Ukhrul, May 15 (MExN): The 4th edition of the state level Shirui Lily Festival is scheduled to be held from May 25 to 28, informed a press release from T-Coleve, which is organising the event under the aegis of the 4th Shirui Lily Festival Entertainment Sub-Committee.
The four-day festival celebrating the state flower of Manipur ‘Shirui Lily,’ will host varied activities ranging from the rich cultural display of Manipur especially that of the Tangkhul Naga community to sports, music and entertainment, among the most anticipated of which is the Shirui Lily Half Marathon, the release stated.
According to the release, the 22 km half marathon event would be held on the May 26 at Ukhrul district headquarter, and is open for men from across the country. Registration for the event has begun on the organising team’s official Instagram page called tcoleve, it stated.
Further, the release stated that the team is looking forward to utilising the event as a vehicle to drive attention towards the unique, exquisite yet imperiled Shirui Lily (Lilium macklineae). Locally known as Kashong Timrawon, the lily is endemic to the Shirui Hills of Ukhrul District.
Along with this, the Shirui Lily Marathon is also being organised under the theme 'Say No to Drugs' in line with the Manipur state government's War on Drugs campaign.
“Besides raising the banner for Kashong Timrawon aka Shirui Lily, the marathon event shall also carry other social messages encouraging a holistic healthy lifestyle in the community where drug and substance abuse is rampant among youths and youngsters. It’s not just a competition; we want this event to spread awareness and messages encouraging youths to take up healthy activities in lieu of drugs or other harmful substances,” the release stated, quoting Sathingla Shokwungnao, President T-Coleve.
Stating that the marathon event intends to encourage participation in national, state or international athletic competitions, it further quoted T-Coleve Vice President Rinlungso Zas as saying, “We have a lot of potential in athletic sports, we want to set the stage to create an encouraging ecosystem where there will be active engagement in the field of athletic sports; T-Coleve urges local athletes to have faith in their potential and so, say ‘Manipuris can run in the Olympics’ and this is only the beginning.”
