Context: The first festival celebrated the linguistic and cultural ties between the Barak Valley region of Assam and the Sylhet segment of Bangladesh recently.
The festival coincides with the 75th year of India’s independence and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
About Sylhet-Silchar festival:
Organised by the India Foundation and has been supported by the Union Ministry of Culture and the Assam government in association with the Bangladesh India Friendship Society and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The festival underlines the commonalities between India and Bangladesh, specifically the Sylheti variant of the Bengali language and the Sylheti culture.
Significance:
The aim of the festival is to revisit the common values and shared heritage of the twin cities and their people separated by international borders.
The festival will showcase tribal culture, cuisine, literature, arts, and crafts.
The festival will also bring together eminent people from public and social life, industrialists, artists, scholars, and practitioners from both sides to discuss and deliberate on issues of mutual growth and opportunity.
In addition, the Festival will also provide a platform to explore multi-disciplinary trade opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, tourism, education, and digital infrastructure.
