Countdown to Shirui Lily Fest : Noting the call of TNL
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 08, 2025 -

Make the festival meaningful. This is the core point in the call issued by the Federation of All Tribal Youth Clubs', Manipur (FATCYM) and Tribal Youth Council, Manipur (TYCM) not to prioritise the entertainment part over the cultural significance of the one and only Shirui Lily.

The two organisations have a point but then again it may be argued whether any festival would be able to draw in the crowd by primarily hardselling the cultural significance of the festival, which in a way means Shirui Lily and obviously the Shirui Peak and Shirui village.

Whichever way one looks at it, it is encouraging to see ideas being shared to make the festival more meaningful.

It should also not be forgotten that the name Shirui adds that extra dash of speciality to the Lily for the uniqueness of the flower lies in the fact that it is found only at Shirui Peak or Shirui Kashong.

Long before the BJP led Government under Chief Minister N Biren decided to upgrade the Shirui Lily Festival to a State level do in 2017, The Sangai Express had propounded the idea that after the Sangai Festival and the Orange Festival of Tamenglong, it is time to have a Shirui Lily Festival.

This was back in the days when the Congress was in power but in a way it is encouraging to note that the needed due has been accorded to a flower, which is to be found only at Shirui Kashong.

The Sangai Express does not have a clear picture of how the Shirui Lily Festival has progressed from 2017 to till now, but it is a sort of a comeback after the Festival had to be put on hold due to the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The destination for many would obviously be Shirui village and Shirui Kashong during the four day festival from May 20 to May 24, but at the centre of it all is obviously going to be Ukhrul town.

As in the previous years, Home Stay is going to be the speciality for this year's festival too and much will depend on how the Government, particularly the district administration of Ukhrul gear up for the festival.

Questions are obviously going to be raised on the condition of the Imphal-Ukhrul road, particularly from Yaingangpokpi to Finch Corner and from there to Ukhrul, particularly the last 20 or something kilometres and one wonders why Ukhrul AC MLA Ram Muivah and Phungyar AC MLA Leishiyo Keishing, who earlier took keen interests in the progress of the road work, have been uncharacteristically quiet on this for some time now.

Or is the road up at par, fit to meet the demands of the footfalls that Ukhrul will witness during the festival?

How about the road inside Ukhrul town as well as the road between Shirui village and Ukhrul town?

Has the State Government done the necessary work to make the ride from Ukhrul to Shirui a smooth one?

In many ways the success of the festival will go some significant way in reflecting how successful Raj Bhavan and by extension New Delhi has been in putting Manipur on the road of normalcy.

A significant political statement it would be and this is what can be read into the open address delivered by the then Director of Tourism Department that nothing would be left to chance to make the Festival incidents free.

It is also significant to see the Tahgkhul Naga Long mincing no words in coming out with a media statement asking all not to disrupt the free movement of the people.

Free movement and the significance of the use of these words should be understood in the backdrop of the fact that to reach Ukhrul from Imphal one has to cross at least three settlements which are deemed to be dominated by the Kuki-Chin-Zo community.

Not the first time that TNL has come out with such a statement for in the early days of the conflict, it had also come out with a statement warning all not to check vehicles and disrupt the free flow of people.

This obviously has worked, for a talk with any of the taxi drivers operating along this said route will reveal that no vehicle is checked.

Still a good two weeks away, and the district administration and the State Govt still have some days left to work out any points that need to be dealt with.

It is also important for all the festival goers to respect the local sentiments and not do anything that could disturb the atmosphere under which the festival is held.

And yes respect nature and take extra care not to leave a trail of litter on Shirui Kashong.

The local clubs and youths of Shirui may also discourage single use plastics during the festival.