Facelift For Sangai : Why not ‘Kedana Phajabi Imphal’ ?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 24, 2014 -

One of the radio fans in Imphal echoed his desire to have a ‘Kedana Phajabi Imphal’ (a beautiful Imphal without cosmetics) through the ‘Good Morning Manipur’ programme of All India Radio Imphal on Sunday.

Denouncing the hasty facelift works for the Sangai Festival, which sans the desired quality, the radio listener drew the attention of the authority to clean and repair the streets normally and regularly, even if it is not for any special event or festival.

In fact, hasty facelift works compromise quality and increases expenses.

Now, all roads lead to Hapta Kangjeibung where we witness obedience and hard-work among ministers, bureaucrats, technocrats and security personnel endeavoring to showcase a smooth go-about of the ongoing Sangai Festival.

But, what the people of Manipur will gain from the hasty facelift works undertaken at Imphal city just to bring temporary adornment of streets and festival venues.

What the endangered Sangai will benefit from the festivity, for which its very name is widely acclaimed.

Can pictures and sculpted statues of ‘Sangai’ sufficiently introduce the rarest fauna to the tourists visiting Manipur for the festival ?

Will organization of Sangai Festival help in the safety and security of the precious state animal of Manipur ?

It is everybody’s knowledge that work done in haste will bear no quality.

Even though huge amounts of money are put to facelift the Imphal city just for the showmanship during the ten-day state tourism festival, all such adornments will be rendered meaningless once the festivities are over.

Durable development plans are not taken up with sincerity and in a time-bound manner.

As for instance, the infamous sewerage project, the longest known project implemented in Imphal city, will bear no fruit, just as others which cost huge expenses.

Long term beneficial projects are not carefully monitored and executed in a time bound manner.

On the other hand, short-term mud-spraying of roads and walls probably earn the enthusiastic interests of some people, because of the fact that it accrues more profit than other quality works.

If the Sangai Festival is a scheduled event to be organised every year, why the state government resorts to hasty facelift in such a short duration. It could have been planned well ahead of the festival.

On the other side of the story, let me ask what the festival mean to the increasingly endangered Sangai of Manipur.

How long the Sangai Festival be organised, when the meager population of the animal is about to extinct from its habitat ‘Keibul Lamjao’.

It would be embarrassing to the state, if the population of Sangai decreases year by year in spite of organizing the annual grand festival in its name.

Very often, the eager tourists frequenting Manipur for the Sangai Festival every year will yearn to have a glimpse of the world-famed fauna.

Can we, the people of Manipur as the guardians of the Sangai, satisfy the tourists with at least a brief sight of the beautiful fauna at Keibul Lamjao which is the only floating park in the globe ?

When the Sangais are gone, what is the significance of adoring Sangai Festival ?