Shirui Lily Half Marathon by T-Coleve is also being organized under the theme ‘Say No to Drugs’ under the aegis of the 4th Shirui Lily Festival Entertainment Sub-Committee
TFM Desk
The 4th edition of the state level Shirui Lily Festival is just around the corner. The festival celebrating the state flower of Manipur ’Shirui Lily’ is scheduled to be held from the 25th to 28th of this month. The four-day major event will host varied activities ranging from the rich cultural display of Manipur especially that of the Tangkhul Naga community to sports, music extravagant and entertainment, among the most anticipated of which is the Shirui Lily Half Marathon by T-Coleve, an event management society.
A T-Coleve press release said that it is organizing the event under the aegis of the 4th Shirui Lily Festival Entertainment Sub-Committee. A 22 kilometer exciting exploit, the half marathon would be held on the 26th at Ukhrul District headquarter. The race is being held for men, open for participants from across the country, registration for which has begun at the organizing team’s official instagram page called tcoleve.
Known locally as ‘Kashong Timrawon’, Shirui Lily aka Lilium macklineae, as popular as it is, is sadly at the risk of extinction. India Biodiversity Portal has listed the state flower of Manipur as an endangered flora species. By disseminating the news of the marathon far and wide, the organizing team is looking forward to utilizing the event as a vehicle to drive attention towards the unique, exquisite yet imperiled lily endemic to the Shirui Hills of Ukhrul District, Manipur.
Shirui Lily Marathon is also being organized under the theme ‘Say No to Drugs’ in line with the Manipur state government’s War on Drugs campaign. Talking about the society’s initiative, Sathingla Shokwungnao, President T-Coleve, said, “Besides raising the banner for Kashong Timrawon aka Shirui Lily, the marathon event shall also carry other social messages encouraging a holistic healthy lifestyle in the community where drug and substance abuse is rampant among youths and youngsters. It’s not just a competition, we want this event to spread awareness and messages encouraging youths to take up healthy activities in lieu of drugs or other harmful substances”. This marathon event intends to encourage participation in national, state or international athletic competitions. T-Coleve Vice President Rinlungso Zas said, “It is the managing team’s vision to act as a catalyst in bringing about a healthy competitive environment where aspiring athletes will form a habit of regularly practicing for other sporting events and competitions’’. “We have a lot of potential in athletic sports, we want to set the stage to create an encouraging ecosystem where there will be active engagement in the field of athletic sports; T-Coleve urges local athletes to have faith in their potential and so, say ‘Manipuris can run in the Olympics’ and this is only the beginning”, added Zas.
The marathon has already started garnering interest among aspiring participants from other states besides Manipur. T-Coleve expressed gratitude to the organizing committee of the state level festival for giving it an opportunity to hold the marathon event. “We thank the people and the organizing committee for their trust in us and a big shout out to MCS Chunglenmang Kipgen, ADC, Ukhrul, for his support in our venture. Kipgen has been super encouraging towards our endeavor since day one and we’re very thankful for his support”, expressed team T-Coleve. The team had also recently organized the first ever snooker tournament in Ukhrul district and is striving to make this marathon a grand success.