Our Bureau
BHOIRYMBONG/SHILLONG, Nov 17: The Cherry Blossom Festival 2023, which was supposed to be one of the biggest events in the state, took an unexpected turn when Mother Nature delivered a curveball and turned the arena into muddy terrain. The event was supposed to draw both domestic and foreign tourists, but in spite of months of preparation and careful planning, it ended up being a nightmare for eager guests as well as stall owners.
The festival was expected to begin on Friday and has attracted interest from people all throughout the country and abroad. The three-day festival was scheduled to feature renowned Indian and international musicians such as Hybrid Theory, Neyo, Ronan Keating, Sanam Puri, Lou Majaw, and Meba Ofilia.
But the Indian Meteorological Department warned about a deep depression over the West Central Bay of Bengal that was expected to strengthen into a cyclonic storm (called Midhili) a day before the celebration officially began. Even the organisers were taken off by the unexpected weather.
In view of the IMD alert, the organisers announced the cancellation of Day 1 due to inclement weather in an official Instagram post, putting the safety of attendees and partners first.
A few tourists and attendees were devastated by the decision, leaving them unsure of what would happen to the festival they had been looking forward to.
The vendors’ account was one of complete loss. They expressed displeasure at the unexpected turn of events, as they had anticipated a significant inflow of both domestic and foreign tourists.
Due to the festival’s renown, Jaya Pegu, the owner of an Assamese Dhemaji Traditional Stall, had anticipated that her stall would draw people. She was disappointed that the first day’s weather did not live up to her expectations, but she was optimistic that the next two days would bring better weather, which would increase her sales.
Jaya’s sentiments were echoed by P Myrsing, a local business owner from Ri-Bhoi District, who expressed amazement at the unforeseen weather. With customary fare ready for the celebration, Myrsing and associates gaze in doubt as the IMD forecasts additional precipitation for Saturday.
Affected by the bad weather, stall owners expressed their displeasure and dissatisfaction in the planners’ response — or rather, their lack thereof.
“It was raining since yesterday and if they had to cancel the event, they could have informed us in advance but nobody was talking to us and then suddenly, the event was cancelled,” the stall owners bemoaned.
The vendors criticised the lack of professionalism, claiming that although the show managers appeared competent in emails, they lacked the necessary professionalism to plan an international event of this scale.
While the stall owners acknowledged that the government could not stop the rain, they could at least lessen their losses and damages. They expressed disappointment at being given stalls that were not as spacious as the better ones they had been promised.
The vendors felt abandoned and apprehensive about the future of their stalls when they couldn’t get in touch with the organisers.
Other regional acts who were unable to play on Friday have been moved to Me’Gong Festival, while the headliner concerts have been moved to November 18 and 19.
It may be noted that the Cherry Blossom Festival was forced to be cancelled by the Meghalaya government at the last minute last year due to an Assam Police shooting incident involving Meghalaya villagers at Mukroh in Block-I, Jaintia Hills.