Yaoshang 2021 and the Ugly truth

The festival of colour and joy, Yaoshang has finally come to an end. Yaoshang can be term as one of the biggest festivals of Manipur where everyone irrespective of age takes part in the festival. Children enjoy the festival indulging in Nakatheng, playing with colors and water, and some taking part in the Sports organised by local clubs. Young Boys and Girls enjoy the festival taking part in Thabal Chongba which is organised at night time whereas the senior citizens enjoy the festival taking part in Holi Eshei. This festival indeed is a time for all age groups to relax and enjoy, taking a break from every day’s work and duty.
One of the major ingredients of this festival, Yaoshang Sports organised in each and every locality can be a catalyst for building a sporting culture among the kids, where often this state has been considered as the Sports Powerhouse of the Country. This indeed is a very good thing. Off late, this sporting event has become notorious. Not all but some organisers organised ridiculous events that too in the name of sports. Many ridiculous and weird events are organised not taking into consideration the safety and health of those taking part in the events. For serious events like Marathon, Half Marathon and Long-distance walking race where proper medical test and care are mandatory, no such arrangements or care can be seen in most of the locality. It becomes a health hazard if the participants taking part in such events have prior medical conditions. Much care and evaluation needed to be done if any untoward incidents are to be prevented. Yaoshang Sports which is beautiful in its own way will diminish its quality if ridiculous events which have no meaning or whatsoever are added into it.
Much has been written and discussed about the Global Pandemic COVID 19 and the government imposing SOP for this year’s Yaoshang. Maximum of the sports organiser failed to follow the SOP laid down by the government. A clear example of this is the torch rally, which is organised to mark the opening of the Sports event. One can witness a number of children crowding while preparing and taking part in the rally. This is a gross violation of the COVID 19 SOP laid down by the government, which is for our own safety.
On the other hand, the events organised by VIPs, politicians, and other high-ranking officials of the state, have no respect for the SOP for COVID-19 and seem like they are exempted from the government’s guidelines. If they can organize such events and gather people in huge, why can’t we do the same, is a big question raised by the common people. The government needs to lead the people by its action and deeds, not by simply talking big on the public platforms and releasing numerous orders, for namesake. It is not sign of a good governance if the rules they enacted are violated by them and on the other hand, urging and forcing the public to follow the same.
True, there are some brighter sides we can see from the SOP laid down by the government for this year’s Yaoshang festival. There are reports of lesser road accidents as compared to the previous year and before. There are little to no nighttime events organised during the festival, which cuts down noise pollution.
In spite of all these, we should continue to remain vigil and safe from the impending COVID 19 second wave which is hitting hard in other parts of the country, it will not be long when Manipur will be hit by this second wave. Not only waiting for the government’s part in fighting this menace, we the public should be responsible and remember that, have a huge role in preventing the spread of this disease.