Ri Bhoi District prepares to hold the First Marngar Lakeside Festival

SHILLONG: Ri Bhoi District is all set to witness the first ever Marngar Lakeside festival which will be organised by none other than the locals.

The first Marngar Lakeside Festival is set to be held on January 16 at Borkhadsari, Marngar in Ri Bhoi District. This event will be orchestrated by the Ri Bhoi Tourism and Environmental Development Forum (RBTEDF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to tourism, in collaboration with the Marngar Eco Tourism and Cultural Development Society.

It may be mentioned that this is the first time that a festival is being organised in the Ri Bhoi district by the locals, where the indigenous cuisines, cultural items and handloom/handicrafts are being showcased together with adventure activities at the scenic Marngar Lake area.

Passed on for several generations, the local vegetables and herbs found in Ri Bhoi district will be prepared in hollow bamboo stems (Tyndong Siej) giving a pleasant taste and aroma. This is an opportunity for all foodies to taste the delicacies and one should not miss the different flavours served along with rice beer.

Visitors will be entertained by rare cultural dance performances of the Raid Nonglyngdoh, Raid Marngar and Raid Karbi and folk music during the day to be followed by DJ music in the evening.

In an attempt to promote adventure and eco tourism, the organisers are also arranging an open trekking and photography competition at the venue.

The trekking will commence from Lad Umshakait and will finish at Mawthadkba, also locally known as Engleng Peak, which is similar to Kyllang Rock but only bigger and higher.

The winners of the photography competition will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 8000, 4000, and 3000 respectively.

Another attraction of the festival will be the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fight Night at the venue where top professional fighters from Meghalaya will be taking part.

(TNT News)