Basar, a quaint hill town in Arunachal Pradesh, home to Galos, one of the 26 major tribes of the state, is currently hosting the state’s first-ever artist residency. Called the Basar Confluence,the residency, open to photographers, filmmakers, writers, musicians, and painters, will continue for three weeks in February, culminating in an exhibition and celebration that also marks the traditional harvest festival, Mopin.

The festival will include folk dancing, folk music and feasting with glimpses of tribal living on display –community fishing, performances will be on display.

The artists for the multi-disciplinary residency were selected after an expert panel went through applications. The selection was based on their work, their willingness to collaborate within themselves and their surroundings, displaying a keen sense of reaching out to a different community. The result will be a collaborative projectdrawing influences from their surroundings.

The confluence, conceived, conceptualised and funded by GuminRegoKilaju (pronounced: Guu`minRvgooKw`laaju), a local, non-profit organisation, founded by government employees, both retired and serving, bringstogether a creative community to the little town of Basarto promote the region's unique ethnicity and heritage.Through this maiden venture, GRK, which aims to create an equal society, bring positive social change, build a sustainable economy with close ties to nature apart from placing an emphasis on education and sports, created a platform for artists to work on a project that was collaborative and in sync with the local community.“We want to take forward the initiatives of living harmoniously with nature and the process of creating opportunities,” says JummarBasar, organisingchairman, GRK Basar Confluence, Basar, adding, “the confluence of ideas and efforts make our society a better place to live in and we want to trace and nurture the roots of traditions and cultures.”

The end of the residency will culminate in the Basar Confluence (BasCon) to be held for two days starting February 22, 2017. BasCon will be a celebration of traditional culture with contemporary arts, and the artists will present their collaborative project over two days as a part of the confluence. “GRK,” says Basar, “is committed to strengthening the spirit of ‘we’, ‘ours’ and ‘us’.”

Arunachal Pradesh is rising in popularity – and tourism – through interesting festivals and events that it curates. Music festivals like Ziroand Orange are already gaining traction. Now, Basar Confluence further reinforces the supremacy of Arunachal Pradesh in the promotion of art and culture.

Theidea behind the confluence is to bring in people from all over the world to experience the rich tradition and culture of Basar while showcasing a slice of the world to the locals and building a sense of community. The local community will be directly involved in the organisation of the festival and the proceeds will be shared amongst the community.

BasCon is being produced by Phoenix Rising, the event management company that conceptualisesa host of festivals, including Ziro and Orange.

THINGS TO DO AT BASAR

• Experience traditional ways of fishing in the fresh mountain water of river Sie
• Visit NgudaPokcho, a biodiversity hotspot
• Hike to lush green forests of Jolly
• Trek to one of the many waterfalls, bat caves, monkey homes
• Camp on the riverside
• Explore deep caves and tunnels

WHERE: Gori Village, Basar, West Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh

MORE DETAILS ON www.basarconfluence.org