SHILLONG: The city is all set to celebrate autumn and the pink and white blooms with the four-day Cherry Blossom Festival from November 14 at Polo Grounds. The country’s first and also the world’s first in the autumn season, will showcase the State’s traditional art, culture and cuisine.
The Cherry Blossom Festival, also popularly known as the Sakura Festival in Japan, is held in April every year. Other countries like the US, Korea, China and Australia also organise such festivals.
The event — which is being organised by the government under the aegis of Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), and the Department of Biotechnology at National Institute of technology — will not only bring socio-economic development in but will also “promote peace, prosperity and sustainable develop-ment”, said Director of IBSD, Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo. The chief minister will inaugurate the festival, which will set the stage for the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017.
