Hello, Northeast: why we started Life in North East

For too long, the Northeast has been written about the way people write about weather: from far away, in a hurry, and usually only when something dramatic happens. Floods. Unrest. “Hidden gems.” That word “remote” gets thrown around a lot too, as if eight states, dozens of languages and some of the oldest living cultures in Asia are somehow at the edge of something.

We think the Northeast is the centre of its own story. So we built a home for it.

What Life in North East is

Life in North East is a news and culture platform covering Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. The seven sisters and their brother. We cover the everyday stuff that actually makes a place: the people, the food, the festivals, the music, the weaves, the cafes, the ideas and the arguments.

Our newsroom sits in Shillong, and our team is a mix of people who grew up here and people who chose to be here. Both kinds love it a little too much.

What you’ll find here

• Life: what it is really like to live, study and work in the Northeast.
• People: artists, athletes, founders, farmers and the quietly brilliant.
• Culture: traditions, weaves, languages and how they are changing.
• Food: from jadoh to eromba to smoked pork, and everything fermented in between.
• Arts: music, crafts, film and the scenes that make Shillong and Kohima buzz.
• Events: festivals, gigs and gatherings worth travelling for.
• Places to visit: honest, respectful travel guides, written by people who live here.

Our promise

We will get names right. We will not exoticise. We will check facts, credit communities and ask before we photograph. And we will have fun doing it, because the Northeast is a lot of fun.

The Northeast is not remote. It is just ahead of the rest of the country, be it talent, hospitality, sports, tea, music, knowing how to throw a festival and other things we documenting at LifeinNE

If you have a story, a correction, a recipe your grandmother would approve of, or a festival we should not miss, write to us at contact@lifeinnortheast.com. And come hang out with us on Instagram at @lifeinnortheastin.

Khublei, and welcome home.