Manipur : First Edition of the State Level Barak Festival Concludes

Guwahati: The first edition of the two-day state level Barak Festival at Manipur's hill district headquarters of Senapati concluded on Friday evening amidst the sound of traditional instruments of different tribes.

Health and family welfare L Jayentakumar Singh, Education Minister Th Radheshyam Singh and Phungyar MLA Khasim Vashum attended the function as the chief guest, president and guest of honour of the cultural session of the closing function.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Jayentakumar expressed the desire to develop a cultural complex in the Senapati district considering the rich culture of the five major tribes of the district. He also assured that a trauma centre and blood bank unit will be opened at the Senapati district hospital at the earliest. Education Minister Radheshyam also spoke on the occasion.

Cultural dances and musical shows of different communities including the Khamba Thoi dance and Thang-Ta (martial arts) show of the majority community-Meitei were the main highlights of the day. Later in the evening Miss Barak beauty contest, Tribal euphony 2018, Barak Voice hunt 2018 enthralled the audience.

In the evening, Public health and engineering minister and Mao MLA Losii Dikho and Karong MLA DD Thaisii were the chief guest and guest of honour. Sharing his opinion during the evening session, Minister Dikho appealed to the people to bridge the communication gap between the different communities living in the state through communal harmony.

The festival was formally inaugurated by the state Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

It was held to protect and conserve Barak river which originates from the hills of Liyai village in Manipur’s Senapati district and flows down through Senapati and Tamenglong districts before crossing over into Assam’s Cachar district and then into Bay of Bengal via Bangladesh, provides livelihood to five tribes – Mao, Maram, Poumai, Thangal and Zeliangrong in Senapati district alone.

During the concluding ceremony, prizes were distributed to the winners of the various competitions held during the festival.

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