Ukhrul rocks to Nazareth on first day of Shirock night

Mungchan Zimik
Ukhrul, Oct 17 : The 3rd edition of Shirock opened with a bang with Scottish rock band Nazareth rocking the night at Bakshi ground, Ukhrul and mesmerising music lovers who came from different parts of the State and outside Manipur.
The rain which lashed Ukhrul town last evening did not stop the music fans from thronging the venue where Nazareth belted out some of the crowd's favourites.
Shirock, the main attraction of the Shirui Lily festival lived up to its name as many of the visitors turned up solely to sway to the numbers of the Scottish band.
According to the registration office, thirty thousand entry passes for the opening nite of Shirock were printed, excluding premium cards and VIP cards for the rock show.
Guru Reuben Mashangva, Alamle Heraang and Reverse Tragedy (both winners of Tribal Euphony and Shirock 2017) opened the night.
The Scottish rock band Nazareth belted out twenty numbers, with some from their  new album.
The old and evergreen numbers such as "Love leads to madness,’ ‘Dream on,’ ‘Love hurts’ , ‘Where are you now ?’ had the crowd on their feet and swaying to the music.
Stunning performance from bassist Pete Agnew, who has been a member of Nazareth since its establishment in 1968, guitarist Jimmy Murrison, drummer Lee Agnew and vocalist Carl Sentance left the crowd mesmerised.
During a brief interaction with some of the visitors at the venue, a man from Nagaland named Vikheye, said that he came all the way from Dimapur on October 15 for the Nazareth show and money was not a constraint to come and watch his favourite band.
Another person from Imphal named Ajit said that he hurried to Ukhrul today (October 16) not to miss the live rock concert. It was a privilege to watch the famed international rock band performing in our State, he said.
The tourists and the visitors easily outnumbered the locals at the rock show yesterday.
The Shirock 2019 band competition began from 6.30 pm onward at Bakshi Ground.
Today, the chairman of West Tangkhul villages Mangang Raman graced the second day of the Shirui Lily festival at Heritage ground, Vangayan, Shirui village.
Speaking at the ocassion, Mangang said that the fame and popularity of Shirui Lily is the pride of the State particularly for Ukhrul district.
He also called upon all to uphold and preserve the traditional games and attires during the days of the celebration.
As a part of the celebration on day II, indigenous games such as bamboo pole climbing competition, tug of war were put on show while Generation Squad, Nimshimphy, Shimreingam Vashum at Vangayan starred in the entertainment segment.
The festival is held under the sponsorship of Department of Tourism, Manipur to spread awareness about the endangered Shirui Lily and promote the district as a tourist destination.