[Bading Dawa Tayeng]
ITANAGAR, 19 Jan: Cosplayers and fans of pop culture gathered on Sunday at the Arunachal Saras Fair for a competition organised by the Arunachal Cosplay Community. The event, held in collaboration with the Arunachal Saras Fair, saw a total of 25 contestants participating. The participants dressed as their favourite characters from popular anime, games, movies, and pop culture.
Joy Bardhan and Lila Kanta, cosplayers from Guwahati, took home the grand prize.
They have been cosplaying professionally for the past two years and had also participated in last year’s Saras Fair.
We see cosplay as a means of bringing beloved characters to life. We believe cosplay is a much better hobby for the younger generation to dedicate their precious time to, rather than being indulged in illegal activities”, Bardhan said
The grand prize included a cash award of ?40,000, along with two consolation prizes of ?15,000 each for Best Performer and Best Craftsmanship.
The Best Performer award was won by Nao Nao (stage name) from Shillong for her portrayal of Kokomi from Genshin Impact, while the Best Craftsmanship award went to Puia (stage name) from Mizoram.
Professional cosplayers Zujan (Zujanthung Humtsoe) and Zubeni Lily (Zubeni Lothi) served as judges for the competition. The event was managed by Menu Tam, administrator of the Arunachal Cosplay Community.
“The response to the competition last year was very good, and this time it has been especially overwhelming,” said Tam. He also spoke about the changing perception of cosplay over the years.
“Cosplay was previously perceived as something very childish, but over time people have started to see it as a medium to channel creativity. I see it as a doorway to learning many new things,” he said.
The cosplay competition served as a platform for participants to showcase their talent while supporting the larger objective of the fair-promoting the businesses of women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and attracting visitors.
The fair also features several other cultural events, including a K-pop fest, dance battle, Pet Gala, and more.
