Rising Sun Festival reaches full glory in Meghalaya’s Umiam Lake

The much anticipated Rising Sun Water Fest 2022 is underway at the Umiam Lake in Meghalaya. Surrounded by pristine natural beauty, the festival kicked off on Thursday and was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma. 

The three-day maiden regatta is being conducted and steered under the aegis of the Indian Army’s Kolkata-based Headquarters Eastern Command and will come to an end on Saturday. The closing ceremony will be attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with his Meghalaya counterpart. 

The large gathering of viewers was delighted to witness the cultural events, flypast by Microlight aircraft, and the beautiful display of rowing and sailing races.

Thanking the participants, team managers and organisers for coming together and putting on a brilliant display with clockwork precision, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that such events will help in inspiring the youths of the region to join the Indian Army and the Forces.

The crowd cheered for the spellbinding display of talent by the artists including Priyanka Bharali, Joana Jamang, Local Garo, and Jaintia Dances. Indian Idol famed Naib Subedar Pawan left the audience spellbound with his melodious voice.

A total of 22 clubs are participating in Rowing and Sailing disciplines from across the country. The same is being conducted for the men and women participants.

The event is aimed at promoting the spirit of rowing and sailing among the youths of Meghalaya and ensuring that more champions emerge from the state of Meghalaya in these sports through relentless efforts by the Indian Army, Eastern Command Aquatic Node & Meghalaya government.

Overall, the Indian Army and Eastern Command in particular has taken the initiative in line with the “Khelo India” initiative of the government to promote water sports and laid the foundation for developing the naturally available waterbody into a state-of-the-art venue for conduct of events in the future, stated a press release. 

It may be mentioned that the Indian Navy operational demonstration and display of prowess of the  Special Parachute Regiment Forces with vital support from the Indian Air Force was a major attraction for the audience.

Meghalaya Tourism Department which is one of the partners for the event is undertaking live streaming of the event on YouTube. 

"The Rising Sun Water Festival is yet another shining example of the Services teaming up with the State Govts to create and enable a conducive environment taking forward the concept of "Khelo India" and integrating the North East," said Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, PRO, Defence, Guwahati.

The CM in the past has claimed that the state of Meghalaya has a lot of potential. Under the “Khelo India initiative” the Indian army and the Eastern Command have taken the initiative to promote the spirit of sailing among the youth of the across the country.