SHERGAON, 13 Mar: A two-day ‘Rhododendron Festival’ – a festival to create awareness on preservation of the valuable rhododendron wildflower – began here in West Kameng district on Saturday.
The festival is being organized by the locals, women SHGs and youths under the banner of the Shergaon Rhododendron Festival Committee (SRFC).
Attending the inaugural day, Guru Tulku Rinpoche of Lower Gompa, Bomdila, commended the residents of Shergaon for organizing the event to show their love and concern for nature.
“Like the beautiful rhododendron flower, we should preserve our culture and tradition, as well,” he said.
Speaking about the festival, SRFC chairman Ledo Thungon informed that “the motive behind the festival is to promote and create awareness on the importance of rhododendron flower. There more than 30 species of rhododendron and eight are found only in West Kameng.”
He informed that “we have been organizing the festival since 2018, but due to the pandemic, there was a gap last year. Besides preserving and creating awareness about rhododendron, cultural presentations by different tribes residing in West Kameng district, outdoor activities like cycling, rock climbing, birdwatching and other events are being organized during the festival,” adding that the committee is also trying to promote tourism in Shergaon.
