Why in the News?

The Shirui Lily Festival has commenced in Manipur after a two-year gap caused by the ongoing conflict in the state.

About Shirui Lily Festival

Organiser: The festival is conducted by the Department of Tourism, Government of Manipur.
Launch: It was first held in 2017 and is now one of Manipur’s two major tourism festivals (the other being the Sangai Festival).
Origin: Named after the Shirui Lily (Lilium mackliniae), the State Flower of Manipur.
Location: The event is held in Ukhrul district, home to the Tangkhul Naga community.
Purpose: It aims to raise awareness about the Shirui Lily and promote eco-tourism in the hill regions of Ukhrul.
Key Activities: The festival includes cultural performances, music concerts, a beauty pageant, a cooking competition, and a trash collection marathon.

Habitat: The Shirui Lily grows only in the upper reaches of the Shirui Hill range in Ukhrul district, at an altitude of 2,673 metres.
Local Name: It is locally known as ‘Kashong Timrawon’, named after a mythical hill guardian.
Discovery: British botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward identified it in 1946 and named it Lilium mackliniae after his wife Jean Macklin.
Conservation Status: Classified as Endangered by the IUCN. (It is not listed by CITES or Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Shirui National Park is named after it.
Threats: The flower faces threats from climate change, human encroachment, resource exploitation, and invasion by wild dwarf bamboo.

[UPSC 2018] Consider the following pairs:

Tradition– State

1. Chapchar Kut festival — Mizoram

2. Khongjom Parba ballad — Manipur

3. Thong-To dance — Sikkim

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

Options: (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2* (c) 3 only (d) 2 and 3