5 days Yaoshang festival concludes sans festivity
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 30 2024:
Yaoshang, one of the major festivals of the state, concluded without any of the festivities and sports events usually associated with celebration of the festival, keeping in view of the yet to be resolved ethnic crisis in the state that has so far claimed more than 200 lives and displaced thousands of families.
Unlike past years, sports meets as well as other Yaoshang related festivities including Thabal Chongba were skipped in all localities, except for performing some religious activities of Hindu believers at the temples.
Though some organisations had appealed for refraining from indulging in Yaoshang-related activities, it was actually the local clubs as well as the people, who voluntarily skipped the celebration of the festival this year.
According to a member of WAL United Club, the club decided to skip this year's sports meet considering the prevailing crisis in the state.
An owner of an apparel shop located at Paona Keithel told The People's Chronicle that usually, they would sell apparels worth Rs 40,000 per day during one week preceding the Yaoshang festival in previous years.
However, they could not reach daily sales of Rs 15,000 this time.
Though they are not happy with the situation, they have no issue with their poor sales as they understand the unprecedented situation prevailing in the state, the shop owner said, while drawing attention of the government for resolving the crisis at the earliest.