“Light as feathers, as fleeting as Zephyr, one moment they breathed pink, the next they faded. Cherry blossoms were as much an inspiration for beautiful verse as they were a reminder of life’s fickleness, she thought.”
Alice Poon, The Green Phoenix: A Novel of the Woman Who Re-Made Asia, Empress Xiaozhuang
SHILLONG: The bright pink of the flower may be gone having bloomed earlier than its time this year, but that did not dampen the spirit of the International Cherry Blossom Festival which kicked off on Wednesday with the government holding out promise of further developing tourism in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the fourth edition of the festival, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that Meghalaya is a popular tourist destination.
“We want to focus on natural strengths, environment, natural beauty of the state and enhance tourist experience to ensure that the tourism model is sustainable”, he said.
Sangma said a number of tourism projects are being taken up by the tourism department such as building log houses.
He said a laser show in Ward’s Lake will become a reality in another two-three months. The lake’s water will act as a screen which will depict the history of Meghalaya.
He also said that cable cars were also in the pipeline.
The chief minister said he would soon pay a visit to South Korea and acquire knowledge on power generation, waste management and land reclamation.
It may be mentioned that South Korea is the partner country for this year’s festival.
He also spoke about his recent Bangladesh visit during which he went to Jaintiapur and also visited the jail where Khasi freedom fighter, U Tirot Sing was held.
Guest of Honour and state Education Minister
Lahkmen Rymbui said that the cherry blossoms have captured the fascination and appreciation of people all around the world and the festival is an occasion of pride and for nurturing the creativity and talents of the people and showcase the art and culture of the state.
He also added that in the next few days the government will be engaged in bilateral talks with South Korea.
The chief minister also released a book Trees of Shillong by Forest and Environment department.
A visit to Polo, the main venue for the festival, revealed that the bright pink colours of the cherry blossoms that abound in the Polo Hills have faded.
Director, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Dinabandhu Sahoo said that this year the cherry blossoms bloomed in the last week of October unlike last year when it bloomed much later.