Life itself has to wait
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 22, 2013 -

With the beautiful catch-line, 'Time waits waits when Manipur celebrates', the annual Sangai Festival, 2013 has kick-started on a promising note.

While the Government of Manipur under the leadership of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has made elaborate arrangement for a biggest tourism festival ever with promises of showcasing the rich cultural heritage, eco-adventure activities, indigenous cuisines, handloom and handicraft products of the State to beckon one and all from within and outside to visit Manipur and enjoy their stay here, the visiting foreign delegates particularly the Myanmarese Chief Minister of Mandalay Region U Ye Myint and Chief Minister of Sagaing Region U Thar Aye, who are overwhelmed by the hospitality of the people, have expressed high hope that the good relations between Manipur and Myanmar would last forever for reaping rich dividends in other areas of co-operation as well in the days to come.

Apart from a strong team of around 180 Myanmarese delegates who have landed at the newly upgraded Imphal Tuhihal International Airport in a flight of the Golden Myanmar, thus, creating a sort of history, a six-member official Chinese delegation as well as the High Commissioners of Bangladesh and Mauritius are also expected to arrive at Imphal in the next couple of days to take part in the festival.

In addition to this, participants from Thailand and Kenya in the Sangai Festival is something already well known to the people.

Thus, the effort of the Government of Manipur towards making the annual Sangai festival into truly an International event seems to have been completed.

But the question that remains hanging in the minds of the people is how all these hype around the annual Sangai Festival and the elaborate security measures that have been put in place are actually help in promotion of Manipur as a tourist destination.

In view of the unfortunate bomb blast incident at the festival venue last year and the recent series of bomb attacks at different parts of the State, the tight security measures may be understandable, all the more in the light of so many high profile foreign dignitaries that are coming to take part in the festival this time.

But how a normal tourist, who loves to travel places for pleasure and move around freely is going to be encouraged to come and visit Manipur with all these securing rings around them is not understandable at all.

In an effort to decongest the festival venue, extensive traffic regulations have been made.

But it has led to unprecedented traffic snarls elsewhere in the city, thus, causing lot of inconveniences to the people and raising the temper on the roads which are in chaos.

On the other hand, elaborate transport for lifting and dropping of the visitors to and fro from different parking lots and the festival venue have been arranged, of course on payment, but how this is going to encourage the people to come and enjoy the festival when they would not be able to come and go as they wish, that too after shelling out their hard earned money at every possible places - vehicle parking fee at the parking lots, bus fair for travelling to and fro, entry fee at the gate of the festival venue- is not known.

Surely, it would be too early to say anything conclusive on the outcome of the 10-day long festival on its first day.

But one thing we can definitely say for sure, it is not just the time but the very life, which has stood still, that has to wait till the Festival is over.