NONGSTOIN: Thousands flocked to Mawphanlur village in West Khasi Hills on Saturday to witness the Spring Break Fest that kicked off in this beautiful hamlet that lies beside the Mawthadraishan peak which is the highest point in West Khasi Hills.
Despite deplorable road conditions, people from all over the State and the North East and even from as far as England travelled to witness the event which drew a bigger crowd this year.
Organised by the District Arts & Culture Society in collaboration with the Registrar Cooperative Society, the District Administration and the Officer’s Club, West Khasi Hills, the one-day festival commenced with the flagging-off of the trekking event by Deputy Commissioner of West Khasi Hills, S.Kharlyngdoh at 7 am.
Later in the day, an array of events like water volleyball, motocross, kayaking, angling, rock climbing, photo and videography competitions etc., were organized.
The motocross and kayaking events turned out to be major attention drawers at the Fest.
Besides bikers from the State, those from Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland also took part in the motocross event where Kit Mawlong of East Khasi Hills emerged as the winner taking home a cash prize of 25,000.
While food stalls set up by Shillong Institute of Hotel Management had delicacies to offer to the hungry tourists, indigenous wine stalls at the venue added to the fervor of the event.
Local rock bands, singers from West Khasi Hills and DJs entertained the crowd in the evening session of the fest.
Speaking on the occasion, Kharlyngdoh who is also the Chairman of the District Arts & Culture Society said, “The Arts & Culture Society is attempting to create awareness among the people on the need to protect the environment through this year’s festival.”
The festival was also attended by Commissioner and Secretary to the Chief Minister, P Sampath Kumar, Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Pooja Pandey, Head of the Registrar Cooperative Society, BDR Tiwari, Rambrai Jyrngam MLA, K.P.Pangniang among others.
Visitors complain about bad road conditions
Those visiting the Mawphanlur Autumn lake Fest felt that the event could have drawn a much bigger crowd if not for the “terrible” roads leading to the area.
The bad road conditions dampened the spirits of many who travelled to witness the fest.
Talking to The Shillong Times, a tourist from England said that there are a lot of tourist destinations in West Khasi Hills and the region has the potential to attract more visitors than Cherrapunjee and many other destinations in the State.
However, for that to be achieved, the road conditions need to be improved, he felt.
