Silapathar: An orchid festival will be held in the sleepy town of Silapathar in Assam’s Dhemaji district to create awareness on conservation and propagation of many orchid species of the state classified as endangered, organisers said.
The two-day orchid festival will display some rare species of orchids belonging to Assam, which boasts of the second-highest number of orchid species in India behind Arunachal Pradesh.
Envisaged by the Orchid Society of Assam, a body formed in December 2018 to conserve the state flower kopou phool (Rhynchostylis Retusa), the festival will also bring together traders from all over India, president of the organisation Jitu Gogoi said.
The dates of the festival will be finalised on the sidelines of their first orchid workshop to be conducted at the Silapathar Science College on Sunday.
The workshop will be held in order to create awareness on conservation and propagation of Assam’s species, most of them classified as endangered.
“We are expecting more than 3,000 people. Many people have already confirmed participation; we are expecting more to come. It’s the blooming time of orchids here and it will be worth a visit and the festival of Bihu will make it doubly special,” Gogoi, a Botany lecturer at the Silapathar Science College here, told PTI.
“A girl’s attire during Bihu dance is not complete without kopou phool worn as a hair ornament but with heavy industralisation and deforestation, the orchid is facing extinction and is listed as an endangered species. But the society formed just over a year ago hopes to spread awareness and keep the state’s pride intact,” Gogoi said.
The workshop is open to both students and faculties, while farmers and conservators are also expected. (PTI)
