Two-day festival promotes ‘Mangsang’ variety of rice

Mangsang, Dec 22: A two-day-long festival was held in East Garo Hills in a bid to promote the Mangsang variety of local rice that is a favourite of many in the state and outside.
Organised by the GSU Mangsang unit in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, the two-day festival began on Friday and ended on Saturday at the Mangsang Mini Stadium located in Rongjeng C&RD Block, East Garo Hills.
The festival saw a large number of people from nearby areas come to the venue which also featured a rock concert showcasing artistes like Riprap, Nogo, Ahowee and Hero Master.
The event was supported by the district administration. The event was aptly themed ‘Rice for food and income’.
“Mangsang rice is unique in many ways and has already gained fame both locally and nationally. Its aromatic fragrance has captured taste buds all over and this is a tradition that needs to be continued for generations to come. That was our motive to hold the programme,” said GSU unit president, Bamba Sangma.
The first day of the festival saw a local cooking competition, a buyer-seller meet, folk song competition along with rock acts by Hero Master and Noga. The more action packed second day included traditional games like Wa.pong Sika, Jakpong Pe.a, Anding O.ka, Makre Wa.jol Mala as well as a Tug of War among other local games being promoted.
“We discussed this during a meeting with the administration earlier in November following which festival came to fruition. There is a sincere need to promote the Mangsang variety of rice on a wider scale as it can do wonders for the local economy. That was the idea behind holding the festival,” felt union’s general secretary, Wintru Arengh.
After the success of the second edition of the festival, the organisers have promised a bigger version of the festival next year. The last edition was held in 2018 before COVID-19 lockdown led to suspension over the next few years.