GUWAHATI:
The fourth edition of the annual Shirui Lily Festival, the cultural event organised in honour of the state flower shirui lily that blooms from the last week of May to second of June, will be held from May 25.
The four-day festival will host a slew of events ranging from rich cultural performances by the Tangkhul Naga community to sports, musical extravaganza and the most-anticipated Shirui Lily Half Marathon. The coveted 22km race, which is open for participants from across the country, will take place on May 26 and registration for it has begun at the organising team’s official Instagram page – T-Coleve.
This year, the marathon is being organized under the theme “Say No to Drugs” in line with the Manipur government’s War on Drugs campaign. Sathingla Shokwungnao, president of T-Coleve, said, “Besides raising the banner for Kashong Timrawon aka Shirui Lily, the marathon event will carry other social messages encouraging a holistic, healthy lifestyle and spread awareness about drug menace among youth.”
“Manipuris can run in the Olympics and this is only the beginning,” said vice-president of the organising team, Rinlungso Zas.