TIF unhappy over beauty pageant of Shirui Lily Festival
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 22 2022: Miss Spring Organising Committee under the aegis of The Indigenous Foundation (TIF) has raised strong objection to the attempt being made to transfer the right of hosting Miss Spring beauty pageant at the ensuing Shirui Lily Festival by changing the title.

Speaking to newspersons at Manipur Press Club on Sunday, former Miss Manipur (2016) Phapha Gachui informed that the Committee is all set to organise the 3rd Edition of Miss Spring 2022 during the Shirui Lily Festival and TIF was the official organiser of the 2nd edition of Miss Spring held during the Shirui Lily Festival 2019 .

The 1st edition was held in 2018 and hosted by Shirui Yorla, Imphal - a group formed by the 'Ningols' of Shirui village, said Gachui, who is the director of the Committee.

The state level Shirui Lily Festival is being organised in honour of the state flower Shirui Lily, a rare ahd endemic flower known locally as Kashong Timrawon.

The famed Shirui Lily is intrinsically tied to the legend of Kashong Philava, the deity of Shirui Kashong (Shirui Hills/Peak).

In 2018, Shirui Yorla, Imphal came up with the idea of organising a beauty pageant in honour of Shirui Lily.

The title of the beauty pageant was first conceptualised and proposed as Shirui Lily Miss.

On putting up the proposal for the title to Shirui village, their decision over the matter was said to have been put on hold for reason best known to them only.

However, it is reported that the locals have reservation on the proposed title and the group came up with the pageant title as Miss Spring, she explained.

Gachui also contended that Shirui Yorla, Imphal is the one and only entity that owns the organising rights of the beauty pageant Miss Spring.

In 2019, TIF was accorded the rights to organise the beauty pageant Miss Spring by the Shirui Yorla after entering a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and issuing a Letter of Authorisation with the organising rights for a period of three years.

A functional body in the name of Miss Spring Organising Committee was constituted under TIF to execute and supervise the event.

Later, TIF also put up the same proposal to change the title into "Miss Shirui Lily" but the villagers, in a public meeting, decided to put the agenda on hold indefinitely.

Eventually, the 2nd Edition of the event during the Shirui Lily Festival 2019 was organised under the stage title Miss Spring.

After two years' gap, the government is organising the State Level Shirai Lily Festival.

Consequently, the Miss Spring Organising Committee had an appointment with the chief minister for fund allocation and official slot allotment in a manner as done in the previous years, recounted the director, adding that on the advice of the CM, the committee members met minister Khashim Vashum, MLA K Leishiyo and MLA Ram Muivah.

Amid the committee's preparation to launch the publicity materials and set the audition dates in Imphal, Ukhrul and Bangalore on May 17, 18 and 21 respectively, the department concerned instructed the committee to put on hold the process.

In the meantime, an organisation came up to organise the same event Miss Spring 2022.The group also initiated their event preparation and process in respect of Miss Spring 2022.This created confusion and misunderstanding.

In order to clear this situation, the committee extended invitation for discussing the matter but the group is yet to give any positive response.

After a few days, the group came up again with a beauty pageant titled Miss Shirui Lily.

They even went ahead and called a press conference and made their announcement, launched publicity campaign by using official logo of Shirui Lily Festival and Directorate of Tourism, and conducted rounds of auditions, without obtaining prior approval from the state authorities, she claimed.

Further stating that on May 16, the directorate of tourism issued a notification inviting Expression of Interest (Eol) and Rate Quotation for a maximum of Rs 10 lakh (inclusive of all taxes) for organising Miss Spring 2022-23 during the 4th Shirui Lily Festival 2022 from interested firms with experience of having organised a similar event, Gachui said two agencies namely The Indigenous Foundation and Seven Sisters' Foundation participated in the tender process, despite the fact that the latter has already announced to hold the event in the name of 1st Miss Shirui Lily.

The tender was opened on May 18.TIF bid the rate quotation at a maximum of Rs 8.25 lakh, whereas the Seven Sisters' Foundation bid at a maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh, which is nothing but a predatory pricing/abnormally low bids, as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance.

Besides, the Seven Sisters' Foundation has no experience of organising beauty pageant in the past.

Though the department is yet to award any official order to any firm/organisation till date, the department need to respect professionalism and do the right thing, she stressed and expressed concern over the absence of any official decision in this regard even as the festival is just round the corner.

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