hospitality, and I am sure they have all gone back with good memories of their visit.
I was proud to hear from the organisers, that at the Shillong NH7 festival they did not have to pay a single bribe in order to get things done. The Government of Meghalaya as well as the Ri Bhoi District Administration gave the logistical support required to ensure the festival ran smoothly. The organisers, on their part, ensured that all necessary duties and taxes were paid, in full, to the Government. The only financial consideration given by the State Government was exemption from paying the Entertainment Tax. This I feel is important to promote more such festivals coming to the State.
Considering that this festival, which is being held all over the country, is a purely commercial venture, I believe the organisers have to be commended for sharing the pie with all stakeholders. The Government earned through sales tax, excise duty, hotel room taxes, and shuttle services. The local community earned through NOC fees, management of parking lots, besides the improvement of physical infrastructure at the site and hiring of the VDP and locals for various jobs at the festival. Individual entrepreneurs also earned as transporters, campsite operators and food vendors. And, of course, for the organisers it proved a viable business venture worth repeating in the future.
Having said all this, I feel this article will not be complete without mentioning a couple of negatives that need to be corrected in future. Firstly, the NGOs of the district should also be involved right from the beginning to earn their trust and cooperation. On their part, the NGOs should look at taking advantage of the business opportunities rather than just getting free passes to the festival. Secondly, if the “VIP Raj” is to be eradicated, then a few bureaucrats, and they know whom I am talking about, should leave their egos at home before going for a public festival. It was sad to hear of government officers creating problems by barging through the entrance meant for artistes and demanding preferential treatment from the staff on duty at the festival.