Manipur to organise cherry blossom festival

Guwahati: Taking a cue from the success in Meghalaya, Manipur will now organise its first Cherry Blossom Festival at Mao, located on the border between Manipur and Nagaland, from November 26.

The festival is being organised by the Mao Flower Growers’ Association, along with the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a national institute of the Department of Biotechnology of the central government, according to an IBSD press release. The festival is scheduled to be inaugurated by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Early in November, the India International Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong attracted over one lakh people, the release said. Several states in the North East such as Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland Manipur and Sikkim are now dotted with full bloom of cherry, which is of the autumn blossoming variety unlike the more popular spring blossoming varieties in USA and Japan.

The festival has opened many business opportunities for traditional food and handicrafts for several unemployed youths and showcased the unique culture of the region, IBSD Director Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo was quoted in the release as saying.

Since this is the peak tourist season, the people who have missed the Shillong festival can now join the Manipur Cherry Blossom Festival which will not only display the natural beauty of cherry blossoms, but also showcase the rich arts and culture of the North East, he added.