Month: July 2014

By Pradip Phanjoubam

Is Manipur’s spring on the way? Is the state and its people coming out of dark days and beginning to open up to the outside world for a breath of fresh air? Is there any room for optimism that better days are ahead?

Macabre metaphors are tempting. With apologies to T.S. Eliot, in half jest, dark though it may be, it is difficult to resist asking, have all the bombs unknown miscreants plant routinely at peoples’ gates and market places begun to sprout? Rather than terror growing out of them, is there a promise of an outbreak of a riot of colourful blossoms? Have this flicker of optimism, if at all, left far behind the cynicism of the common denominator of “government contracts” to which politics, bureaucracy, insurgency and business have been reduced to in unparalleled absurdity? Is the inverse proportionality between bad public infrastructure and opulence of these contractor classes coming to earn public indifference and abhorrence rather than awe?

Signs are encouraging, although too early for celebrations. The old ways of the state which put itself and its people in the dark era is unlikely to end in a hurry, but the paradigms of people’s aspirations, goals in life, sense of self-actualisation can shift elsewhere. The corrupt would continue to wallow in their mammon worship, let that be. The new generation of the meek and industrious must find a road independent of the vulgar influences and standards set by the corrupt generation. In this brave new world, achievement must come to be defined by contributions each makes to the fund of creative energy of the society.

Often considered as the manifesto of the Christian religion, the “Beatitudes” of Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount”, have this to say on this matter: “Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth.” Teachings of all religions, most pronouncedly Buddhism, are indeed built around this beautiful idea. Ultimately, it is those who are honest with themselves and their works who will inherit the earth. When all draws to a close, as all must someday, it is work, not lucre, which will be the ultimate worship.

We do have some shining examples of men who have earned towering statures and reputations in society by the creativity and generosity of their work and not by the number of luxurious apartments they own everywhere. We also have numerous small entrepreneurs of artists, artisans, mechanics, and professionals in various services, creating employments, creating livelihoods. It is they, and the aggregate of their individual contributions, however small, which reflect the genuine strength of the places economy.

Of the signs which indicate potential for change and a new churning is the seeming growth of tourism in Manipur in the past two or three years, ever since the Protected Area Permit, PAP, (virtually a second visa) that foreign visitors were required to acquire to enter the state was removed. Foreigners are no longer a rare sight in the hotel lobbies and streets of Imphal. Understandably, there has also been a corresponding growth of quality hotels, and still more are in the pipeline. All this is happening despite those who continue to sow bombs and not paddy.

Two observations about tourism I took notes of from various interviews are interesting. The first pertains to foreign tourists and is made by a spokesman of Japan Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok, one of the few overseas chambers of commerce of the country as we were told, during a luncheon rendezvous in Bangkok for a group of Indian economic journalists organised by the Asian Development Bank. He said for Japanese investors, the flow of Japanese tourists to any place is a valuable litmus test. Wherever Japanese tourists begin travelling, it is more than likely Japanese businesses would also follow, he said.

The thought is interesting not because a Japanese said it, but for its rationale which would quite obviously be understood universally. The general impression of a place where ordinary people in large numbers like to vacation with their families would first and foremost be one of all round security. Such places would also be seen as friendly and welcoming. All of these qualities understandably would be very important to potential investors.

If tourism is an important herald for an investment climate, tourism itself is a revenue making, employment generating industry in its own right. It is in this regard that I want to consider the second observation common among hoteliers and resort owners in many popular tourist destinations in India such as Gangtok, Kullu, Manali etc. For small and medium hotel and resort owners, who incidentally make up the backbone of any tourist industry, domestic tourists are far more important than foreign ones.

In an economy witnessing an unprecedented growth of the middle class, India’s leisure seeking travelling population is huge and still expanding. Young honeymooners, huge noisy joint families often extending three generations, company staff on group excursions… the section of India’s population on the move is formidable, and as in China, its tourism industry can actually thrive even without foreign tourists.

It obviously is for this reason that today in tourist destinations like Darjeeling and Sikkim, many hotels and restaurants run by Tibetans and Newar Nepalis, communities known for their love of beef and pork, do not have these meat items on their menu anymore for fear they would shy away orthodox Indian tourists. I have had to be content with vegetable momos on popular stalls along the Darjeeling highway, once known for juicy steaming pork versions of them.

In other words, Manipur must prepare and encourage both varieties of tourists. Each have their own important places to fill in the growth of the tourism industry.

It is with these considerations in mind that we must look at the three months long state wide celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Imphal and Kohima which concluded last week. Thanks to the organizers, the celebrations were befitting, with respectably high level official representations from the Britain, Japan, Australia and the USA attending the functions.

Much has been said of the World War II experience of Manipur, and how although forgotten all this while, this battlefront was one of the most important turning points as well as bitterly fought of the entire war. As Field Marshal Sir William Slim wrote in his book “Defeat Into Victory”, and so many other war historians have endorsed, these crucial and brutal battles were the turning point of the Japanese Imperial Army’s fortune leading to its ultimate defeat in 1945.

Till then, in the Asian theatre, the Japanese were virtually invincible having bulldozed away Allied troops from the entire SE Asia, the last of which was from Burma. They were then not only stopped in Imphal and Kohima but also given a crushing defeat. A total of 45,000 Japanese and INA troops perished. The Allied forces which had almost complete air superiority, lost 17000 troops (figures vary but not radically). The scale of casualties itself is an indicator of the intensity of the battles. The sufferings all involved must have gone through, the Japanese in particular, but also the Allied troops, and not the least the local people on whose soils these foreign wars were fought, is anybody’s imagination.

Unfortunately, for a long time these skirmishes were virtually forgotten, for reasons that had probably to do with the geographical remoteness of these battlefields thereby, a reciprocal psychological remoteness to the empires waging these wars. But quite by coincidence, or providence, or better still ‘karma’ if you prefer, as the 70th anniversary of these battles approached a series of events somewhat broke the decades of silence. Foremost of these was a poll in Britain which voted these battles as the most crucial in Britain’s war history, ahead of even Stalingrad, Normandy and Waterloo.

The second is an awakening to the reality of the history of this war at home, the agent provocateur of which are certain enterprising men behind two campaigns to publicize the matter, first of which is Battle of Imphal and Kohima which runs a website and a WWII guided tour service. Following on its heels is Imphal Campaign WW2, which runs a commendable private museum, a website, and keeps a voluntary team of men to discover WWII battle sites and artefacts.

So much for the brief recap of the run-up to the 70th anniversary celebrations, but the important question now is, what next? While most of the participants in the concluding function engaged in recounting the roles their nations played and heroic sacrifices their soldiers made, one speaker, Dr. Hugo Slim, grandson of the Field Marshal Slim, the chief architect behind turning defeat into victory for the Allied troops here 70 years ago, may have provided a fine clue to the question.

The academic grandson of the army general suggested that the approach should be one of pilgrimage and reconciliation. It is a supreme irony that it was war that brought the world to meet in Manipur 70 years ago he noted, and it is again memories of that war which is bringing the world back to Manipur. The occasions for the two meetings are different yet connected, just as war and peace are different yet integrally related. If the earlier exposes the violence embedded in humanity, the latter demonstrates the same humanity is capable of remorse, therefore still sane. The Manipur chapter of this war experience must now be about promoting this sanity.

Dr. Slim suggested, or bought into the idea of converting the Slim Cottage in the Kangla, the house where his grandfather, Gen. Slim planned out his defeat into victory strategies, into a war museum. Not a museum dedicated any particular nation or army he was quick to add, but to all who won, all who lost, all brave soldiers who died, all victorious soldiers who lived to tell the tale, all non combatants and civil population who were caught in the crossfire, all shattered dreams, all trophies won, all the shames and sufferings of failure, all the joys and rewards of success.

In short, this suggestion is about shaping this museum be a monument to recall the human capacity for reconciliation, remorse and conflict resolution. What a wonderful idea for governments to pick up from and translate into a tangible policy. Indeed, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan, Y Kawamura, fully agreed and said he would be following up the proposal with his embassy in New Delhi and home government in Tokyo. Hopefully, the Manipur government would also do its own bit of homework and following up.

Last fortnight, three cities of the former Pyu Kingdom in Myanmar were declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites for the ancient temples located in them. It is worth a consideration why the government of Manipur should not take up initiatives to bring UNESCO to notice the importance of the Imphal-Kohima battle sites and given similarly recognition.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/turning-memories-of-war-into-yearnings-for-peace/

By M.C. Linthoingambee

There has been no dearth of news with regard to drug busts in Manipur or of various organizations coming forth to take the battle against drugs head on. Interestingly, the word ‘drug’ has been so abused on its own that only negative connotations are associated with it. Mention ‘drugs’ and the immediate reaction is to associate it with those that are abused even though it is a generic word for all medicines! Some drugs do come into the category of good or grades as general A average due to their inner chemical components that helps in treating various diseases and illnesses. While legal drugs are made available in the market for treatment, there are also those drugs that exists in a very parallel universe termed and marked illegal but as always are sold over the counter.

Drug Trafficking is a common offence in most places. The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) has published data in 2012 indicating that the highly active states involved in the majority of drug trafficking cases are led by Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and so on. There are two acts currently leading in the framing of the main drug policies in India which extends to the whole of India and all its Indian Citizens and to any ships or aircrafts registered in India. All major delegation of litigation fighting to such affect is dealt in the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 shorty acclaimed as NDPS Act where it states that it is illegal for a person to produce, manufacture, cultivate, possess, sell, purchase, transport, store, consume any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance. One of the main motive in this drug policy was also to establish the Narcotics Control Bureau that does every bit of work to control anything related to the above actions. There is also the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Today, there are also news of the Foods and Drugs Administration joining hands with the Narcotics wing to control the spread of further drug trafficking. Possession of drugs in itself is an offence under the NDPS ACT where it doesn’t matter it if was for a personal use or for any other purpose. The punishment depends upon the quantity of drugs he possesses. However, if he is charged with either possession of small quantities of drugs or with consumption of drugs and he voluntarily seeks to undergo medical treatment for de– addiction from a hospital or an institution maintained or recognized by the government or a local authority, he shall not be liable for prosecution. This immunity from prosecution may be withdrawn if he does not undergo the complete treatment for de–addiction.

All of us do not need to take part in making indifference choices. The society isn’t bold without its people. With more and more youngsters introduced to drugs at a young age we see more people consuming these illegal substance and intoxicants. When a person is heavily intoxicated, they loose the ability to think and this situation as one might say hasn’t very much put us in a very good place. The underage drunks, the college students who smokes because they think it’s cool when their other friends do it, those many who delve into intoxicants under peer pressure, maybe it wont be so wrong to ask them to stop but, “Who’s going to stop?”, “No one”. Until they try it for themselves, “No smoking in public places”, “Smoking is injurious to health”, etc the leading advertisements are just another ignorance. Its always a walk in the park until the side effects come alive where it is indeed true as they say – We reap what we sow.

While in Manipur, news come by every now and then of women folks like the Meira-Paibis, other voluntary organizations like AMADA, CADA, etc making initiatives of catching anyone in possession of any of these Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances with certain displays of burning and destroying them on TV. The involutary liability one gives for drug addiction is being uncontrollable when the supply or stock of the Narcotic or Psychotropic Substances run out. Drug use also crime rates as it induces those who abuse them to make errors in judgements and hence, take to theiving, robbery, assaults and even killings in the cloud of their ‘high’. Yet, this does not mean that drug abuse need only strict policing as it is a public health issue. The involvement of people who have been into drug abuse and who fought to stay clean and clear from them to communicate with people who continue to use drugs may be a good beginning.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/the-fight-against-drugs/

By Soibam Haripriya

Empathy could be, in this context, thought of as identification with the tormented. The word identification is surprisingly beautifully described in the dictionary as “the process by which one ascribes to oneself the qualities or characteristics of another person”. Another entry describes it as “the perception of another as an extension of oneself”. The latter word is potent enough to keep one thinking as to why is the word ‘solidarity’ is used when extending our ‘solidarity’ to another struggle. Identification is certainly a more difficult location to inhabit, to perceive another as an extension of oneself is certainly an investment that is deeply enmeshed with set identities that prevent this.

An extension of the earlier discussion of certain cases of violence sees mobilisation on starkly certain lines. The few months old discussion of racism which has certainly died down now too sees this trend – that many are in solidarity with the campaign and yet couldn’t draw lines of identification with it. Tragically it will be another spurt of violence that will revive the discussion on racism. Crime against women, to reiterate the previous discussion is not a solitary issue. It is enmeshed with identities or the lack of it, drawn across class, caste, ‘racial’ity, ethnic otherness, etc. An age old question that gets regularly asked of groups of women fighting against crime, inequality and gender subjugation is of the possibility of building a larger solidarity of women. It is certainly not necessary that women derive their primary identification with the fact of belonging to a certain sex and gender, just as it is impossible for men too. It is however, another idea that I want to pursue, that is of individual identification building up to a larger idea of commonalities of purpose.

Identification, “the perception of another as an extension of oneself” could lead to empathy. The various crimes against women gets entangled with values of ‘shame’, ‘honour’ of a community rather than becoming a deeply felt individual violation in itself too, which it is. Certainly, there is no denying that crimes against women are tools used against communities, ethnic and class and caste others. The intersectionality of the fact of being of a certain sex, gender and caste and class and many other identities do make one be at the receiving end. The same intersectionality also gives certain other people the belief that they can with impunity commit certain crimes. While one can draw commonalities and be in solidarity with a certain individual affected by crime of such nature which gets conflated as many other things, the highly individual nature of the outrage is to be recognised too.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/the-impossibility-of-empathy-part-ii/

By Dr Khushboo Shah Sawant

With the arriving monsoons it becomes very essential to be aware of the importance of water, along with the diseases that can be caused through water. Diseases caused due to consumption of contaminated water are known as water borne diseases. They are extremely prevalent especially during monsoons, where there may be chances of water logging, mixing of contaminated water with clean water, or simply contamination of open water bodies like lakes, ponds or rivers.

Consumption of water contaminated by human or animal excreta, waste matters which contain pathogenic microorganism’s causes water borne diseases. Flood water can carry along with it, while open sewage, human and animal faeces, chemical wastes, or any other form of dead or decaying matter can also give rise to diseases like diarrhea. Infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and protozoa are the most common and wide spread health risks associated with drinking water. In a country like ours, a major chunk of diseases are caused due to water borne microorganisms. Children specially are most susceptible to them, giving rise to water borne diseases being one of the leading causes of childhood deaths and more so with diarrhea.

Waterborne diseases are contagious and require high standards of hygiene and sanitation in order to prevent it. However, it is essential to know first how the infection takes place. The micro-organisms present in human or animal waste enter into a healthy human body and cause disease. The most common way by which the micro-organisms are spread is through drinking contaminated water. However apart from that, water borne diseases can be spread through various other means such as, through clothes, hands, food, materials used for cooking eating and drinking. There are also some micro-organisms that can enter the body through an open wound, eyes, and nose as well.

Water borne diseases are extremely harmful and lead to some severe illnesses and may sometimes be fatal. They reduce the body’s resistance and also rip off various vital nourishment, and make the body furthermore susceptible to diseases. Therefore it is important to be aware of a few common waterborne diseases:

Amoebiasis: It is a parasitic infection caused by ‘entamoeba histolytica’ due to ingestion of faecal matter of an infected person, usually from an infected water supply source. It causes severe diarrhea, stomach pain along with cramping.

Cholera: Caused due to the ‘vibrio cholera’ bacteria is an epidemic whose outbreak is caused by contaminated drinking water. The symptoms of cholera are severe watery stool, vomiting, and cramps in the legs. Dehydration occurs in the people affected and can even lead to death.

E Coli: is caused by a bacteria ‘Escherichia coli’ that festers in undercooked beef or other meat cooked in unhygienic conditions, unpasteurized milk etc. An E Coli infected person may have symptoms such as diarrhea which may even have blood in it along with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever.

Giardiasis: The causative organism is a parasite ‘Giardia lamblia’ and is present mostly in contaminated water. The symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain, excessive gas formation in the stomach, nausea and an overall upset feeling of the stomach.

Hepatitis A: commonly known as Jaundice, it is a viral infection caused due to food prepared in unhygienic conditions, contaminated water, shell-fish, raw salads and vegetables which have not been cleaned properly. The symptoms are dull low fever, fatigue, weakness, pain in stomach, nausea, aversion to food, dark yellow coloured urine, yellow discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes etc.

Typhoid: Caused by a bacteria ‘Salmonella Typhi’ happens mainly through consumption of contaminated milk or milk products, poultry, eggs, meat, meat products etc. Symptoms of typhoid include consistent fever, headache, constipation as well as diarrhea, vomiting loss of appetite, and an abdominal rash.

Viral Gastroenteritis: by far one of the most common water borne disease and caused by ‘calicivirus virus’. A viral gastroenteritis is caused typically after consumption of contaminated water or food prepared in contaminated water, eating raw fruits or vegetables which have not been washed etc. The symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting nausea, headache, body ache, cramps in the stomach, tiredness, fever etc.

The common symptoms that run through most of the water borne diseases are diarrhea and vomiting which happens to be the main reasons of children death. The main risk in diarrhea or vomiting is dehydration, which means the loss of vital fluid content of the body hindering its normal functioning. It is very important to watch out for the signs of dehydration, which are extreme or continuous thirst, reduced frequency of urination than normal, the colour of the urine becoming dark yellow, inability to sweat, fatigue, dryness of the mucous membranes around the lips, eyes etc, loss of moisture in the skin, light headedness etc. By the time these signs develop, the dehydration may be advanced and so it is very important to replenish the lost fluids and essential salts called as electrolytes.

All said and done, there is a simple solution for water borne diseases: prevention. Taking simple hygienic and sanitary preventive measures can help avoid the same. Drinking water that is boiled, cooled, stored in hygienic vessels which are washed and cleaned daily; washing our hands every time before and after a meal and after defaecation with a clean soap; eating food that is freshly cooked; cooking food at a high temperature so that all the pathogens are killed; avoiding eating stale food or food that has been stored for a long time; ensuring meat is well cooked; covering yet to be consumed food with a lid to avoid pest infestation; avoiding eating raw vegetables or fruits without washing them properly; avoiding eating or drinking food from roadside vendors; using proper toilets for defaecation; washing hands and feet each time after coming from outside; keeping nails clipped and clean; avoiding bathing or washing clothes in open stagnant water etc are some easy ways of prevention. However, if a person ex
periences any of the above mentioned symptoms even after taking all precautionary measures, he must visit the doctor immediately for further treatment.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/watch-your-water/