Ukhrul (Manipur), May 21 (ANI): Nestled in the green hills of Ukhrul district, where clouds meet mountains and nature paints a perfect picture, blooms a rare and beautiful flower — the Shirui Lily. Known to science as Lilium mackliniae, this delicate flower grows only in the cool, misty climate of the Shirui Hills in Manipur — and nowhere else in the world. The Shirui Lily Festival is held every year to celebrate this unique flower and the rich culture of the Tangkhul Naga people. Now in its fifth year, the festival is even more special as it marks 75 years since the lily was first discovered. This year, the festival was made even more memorable with the visit of Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla. His presence highlighted the importance of protecting Manipur’s natural and cultural heritage. Spanning four days, the festival served as a unifying celebration, bringing together diverse ethnic communities from across Manipur, as well as visitors from all corners of the country. As the Shirui Lily blooms once again, it brings to life the spirit of Manipur — proud, peaceful, and deeply connected to its roots.
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00:00Nestled in the green hills of Ukrul district, where clouds meet mountains and nature paints a perfect picture, blooms a rare and beautiful flower, the Shiroi lily.
00:13Known to science as Lillium mclinii, this delicate flower grows only in the cool, misty climate of the Shiroi Hills in Manipur and nowhere else in the world.
00:27The Shiroi lily festival is held every year to celebrate this unique flower and the rich culture of the Tangkul Naga people.
00:39Now in its fifth year, the festival is even more special as it marks 75 years since the lily was first discovered.
00:50We have exciting events coming up starting from the drone show in the evening as well as the Shirok music concert which will be starting today and will take place every night.
01:02After this inaugural function, we have lots of interesting flower show competition, photography and residency art exhibition, the She Chef competition and so many more cultural activities taking place.
01:17So we are very excited to have visitors from all over Manipur and the country and we hope that everyone will find something meaningful and take back some memories to cherish.
01:28For this season, for this year, our message is to bring peace back in the state.
01:34So our theme is celebrating for peace and harmony in diversity.
01:38And we are also celebrating the 75th anniversary of lily getting award from the Royal Horticulture show from London.
01:49So, yes, we are blessed that we are living in this era.
01:55This year, the festival was made even more memorable with the visit of Governor of Manipur Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
02:05His presence highlighted the importance of protecting Manipur's natural and cultural heritage.
02:11We would like to promote it more than what we are doing now.
02:15This festival we are trying may not be a very big participation but we are using this event to promote this festival and the place and Manipur in much bigger way in coming up one year.
02:29So that it becomes a tourism destination.
02:32The event offers a vibrant journey into the rich traditions of the Tangkul Nagas featuring soulful folk songs, captivating dances, exquisite hand-woven crafts and the irresistible flavours of local cuisine.
02:50Spanning four days, the festival served as a unifying celebration bringing together diverse ethnic communities from across Manipur as well as visitors from all corners of the country.
03:06The place is very nice. The weather is lovely and it's lively also.
03:15I mean, there are so many tourists around. So, yes, I think we pulled it off really well.
03:21We are hoping that many more people will join in and I am really liking the place.
03:25As the Shurui lily blooms once again, it brings to life the spirit of Manipur, proud, peaceful and deeply connected to its roots.
03:46So, thank you very much.
03:48Thank you very much.