Sangai festival to be promoted at village level

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Nov 6

The Giving Tree, an environmental conservative organisation that provides performance and event venue, is bringing a new dimension to Manipur’s state tourism festival this year.

Sangai Khunung Festival, which will be an authentic village fair, will be held as part of Sangai festival from November 21 to 30. With theme titled ‘Taking the festival’ to the villages of Manipur and to their hearts; it aims to bring an opportunity for people in villages of Manipur to interact with visitors and show them the richness embedded in their villages – its people, culture, its field, stream, traditional way of living and livelihood. Sangai festival is a favourable platform to showcase these potentials.

Sangai Khunung Festival will be a junction of ideas, skill and wisdom; an arena where rural meets urban, and vice versa. The basic principle is to take the festival to the villages of Manipur, which in entirety will mean – bringing the visitors to the villages.

The festival will be organized by The Giving Tree with full support and participation of Matai villagers. Village representatives and the Giving Tree team had several consultations discussing minutes of the festival. The Matai Village Authority and the management team will coordinate the festival.

This particular event will help bridge the gap of connecting values of our ethnic past with present youth, and exchanging the experience of village lifestyle with the urban visitors.

Matai Village in Luwangsabam assembly constituency will be the ‘Khunung destination’ for this year. Matai is a small village of 280 households, with a population of 1150 people, approximately. Located at a distance of 8kms from Kangla Gate towards North on AH1 (NH-2),  it is a pleasant 15-18 minutes drive from Kangla Gate, which takes the visitors to this village settlement where the Langol hill range surrounds the periphery from three sides.

Indigenous games, bird-watching, nature’s trails, camping, folk based music, dance and theatrical performances, film-screening, art-installations, flea-market, village area tour, village area fair, panel discussions, will be highlights of this event.

Matai Village – situated in the foothill of Langol Hill Range; offers a scenic setting for the main events, for which the village community halls will be used for certain theatrical performances. It is expected that the warm hospitality at the home-stay will be a gratifying experience for the visitors.

The Giving Tree family is a group of young enterprising motley crew with creative and constructive ideas for a futuristic Manipur. The team plans to spread this event across the villages of Manipur in the long-run.

Line up for folk music will be Guru Rewben, Laihui, Sampaa, Atingkok to name a few. Other performances will be Sumang leela, khongjom praba and khulang Eshei.