SANGAI FESTIVAL

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Context: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Manipur Sangai Festival via video message. Labelled as the grandest festival in the state, the Manipur Sangai Festival helps in promoting Manipur as a world-class tourism destination. The festival is named after the state animal, Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur.

Details:

Every year the State of Manipur celebrates the “Manipur Sangai Festival”from 21st to 30th November.
It started in the year 2010 and has grown over the years into a big platform for Manipur to showcase its rich tradition and culture to the world.
The festival is being celebrated across 13 venues in six districts of Manipur.
The theme for the event is “Festival of Oneness”. It promotes a sense of belonging and creates pride in ownership of land among people.
The festival will reflect the State’s proud cultural heritage and the love for art which is inherent amongst various tribes inhabiting the State of Manipur.
The State’s classical dance form, ‘Ras Leela’ is quite famous all over the world for its distinctiveness from any other dance forms in India
Various other folk dance performances like the Kabui Naga dance, Bamboo dance, Maibi dance, Lai Haraoba dance, Khamba Thoibi dance etc. will be showcased at the festival.
Manipur’s famous martial arts- Thang Ta(a combination Spear & Sword skills), Yubi-Lakpi (a game played with greased coconut like rugby), Mukna Kangjei (a game that combines hockey and wrestling), and Sagol Kangjei- Modern Polo (believed to have evolved in Manipur) will all form part of the festival.

Sangai Deer:

The sangai is an endemic and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, India.
It is found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Parkover the floating biomass locally called “phumdi” in the south eastern part of Loktak Lake.
Its IUCN status is Endangered