IMPHAL, Nov 12 - India�s first and world�s first Autumn Cherry Blossom festival begins in Shillong on November 14.
The four-day festival has been organised by Government of Meghalaya, in association with Manipur-based Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a National Institute of Department of Biotechnology.
�The festival will not only bring socio-economic development to the region but will also promote sustainable development, one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)�, said IBSD Director Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo. �It would also set the stage for 2017, which has been declared as International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by United Nations�, he added.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul M Sangma will formally open the Cherry Blossom festival at Polo Ground in Shillong on November 14. Besides Japan where the Cherry blossom festival is celebrated in April, a few other countries such as USA, Korea, China and Australia, also organise such festivals.
Presently, the city of Shillong and adjoining areas are slowly turning pink, as the blossoming has started and Shillong will be in full bloom during the festival.
