Gearing up for Shirui Lily Fest : May all roads lead to Shirui
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 20 2018 -

If 2017 is any indication, then come April 24 and all roads will lead to Ukhrul and then Shirui village, courtesy the Shirui Lily Festival which will be held from April 24 to April 28.

Adding colour and vibrancy to the festival will obviously be Shirock, a rock musical bonanza, with Steel Heart opening the rock extravaganza and Queensryche rounding it up on the April 28.

In between there will be rock shows from bands drawn from Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Sikkim. In Alfred Kanngam the MLA from Ukhrul Assembly Constituency, the people of Ukhrul have a rock aficionado, who has walked the extra mile to give the rock show his personal touch and looking at the preparations being made, it has all the makings of a grand success.

Apart from this, there is the new addition in the form of Miss Shirui Lily contest, a beauty pageant, where contestants will be tested not only for their beauty but also their personal charisma, their presence of mind and of course their ability to walk the stage and their awareness of things around the Shirui Lily and the environment.

It is to the credit of Chief Minister N Biren and the BJP led Government for having upgraded the Shirui Lily Festival to a State level festival and this falls perfectly in line with the Go to Hills slogan of the Chief Minister.

From a district or village level festival the Shirui Lily Festival has certainly come a long way and it is fitting that a State level festival should be held in the name of the State flower much like the other State level festival in the name of the State animal, the Sangai.

The homestay arrangement last year was novel, but it is still not clear how successful it was. However a beginning has been made and such an arrangement can boost tourism.

Obviously Shirui Lily Festival is not only about Shirock and Miss Shirui Lily contest.

For those who love to trek and are the adventurous type, there is the opportunity to climb to the peak of Shirui Kashong, which is the natural home of the Shirui Lily.

In 2017 a camping arrangement was also made at Phangrei, a picturesque spot some kilometres away from Shirui village.

This year too, the same camping arrangements may be there and it will beckon all nature lovers.

April is also the time for the Lily to bloom and despite the rain, this is perhaps the right time to host the festival.

The need to regulate traffic on the Imphal-Ukhrul road and then from Ukhrul to Shirui need not be stressed and judging from last year’s experience, the need to have proper parking places at Shirui village should not be overlooked.

All vehicles need not go to the foothills of Shirui Kashong, but they can be made to stop before entering the village and temporary parking lots may be arranged at the outskirt of the village.

There is also the need to regulate the traffic at Ukhrul town itself.

From village level festival to State level festival and surely the Shirui Lily Festival has made good progress and it remains to be seen if the Government is able to take the festival up a notch or two and for this to happen, the need of the people of Ukhrul and Shirui to co-operate with all concerned need not be over stressed.