Bitter, sweet moments of Shirui Lily festival
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 26, 2025 -

THE 5th Shirui Lily festival, which is one of the government-funded tourism promotional events was preceded by threat call given by the Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers, warning the Meetei community not to enter/pass through Kuki-Zo area, began on a sour note after a unit of the Indian army halted movement of a journalist team at Gwaltabi while on their way to Ukhrul district to cover the inauguration programme and triggered uproar midway into the festival when handful of members of the Arambai Tenggol raised the seven-coloured flag atop the Shirui hills but ended on an enviable note as countless number of people thronged the festival venues on the final day.

The huge traffic jam witnessed in Ukhrul town and along the roads leading to other festival venue on the last two days was not only testament to the strife-torn people's yearning to be part of an event held after a two-year hiatus but was also manifestation of the general population's firm resolve to play their part in making the event a grand success so as to uphold the principle of harmonious co-existence among the indigenous communities and remind adversary elements about loyalty of the indigenes to the land they were born and brought up, regardless of the occasional discord in the multi-ethnic state.

There is no doubt that the KZVV threat to the Meetei people dampened the festive mood but assurances given by Tangkhul bodies and the NSCN-IM for safe passage to all visitors and initiation of stringent security measures aftermath of the Gwaltabi incident ensured smooth and successful conduct of the festival.

However, the festival was not free from controversies and distressful moments such as the discovery of several blooming Shirui Lily plants either damaged or plucked and abandoned by the festival-goers unmindful of the fact that the event celebrates uniqueness of the state flower, and the hoisting of the seven-coloured flag.

Damage caused to the state flower prompted the Shirui Youth Club (SYC) to remind all tourists visiting Shirui Kashong to admire the mesmerising bloom of the state flower but to refrain from the irresponsible act of plucking or destroying the flowers.

In-spite of repetitive reminders by subject experts about futility of planting the Lily species anywhere else other than the Shirui hill range, whoever plucked the blooming lilies or uprooted the plant self-exposed his/her degree of illiteracy.

Presence of such naive elements among the tourists also merits on-spot awareness campaigns in future editions of the festival as safeguard of the rare lily species and respecting their natural habitation should be the responsibility of all.

Another unsavoury incident that should have been avoided was hoisting of the seven-coloured flag by members of an Arambai Tenggol unit atop the Shirui hills.

In response to the vehement condemnation by the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS), terming it reckless and inflammatory act', the Arambai Tenggol unit issued a clarification that hoisting of the flag should not be interpreted as territorial claim and provocation.

Thus, it is desired that efforts be made to settle the issue amicably, in case of any misunderstanding still left unaddressed, as the healthy turn-out during the festival amid the unrest situation in the state underscored collective aspiration of the people to live in harmony.