Day: November 20, 2015

From 2010 to 2015, every year from November 21 to November 30. Five years down the line and the interesting question is how closely has the Manipur Sangai Festival been able to go with the brow antlered deer, the Sangai, after which it is named ? How much has this festival been able to ingrain the importance of preserving wildlife amongst the local population ? A significant question this is, for remember it was only a few years back that some eating joints at the festival venue were found selling and serving the meat of wildlife. Again how successful has the annual Sangai Festival been able to hardsell Manipur as a tourist destination to people from other parts of the country or even foreign countries ? From the annual tourist festival to the Sangai Festival, surely some progress must have been made and this can be gauged from the fact that the Ambassadors of Norway and China, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Councillor Ministers of Indonesia and Japan have confirmed their participation at the festival. Moreover there is also the possibility that the Golden Myanmar flight may transport tourists from abroad. Moreover it is also significant to note that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it a point to be present on the closing day of the festival last year. It however still remains to be seen how much the Sangai Festival will be able to hardsell Manipur to the outside world. An important question this is, for the fact stands that in the past a visit to the festival venue always meant meeting acquaintances, forget about witnessing tourists who come here to have a glimpse of the festival.

The State Government seems to be putting its best foot forward to have everything ready for the festival this year. Sanjenthong is today ready before the festival and despite the threat issued by an armed outfit, everyone must be hoping that there is no repeat of 2011 when a rickshaw driver was blown apart just near the festival venue. That the Government is also serious about regulating vehicular movements can be gauged from the traffic regulations issued by the Directorate of Transport as well as the Transport Sub-Committee of the Traffic Police. Positive steps no doubt, but it should also seep into the consciousness of the political leaders that in most cases, it is their movements which hamper the smooth flow of traffic. Makes absolutely no sense to expect everyone to give them the right of way whenever any of these leaders, who come under the VIP tag, decide to visit the festival venue. In a few days time from now, the Sangai Festival will start and it is also important for the public to come to the point that in as much as the Government has a responsibility to make the festival a success, the people too are responsible in their own way. The people of Manipur will have to don the role of hosts from November 21 to November 30 and perhaps this is the opportune moment for everyone to showcase Manipur in the best manner possible.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/11/showcasing-manipur-via-sangai-fest-from-november-21-to-30/

Annual Sangai Festival from November 21 to November 30. This is the constant. Another disturbing development is the growing trust deficit amongst the three major communities of Manipur-the Meiteis, the Nagas and the Kukis. This has also become a sort of a constant in the life of everyone here. The three Bills passed by the State Assembly on August 31 this year undoubtedly provided the spark for the inert ‘hostility’ amongst the different communities to come to the fore. A violent one at that and which has already claimed the lives of nine people in Churachandpur district. Checking the influx of outsiders or non-local people into the State of Manipur is undoubtedly the driving force behind the intense movement that was witnessed in the valley area of Manipur for months, even leading to the death of a young student in police action. On the other hand the cut off base year of 1951 to identify the indigenous people of Manipur is another reason for the huge uproar in Churachandpur district and the yet to be cremated/buried nine mortal remains is the proof of the intensity of the protest. Apart from this there is also the heated debate on whether the three Bills passed by the State Assembly were money Bills or not and why the Hill Areas Committee was by passed. Each side obviously seem to have their own side of the story to tell, but has anyone really thought about Manipur as a whole ? Looking at the reality, it should be obvious that no one has looked beyond the immediate interest of the community to which he or she belongs to. So there are Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis, Meitei Pangals and others here but no Manipuris.

Not the first time that The Sangai Express is commenting on this and this will not be the last either, if one goes by the ground reality. This is where the Meiteis, by being the major community need to seriously question themselves why the idea of a Manipuri has refused to cut into the consciousness of the Nagas and the Kukis ? For starters one may well ask how many students from the Naga and Kuki communities are actually members of the Manipuri students bodies in different parts of India ? Just to cite an example, how many Naga and Kuki students are members of the Manipur Students’ Association, Delhi ? The same question may also be raised with regard to student organisations in other cities, such as Chennai, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai etc. The reality is grim and ugly, if one may add. But has this reality really helped anyone ? None. This is where the people need to come together, shed pre-conceived notions and find common interests which would be beneficial to everyone. For this to happen, the reality has to be accepted first. There may be genuine reasons for any grievances but reading everything along the line of community divide is not the answer. The people do have a responsibility in making the place a better place for the youngsters to inherit once they come of age. How to build up trust may just be what the doctors would prescribe to deal with the ailment afflicting Manipur now.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/11/divide-becoming-sort-of-a-constant-growing-trust-deficit/

Researchers from Norfolk-based University of East Anglia (UEA) has recently rated the people of India as one of the least honest and kept the country in a category of the dishonest along with China, Japan and South Korea. The key finding of the research suggested that people’s honesty varies significantly between countries. However, Asian countries were not significantly more dishonest than others in the quiz, where Japan had the lowest level of dishonesty, said the research. What is even more interesting about the news is the way dishonesty has been measured using a novel methodology. The research conducted using a coin flip test among 1,500 participants from 15 countries found out that the four least honest countries were found to be China, Japan, South Korea and India.

The research however points out that the difference between Asian and other countries in the coin flip may be explained by cultural views specific to this type of test, such as
attitudes to gambling, rather than differences in honesty as such. The findings also suggest honesty is less important to a country’s current economic growth than during earlier periods in history. The research team examined whether people from different countries were more or less honest and how this related to a country’s economic development. For research made the participants take part in an online survey involving two incentivised experiments designed to measure honest behaviour. The participants were first asked to flip a coin and state whether it landed on “heads” or “tails”. They knew if they reported that it landed on heads, they would be rewarded with money. If the proportion reporting heads was more than 50 percent in a given country, this indicated that people were being dishonest.  The same participants were then asked to complete a quiz where they were again rewarded financially if they answered all questions correctly. Data from the tests was compared to estimate whether people from particular countries were more likely to tell the truth. The countries studied understudy were chosen to provide a mix of regions, levels of development and levels of social trust. Estimated dishonesty in the coin flip ranged from 3.4% in Britain to 70% in China. In the quiz, respondents in Japan were the most honest, followed by Britain while those in Turkey were the least truthful. It was found that people were more pessimistic about the honesty of people in their own country than of people in other countries. The research found out that the honesty of countries was related to the countries’ economic growth too.

While one can argue on whether or not the methodology adopted could truly explain or rather measure the level of dishonesty, the research at least points out significant qualitative connotation already made known by earlier studies. Hope, the research would be an eye opener for those who swear by transparency.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/11/measuring-dishonesty/

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh while addressing the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry” (FICCI) women wing in Guwahati had invited women entrepreneurs from across the country to invest in the region and take a lead in developing an industrial hub not only for India but also for the countries across the eastern borders. One is not sure under what compelling circumstances, Dr Jitendra had invited the women.

However, the “Swayam” initiative of FICCI women wing in Guwahati could be lauded from differing perspectives. Appreciating the initiative, the minister said “Swayam” has  already resulted in successful engagement of women from all sections, in big and small self-employed vocations and hoped its arrival in Guwahati will open a new chapter in the growth of Northeast and at the same time also open new vistas of opportunity, not only for women alone but for the entire population of the eight Northeastern States. On the occasion, he also stated that a number of new initiatives have been undertaken by the Government of India to promote business, industry and consequential job avenues in the region. He however cited the organic farming mission and the expansion of healthcare entrepreneurship in the region indirectly suggesting that leading women entrepreneurs could partake in developing such sectors in the Northeast.Moreover, Dr Jitendra Singh also referred to the “Act East” policy as an opportunity to do business with the countries across the eastern borders. He pointed out the imperative to generate original growth products proximal to the eastern borders within Northeast so that they get takers across the borders. While one is not sure of the exact nature of the roles that the women entrepreneurs from across the country would play in developing a region like the Northeast of India, the Government of India is well aware of the traditional roles played by the women of the region in all spheres of life, particularly trade and commerce. Though the women in the region have been traditionally endowed with the skills of handling domestic and immediate traditional economy, there is a need to conduct an impassionate assessment of what contributions they could possibly make in bringing about modern economic change in the region.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/11/ne-women-and-entrepreneurship/