Day: November 19, 2011

By Amar Yumnam
Higher education in our region has been a major issue of debate and discussion among academics based in the colleges and universities here. By now there seems to be emerging a kind of critical mass deeply involved in the application of mind on this issue. Earlier the discussions on this were confined mostly in private roundtables, but now it has become an issue being taken up for formal public articulation. In fact, in the just concluded thirteenth edition of the Annual Conference of the North East Economic Association held at Assam University, a special session was devoted on evolving a common curriculum for Economics in the region. In this session attended by some of the best minds on the subject in the country and the deeply committed ones from the region, moderating the deliberations on the issue has been an absolutely rewarding exercise personally and a landmark towards contextualising the teaching and research of Economics in the region without sacrificing rigour.

Global Scenario and Our Take: It is heartening to note that every university in the region has been trying to achieve two things in particular in so far as the delivery in the teaching and research on the subject. First, some of the faculty in the region are fully conscious of the imperatives for incorporating rigour at levels competitive enough, if not at par, with the best in the world, and thus ensure a kind of market for the Economics Graduates from the region. Secondly, the leading academics of the region are now fully aware of the successful way of delivering the subject through contextualisation. Now there is collective determination for sharing the successful faculty for widening and deepening the knowledge base of Economics in the region. Even more lovingly, almost all the academics are conscientiously committed to this direction.

This heightened concern and involvement of the academics of the region is particularly significant in the light of what is happening in higher education around the globe. The periods of exclusivism, isolationalism and survival in limited worlds are gone for good. The global higher education systems, particularly in the developed parts of the world, are now endeavouring to find newer and newer ways of addressing the contemporary crises plaguing the world, and take the various disciplines further forward by intensely exploring unchartered territories. The crises in the political and economic systems have served as the push factor as well opportunities for reorienting the various disciplines and empowering the students to take on the challenges for taking the human civilisation further forward.

The Challenges: The higher education system in the region is now at a very critical juncture. The efforts of the last few decades have not gone in vain. In fact, the region now possesses a threshold level of capacity in quite many fields, in which I can be very sure of Economics. But this is no time for complacency but a time to fight on even further, a kind of period for Trojans.

As said above, some of the disciplines (of course Economics is also one) are really exploding in both direction and approaches of study. This is the first major challenge of the academics in the region in so far as the necessity for keeping up with the latest advances and exposing the students of the region to the flavours of the frontier developments. This is not going to be a mean task. Secondly, the time has now come to seriously theorise on the empirical socio-politico-economic issues of the region; a culture for this has to be inculcated among the young researchers of the region. Thirdly, a strong linkage and continuum of seriousness has to be involved right from the undergraduate stage till the end of masters’ or research degrees.

The Approach: While facing the challenges head on the responsibility of the social sciences is particularly high. The region is now passing through a very critical stage of societal transformation with very complex political economic dynamics. In research in social sciences there is the need for catching the moment. While in physical sciences, it may be possible to simulate the real world conditions in a laboratory, it cannot be done successfully and absolutely meaningfully in the social sciences despite the rising application of game theory and experiments in research in such disciplines, particularly Economics. This regional reality has to be dovetailed to the need for keeping up with the latest advances in the disciplines. Achieving this objective cannot be done without a strong policy support accompanied by financial commitments. Further, the time has now come for us to apply our mind on ways for facilitating continuous revisions in curriculum in a way faster than the existing processes. This is particularly so in subjects like Economics, and it did come up for serious articulation in the recent meet of economists of the region.

In all this Manipur has a unique problem. Long years of stagnation and non-involvement in higher education seem to have dulled a particular generation of faculty in the colleges of the State. While they are still in service of the colleges technically speaking, their involvements in academic pursuits and delivery are doubtful. Here we must hasten to add that the silver lining lies with our younger faculty. Unlike the senior colleagues, the younger ones possess greater exposure, higher commitment and healthier dedication to nurturing future minds. We have to evolve a kind of policy which recognises this and see to it that these young academics do not follow the path of their seniors towards dullness.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/higher-education-in-the-northeast-the-disconnects-and-the-challenges/

By Subir Ghosh
The first blockbuster in film history was argubaly the fallout of Hollywood’s first major ego clash. David Wark Griffith, better known as as a shorter DW Griffith, who had failed to make it big in theatre and had subsequently written scnarios and acted in films of Edison Studios, produced and directed the Biograph film Judith of Bethulia in 1914. This was one of the earliest feature films to be produced in the United States. But Biograph thought that longer films were not viable. They believed that a movie that long (61 minutes) would hurt the audience’s eyes.

Griffith walked out of Biograph with a retinue of actors, and joined hands with Mutual Film Corporation to establish a studio, Reliance-Majestic Studios. The first production of this set-up was called The Clansman (1915), which would later be known as The Birth of a Nation.

It was in July 1914 that Griffith began shooting the twelve-reel film that would have assured him a place in film history had he never made any subsequent film in his career. The Birth of a Nation, the longest feature film thus far (190 minutes at 16 frames/ second) hastened the American film industry’s transition to the feature film. The film was such a smash hit that Griffith spent the rest of his life trying to surpass, defend, or atone for this film.

Till this point, the longest of the feature films would not exceed an hour – Griffith’s cinematic risk changed the industry’s standard in a way still influential today. The film was originally presented in two parts, separated by an intermission. It broke all box office records but also stirred up controversies in the same breath. Its depiction of slavery / race relations in the Civil War and the Reconstruction era came in for flak from many.

The film was based on Thomas Dixon Jr’s 1905 novel The Clansman, which depicted Southern pre-Civil War slavery as benign, the enfranchisement of freedman as a corrupt Republican plot, and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a band of heroes restoring the rightful order. There were protests over the portrayal of African American men (played by white actors in black paint on faces) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women, besides the representation of the KKK as a heroic force. The film was banned in many cities, but still became a blockbuster. It was also the first motion picture to be shown at the White House.

In film history, however, The Birth of a Nation is remembered as groundbreaking for its innovative application of the medium of film. The film earned $10 million in the first year, and over the next 35 years went on to gross $50 million. The social impact nevertheless stayed on – even in the 1970s, the KKK was said to be using this film a recruitment tool.

Critic Roger Ebert has argued about the film: “The Birth of a Nation is not a bad film because it argues for evil. Like Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will, it is a great film that argues for evil. To understand how it does so is to learn a great deal about film, and even something about evil.”

Griffith went on the defensive. He added some titles on a part of the film during its second run:

A PLEA FOR THE ART OF THE MOTION PICTURE: We do not fear censorship, for we have no wish to offend with improprieties or obscenities, but we do demand, as a right, the liberty to show the dark side of wrong, that we may illuminate the bright side of virtue – the same liberty that is conceded to the art of the written word – that art to which we owe the Bible and the works of Shakespeare.

He soon began working on his next Intolerance (1916), as a response to the criticism of his conroversial blockbuster. This relatively unsuccessful film dealt with the effects of intolerance in four different historical periods: the Fall of Babylon; the Crucifixion of Jesus; the events surrounding the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre; and a modern story.

Intolerance, though as expensive as the earlier film, could not match up to the success of The Birth. Griffith was forced to look for other avenues. He joined forces with Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks to establish United Artists in February 1919. The foursome were corced to take this step by Hollywood producers and distributors who were tightening control over actor salaries and creative decisions, a process that gradually evolved into the rigid studio system. Hence, the name. The initial plan was to produce five films in a year. But with in the aftermath of the First World War, films were becoming more expensive. To make five quality productions to hit the theatres became a tall order. Griffith quit in 1924.

He made many films in the later years, but major box office success avoided him. He even made two talkies with the advent os sound, and ended his filmmaking career in 1931.

Griffith is not known to have invented new techniques in film grammar, but he was the first to understand how these techniques could be used to create an expressive language. Chaplin called Griffith “The teacher of us all”. The stigma of The Birth of a Nation never really could be washed away with Intolerance. This made Orson Welles remark in chagrin, “I have never really hated Hollywood except for its treatment of DW Griffith. No town, no industry, no profession, no art form owes so much to a single man.”

Debates over Griffith still rage on.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/the-first-of-the-goliaths/

By Bobo Khuraijam
Pretentiously enough, Leipung purportedly went into a hiding. We wanted to fashion an identity which would stand out from the crowd. The hangmen on the highway tightening the noose around everyone’s neck helped us fathom an imagination. That it was a right time to strike a pose which would help us look different. Should we inform none of you that the identity of Leipung seemed to be in a crisis? It has been reported that there has been some fake ‘leipungs’ around the corner who nurture a philistine dream to encroach our space. How fake they are, we asked. They said it is deadlier and fakeir than an election promise or an air hostage’s smile. “kibana loirehe, Madhop!”,  should we bellow? No. we do not want to add more noise to the already polluted soudscape of the town. Instead of that we should do something different, we thought. Like the tall placid gentleman with a long hair and bell bottom trousers, who shows up as soon as the interval light sunup inside the Imphal Talkies, with deep fried eatables, we thought we could sell eatables to the patrons who are queuing every fuel stations day or night. Those days of “A” certified movies in Imphal Talkies, we enjoyed the eatables from the gentleman Bheiya along with the music of Boney M during the intervals. The engaging smell of ammonia sprinkled by thousands on the wall near the cycle shed would not deter us from enjoying the taste. Could we bring back that entertainment level of service to our patrons in the fuel stations?

MISADVENTURE: Some of our members collected as much umbrellas they could. They tried renting it out to the patrons. Not a single soul hired the umbrellas. They said the umbrella was of no use as it is already winter. Though the blockade started a summer back, it has passed a monsoon: the show is on till this winter. Next, our members collected some quirky items … unused Luna moped, some even without engines or tyres, dried bamboo poles, wooden sticks or…every unimaginable thing in the world were collected. Those things were going to be used in lieu of vehicles to mark their ‘space’ of waiting the Petrol Godot; needless to say that our members made zero profit for hiring out those things. Yet, they got richer with MP3 songs and videos of mobile shots via the blue tooth. It was a perfect place for entertainment exchange. Male patrons giggled watching together the mobile videos, nearby female patrons gave curious glance, as if they knew something about the video. The muted sound of the video must have awakened too many senses. Next number: our members tried selling eatables. Again, nobody cared to buy. Each of the patron had taken a vow that not a morsel of food would be allowed to enter their mouth no matter how starved they were. They said that they would eat only when their fuel tanks got filled up. That was the spirit: A unique solidarity of empty stomach for an empty fuel tank. We reaffirmed how determined the driving patrons are. Aspiring scholars could give a try in finding out the driving force of our driving patrons even with empty stomach and empty tanks. What drives them in spite of emptiness? We assure they would not return empty handed if they find a plausible explanation behind the mystery.

LESSON AFTER: Next we pick up another lucky number; lucky number; lucky number; our members coughed up enough courage to make friends with our black friends. The best option was to get cosy with our leikai hero, Shri Oidabamayum Gandhi Singh, who now drives a white swanky car after doing all black things. The only black thing that he did not try doing was selling charcoal! Our members took several rounds of joint sessions with Gandhi, behind the Mapal Kangjeibung, not only because the place is high profile but it is a liberated zone secured by securities. It was not easy to act smart with him. After all he was already a smart fish. Why would members of the Leipung suddenly get interested in him? This very question was sitting on his tongue. He would not let it go by virtue of his blackmanship. Our members are after all Leipung members. They knew where the softest target was. There is a catwalker from the next Leikai who have won many beauty awards. Today’s space for musing would not be enough to describe her beauty. Allow us the service some other time. Well, coming back to the point, Gandhi falls for this beauty. He would shower her with the most expensive gift in the town. New years, Jeebanitas, Yaoshangs … come what occasion, he would never let go the chance without any gifts. The sad part is she would accept all the gifts but never give an answer to Gandhi’s proposal. Yes or No: only silence. And this is what makes Gandhi a dejected man in spite of his senthok (s). Anybody with his stature would have taken it lightly and start looking for some other queens. He has given all his heart to her. Among our members, one happened to be a distant cousin of the catwalker. Our member assured Gandhi that he would cupid around to make his dream come true. Of course, the brew from CSD canteen was the ice breaker. But then our members had his thamoi gi profile with them. The give and take mantra was followed. One may find us manipulative, scheming up to meet one’s interest. We don’t give a thi. It was a matter of retrieving Leipung’s endangered space. Gandhi showed us the way. The trick was to contact other black friends who have Thao Parmit from the Sarkar. They sell off the permit. That’s how fuels are sold at blood pressure prices. In the name of doing something different, in the name of saving our so called identity, we went out to sell fuel in black. We failed. It was too dark: darker than the meitaan. We got lost in the crowd of black marketers. We convinced ourselves that our uniqueness can never be dwindled. No matter how one may try. Unique like the solidarity between empty stomach and empty fuel tank, enjoyable like the gentleman Bheiya’s eatables, as engaging as the ammonia’s smell; we are back from hiding after two fortnights – unpretentiously.

FOOTNOTE: we heard that recently Taibi and his team were awarded the best improved state. How improved we felt after hearing the news? Leipung Ningthou calls it, “Shanti Das ta Puya ebagi manna pishanba”.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/wronged-battle/

By Chitra Ahanthem
The heading of this piece borrows from “Portraits in Sepia” a book by Isabel Allende, which uses the metaphor of photography as memory. The title of the book has been something that has always stayed on in my consciousness partly because the book was very captivating in its scope and narrative. Another reason that the book title has been used today (with a slight change though) is the fact that I love browsing through old photographs and imagining the stories behind the picture.

Growing up, it was very common to see large framed images of Gods and Goddesses in the house. It would take me years to realize that these were often calendar prints, which were framed. But till this realization came about, I often wondered as a child why images of the same God with the same name would look all different: was it because these God pictures were in different houses I often thought. A distinct memory is of a black and white photo print of a young Indira Gandhi giving a glass of juice to Mahatma Gandhi who was reclined on a bed as Jawaharlal Nehru looked on. Another accompanying picture to this one in most houses then was that of a laughing Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. Either or both of these two pictures graced most households during the early 80’s. Was it the sway of the Congress (I) party then? I have no precise answer to that.

The oldest photograph is our family is sepia tainted or rather, a fading black and white photograph of my great grand father. The photo shows him in a impeccable two piece suit and a long turban on his head. His right hand touches a wooden chair and his legs are firmly but subtly parted and he throws a confident look at the camera though his left eye looks slightly hidden by a portion of his turban. There is something regal and disciplined about his stance and even as a child I realized that this man would not have been just a family patriarch. And though he wasn’t around when I was born, this picture that remains of him tells me so much in his stance. In later years, I found that he was a Royal official in the court of Maharaj Churachand.

On my mother’s side, there are a few pictures of my maternal grand father: a giant of a man (who unfortunately did not pass on his height related genes to me) dressed in a huge overcoat and with a riffle in hand. He passed away when I was about 7 year old and if it were not for the few photographs, which are with me now; he would have only remained a grandfatherly memory. But the photographs prompted me to ask my mother about what her father was all about. What my mother told me was totally fascinating: my maternal grand father had been a ‘been there, done that’ person who started by running errands and then becoming a driver at a young age (when the British were still around) who later went on to have his own goods carriers (my mother gave me a very confusing vehicle name called “Bedfour” or some such). The irony was that there were no remains of the women in both sides of the family. On my father’s side, there is no photograph of my great-grand mother though there is one of my grand mother surrounded by 6 of her 9 children looking beautiful but a bit harried (9 children can do that very effectively I guess) but this picture was taken much later. Once I asked my maternal grand mother why there wasn’t any photograph taken of her early years and she told me matter of fact, “they said that when the light went off and the sparks flew, it would shorten your life!” (she was clearly talking of the earlier box cameras)

The later pictures belonging to my parents’ time (late 60’s and 70’s) speak of a better comfort level that one doesn’t see in the pictures of the generation before them. It was common then to take posed pictures in a studio with huge cut outs of the Taj Mahal or some such monument as backdrop. The men often sported fashionable mustaches and really huge spectacles while the women had really elaborate hairstyles and sported flowers. There was a visible effort to dress up and pose in their early years that slowly gave away to more normal captures like a picnic scene or a wedding or some family event. Slowly of course, the black and white photographs gave way to colour and taking photographs became easier and more common.

End-point:
Now, photographs have become the order of the day and within the reach of even young children, thanks to mobile handsets that come in with camera on one hand and digital cameras getting cheaper by the day. At one stage, a camera reel was all planned out and executed while the photograph subjects would have to wait for the results to be developed. Today, there is no such thing as a bad moment on camera (closed eyes, a not so good profile shot etc) as any, or all unwanted pictures can be deleted. A look at the picture(s) on display and pressing delete is all it takes with no extra cost. Some people even go to the extent of saying that social networking sites have led to excessive photography with everyone making a rush to upload photos of their self, their family, their pets and what not!

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/photographs-in-sepia/