President Droupadi Murmu’s R-Day ‘At Home’ invite: artistic legacies of 8 Northeastern states in focus

Commonly known as ‘peace silk’, Eri silk holds an important place in the cultural fabric and livelihood systems of northeast India, valued for both its ethical production and durability.

The invitation box itself is a keepsake, featuring a woven bamboo mat made on a loom, using dyed cotton threads on the warp and finely split bamboo on the weft – a practice associated with artisans in Tripura.

The outer cover includes a handmade paper tag bearing the invitee’s address, accompanied by a bamboo ornament crafted in Meghalaya. Decorative patterns on both the cover and the box take inspiration from Assamese manuscript painting.

Curated by the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, the invitation welcomes guests to “experience the cultural and artistic heritage of Bharat,” officials said, adding that 900 such boxes were created and sent out, featuring works by over 50 artisans and craftspeople from across the eight states.

Inside the box is a wall-hanging scroll made using an octagonal bamboo weave. When unfolded, it reveals an artistically arranged display of handcrafted works from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.

Eight traditional art forms are featured here: Assam’s bamboo jaw harp ‘Gogona’, Manipur’s Longpi black pottery, cane and bamboo jewellery from Tripura, mon shugu paper from Arunachal Pradesh, green bamboo weave from Meghalaya, woven nettle fabric and embroidery from Sikkim, orange wild rhea and stinging nettle from Nagaland, and the handwoven puan chei from Mizoram.

Sharing the invitation on X, President Droupadi Murmu wrote, “The invitation kit this year celebrates the living traditions of India’s North Eastern Region. This invitation is a tribute to the skilled artisans and craftspersons of the Ashtalakshmi states.”

For the 450 invites ahead of the Independence Day At Home in August last year, the eastern states were the focus. In fact, not only the invite but the menu for the event also bore a stamp of the region with dishes such as litti-chokha, mochar chop, aloo-matar chop, dahi-bada, aloo dum and ghoogni being included in the list. Desserts included chhena poda from Odisha, gur sandesh from West Bengal and anarsa from Jharkhand.

Last year, Republic Day had a southern flavour, showcasing art and culinary delights from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Those in the know say this tradition has been started in keeping with President Droupadi Murmu’s interest in showcasing the cultural diversity of the country.