Sangai fest
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 23 2011:
In its endeavour to showcase and promote the best of Manipur in terms of art & culture, handloom & handicrafts, fine arts, indigenous cuisines, traditional dances & music, indigenous games & adventure sports, the State Tourism Department today launched a premier website for Manipur Sangai Festival, 2011 during a function in the conference hall of Hotel Imphal today with Commissioner (Tourism) KK Chhetry, IAS, as chief guest.
The website, www.manipursangaifestival.com, highlights details of all information related to the festival including events, programmes, places to stay, places of tourist interest, etc.
The website has been prepared by a local enterprising software, KolSamLai Solutions Pvt Ltd, Imphal.
The Manipur Sangai Festival is a fixed annual calendar event held from November 21 to 30 every year.
It is a State level festival organised by the Government of Manipur with Tourism Department as the main organiser.
Although many editions of the festival have been celebrated over the past few years, it has been renamed as Manipur Sangai Festival since the 2010 edition.
This has been done to showcase the uniqueness of the shy and gentle brow-antlered deer, popularly known as Sangai, which is found only in Manipur at Keibul Lamjao Floating National Park in Loktak lake and to further promote Manipur as a world class tourist destination.
Speaking at the website launching function, KK Chhetry informed that for the first time, Open Speed Rock Climbing competition would be included among other various adrenaline-filled adventure sports activities of the festival.
Apart from cultural troupes of other North Eastern States, troupe from Myanmar would be invited to participate in the festival.
For this, Centre would be requested for giving permission to the visit of Myanmarese troupe to Imphal, the Commissioner added.
On the importance of the website, the Commissioner explained that online promotion is an important aspect of showing the Manipur Sangai Festival and the State to the world.
Through this website, tourism in Manipur is expected to bring in tourists and business, and thereby transformed Manipur into a tourism hotspot and a favourite new tourism destination.