Shillong to turn pink this autumn with its maiden cherry blossom festival

Autumn is a season when mother nature sheds the garbs of past and decks herself up to welcome a new beginning. For Shillong, the alluring hillside of Meghalaya, autumn is a symbol of hope as the valley gets adorned with fresh cherry blossoms bloomed on over 5000 trees.

A cherry blossom festival is a fascinating opportunity to explore the beauty of mother nature's guise in autumn. More than twenty five countries round the world has declared the days of pinkish white blossoms as a season to attract tourists from worldwide.

Well, you don't have to go through the hastle of getting a visa to watch a cherry blossom festival anymore as Shillong is all set to witness India's first ever cherry blossom festival.

The festival is organized by the Government of Meghalaya in association with the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a national institute under the Department of Biotechnology, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

"Meghalaya is known for many things that are exclusive to the state. Now, we want to connect Meghalaya with the rest of the world with the cherry blossom festival," state Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said while addressing a press conference here to announce the festival.

Unlike the cherry fruit, the pink and white glory cherry blossom tree exudes for a very short time in the year, is a sight to behold. It was in Japan that the tradition of planting cherry blossoms (called sakura in Japanese) started. The Sakura Festival started way back in the third century and continues to be a huge tourist attraction.

Thus, to convey the message of peace, the Japanese have been planting cherry blossoms across different countries of the world. Today, 27 countries across the world, including the US, New Zealand, Holland and South Korea, hold cherry blossom festivals. Next month, India will become the 28th.

The Shillong cherry blossom festival is also unique in the sense that, while in other countries the cherry trees flower in March-June, here these blossom in November. Though the festival is being held from November 8 to 11, the flowering will last for two weeks. Around 5,000 cherry blossom trees have been planted on both sides of the road leading up to Shillong from Umiam side, at the famous Ward's Lake, New Shillong and Mawphlang.

Dinabandhu Sahoo, the director for IBSD hailing from Imphal, Manipur, was the one who noticed the prospect of organizing a state level cherry blossom festival when he incidentally glanced out of his window. He says IBSD plans to plant 20,000 cherry blossom trees across the state that by the time Meghalaya celebrates its 50^th birth anniversary in 2020, it will literally be the 'pink city,' though the name belongs to Jaipur.

According to a statement issued by the organisers, there will be several community events which include guided night walks under illuminated cherry blossoms, live musical events, a beauty pageant and stalls showcasing the cuisine, wine, arts and craft of the region .

"Along side, there will be a rock concert, traditional folk music, unplugged western music and dance performances from all over North East India, choir performances, photography competitions, bicycle rallies, storytelling sessions of local and world folktales and an exhibition football match," the statement said.

Sangma said that his government was providing local people with cherry blossom saplings. "We are encouraging people to set up community nurseries," he said, "We now have complete involvement of stakeholders."

National cherry blossom festivals conducted every year by countries like Australia, Korea, China, the US and some others are said to be creating a positive impact on the local economy. According to the available statistics, The Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival alone generates about $126 million from tourists every year.