Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul concludes

• IMPHAL — A five-day state level Shirui Lily Festival 2025 came to a close in a glittering ceremony at Bakshi ground in Manipur’s Ukhrul district headquarters, 84 km northeast of Imphal on Saturday evening.
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• The closing ceremony of the festival showcased a vibrant display of the state's rich culture, traditional heritage and musical talents. Attendees were treated to a special song by Pam's Kindergarten, along with worship songs presented by the Jesus Heart Team and a captivating choreography performance by Zaishin Dance Studio.
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• The most awaited Bombay Viking along with two local bands namely Feathers Head and Not Funny enthralled the music lovers of Ukhrul on the closing night of the festival, marking the closure of the popular tourism and cultural festival.

Also read: Shirui Lily Festival ends with call for sustainable tourism

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• The Shirui Lily beauty contest held on the theme ‘Beauty for humanity’ at the picturesque heritage ground in Shirui village was a major feature of the five-day festival wherein Esme SS of Hunphun village in Ukhrul district was crowned the beauty queen, while the 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up titles went to Disti Athokpam from Imphal and Esther Somungla of Chatric village in Kamjong district respectively.
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• Esme's multifaceted talents, making her a notable figure in contemporary fashion, made her claim the crown. She is currently pursuing BA (English Honours).
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• The winner went richer with a cash prize of INR 3 lakh along with a gift hamper but INR 1 lakh has been reserved for her participation in other bigger events. The 1st and 2nd runner-up of the beauty pageant walked away with INR 1 lakh and INR 75,000 respectively along with gift hampers.
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• The sub-titles winners included Esther Somungla Jamang for Miss Popularity, Themthem A Shimray for Miss Talented, Cecilia Zimik for Miss Perfect Smile, -Esme SS for Miss Perfect Body, Sumi Ningshen for Miss Pheithei Pangthei, Shonchui Kazingmei for Miss Humility and Laikhuram Zeneva for Miss Graceful Walk. They were awarded cash prizes of INR 20,000 each.
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• The Shirui Lily Festival is an annual state-level festival organised by Manipur Tourism with an objective to create awareness about the endangered Shirui Lily (Lilium mackliniae), the state flower, and promote sustainable tourism in the region.
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• This year’s festival was the first state-level festival held in the state since violence erupted in May 2023.