The 3rd edition of Manipur Barak Festival 2022 opened on Tuesday at Sanyi Dahrii Sports Complex, Khabung Karong in Manipur under the motto “Save Mother Earth”. This time, the festival is being celebrated under the theme “Celebrating Endowment”.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Barak Festival, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Power Th Biswajit said that the Barak river must be well preserved and maintained for it sustains not only human beings but also a plethora of flora and fauna.
He also said that eco-tourism can be an effective medium for highlighting the significance of the Barak river. “To improve the environmental condition of the State, the State Government has been implementing various programmes like tree plantation, river cleaning in Imphal area and other places,” Biswajit said.
He added that the Environment Department has been taking various steps to identify and preserve water catchment areas in the State. Highlighting the importance of forest for human survival, he said that forest purifies atmosphere, provide water through rain, reduce noise pollution and protect living beings from harmful UV rays.
He also informed the public that the State Government has recently passed an order whereby single-use plastics have been banned in the State.
In the presidential speech, PWD Minister Govindas Konthoujam stated that human civilization start with rivers. It is the responsibility of everyone to take proper care of all rivers, he added. He also assured to complete the incomplete stadium of the venue at the earliest.
Traditional fire-making competitions and dances by different cultural troupes were the main highlights of the opening day of the Manipur Barak festival 2022. Various stalls including those of Government departments are opened at the festival. Later, Senapati SP Karthik Malladi flagged off a traditional car race which started from Mt Zion College and ended at Sanyi Dahrii Memorial Sports Complex. Barak Rock Concert was also held in the evening.
Solomon Arow, President, Naga People’s Organization (NPO) in his keynote stated that Barak River is the “Nile of Manipur” and the gift of Mother Earth which originates from the lofty hills of Liyai village, Senapati district. It flows along the Manipur-Nagalnd border along hilly terrains and enters Assam and Bangladesh. The Barak River is called the second richest river in northeast India in terms of biodiversity as it is home to more than 2000 aquatic species.
Celebrating the Manipur Barak Festival, 2022 under the motto, “Save mother earth” and with the theme, “Celebrating Endowment,” the NPO President urged all to realize the necessity of adopting and nurturing collective consciousness, love, and protecting nature and realize the necessity of Barak river for the wellbeing and survival of the region.
As part of the opening day of the Manipur Barak festival, the traditional Car Race for 4 wheeler and 3-wheelers was held. The Zeliangrong tribe bagged the first, the Mao tribe in the second, and the Thangal tribe in the third position in the 4-wheeler traditional car race.
The Mao tribe bagged the first position, Thangal in the second, and Zeliangrong in the third position in the 3-wheeler traditional car race. The best traditional car design was awarded to the Poumai tribe in 3 wheeler traditional car race and the Thangal tribe bagged the best traditional car design for 4 wheeler.
The opening program of the Manipur Barak festival was also attended by W Ibohal Singh, Director, Tourism, DLOs, various tribal leaders, CSOs and village chiefs.