Roots Festival in Imphal
Feels like Gaza, says Israeli singer: Imphal, May 4: Roy Avital, lead singer of Dub L.F.O., a leading band from Israel, had little idea about Imphal or Manipur. He did not take too long to form one, though. "Manipur is like the Gaza strip," he exclaimed. "It seems here army is more important than culture, like in Israel," he said. Avital, who was a soldier for four years, is in Imphal to perform at the Roots Festival, an annual event held across the Northeast to hunt for local talent and also "inspire the youths to think differently from the daily killings and strife in the region". Roots festival will be held at Dimapur, Diphu, Itanagar, Guwahati, Aizawl and Shillong, where it will end on May 25. This will be the sixth annual edition of the festival, which has seen foreign bands like Aurora Jane and Massive Change from Australia perform. Avital, along with six members of Too Late Lucy, a band from London led by singer Ben Champniss, are the "guest ba...