Saluting the bounty of nature : Celebrating flowers
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 13 2015 -

Flowers on display at the flower festival :: Pix - TSE

Orange festival at Tamenglong. Kachai lemon festival at Ukhrul district, chilly festival at Sirarakhong in Ukhrul, pineapple festival at Andro and Khousabung and now flower festival at Mao. A clear reflection that nature has been kind to Manipur.

A Tribute to Mother Nature was the theme under which the flower festival was held at Mao Gate on October 10 and this was in acknowledgement of nature’s gift to the land and the people.

The important question however is whether this acknowledgement will remain confined to just one festival or whether it will seep into the consciousness of the people.

Ironic it may sound but it stands that the hills today are barren and this is a reminder to everyone that the people still have a long way to go to really acknowledge the fact that nature has indeed been kind to the land and the people.

It is the same with the other festivals which have been mentioned earlier.

In as much as scientific know how may help in increasing the yield of oranges, lemons, chillies and pine apples, the fundamental truth remains that this knowledge will come to naught if the people do not learn to respect nature.

The flower festival at Mao was in tribute to mother nature and let it be so but as stated earlier, how much has this message really sunk into the consciousness of the people ?

A question which the organisers of the flower festival must strive to take to its logical conclusion.

It also stands that the State Government must step in and see if the festival can be organised on a bigger scale.

Perhaps the starting point could be to see if the festival can be spread to two days at a stretch.

It will definitely make better sense to stretch it to two days.

Mao is located far from Imphal and a one day festival may not just be enough to give it the kind of publicity and coverage that is needed.

It would also do the State Government and the Government Departments concerned to take stock of the fact that this festival has come just when traders from Mao have made it a point to come to Imphal and sell their wares.

It could not have come at a more opportune moment.

It was a flower festival, no doubt, but efforts should be put in to ensure that it is more than a festival.

How much can it go in fostering better ties between the people ?

This can go some way in promoting interactions between people of different communities and also to send the message that Mao is more than just a town lying on the border with Nagaland.

Let it be a festival of flowers but yet at the same time let it also be an avenue to promote people to people contact, for this something which Manipur badly needs at the moment.

Let this also be the case with the other festivals such as the orange festival, the pineapple festival, the chilly festival and the lemon festival.