Orange Queen 2010

A 21 year old graduate Miss Hoirose Silthou of Manipur’s Motbung village in Senapati district has won the coveted Orange Queen 2010 crown on the second and last day of the recently held Seventh State Level Orange Festival in Manipur’s Tamenglong district headquarters,150 km north-west of the state capital Imphal.

Miss Hoirose become the first Kuki belle to be crowed Orange Queen by defeating 34 other Manipuri beauties during the competition of beauty and brains in front of a sizeable crowd.

However, no one was aware that the new Orange Queen’s was a Kuki until a formal reception function was held at her native Motbung village, 30 kms north of Imphal a day after the beauty pageant.

“The winning of the beauty contest by Miss Hoirose whose father is a Kuki and whose mother is a Naga is an occasion for joy not only for the two communities but also for all the people living in Manipur,” Soihen Golmei, Chairman of Tamenglong Autonomous District Council (ADC) said while attending the reception function. Miss Hoirose is the youngest daughter of Seipu Sitlhou who is the Chairman of Kangpokpi ADC and wife SH Kima Zeliangrong of Tamenglong.

The new Orange Queen who would love to become a successful interior designer also expressed her desire to give a new lease on life to women who have become widows of people who have died of HIV/AIDS.

This Kuki belle who went back home with a cash award of Rs 1 lakh besides other gift hampers and oranges said that she won the title through the grace of God and her parents. Another gorgeous girl from Moirang town under Bishnupur district - Arunapati bagged the first runner up title while her companion from Tamenglong district headquarters Makuilinlui Golmei was adjudged the second runner up.

The first runner up title holder and second runner up title winner got Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 each along with gift hampers and oranges. The awards were handed over by the dignitaries at the gala event itself. Besides the three winners, six more beautiful contestants were also given six different sub-titles.

Those who won the subtitles during the show include Elizabeth Maibam (Miss Congeniality), Maohalal Khongsai (Miss Beautiful Smile), Minaliu Pamei (Miss Photogenic), Shiela (Miss Photogenic), Diana Rao Pamei (Miss Beautiful Skin), Sangrila Meisnam (Best Catwalk) and Paojaruiniu (Miss Perfect Ten). The best designer award went to Arenla Sangtam while Nirmal was adjudged the best choreographer.

The Rock music show by Alvina Gonson,a sequence of dances by the local youth also marked the beauty pageant which was held as part of this year’s Orange Festival under the aegis of district orange growers body and the Tamenglong district administration.

Amidst Naga Youth Front’s 48 hour bandh, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, his MLA wife Landhoni and a couple of his Cabinet Ministers had visited the Tamenglong hill town to inaugurate the orange exhibition cum sale at the local ground of the district headquarters.

This year’s festival was marked with the holding of a seminar on orange cultivation with modern technology input on the first day. The seminar was attended by experts from Central Agriculture University and the State Horticulture and Soil Conservation Department officials.

Sobhapati Samom

Manipur produced around 31,968 metric tonnes of oranges cultivated in an area of 4,138 hectares in 2008-09. Of this, Tamenglong district produced 17,311 metric tonnes.

Some orange cultivators in Tamenglong are abandoning their respective farms due to uncommon death of the orange trees owing to an unknown plant disease despite the continuous efforts to promote overall development of the so called ‘dark district’ by promoting various development activities including the Orange Festival since 2001.

Hardly 17 metric tonnes of oranges was displayed this year against the previous record of 20-25 metric-tonnes on an average during the two day Orange Festival.

A comprehensive study to find the reason behind the sudden death of the oranges is yet to be taken up even though experts and villagers speculate on various causes of the citrus decline in the district. Subject specialists say that it might be because of lack of proper management of the orange trees while Entomologists point to climate change as one reason.