Hallyu or commonly called ‘Korean Wave’ has taken the world by storm and the North East part of India has been among its biggest fan base.

Young Arunachalees are taking to this trend like fish to water which has given rise to the moniker (though may be not popularly known yet!) ‘Korunachalee’.  Despite the term sounding kitschy, the truth is citizens here especially youths seniors included have fallen hard for all things Korean—Movies, clothing, make-up, hairstyles not to forget K-Pop. The exotic Kimbab and Bibimbap are giving tough competition to the now generic Chowmein and Momo. The humble Indian cuisine doesn’t stand much of a chance in this battle of cultural invasion.

Other regions of India probably had its first interaction with K-Pop after PSY's wildly popular 'Gangnam' Style made its presence felt in the global arena. But the North East considered the heart of Korean Wave in India has been loyal fans since long.

The rise of the Korean Wave in India particularly in the Northeast region of India is a unique phenomenon. The ‘wave’ reached the shores of Northeast particularly Nagaland since 2007. The wave hit stronger after the first ever Korea-India Music Festival was held in Kohima in 2008 under the joint partnership of Nagaland government and the South Korea government. In 2009, the Korean singers, wrestlers and even Korean food featured during the Hornbill festival, a gala yearly event at Khonoma near Kohima.

Similarly, K-Pop’s astronomical popularity in Manipur has been attributed to the ban imposed on Hindi films and TV channels by underground elements. The prime source of entertainment for people at this juncture was supplied through pirated DVDs of Korean music, dramas and films.

No matter the reasons, the inroad made by a faraway culture has an underlying bigger and vital message.

Somewhere in the cutesy packaging and all the paraphernalia, Korean culture has successfully enabled easy assimilation while the same can’t be said about Indian culture. The NE people here could never identify with the soaps shown in Hindi entertainment channels or movies and this is just a small example of the alienation this part of India has been condemned to.

This sense of belonging-ness which K-culture has managed to inspire is the prime reason why the Hallyu wave has entered living rooms, dining rooms, classrooms, etc across North East while Indian culture has remained firmly at the doorsteps.

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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