ITANAGAR, Apr 3: Seeti 2.0 in Meghalaya - the five-day cultural immersion, which brought together chefs, restaurateurs, cultural practitioners, media voices, creators and tastemakers to engage with the region’s food, craft, landscapes and everyday culture, has also opened up possibilities for taking the format to other parts of the Northeast such as Arunachal Pradesh.
The Seeti 2.0 took place in Meghalaya from March 26 to 31, in and around Shillong, using the region as a lens to explore its food systems, craft practices, landscapes and everyday culture. The programme unfolded through a series of curated experiences from shared meals and local immersions to interactions with artisans, markets and communities, allowing guests to engage with the region in a more contextual and meaningful way.
Seeti 2.0 Meghalaya edition was shaped over a year to identify meaningful locations, engage with local cultures, and bring together voices that help carry these narratives beyond Meghalaya, to the World.
“Seeti’s impact is designed to scale through digital storytelling and traditional media channels. During Seeti, we have been able to successfully mobilize a collective powerhouse of 50 voices with a combined total footprint in tens of millions,” Mewara stated. “Their real-time storytelling is just the beginning; as they return home, they transition from visitors to lifelong advocates. This narrative will be further immortalized in a long-format Documentary, ensuring the Seeti engagements continue to grow exponentially across global audiences.”
Seeti 2.0 was not about conventional food events, it aimed at creating an experience for the participants to step into everyday settings, understanding indigenous ingredients, sharing meals with local communities, and engaging with traditions across Khasi, Jaintia and Garo cultures. The meals were curated by a mix of regional and visiting chefs such as Benny Wankhar, Adonijah Lyngdoh, Ahmedaki Laloo, Nambie Marak, Vishesh Jawarani and Reuben Zamal Sooting. This seamlessly brought together local knowledge and outside perspectives in how the region’s cuisine was understood and presented.
“Most food events lose the larger conversation when the focus is only on cuisine. We wanted each experience to be rooted in something deeply meaningful to the place which can also be projected to the world and boost Tourism and Economy” said Sid Mewara, co-founder of the Seeti Movement.
The Seeti co-founder also added, “What emerged from Meghalaya was not just an experience, but a framework, one that can adapt to different cultural and geographical contexts across the Arunachal region. This has brought Arunachal Pradesh into focus as a potential next destination. With its vast landscapes, diverse communities and distinct food traditions, the state presents a very different canvas for an immersive format like Seeti.”
From high-altitude regions such as Tawang to culturally rich valleys like Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh offers both scale and variation. If tourism needs a boost, it requires an approach that responds to its local contexts rather than replicating an existing model. Most of India does not fully understand what exists in its own backyard. Travel and experience are the only ways to change that perception.
As travellers worldwide increasingly seek out-of-the-ordinary experiences, Arunachal and its neighbouring Northeast states are perfectly positioned to tap into this growing market. (DIPR)