Chakan Gaan-Ngai festival kicks off in style
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 25 2013:
Celebration of the biggest post-harvest festival of the Zeliangrong community, Chakan Gaan-Ngai, also popularly known as Gaan-Ngai kick-started in Manipur today with different organizations celebrating the festival in their own manner with traditional gaiety and religious fervour.
The State Level celebration of the festival was organized by State Level Gaan Ngai-2013 Committee at Langol Tarung village here today with Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh as Chief Guest and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam as President.
Minister for Industries & Commerce Govindas Konthoujam, Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Francis Ngajokpa, Minister for Agriculture Md Abdul Nasir, Minister for Works Dr Kh Ratankumar and former Union Minister of State (Home) Prof M Kamson were Guests of Honour of the inaugural function which was also attended by MLA Victor Keishing, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary in charge of Tribal Affairs and Hills; MLA T Mangibabu, MLA Z Kikhonbou Newmai, representatives of various CSOs and public leaders of different communities.
Inaugurating the celebration, Chief Minister O Ibobi said that the people of different communities settling in the State should safeguard the territorial integrity of Manipur and live in peace and harmony.
He observed that "the people of Manipur, no matter to which community they belong to, have been living in peace and harmony for the last 2000 years and history is witnessed to this.
We have also been preserving and promoting our own respective culture and tradition in this secular State for a very long time" .
Exhorting the gathering, the Chief Minister said let there be ever lasting peace in Manipur with the coming Gaan-Ngai, and went on to observe 'as human beings, we are prone to errors and the best way to rectify our mistakes is to have the guts to forgive one another, because the greatest virtue of human being is the ability to forgive and live together in peace.
The Chief Minister also informed the gathering that the State Government would be providing 30 bundles of tin sheets for constructing of a common Community hall for the Zeliangrong community.
Along with that repairing of the connecting roads of Tarung, Nakailong, Laimanai, Langol Game Village and Iroishemba would be started in consultation with the concerned Minister very soon.
In his Presidential address, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam stated that Zeliangrong community is a peace loving community, who at the same time care for safeguarding the territorial integrity of Manipur.
He further said that there are four different sections of the community under the nomenclature of Zeliangrong tribe.
Each community has separate festival which is observed every month.
Among the festivals, Gaan-Ngai is the biggest festival of the Zeliangrong tribe as a whole.
The celebration of the festival commenced with making of sacred fire from rubbing of bamboo splits and shouting of 'Ho-ing' to evoke the blessing of Tingkao Ragwang, the almighty god.
Although the festival is celebrated at the state level for one day only at Tarung Langol village here today, the celebration would continue in different villages of Zeliangrong community for seven days with events like prayer, feasting, singing, dancing, games and sports, etc.