INDIA

Ningol Chakouba is one of the popularly celebrated festivals in the state which falls on the second lunar day of the Manipuri calendar’s Hiyangei month. Ningol means ‘married woman’ and Chakouba means ‘invitation for feast’; so the festival is the one where the married women are invited to their parents’ home for a feast. The invitation comes from the son(s) of the parental family of the ningols, generally a week in advance; it strengthens the bond of affections among the brothers and sisters, daughters and parents of a family.

Blooming at the top of Shirui Hills, Shirui Lily brings in the people of Manipur together with its enchanting beauty and its annual observation, Shirui Lily Festival. Shirui Lily, or Lilium mackliniae, is the State Flower of Manipur found only in the upper ranges of Shirui Hills in Ukhrul district of Manipur at an elevation of 5,568 – 8,500 ft. above sea level. It was first discovered by English botanist Kingdon F Ward in 1946 and named it ‘Lilium mackliniae’ after the maiden name of his wife Jean Macklin and later introduced to the world by bagging the prestigious merit prize in the 1948 Royal Horticultural Society Flower in London. Shirui Lily Festival is an annual five-day State festival celebrated in Ukhrul district to spread awareness about the endangered state flower ‘Shirui Lily’ as well as to promote Ukhrul district as a potential tourist destination in Manipur. The festival was celebrated by the locals in their own level till 2016, when the State Government in 2017 declared that Shirui Lily festival would be celebrated in state level.

Plastic products which were once our saviour are now becoming our own biggest threat. The accumulation of plastic products in the Earth’s environment affecting the living organisms dwelling on the surface of the Earth is termed as plastic pollution and it has become one of the most concerning pollution in the world today. It can afflict land, waterways, oceans, and air when burnt in the open air. From the beginning of plastic production in the 1950s up to 2018, an estimated 6.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide, of which an estimated 9% has been recycled and another 12% has been incinerated. As of 2018, about 380 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide every year. India alone produces about 25,940 tons of plastic and more than 97,000 tons of solid waste per day. Earlier this year, on World Environment Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the world to fight plastic pollution and other environmental pollution.