Lockdown turns Shirui Lily bloom into a beauty of neglect

Lockdown turns Shirui Lily bloom into a beauty of neglect

 

Photo: Nick Wungsek

 

Yet another dreary spring for flower-lovers as there is currently curb on the entry of tourists or visitors in the midst of the ongoing lockdown over the pandemic

 

By R Lester Makang

Shirui Lily, the unique, world-famed flower, that normally used to attract thousands of visitors and tourists from across the state of Manipur and beyond during its bloom season, has now become a beauty of neglect, thanks to the ongoing lockdown over the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a matter of fact, with no visitors and tourists around, the beautiful season of the previously-much-anticipated bloom of the lily has turned into a dreary spring once again.

The district has been under lockdown to stem the spread of the infectious diseases since April.

Popularly known as ‘Kashong Timrawon’ in Tangkhul, the colourful lily is blooming in all its glory atop the Shirui Kashung hills, located some 18 km north of the district headquarters township.

                                 

However, no visitors are around the get a glimpse of the beauty in view of the lockdown.

According to Shirui locals, there is currently curb on the entry of tourists or visitors in the midst of the ongoing lockdown over Covid-19 and its safety protocols as per Government regulations to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

The same had reportedly happened in 2020 when the first wave of the pandemic hit the district and a series of similar lockdown was enforced over the bloom season.

Normally, the bloom season starts from around last week of April and lasts till June, but the peak season is till the first week of June.

However, unlike the previous years, there has been a drop in the number of blooming flowers this year, locals say, adding that this is probably due to the recent massive wildfires that ravaged the heritage forests in March earlier this year.

They suspect the number has gone down by around 40 per cent this year, compared with the previous bloom seasons.

Among the blooming plants, the tallest ones are said to be measured about 2 and a half feet in height, while the shortest ones are about one foot high from the ground.

The heritage site recently grabbed the headlines after massive forest fires broke out on 25 March last and devastated about 122 hectares of Shirui Kashong, the only habitat of the unique lily, over the course of consecutive five days.

The natural habitat comprises a range of four hills namely, Shongshang, Sarumkateng and the twin hills called Shongrei which are the highest peaks of them.

The vegetation on the highest twin peaks of Shongrei and another mountain locally known as 'Saa Kaphung' (Animal Mountain in Tangkhul) and its surrounding areas had been devastated by the fires.

The incident had also drawn the attention of the state government which had to press into the services of choppers to douse the raging fires.

The flames were finally put out on 29 March through concerted efforts of the state government, the district's fire brigade and police and locals.

On the other hand, the current pandemic situation has continued to upset the apple cart of the state government’s plan for organising the annual state-level Shirui Lily Festival for consecutive two years now.

The festival not only honours the unique lily but also celebrates the cultural diversity of the state. It is organised by Manipur Tourism Department coinciding with the lily’s  bloom season every year.                                                                                          Photo: Nick Wungsek