Tag: Articles-Opinions

By Amar Yumnam

J. Barkley Rosser of James Madison University writes of Nobel Laureate Economist Paul Krugman in a 2006 review of a book written by the latter thus: `If Paul Krugman is the emperor of the new economic geography, then he is an emperor without clothes.` Rosser reiterates the same in his 2011 book on Complex Evolutionary Dynamics in Urban-Regional and Ecologic-Economic Systems: From Catastrophe to Chaos and Beyond. This reminds me of the nearly two-years-long debate in the Journal of Economic Literature in the early-1970s between two giants of the subject, Milton Friedman and Paul Samuelson, in which each one was ridiculing the other as uneducated and needing to go back to college to learn Economics. I am referring to these two instances in order to emphasise the objective of any debate and the necessity of plain talks in the search for the truth. In debates, discussions, dialogues, seminars and workshops around the world, the people do not lose sight of the objective for which the function was being organised and the language is only a medium and not a primary concern. The Japanese and the Chinese (Indians do not enjoy Chinese examples and get boiled inside despite overt nods) are not good speakers unlike the Indians are, but they do speak the significant issues involved on the theme under discussion. But Indians are usually masters in flowery language with very little content if any. By and large at the global level, the power of plain talk would induce the opponents to further dig into the issues to find a better perspective while, in the case of India, it would generally lead to personalisation of perspectives.

There is nothing wrong in possessing the capacity to indulge in colourful language; it is indeed attractive. However, we have a problem here in India. In attempting to indulge in this capacity, the issues are often side-lined. In doing so, covert attempts are made to superimpose the innate designs on others. In this process, the truth is never explored while imposing self-perspective on others. In this, plain talk is frowned upon and truth becomes the casualty. In this huge country, attempts and endeavours are buried in this to maintain the status quo of dominance, racial politicking and policy statism of the predominant statists. In my last input in this column I had expressed the fear that culture and habituated principle of Indian bureaucracy may jeopardise the enthusiasm of the Union government on the problems plaguing the North East and search for relevant policy interventions. This fear is further reinforced by the commitment to language rather than content of the top policy statists in this country.

This reinforced suspicion is accentuated by a familiar comment of an otherwise highly experienced bureaucratic-diplomat of India who would comment `I object to the language` on any perspective of a participant in a discussion and which he finds unpalatable. This cannot be any basis for further debate as the comment is not on the content, but this does serve the purpose of diverting the attention from the search for truth and help in continuation of the predominant statist perspective. This approach is also one where the intellectual and the political leadership of the region should fight against in order that the moment of the region is converted into an actionable and performance period.

Here it would be rewarding and put the people in the region into perspective if we recall the main areas where the policy statists of India find very uncomfortable to hear; plain talk, especially from a North-Easterner, is generally dubbed as anti-national. Very interestingly, even today, diplomacy is seen as a mechanism to address the issues of the region rather than straight talks across. Now the main areas.

First, the Indian policy statists have only one perspective of nationalism, which is as seen and as interpreted by them only. There is no provision for a more inclusive understanding of it as warranted by the size and diversity of the country. The long culture of dominance and being-dominated has completely stunted the Indian psyche to appreciate the contextual reality.

Second, the perspective on China is different in the North East than the one the Indian policy-makers are long used to. Now emphasise this point of truth in a discussion where Indian policy statists are also present, one immediately becomes the target of suspicion and being labelled as anti-national; truth is not considered as serving the national purpose. The whole approach is as if the feeling and definition of patriotism has only one approach that is as defined by these people.

Third, talk of the Ras Lila and the wonderful rendering of the romance of Radhika and Krishna by the endogenous theatrical capability of the Manipuris, all the policy elitists of India would smile with their eyes reflecting the pleasure of having extended influence. As contrast to this, if a North-Easterner talks of the institutional, demographic and geographic continuities of the region with the South East and East Asia, the policy statists of India would halt their smile and their eyes would rather reflect resentment, hatred and suspicion `“ a moment to see the people of the region as ingrates.

Fourth, the ethos and other development milieu of the North East are absolutely different from the rest of India. If one mentions this in a discussion, any Indian policy statist would manifest as if something they are already fully familiar is being unnecessarily reiterated. But if one tries to extend this understanding to the domain of policy formulation, one immediately encounters the huge road-block of being perceived as endeavouring to move away from the dominant Indian paradigm. The imperative for rethinking and redesigning the Indian paradigm to make it wider and deepen is something never to be sought after. If such an articulation arises from a person from the North East, the Indian policy elitists would utter that it is the democracy in this country which facilitates such individuals to indulge in such dangerous arenas.

Well, these are only a glimpse of the surface manifestations of the Indian mind-set. The urge of the North East is that this mind-set itself requires re-designing. Patriotism is not something to be conceived, defined and practised in a monopolistic way. As in the case of the market conceived by the Economists as imperfect competition characterised by differentiation of products, patriotism and nationalism are products of monopolistic competition, not of monopoly, in a hugely diverse country like India. Variety is a spice of life; the variety in India should be construed and allowed to flourish to enhance the quality of life in this country. This alone can be the foundation for a sustainable India.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/03/i-object-to-the-language-in-india-language-is-more-important-than-content/

By Amar Yumnam

The North East has come to engage the Indian psyche for sure. This is a very positive fall-out of the Prime Minister`™s twin approach emphasising the need for enhancing the relationships with South-East and East Asia and the imperative for evolving a growth momentum for the region. This naturally has had both global and national implications. The neighbouring countries in South East and East Asia are already taking keen interest on the issues, potential and challenges facing the North East. Such an interest by a significant group of countries has naturally to have wider spill-overs. Now the European nations and the countries in North America have started taking more extensive interests in the region than ever before. The national implication is that the administration is hard-pressed to attend to the urgency.

Here it may be of use to note the hallmarks of Modi as distinct from the previous one in his position. Modi manifests commitment in whatever he feels imperative to engage. Further, he is also a man with no desire to wait if not compulsively warranted; he exhibits strong diligence to work for achievement in real time. The political leadership`™s commitment to cause development to the region has necessarily impacted on the functioning of the bureaucracy in India. Unlike earlier, the Indian bureaucracy now displays eagerness to know and evolve policies for the region. This is where the problem arises.

Before I would like to recall what John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge has written in their 2014 book titled `The Fourth Revolution: The Global Race To Reinvent The State`™. What they write about the Chinese approach in the introductory chapter itself is very telling: `BURIED IN A SHANGHAI SUBURB, close to the city`™s smoggy Inner Ring Road, the China Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong appears to have a military purpose. There is razor wire on the fences around the huge compound and guards at the gate. But drive into the campus from the curiously named Future Expectations Street and you enter Harvard, as redesigned by Dr. No. In the middle stands a huge bright red building in the shape of a desk, with an equally monumental scarlet inkwell beside it. Around this, spread across some forty-two hectares, are lakes and trees, libraries, tennis courts, a sports centre (with a gym, a swimming pool, and table-tennis tables), and a series of low brown dormitory buildings, all designed to look like open books. CELAP calls all this a `campus` but the organization is too disciplined, hierarchical, and business-like to be a university. The locals are closer to the mark when they call it a `cadre training school`: This is an organization bent on world domination`¦The students at the leadership academy are China`™s future rulers. The egalitarian-looking sleeping quarters mask a strict pecking order, with suites for the more senior visitors from Beijing. And as with other attempts at global supremacy, there is an element of revenge. Thirteen hundred years ago, CELAP`™s staff remind you, China set up an imperial exam system to find the best young people to become civil servants. For centuries these `mandarins` ran the world`™s most advanced government, but in the nineteenth century the British and the French (and eventually the Americans) stole their system`”and improved it. Since then better government has been one of the West`™s great advantages. Now the Chinese want that advantage back`¦When the leadership academy was established in 2005, President Hu Jintao spelled out its purpose: `To build China into a modern and prosperous society in an all-round way and to develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is urgent for us to launch large-scale training programs to significantly improve the quality of our leaders.` Rather than focus on indoctrination like the party schools, CELAP and its two smaller sisters in Jinggangshan (CELAJ) and Yan`™an (CELAY) have been designed to be practical places. The talk is of leveraging your skills, strengthening your global mind-set, and improving your presentation abilities. It is all meant to complement what goes on in the party schools. But the fact that CELAP is based in Shanghai while the central party school is in Beijing adds a competitive frisson. When one trainee in Pudong explains that the party school focuses on `why,` while CELAP looks at `how,` there is no mistaking which question he thinks is more important to China`™s future. If CELAP had a motto, it might be Alexander Pope`™s couplet, `For forms of government let fools contest/What`™er is best administer`™d is best.` Driven by the desire to `best administer,` about ten thousand people a year attend courses at the school, nine hundred for the first time. Some arrive ex officio: If you are a bureaucrat who has just been put in charge of a state-owned company, a governor who has been given a province to run, or an ambassador en route to a new posting, you are sent to Pudong for a refresher course. (As a thank-you, the ambassadors are supposed to send the library a book to symbolize their new posting. The man who sent The Rough Guide to Nepal has some explaining to do.) More generally, a course at the leadership academy has become a prize to be pocketed by any ambitious bureaucrat. Every Chinese civil servant is expected to have clocked three months of training every five years, or about 133 hours a year. Courses at CELAP are oversubscribed by a factor of three, with most of the candidates drawn from the ranks of deputy director generals, the fourth-highest rung in the Chinese system`¦The two most common questions, says one teacher, are `What works best?` and `Can it be applied here?` A typical course is divided into three parts, with lectures soon giving way first to fieldwork, with the mandarins sent out to study something that could be useful, and then to discussion about how to apply it. The subjects vary from the relatively small, such as the most convenient way to demolish houses for infrastructure projects, to the monumental, such as designing the most equitable pension system. The appetite for ideas is rapacious: ideas from local businesses (there are two hundred field-study centers in the Yangtze River delta, including a mini CELAP campus in Kunshan city); ideas from various national universities; ideas from Western management thinkers.` We should also recall here that the inimitable Milton Friedman was the person who gave training to the selectively best Chinese bureaucrats on the market economy before the country went for market-oriented policies. Now compared to this, the Indian bureaucracy is a very status quoist organisation; being so they are necessarily very arrogant too.

This status quo oriented personnel are now trying to reorient themselves in the policy making for the North East, perhaps in a more compelled way consequent upon the wishes of the Prime Minister rather than spontaneous volition. This is very evident from the emerging characteristics of the bureaucrats, both serving and retired, of the way they labour hard to make themselves relevant and authoritative on the North East. The status quoist mind-set is complemented by three other features very strongly. First, the level of knowledge and understanding of these personnel as regards issues and realities of the North East are a suspect. But they would not hesitate in revealing their capacity to think about interventions and policies for the region. This is despite the fact that their knowledge and understanding of the region do not go beyond the status quoist knowledge and understanding of the larger Indian scenario sans the North East. Second, these personnel do not read and ipso facto do not know the latest global thinking on issues relevant for absorbing lessons and implications for the region. Third, it is a reality that geography, institutions and demography of the North East are a continuum with the South East and East Asia while they are discontinuity with the rest of India. This implies that the understanding of border has to be contextualised instead of the usual way of meaning boundaries. This also implies that the suspicion usually associated while viewing neighbouring foreign countries is not applicable to the people of the region. Indian bureaucracy as of today is possessed by an incapability to instil these qualities. But they have the capability to sabotage anything about the North East. Unfortunately there are signs of this happening.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/03/north-east-threat-of-being-sabotaged-by-the-indian-bureaucracy/

By Amar Yumnam

The Modi-led Union Government has just presented the first full-fledged Budget today. The confidence with which the Finance Minister presented the Budget was already visible in the Economic Survey of the outgoing financial-year presented only a day earlier. The Economic Survey writes: `A political mandate for reform and a benign external environment have created a historic moment of opportunity to propel India onto a double-digit growth trajectory. Decisive shifts in policies controlled by the Centre combined with a persistent, encompassing, and creative incrementalism in other areas could cumulate to Big Bang reforms. `¦`¦ India has reached a sweet spot`”rare in the history of nations`”in which it could finally be launched on a double-digit medium-term growth trajectory. This trajectory would allow the country to attain the fundamental objectives of `wiping every tear from every eye` of the still poor and vulnerable, while affording the opportunities for increasingly young, middle-class, and aspirational India to realize its limitless potential. The macro-economy has been rendered more stable, reforms have been launched, the deceleration in growth has ended and the economy appears now to be recovering, the external environment is benign, and challenges in other major economies have made India the near-cynosure of eager investors. Daunting challenges endure, which this Survey will not ignore, but the strong political mandate for economic change has imbued optimism that they can be overcome. India, in short, seems poised for propulsion.` It was with this prelude that the budget was presented today laying out `the roadmap for accelerating growth, enhancing investment and passing on the benefit of the growth process to the common man, woman, youth and child: those, whose quality of life needs to be improved.` The budget also talks bold: `In respect of social and economic indicators, for seven decades now, we have worked in terms of percentages, and numbers of beneficiaries covered. It is quite obvious that incremental change is not going to take us anywhere. We have to think in terms of a quantum jump.` Besides the strong components for taking care of the black-money issue, the other avowed objectives of the Budget are: `(i) A roof for each family in India. The call given for `Housing for all`™ by 2022 would require Team India to complete 2 crore houses in urban areas and 4 crore houses in rural areas. (ii) Each house in the country should have basic facilities of 24-hour power supply, clean drinking water, a toilet, and be connected to a road. (iii) At least one member from each family should have access to the means for livelihood and, employment or economic opportunity, to improve his or her lot. (iv) Substantial reduction of poverty. All our schemes should focus on and centre around the poor. Each of us has to commit ourselves to this task of eliminating absolute poverty. (v) Electrification, by 2020, of the remaining 20,000 villages in the country, including by off-grid solar power generation. (vi) Connecting each of the 1,78,000 unconnected habitations by all weather roads. This will require completing 1,00,000 km of roads currently under construction plus sanctioning and building another 1,00,000 km of road. (vii) Good health is a necessity for both quality of life, and a person`™s productivity and ability to support his or her family. Providing medical services in each village and city is absolutely essential. (viii) Educating and skilling our youth to enable them to get employment is the altar before which we must all bow. To ensure that there is a senior secondary school within 5 km reach of each child, we need to upgrade over 80,000 secondary schools and add or upgrade 75,000 junior/middle, to the senior secondary level. We also have to ensure that education improves in terms of quality and learning outcomes. (ix) Increase in agricultural productivity and realization of reasonable prices for agricultural production is essential for the welfare of rural areas. We should commit to increasing the irrigated area, improving the efficiency of existing irrigation systems, promoting agro-based industry for value addition and increasing farm incomes, and reasonable prices for farm produce. (x) In terms of communication, the rural and urban divide should no longer be acceptable to us. We have to ensure connectivity to all the villages without it. (xi) Two-thirds of our population is below 35. To ensure that our young get proper jobs, we have to aim to make India the manufacturing hub of the world. The Skill India and the Make in India programmes are aimed at doing this. (xii) We also have to encourage and grow the spirit of entrepreneurship in India and support new start-ups. Thus can our youth turn from being job-seekers, to job-creators.`

From all these stated objectives, and the orientation of the policy foci included in the Budget, three things are clear. First, the Union Government is really determined to endeavour to move towards elimination of the black-money related problems and loopholes in the country. Second, the Budget has a strong support mechanism for enhancing investment by entrepreneurs, from small to the big. This is to give a framework to create a job-based support mechanism for enhancing the quality of life. Third, the macroeconomic administration in the country is being led towards a responsible and responsive governance system as is evident of the entry into an agreement framework between the government and the Reserve Bank of India.

Certain new characteristics of the Budgetary process this time are interesting. First, unlike earlier, the Economic Survey gave a clear indication of what the Budget likely to be, and even mentioned the term in the report. Second, the Budget Speech also contains a page of contents. But, despite all the commitment for a deepening the digital content of the Indian economy, the Budget documents available in the official website of the Ministry of Finance are absolutely marked by absence of required quality and presence of mistakes; even the packages used by the Ministry for the documents are dated.
Well, these things aside, we must say that the Budget is very clearly focused and achievement oriented for the economy of India sans the North East. The policy approaches contained in the Budget would go a long way in instilling character and direction to this economy.
But the question with which we are also concerned relates to the scope and potential of the North East. The Budget indicates as if the Government has already agreed to the recommendation of the Fourteenth Finance Commission for abolition of the category of Special Category States. Well, assuming that we have no qualms against this decision, the question arises as to what has been put in place to take care of the differential developmental challenges of the North East. The region is taken back to the beginning of the Fourth Five Year Plan when the recommendations of the Pande Committee and Wanchoo Committee Reports were altered at the advantage of the `major` States by a decision of the then National Development Council. Despite the long efforts under the so-called Special Category States, no effort has ever been taken to contextualise the development interventions to the geographic and the institutional realities of the region. Under the new budget, there is not even an attempt to appreciate the development issues of the region in a way different from those in the rest of India and the imperative to go for contextualised interventions to genuinely take the region forward. The new Budget has put in plain and clear terms, unlike any time in the past, that the development challenges in the region would be taken care of by the generalised approaches applied throughout the country. This amounts to worsening of the development approach towards the region. Further, it also commits the biggest mistake of not realising the inequality of opportunity characterising the region vis-à-vis the rest of India. The region has lost out in terms of approaches and contextualised interventions despite the verbal commitments to the `mainstreaming` of the region; treating equally the unequal can never be a mainstreaming exercise.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/02/union-budget-201516-bang-for-india-regression-for-the-north-east/

By Amar Yumnam

Recently I had an opportunity to take a long distance travel by train within the country. I have been to Sambalpur University and as there is no airport in Sambalpur, I necessarily had to travel by train. I readily agreed to take this ten hours train journey for certain reasons besides the professional one. First, I have never been to this part of the country. I wanted to remedy this weakness in me by enriching myself with wider knowledge of the scenario around the country. Second, I wanted to experience the changes if any in the Indian railways as compared to what was there in the 1980s.

I felt many things during this trip and learnt many things too. Taking a more or less long distance train travel naturally made absolutely nostalgic about the many journeys I had taken from Howrah to Bombay and back during the early 1980s as a student with the nostalgia particularly enhanced whenever passing over bridges and long open spaces. Further the visit to Odisha reminded me again of visit to Madhya Pradesh during student days in Bombay. But more significant than this nostalgia, there are two experiences associated with the quality of train services and behaviour of people travelling by the train.

As regards the quality of services, I can say for sure that timing is more significantly respected now than earlier. This is definitely good. But, very unfortunately at that, one Indian negative feature gets reiterated still. I am talking about dirtiness. All the guys attending to pantry services wear stinking and stained clothes. Given the global awareness now with diseases and cleanliness, this is one feature that would certainly put-off any traveller. Further, all such services are spick and span in the developed and comparative countries around the world. The Modi assertion for cleanliness should be reflected in this sooner than later.

But the most significant experience relate to the behaviour of the travellers. One critical feature during my travels between Howrah and Bombay during the 1980s was that during the journey from Howrah to Bombay, the travellers would be behaving and responsive. But the opposite was the case otherwise during travels from Bombay to Howrah. This was always coupled by the ready indulgence by the Calcutta taxi-wallahs to indulge in cheating and befooling the travellers. What pains me most is that the scenario I had experienced during the 1980s still remain unchanged. During the journey from Howrah to Sambalpur, the travellers were behaving very wonderfully. Coupled with the improvement in respecting time by the Indian railways, this was a very morale enhancing experience.

But the return journey from Sambalpur to Kolkata made me recall the Howrah-Bombay experiences of the 1980s. Like the travellers did during the journey from Bombay to Calcutta in the 1980s, the passengers behaved exactly like they were in the 1980s. They were as unmindful of the fellow travellers as ever before, as self-centric as they were before, as ready to readily disturb the prevailing atmosphere for personal convenience and what not. As in the 1980s, the individuals do not feel any sense of remorse when their ill-intended attempts do not yield results and others retort very badly. It is this continuance of behaviour that has prompted me to correlate with the development scenario in this part of the country. We know that industrialisation in India was started in this part. We also know that there are no traits of this initiation and early comparative advantage today. The contemporary literature on economics of culture has something to tell us in this regard.

Development requires a kind of culture which is inclusive and cooperative in nature. This creates a kind of cumulative and cooperative learning in both skill and performance. It is something very different from the organisation of movements for personalised gains like strikes and bandhs in factories. Further, with the world increasingly globalised, every region should learn to be inclusive, cooperative and responsive in dealing with others. These are exactly what are missing in the land and people in this region for industrialisation and for sustained development.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/02/decline-and-nonrecovery-of-industrialisation-in-eastern-india/

By Amar Yumnam

One important development of Economics since the 1990s is the discovery that `History matters`. But I must hasten to add that this is not history for the sake of cultural arrogance and remembering the dates of rule of a king or otherwise howsoever important the dates are. Economists now attach importance to the yesterday, day before yesterday and the days even earlier as determinants of the character and direction of events today. This new understanding and approach for appreciating the dynamics of a society is now being emphasised irrespective of space. The trajectory of any development process in any geographical context is accounted for to a large extent by what events that space had experienced in the past. Similarly the development dynamics of any society at any point of time is explained by what social norms and habits the members of the society have acquired individually, collectively and in interactional dynamics over decades. Thus history matters both for geography and society. This arises because of several reasons. `First, cognitive selections developed over time can be seen as shaping a collective memory, being one part of reducing choices for actors due to historical reasons. Second, firm-specific investments might also be a part of such path dependence, sensitive to earlier historical events. The third reason relates to strong interrelatedness in complex organizations, which also would include technological interrelatedness`.

Now it becomes necessary and important for us as to what has been the most path-dependent characteristics of Manipur during the last few decades. The significance of this endeavour arises because of the dogged refusal of the society of Manipur to evolve towards a direction indicating greater sincerity, higher social justice, and widening and deepening trust among the population. While the social changes or rather qualitative deterioration has been our worries, what has been happening in my own locality is almost like products of experimental research.

The collective behaviour in my home locality has been strongly dominated by the violent, repressive, imposing and absolutely rent-seeking approaches of a group supposedly looking after the property and interests of the sylvan deity of the locality. Now the dynamics of the composition of this group is very revealing. It has been dominantly composed of members from a clan which has been successful as participants in the highly corrupt governance process during the last four decades or so. This successful participation in the corruption process of the administration of the land has definitely established certain kind of aura for the families of this clan; one best example of their success relates to the public distribution channels of Manipur. Since wealth has been accumulated more by faulty means than through globally appreciated and socially acceptable means, the actors simply did not possess deep qualities of commitment to social transformation. Instead they have rather been characterised by pseudo drive for indulgence in supposedly common interest while the inner ethos was one of assuming the collective for granted. From among the collective too, there were people who could be easily sucked into the mechanism as the scope for economic and social advancement has been very limited. This latter group could be easily mobilised by offering regular country-liquor with the ill-gotten wealth and mis-using the property of the local deity in the name of common interest, and help in projecting a positive image of the social-thieves.
It is here the relevance of the character of governance in Manipur over the decades arises. How could such a group emerge with impunity and sustain itself? This takes us to the `mithibong mitambal` who politically represented our locality during the 1990s coupled by the head of district police during that period. The mithibong mitambal found it very convenient to collude with these lumpen elements and had no qualms in indulging in any nonsense as desired by these elements for purely personal gains and social looting. The head of the district police during the period was someone who some people describe as the most-decorated officer. This person was marked by his ready indulgence in violence, flamboyance with absolute disrespect for the rule of law and thought he could get anybody along his lines of liking irrespective of reasonableness or otherwise. Now both the mithibong mitambal and the police officer are no longer in limelight, and with them the wealthy lumpen elements have found themselves in a position of inability to sustain their modus operandi.

Now what is the worry when these elements have their aura compromised? It is the path-dependent nature as reflected in the behaviour of the contemporary youths in the locality. As growing teenagers they have learnt that one could still prosper and accumulate wealth at personal levels by adopting a pseudo interest in common welfare. Indulgence in spreading lies and revealed preference for violent approaches are absolutely salient among them. This is what sucks our society. This is the challenge for the society, which demands responsiveness from governance. I only hope that this character in my local society is not a generalised feature of Manipur. Or am I wrong in wishing for this?

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/02/path-dependence-so-far-and-need-for-path-breaking-manipurs-tragedy-and-the-remedy/

By RK Lakhi Kant

Chair at a furniture shop
makes me imagine what if
I have one of my own.
Easy chairs, would you allow
me to be comfortably seated;
a nervous start begins your
rocking movement, every time
someone sits on you.
Why aren`t you accommodating
like other seats which don`t
move unnecessarily.
I do not know your mind;
I feel you are benevolent,
somehow making me sure
you can keep me seeking
the slow pace of mind I desire.
Do you recognize that
I will grow older and
my breath mild and
sitting on you would be
a risk to take.
Soon as I near you these
considerations call for caution.
The insecurity gives me
reason to keep moving
elsewhere in my house
without any anxiety.
Lively alternatives in
otherwise drab households.
Like an artist at rest
with the world moving around;
symbolized by new thoughts,
a current, living realities;
igniting a deliberation.
You wait patiently for
someone to sit on you
to enjoy the presence
of thinking minds.
I too would like the
company you get
in this way – warm intellect.
Creativity thrives in
your repose.
There`s some magic in you
which makes me
feel comfortable even
in discomfort.
While on you I
can`t listen to music
and tap my feet in rhythm;
which is unlike other chairs.
In this way you dissuade
me from worldly entertainment.
Transport me in your motion.
In your rocking
you never move any
distance yourself, but
persuade me to discover
and experience the
limits of eclectic composition
and poise.
I do need a well wisher like you;
my friend in life.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/02/the-rocking-chair/

By RK Lakhi Kant

Chair at a furniture shop
makes me imagine what if
I have one of my own.
Easy chairs, would you allow
me to be comfortably seated;
a nervous start begins your
rocking movement, every time
someone sits on you.
Why aren`t you accommodating
like other seats which don`t
move unnecessarily.
I do not know your mind;
I feel you are benevolent,
somehow making me sure
you can keep me seeking
the slow pace of mind I desire.
Do you recognize that
I will grow older and
my breath mild and
sitting on you would be
a risk to take.
Soon as I near you these
considerations call for caution.
The insecurity gives me
reason to keep moving
elsewhere in my house
without any anxiety.
Lively alternatives in
otherwise drab households.
Like an artist at rest
with the world moving around;
symbolized by new thoughts,
a current, living realities;
igniting a deliberation.
You wait patiently for
someone to sit on you
to enjoy the presence
of thinking minds.
I too would like the
company you get
in this way – warm intellect.
Creativity thrives in
your repose.
There`s some magic in you
which makes me
feel comfortable even
in discomfort.
While on you I
can`t listen to music
and tap my feet in rhythm;
which is unlike other chairs.
In this way you dissuade
me from worldly entertainment.
Transport me in your motion.
In your rocking
you never move any
distance yourself, but
persuade me to discover
and experience the
limits of eclectic composition
and poise.
I do need a well wisher like you;
my friend in life.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/02/the-rocking-chair/

By Pradip Phanjoubam

(The following is a report the author wrote six years ago after a conducted tour of Tripura for senior journalists of Manipur and Assam, organised by the Army. The report is being reproduced as a retrospective glance back to see much has developed or not so in the time which have elapsed)

Insurgency in Tripura is veritably on its last leg. At least that is what it appears to be at this moment. A lot many of the underground cadres, belonging to all of the organisations operating in the state, most prominently National Liberation Front of Tripura, NLFT, All Tripura Tiger Force, ATTF, and Borok National Council of Tripura, BNCT, are surrendering in an ever increasing frequency and number.

It also became evident even during very brief interaction sessions with several of these surrendered militants at various Army camps in the length and breath of the state, in a day`™s tour facilitated by the Indian Army which arranged for the service of an Army helicopter for senior journalists and editors from Manipur, Nagaland and South Assam, that the militant morale across the board is in very low ebb.

The words of one of the surrendered NLFT, Sanjay Jamatia, 29, at the Assam Rifles headquarters at Kanchipura in North Tripura elaborated this state of mind in explaining why he surrendered: `There was no food to eat, no clothes to wear. No hope that we would ever succeed.`

At this camp, in the past few days there had been four surrenders and they joined another 100 or so who had come out of the jungles ahead of them. The weapons the four surrendered also were pretty eloquent about the condition that Jamatia described in his brief sketch of the rebellion. There was a rundown Self Loading Rifle, SLR, which anybody would doubt is still in working condition, two single round country made pistols, a dozen or two assorted ammunitions, a half dozen or so jungle knives, linen backpacks, and other improvised jungle survival paraphernalia.

If Napoleon`™s famous statement that an army marches on its stomach holds good for insurgents as well, then it must be concluded that this rag tag rebel army has lost its stomach `“ both literally, as the source of their revenue seems to have been effectively cut off by effective counter insurgency measures, and metaphorically because the cadres do not any more seem to have the fire of rebellion left in their bellies.

Jamatia said they did occasionally get to see their leaders while they were in the jungles, but for most of the time they were on their own, with their leaders away in the relative safety and comforts of towns and cities in Bangladesh.

However, tried as some of the journalist did, even to the extent of feeding words into their mouths, they showed little evidence they were bitter with their former leaders or colleagues. The overwhelming sense was that it was utter hopelessness that led them to decide to surrender.

This may also explain why they seem to have little interest in being absorbed into the counter insurgency whirlwind. They were also little afraid of reprisal by their former colleagues. All they wanted was to live a normal life again, and a means to livelihood. `The insurgency exists only in the jungles, and we will be safe in the cities and towns,` they said.

Officers of the Army that the pressmen interacted with, agreed on this point.

One other thing was also written large on the faces of the surrendered cadres, most of them still in their worn-out camouflage uniforms `“ the indelible scars of a past hopelessly and awfully gone wrong and the uncertainty of a new future ahead.

On being queried, Jamatia said in broken Hindi he joined the rebellion to fight for freedom but did not answer whether he still believed in that freedom. Obviously, like the rest, he became disillusioned running after the intangible and now wants only a tangible respectable life.

At Teliamura camp, Jarma Charan, a former lieutenant with the NLFT, told the media team that he most prefers to be absorbed into the security forces to become a respectable soldier. If not, he would like to be running a farm.

This sentiment was echoed by the rest of the surrendered militants. `We wish the government would give us the skills and resettle us in community farms where we can work and earn respectable livelihoods together through our sweat and toil,` is the common refrain.

Whatever may be the hiccups, there is no denying that counter insurgency measures in Tripura is a success. The proof of this pudding is already evident and it does seem inevitable at this moment that insurgency in the state would be on an incremental basis marginalised in the years ahead.

The question that follows is, can this example be emulated in other insurgency torn states? In attempting the answer, the factors behind the Tripura success will be have to be analysed more closely.

At every Army and Assam Rifles headquarters the journalists were taken, the near consensual voice amongst authoritative officers is that the Army could not have done what it has done all by itself, and that it was the all out cooperation from the Tripura government that smoothed out so many of the stubborn creases faced by such projects in other states.

Commandant of 15th Assam Rifles Col. A.K. Chatterjee, citing example of this cooperation said the first and foremost show of seriousness of intent by the Tripura government in this new counter insurgency thrust is the generous rehabilitation package it has announced.

Every surrendered militant, while he undergoes vocational training as per his inclination and aptitude under the Army, gets Rs. 3000 a month, which will be credited into a recurring fix deposit account in his name. The interest from this amount would meet his maintenance cost while still in training with the Army. When he is through and is ready to enter his new vocation, the matured fixed deposit would give him Rs. 1.5 lakhs to start off on his new journey.

`Many of these boys would be allowed to participate in recruitment rallies of the Army, police and other security establishments, so that if they qualify, they would get into these jobs,` Col. Chatterjee said.

Col. Chatterjee also was confident many of them would actually make it. `They are already close to the groove, having had very similar trainings in their past callings. Since most of them are tribals, their qualification mark would also be just Class-8 pass, which most of them are. The most formidable stumbling blocks for many of them would be age, as they would become automatically disqualified after 27,` he said.

The government also does not unnecessarily interfere with the Army`™s functioning, he said. `There is a unified command to coordinate counter insurgency operations between the Army and other civil security organisations, and nobody is designated as the overall commander so as to avoid unnecessary protocol and ego frictions. Still, each organisation functions as a separate unit but in coordination and cooperation with each other.` Col. Chatterjee said.

The approach has been yielding results and has shown immense promise. The Army applies the `stick`, keeping the rebels on the run and constantly under pressure. `The rebel morale was deflated considerably after the Army in recent operations `neutralised`™ (a euphemism for elimination) many important functionaries of the rebel forces,` Col Chatterjee added.

The government couples this up with the `carrot` in the shape of a handsome and `sincere` rehabilitation package.

The Army itself has also been doling its own bit of `carrot` job. In projects that it calls WHAM (winning hearts and minds), it has also been reaching out to various villages, building playgrounds, village approach roads etc.

Over and above this, there is all out support from the local population in the endeavour, Army spokesmen said.

This could be because the ideology behind tribal militancy in the state runs counter to the interest of the overwhelming majority Bengali population.

Whatever the background of demography upsets and consequent alteration of power structures in the state, the fact is, militancy in Tripura today has become a marginal affair, restricted to the jungles and remote regions of the state`™s peripheries, so much so that the cities and towns are almost oblivious of the unrest, except occasionally through newspaper reportage of stray incidents of violence.

We did not have much time during the one-day trip to interact with independent observers, but some of us did manage to get some inputs, basically from journalist friends based in the state.

According to them, the clean, relatively corruption free image of Tripura`™s political leadership has helped considerably. Whatever else may be its reputation, the communists which have been in power in the state for decades together now, are known for neutrality on the ethnic question too.

Many of the state`™s chief ministers, notably Nripen Chakrovarty, actually by choice lived Spartan lives and retired and died as ordinary, less than rich, middle class citizens.

With a relatively corruption free political establishment, the bureaucracy too has remained relatively free of the same scourge.

What you have then is a functioning government, with visible signs of good governance everywhere for all to appreciate. Hence, roads and highways are well made and maintained. City garbage are cleared, power supply is good, and even during the lean seasons, residents of Agartala city suffer only two hours load shedding a day, drinking water is adequate etc. Not the least, the law and order situation is under control, extending working hours for private businesses well into non daylight hours, long after most other north eastern cities are shut and fast asleep.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/02/tripura-insurrection-marginalised-beyond-recovery/

By Amar Yumnam

A New Year has just begun, one more Statehood Day has just been celebrated and the new year`™s Republic Day has just arrived. But what is new in so far as the fortune of the people in Manipur are concerned? One may ask as to why we should be concerned at all with the issue of dynamics of fortune of the people as collective of individuals. One may also ask as to what constitutes fortune. Here I must hasten to mention that I am not talking of a reward falling from the sky, a win in a lottery or anything out of the blue.

When I talk of fortune of the people, I am talking of the scope an individual enjoys in the society to move upward in well-being without indulgence in cheating, robbery or any other socially undesirable act. In this context, the opportunities available in the society become critical. These should be there for the individuals to indulge in and thrive. These opportunities may either be existing or otherwise there should facilitating milieu for their creation. Further these opportunities should possess a generalised quality in the sense that any serious, sincere and capable individual should be able to jump on those and alter the level of living. Here there is an important role to be played by the government depending upon the stage of development of the society. However it is important that the issue of relevance should be kept in mind. A quote from Andrew P. Napolitano`™ book titled It Is Dangerous To be Right When The government Is Wrong would be right: `After a trip to the American Midwest in 1959, Nikita Khrushchev, then the ruler of the Soviet Union, became convinced that corn could solve many of the USSR`™s economic woes. Russia had long struggled with miserably inadequate food supplies, the result of years of inept Communist agricultural policies. Having witnessed the wild success of corn production in America, Khrushchev reasoned that the grain could be equally successful in Russia, and thus support increased meat and dairy production necessary to feed the population. He therefore commanded that vast swaths of land, including the frigid tundra of Siberia, be converted to corn crops. As it turned out, corn was entirely unsuitable to the Russian climate, and the plan was a complete disaster`¦.The reason, of course, that the policy failed was Khrushchev`™s ignorance of the immutable fact`”the self-evident truth`”that corn can only be grown under certain conditions, and Russia`™s climate did not provide them. The cost of this misjudgement was wasted resources and prolonged hunger. It is obvious that politicians must enact laws which are in accord with such `truths.` If they do not, then the inevitable consequence is human suffering. There are some things which humans and their constructed governments simply cannot change; that is to say, those things transcend our human capacities and cannot be the object of our will. Individuals and governments are thus always secondary and subject to these truths.` In a developed society the need for the government to be pro-active to opportunity creation is less as the economy had already attained a momentum of its own.

But it is altogether a different story in the case of Manipur. The primary importance of the government is still there in the case of Manipur as the economy has yet to attain any momentum of sustained transformation. The failure of Manipur comes in both the possible forms. First, the government has not yet attuned her mind to the necessity of equalising the scope for any opportunities for the children, youths and adults settling around the mountains and valley of Manipur. Second, the government has just not bothered to equalise the outcome for the adults such that the people feel the presence of at least a semblance of justice despite the laggard economic development.

Manipur`™s is a case where the government should be fully oriented towards generating opportunities for the individuals to engage and flourish. It is also a case where the government should create an atmosphere for individuals to emerge as entrepreneurs by creating new opportunities. Both these do not happen in Manipur. What prevails in Manipur is a kind of scenario where if anybody desiring change of fortune can do so only by connivance with the powers that be (state or pseudo anti-state). This is why innovations for social transformation do not occur in Manipur. This implies that knowledge creation and knowledge sharing as foundations for social advancement are still a far cry for Manipur. This is happening in a time when the overall basis for global competition is founded on knowledge and no longer on materials. The changes happening around the region and in the neighbouring countries are such that the opportunities as means are available for Manipur to create new environment for creation of opportunities for realising new goals. But the governance character and the prevailing relationships between governance and network swindlers have converted these into personalised (not generalised) means and ends. This definitely does not serve the interest of Manipur now and will not serve in the future either. The billion dollar question is who is concerned? Cumulative failures of government to deliver have numbed the expectation of the people to the great advantage of the powers that be, and also facilitating emergence of a rewarding milieu for connivance between state authorities and pseudo-anti state agents; the home environment for development has been very badly compromised.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/new-year-new-statehood-day-and-new-republic-day-but-the-same-absence-of-opportunities-manipur-today-since-yesterday/

By Dr Khushboo Shah Sawant

Allergy is one word we often hear and even use in case of any illness. But do we really know what an allergy is? How it creates a reaction in the human body and the effects it has on the body? So today, I shall try to keep it as less technical as possible to explain some basic information about allergy.

So starting with the first and basic question, what is an allergy? An allergy is a response of the human body from its immune system which is the defence system of the body, to normal harmless substances, or environment or other conditions which normally do not cause any harm or cause any reaction in other normal human beings. But to individuals who are prone to allergic, the exact same substances are identified as a `threat`™ causing their immune system to create a reaction which is known as an allergic reaction. As we already know, the immune system of our body is the natural defence mechanism, and when any kind of a threat is identifies whether it may be virus, bacteria or an allergen, the immune system creates a natural defence reaction and shows it in the form of various reactions in the body. These substances which cause an allergic reaction are known as allergens. The sources of allergen may be from pollen, dust, food articles, animal hair etc.

So what happens in an allergic reaction? When an allergic person is exposed to certain aggravating allergens, it causes the activation of certain type of white blood cells, which are usually activated after exposure to a disease producing germ. This in turn creates an inflammatory reaction in response to the allergen, and this is manifested differently according to the type of exposure and the part of the body which is exposed. For example, an allergic reaction in the nose may result in runny nose, sneezing etc or a bout of allergic sinusitis. Eyes could react by watering, itching in the eyes etc. The respiratory tract may react by sneezing, coughing, wheezing in the chest, an asthmatic reaction, etc. Skin may show rashes, and hives like eruption at the exposure of an allergen. Occasionally the allergic reactions may be very severe and sometimes even fatal in nature.

Allergens may be from various sources and it also depends on the individual. One may inherit allergy genetically from the family history as well. Allergens can also be of various types, some may result from food, insect stings, or even certain kinds of medications. Food allergens are very common. It could be from cow`™s milk, eggs, peanuts, and certain kinds of fishes. Their reaction may include abdominal symptoms like bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Likewise insect stings often lead to skin reactions like urticaria or hive like eruptions. And allergic reactions to medicines like aspirin, penicillin etc may sometimes give fatal reaction.

Diagnosis of allergies is usually confirmed my different tests like a blood test or a skin prick test where small quantities of common allergens may be inoculated into the skin and the causative allergen may give a reaction on the site of inoculation. Similarly a patch test can also be done to ascertain the reaction. Antihistamines or anti-allergic, or steroids may be administered to cure allergies. However, in cases of serious reactions, prompt hospitalization is definitely called for. As the axiom goes prevention is the best cure. It is advisable to stay away from substances which may cause allergic.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/allergy-basic-info/

By Tara Manchin Hangzo

The other day I was walking along the unpaved path on airport road when suddenly out of the blue, a car driven by a young man and his friends came barging towards me at full speed followed by a cloud of flying dust. For a moment I though a tornado was swirling behind the car. My mind was very much on tornado as the previous night I was reading about the strong winds and storms my friends in US has posted about in her Facebook status.

Alas! We have no tornados but dusty roads in the dry winter months in Manipur. Many people are down with cough and cold when winter approaches. But many of us living in Manipur are not aware that we are allergic to dust and this can lead to serious complication to our health. The first winter I faced after many years of living outside I had dusty phlegm and throat infection, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. Congestion, coughing, phlegm, chest tightness, and shortness of breath that lasted the whole of winter and I thought I was seriously ill. Now my system has acclimated to dust somewhat but not completely.

The Tiddim stretch of road leading to airport road is particularly heavy with dust particles as many houses and shops were brought down by the mighty JCB that took almost a year to complete. Now we have half paved and half unpaved road on a very busy highway. With almost a four lane busy road the dust pollution seem to have increased tenfold. Has anyone done dust pollution survey ever in our state?

Few days back, we had the first wakching rain of the year and as I rush to collect the day`™s washing drying on the roof all I could smell as the rain patters on the dusty road was `Dust` Can one smell dust really? Yes it assaults your noise with such high intensity that it has its own aroma. Soon we can have bottled dust perfumed as a brand of Manipur.

Earlier I was surprised to see many auto drivers and two wheeler drivers wearing mask and merrily driving away at such high speed but not anymore. I truly understand their need to protect their lungs and their health. It`™s a proven fact that dust pollution can caused respiratory disorders like Asthma, Bronchitis, Allergies, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, lung fibroid, Tuberculosis (TB), Whooping cough, Sinusitis, Lung Cystic Fibrosis, Lung Abscess etc.

Do the people of this state attribute their state of health to the dust /air pollution we are facing on a regular basis? People over here think it`™s normal to inhale dust. I doubt if people take it as a serious matter or complain about it. It`™s time we send a petition to the department concerned to campaign for a less dusty Imphal. I am ready to support it.

In all the articles related to Manipur many writers have pointed out that our state is dusty and full of dust everywhere and in the raining season muddy roads abound. Kudos to our expert drivers for maneuvering such slippery roads in Manipur. The latest I read was an article titled `The Best Kept Secrets of Manipur` by Saladru Ojha. He wrote an interesting travelogue about the important tourist spots of Manipur where he did mentioned about the dustiness that prevails everywhere. Wherever he went, dust followed. If you own a white shirt and don`™t travel by AC fitted cars be assured it will soon change colour.

I remember walking on the deserted road the day our Prime Minister was to visit us and gallons of water being sprinkled on the unpaved roads leading to the airport. It was a pleasure walking that day as dust didn`™t bother me. So the government did notice the `Dust `and how it bothers the citizen of Manipur but choose to do nothing about it (let me put it that way).

You must be wondering, why I am going on and on talking about dust and air pollution. The reason is because I am seriously afraid of the consequences of dust /air pollution on our health.

Air pollutants that are inhaled are known to have serious impact on human health affecting the lungs and the respiratory system; they are also taken up by the blood and pumped through the body. These pollutants are also deposited on soil, plants, and in the water, further contributing to human exposure and its effect on our health. Will the people of the state attributes lung cancer, heart attacks TB etc on dust/ air pollution? No they blame it on diabetes (every second person in Manipur suffer from diabetes) Substance abuse and on HIV but never on dust pollution. Strange isn`™t it? Someone should do a research.

I am so concerned because people are not bothered about the issue; it`™s of no importance to them when there are more pressing issues like crimes against women, AFSPA, joblessness and inadequate food supply. Our people are too busy working for their daily sustenance that they cannot think of other important things.

Are People not bothered about dust in their house and on the roads? I am sure they are. Just as we aren`™t, concern about the lack of trees in and around our neighborhoods. Let`™s just pause and think – does the dustiness of our environment not bother you at all? I was appalled at the lack of tree while visiting old Churachandpur. Instead of trees I see weeds (long grasses and burnt down stump along the road).

Why that is when you travel outside the state there are paved roads with trees lining it, beautiful garden, parks, green belt full of trees and flowers and no dust and people look so clean. While the opposite hold true for our state.

We are trying to promote our state as the next tourist destination in India. If I, as local person notice dustiness then won`™t our outsiders notice it too? Foreign tourists and back packers like to rough it out while travelling and will surely use the auto rickshaw transport. I swear that the parking areas for the auto rickshaw in Imphal are the dustiest part of the city. ( dust and noise, total chaos! )

The first time our Manipuri traveler travels`™ to Delhi in summer, the minute she /he step out of the airplane she is assaulted by a whip of hot burning heat. They say it is like `Meiphuyaiba` so similarly the minute our tourists step into the town all they will faced will be swirling dust and dust in their eyes, hair, clothes and everywhere. Won`™t it be shameful and unhealthy?

My dream for the Government of Manipur is to open a separate department to tackle the dust in our state. Soon we can have business enterprises working on how to make your home dust proof and conduct seminars on 10 ways to eliminate dust in your home and in the environment etc.

Manipuri by nature are enterprising and innovative surely we can come up with a novel idea on how to dust proof our state and make it the best city to live in. The government needs to improve the infrastructure, which is a big word. Please translate it into by action black topping our existing roads. So when big donor visits our state we can boast and say we have utilised the funds by improving our roads and making it world class standard.

People love naming their cities and towns so Imphal can have a new name `Dusty land` instead of Sana Leibak, land of gold. I guess all the gold has melted and turned into dust. My apologies to all the citizen of this state, we inhale dust and eat dust on a regular basis. We folks are literally biting the Dust.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/thy-new-name-shall-be-dusty-imphal/

Help Against Suicide!

It seemed like a distant thing when we heard of Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994. We have just woken up from the shock of having one of our younger brothers, Bom Leimapokpam (guitarist of the band The Dirty Strikes), committing suicide last week on 4^th Jan 2015.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, if you are in a bad phase of life, when your spirits are low, when you feel depressed, when you feel like giving up on life, please reach out to your friends and near ones, please talk to a counselor, share your woes, don’t just confine it to yourselves.  Deepika Padukone, the Bollywood actress was struggling with anxiety and depression, she admitted it just few days ago. There’s nothing to feel shy about dear friends.

Suicide rate is highest in the early twenties. It’s part of the family doctor’s responsibility to screen people of the risk and refer a psychiatrist when needed. Also in literature it is mentioned that in 80% people talk about suicide before they really commit it.

In a place like Manipur, where people are reluctant to see a doctor/ counselor/ psychiatrist, we have to break that social taboo on reaching out for help. It’s time we kick away the fear of what people will say in the society – “Doctor/ counselor/ psychiatrist ta laiyengba chatladi meena ei se ngaoure hainani.”

You are not the only ones who are facing the most difficult of times; you are not the only ones who are facing that moment of life when you feel despair and giving up life, these very two authors who are writing this very article have faced it. Had we given up, we would have been up there years ago, we won’t have been writing this article. And we are not the only ones; many have faced the most difficult times and heartbreaks.  Don’t let it win over you. We have to fight the devil inside.

We are not psychologists, we are not counselors, and we are not the men of the trade. We are just common man like you. Coming straight to the point and talk practically – in Imphal, there’s a Department of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry at RIMS, Lamphel, and also at JNIMS, Porompat, where you can reach out to.

What we want to convey here today, on the Sorat/ Laanna-Thouram day of Bom Leimapokpam, is that – don’t confine to yourselves , open up, reach out, share, seek help. If one is suffering from depression or if one is going through suicidal thoughts, we should not hesitate in seeking help. It’s high time we destigmatise mental health difficulties. There’s no shame in seeking help!!! We could not save Bom Leimapokpam, but we hope together we can save other youths from doing the same.

By Bode Paonam and Ringo Pebam,
On behalf of the rock music community of Manipur.
www.rockmusicmanipur.in
www.facebook.com/rockmusicmanipur1

17^th Jan 2014

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/help-against-suicide/

By Paonam Thoibi

On account of similar questions which concern suicide attempts and deaths pouring in, I am reproducing a Q&A which was carried on 13th Sept, 2014 with some more inputs.

Q: Dear Madam, even though I don`™t know the correct numbers and figures, I think the rate of suicide is ever increasing. We do not really have suicide hotlines or suicide first aid centres. I want to know how having a hotline service or suicide counseling centres would help in this menace. Kindly share us some of the causes of people committing suicide so that we may be aware of it may prevent it in our best possible way. -Student, K.V Langjing

Ans: Your question is a very thoughtful one and revolves around an issue which challenges all of us mental health professionals. Suicide as we all know is a self- inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct, and conscious effort to end one`s life. People commit or attempts suicide for many reasons, most of which no one knows. Mostly these are people in crisis `“that is, under great stress, unable to cope, feeling threatened or hurt, and interpreting their situations as unchangeable.

Also, families of people who die by suicide report that they have some kind of psychiatric conditions, most commonly depression or bipolar disorder. Depression and the depressive phase of bipolar disorder may cause symptoms such as intense sadness, hopelessness, lethargy, loss of appetite, disruption of sleep, decreased ability to perform usual tasks, loss of interest in once-pleasurable activities etc.

The other major risk factors include substance use and abuse. A previous suicide attempt is another major risk factor and a number of people who successfully commits suicide have made a previous attempt. The loss of meaningful relationships and issues related to sexual identity or sexual orientation can also be reasons which can get people trapped in the depression which can lead to suicides. It is said that people who are suicidal somehow are telling people and reaching out in a way they that they are looking for some relief. Most of the time before the attempt they are said to be telling their close friends how they want to end their life and even how they have planned it. Therefore it is believed that people who are suicidal want the pain to end but not their life itself.

It is on this logic that suicide centres and hotlines for suicide prevention are enforced. In such centers, mental health professionals can try to help people work through that intense psychological pain and find a way out. They can try to help suicidal people perceive things more accurately, make better decisions, act more constructively, and overcome their crisis. Once a person with suicide risk is identified, intervention can start at the centre by a visit or quickly through a phone call which can skillfully be developed into a proper psychotherapeutic meeting very soon. The mental health professionals can take the opportunity to gather more information about actual risk, such as determining whether the client has an actual plan and the means to carry out the plan. The professional can challenge the irrational belief if the client`™s life will be better if he/she commits the suicide. Also, crises can occur at any time, therefore the centers should ideally have a 24-hour-a-day telephone service (“hot lines”) and also welcome clients to walk in without prior appointments.

In our place without such a centre, we can still make use of the health care facilities like RIMS, JNIMS etc and reach out to the mental health professionals there.

Also we should be aware that after a suicide attempt, the victims` primary need is medical care. Some are left with severe injuries, brain damage, or other medical problems. Once the physical damage is reversed, or at least stabilized, a process of psychotherapy may begin. The goal of therapy is to help the client achieve a non-suicidal state of mind and develop more constructive ways of handling stress and solving problems.

There are many different medications and therapies implemented for the successful treatment of depression. Not all medications work the same for all people, so it may take some time for some people and the doctor will develop a treatment plan that`s right for a particular person and stick with it and inform the doctor about any doubts.

All said and done, a good communication system in the family and the environment which has a foundation in good education and proper social and moral support can prevent many suicide deaths.

Once a while, if anyone begins to think about suicide, it`s important to recognize these thoughts which should be addressed. Talk to somebody. It is advised not to let embarrassment stand in the way of vital communication with the physician, family, or friends. When people don`t understand the facts about suicide and depressive illnesses, they may respond in ways that can cut off communication and worsen the person`™s feeling. That`s why it`s important to find someone trust worthy with whom one can be honest and open. It can be the family members too. Also we have mental health professionals at health care centres and network of friends who knows them. Spending time with family and friends who can give unconditional support and remind life is important, avoiding drugs to control impulses and being sensitive to one`™s own feelings and thoughts are important to manage feelings of low and thoughts about dying.

Lastly, if someone is threatening to commit suicide, if you strongly believe someone is close to a suicidal act, take the person seriously. Stay calm, but don`t underact. Listen attentively. Maintain eye contact. Use body language such as moving close to the person or holding his or her hand, if appropriate. Acknowledge the person`s feelings. Be understanding`” not judgmental or argumentative. Make sure there are no potentially dangerous materials around. Be swift to try to reach out to professionals who can help. Involve other people and don`t try to handle the crisis alone. If possible, don`t leave the person alone until you`re sure he or she is in the hands of competent professionals. If you have to leave, make sure another friend or family member can stay with the person until professional help is available.

Readers are requested to send in their queries at mindmifp@gmail.com

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/mind-matters/

Two students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala Khumbong, Imphal District, Ruhikumar Sandham and Ningthoujam Nareshkumar Singh, both of them studying in eleventh standard had visited Japan in December 2014, as part of Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths, JENESYS. Bobo Khuraijam had a brief conversation with them.

IFP: So you have been lucky to visit the Land of Rising Sun. Was it your dream come true or it happened as a surprise?

Nareshkumar (NK): Yes, it was like a dream. But we believed that we have fair chance of visiting the country. Some of our school seniors had already visited the place through the JENESYS programme.

Ruhikumar (RK): Yes, three of our seniors had been to Japan. Lalhaba, who went there earlier, is presently pursuing higher studies in the country after passing out from the Vidyalaya. But this was the first time that two students were selected from the same school.

IFP: That`™s interesting. How did it happen? Tell us about the criteria of applying for the trip.

NK: We have to submit our application online through the Ministry of Human Resource, Government of India. Eighty students are selected from all over the country. It is important for the applicant to be an `all-rounder`™, which means one has to be good in studies and as well as in co-curricular activities, including games and sports.

RK: Right. I had applied giving emphasis on my sports activities, as I have played Volleyball, Kabaddi and football at national level competitions. But the selecting authority had instructed us to furnish our academic records too.

IFP: What was your first reaction on getting the news of your selection?

RK: It was during our half yearly exam, Naresh was called by our Principal, N Dhiren. Sir instructed Naresh to check his personal e-mail as it was already time for announcement of selected students. I stayed back in the dorm, with butterfly in my stomach.

NK: The first word was `congratulation`™; I quickly figured out that I was enlisted. Then I went back to dorm to inform Ruhi, and insisted him to check his mail. But he was reluctant.

IFP: Naresh, we learn that you have been going places even after your Japan trip. Tell us something about it.

NK: Well, I along with six students of our school went to attend an inspirational talk session given by renowned scientists organised by CSIR at the North East Institute of Science & Technology, Jorhat from Jan 5 `“ 10. JNV Khumbong was the lone school from Manipur to take part in the programme. There was an elocution competition as well during the session. Our school bagged the 1st and 2nd position. We spoke on a common theme: Nanotechnology.

IFP: Congrats. You have been doing well, making the school and your parents proud of you. Did you get inspired after the session? What are your future plans?

NK: Thank you. Yes, certainly. We are inspired. I also attended a science programme some time back in Manipur University. From that session and the last one we attended in Jorhat, I have decided to pursue higher studies in research work. I want to become a scientist. I want to do research in Chemistry as it has been my favourite subject.

IFP: How about you, Ruhikumar?

RK: I want to go for active service; I want to become an army officer. A few days back, an alumnus who is now serving as Lt. Col in the army came to meet us on the school annual day. His talk was very inspiring.

IFP: We wish you all the best. Now, tell us about your Japan trip.

NK: I don`™t know how to begin about the trip. It was an amazing experience. The place is so advanced and people are so warm. I can never forget their hospitality. We were segregated into groups. They took us to different places like school, stadium and yes; the home-stay experience was unforgettable.

RK: Yes, we were amazed by their discipline, cleanliness, their sense of belonging to their country. Of course, the physical infrastructure they have is something that overwhelmed us all. The skyscrapers in Tokyo were so high, I thought, they would collapse upon us (laugh). And our guide told us that they are all designed to withstand earthquakes.

IFP: Did you not have a ride on their Bullet trains?

NK: Yes, we did. They took my group (5 of us), to Aomori, a town in the northern most corner of Japan. It was 400 miles away from Tokyo. The Bullet train covered the distance in just 3 hours. And then we were taken to the Kawamonzen family. The family is a rich family though farming is their occupation. They grow apples and strawberries, and own 3 cars (laugh).

RK: My home-stay was with the Kudou family. They are also farmer. What was exciting was that the family took me to their strawberry fields and asked me to help them in their work, to which I happily agreed. It was a mild kind of work compared to their refreshments and hospitality. I would like to go back to Japan if given the opportunity.

IFP: What things would you like to bring back from that country?

RK: I definitely like their urban infrastructure. How they are design and build; it has been a puzzle to me, and will be for a long time. Take their school for instance. The kind of gymnasium and other facilities they have is beyond words to describe. But what I admire most is the discipline of the people. People follow time very strictly.

NK: Our guide told us that if you ask for direction to someone walking fast in the street, most probably you will not get an answer. Because he/she do not want to be late even for a minute to reach their work place, otherwise, people are very helpful. I too like the sense of discipline of the Japanese. It is worth emulating.

(Nareshkumar is son of N Krishnamohon Singh and N Prema of Heirok, Part-III, Champrathong Makhong & Ruhikumar is son of S Ibungo and S Tampakleima Devi of Samurou Makha Leikai)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/a-trip-to-the-land-of-rising-sun/

By Paonam Thoibi

On account of similar questions which concern suicide attempts and deaths pouring in, I am reproducing a Q&A which was carried on 13th Sept, 2014 with some more inputs.

Q: Dear Madam, even though I don`™t know the correct numbers and figures, I think the rate of suicide is ever increasing. We do not really have suicide hotlines or suicide first aid centres. I want to know how having a hotline service or suicide counseling centres would help in this menace. Kindly share us some of the causes of people committing suicide so that we may be aware of it may prevent it in our best possible way. -Student, K.V Langjing

Ans: Your question is a very thoughtful one and revolves around an issue which challenges all of us mental health professionals. Suicide as we all know is a self- inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct, and conscious effort to end one`s life. People commit or attempts suicide for many reasons, most of which no one knows. Mostly these are people in crisis `“that is, under great stress, unable to cope, feeling threatened or hurt, and interpreting their situations as unchangeable.

Also, families of people who die by suicide report that they have some kind of psychiatric conditions, most commonly depression or bipolar disorder. Depression and the depressive phase of bipolar disorder may cause symptoms such as intense sadness, hopelessness, lethargy, loss of appetite, disruption of sleep, decreased ability to perform usual tasks, loss of interest in once-pleasurable activities etc.

The other major risk factors include substance use and abuse. A previous suicide attempt is another major risk factor and a number of people who successfully commits suicide have made a previous attempt. The loss of meaningful relationships and issues related to sexual identity or sexual orientation can also be reasons which can get people trapped in the depression which can lead to suicides. It is said that people who are suicidal somehow are telling people and reaching out in a way they that they are looking for some relief. Most of the time before the attempt they are said to be telling their close friends how they want to end their life and even how they have planned it. Therefore it is believed that people who are suicidal want the pain to end but not their life itself.

It is on this logic that suicide centres and hotlines for suicide prevention are enforced. In such centers, mental health professionals can try to help people work through that intense psychological pain and find a way out. They can try to help suicidal people perceive things more accurately, make better decisions, act more constructively, and overcome their crisis. Once a person with suicide risk is identified, intervention can start at the centre by a visit or quickly through a phone call which can skillfully be developed into a proper psychotherapeutic meeting very soon. The mental health professionals can take the opportunity to gather more information about actual risk, such as determining whether the client has an actual plan and the means to carry out the plan. The professional can challenge the irrational belief if the client`™s life will be better if he/she commits the suicide. Also, crises can occur at any time, therefore the centers should ideally have a 24-hour-a-day telephone service (“hot lines”) and also welcome clients to walk in without prior appointments.

In our place without such a centre, we can still make use of the health care facilities like RIMS, JNIMS etc and reach out to the mental health professionals there.

Also we should be aware that after a suicide attempt, the victims` primary need is medical care. Some are left with severe injuries, brain damage, or other medical problems. Once the physical damage is reversed, or at least stabilized, a process of psychotherapy may begin. The goal of therapy is to help the client achieve a non-suicidal state of mind and develop more constructive ways of handling stress and solving problems.

There are many different medications and therapies implemented for the successful treatment of depression. Not all medications work the same for all people, so it may take some time for some people and the doctor will develop a treatment plan that`s right for a particular person and stick with it and inform the doctor about any doubts.

All said and done, a good communication system in the family and the environment which has a foundation in good education and proper social and moral support can prevent many suicide deaths.

Once a while, if anyone begins to think about suicide, it`s important to recognize these thoughts which should be addressed. Talk to somebody. It is advised not to let embarrassment stand in the way of vital communication with the physician, family, or friends. When people don`t understand the facts about suicide and depressive illnesses, they may respond in ways that can cut off communication and worsen the person`™s feeling. That`s why it`s important to find someone trust worthy with whom one can be honest and open. It can be the family members too. Also we have mental health professionals at health care centres and network of friends who knows them. Spending time with family and friends who can give unconditional support and remind life is important, avoiding drugs to control impulses and being sensitive to one`™s own feelings and thoughts are important to manage feelings of low and thoughts about dying.

Lastly, if someone is threatening to commit suicide, if you strongly believe someone is close to a suicidal act, take the person seriously. Stay calm, but don`t underact. Listen attentively. Maintain eye contact. Use body language such as moving close to the person or holding his or her hand, if appropriate. Acknowledge the person`s feelings. Be understanding`” not judgmental or argumentative. Make sure there are no potentially dangerous materials around. Be swift to try to reach out to professionals who can help. Involve other people and don`t try to handle the crisis alone. If possible, don`t leave the person alone until you`re sure he or she is in the hands of competent professionals. If you have to leave, make sure another friend or family member can stay with the person until professional help is available.

Readers are requested to send in their queries at mindmifp@gmail.com

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/mind-matters-13/

Two students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala Khumbong, Imphal District, Ruhikumar Sandham and Ningthoujam Nareshkumar Singh, both of them studying in eleventh standard had visited Japan in December 2014, as part of Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths, JENESYS. Bobo Khuraijam had a brief conversation with them.

IFP: So you have been lucky to visit the Land of Rising Sun. Was it your dream come true or it happened as a surprise?

Nareshkumar (NK): Yes, it was like a dream. But we believed that we have fair chance of visiting the country. Some of our school seniors had already visited the place through the JENESYS programme.

Ruhikumar (RK): Yes, three of our seniors had been to Japan. Lalhaba, who went there earlier, is presently pursuing higher studies in the country after passing out from the Vidyalaya. But this was the first time that two students were selected from the same school.

IFP: That`™s interesting. How did it happen? Tell us about the criteria of applying for the trip.

NK: We have to submit our application online through the Ministry of Human Resource, Government of India. Eighty students are selected from all over the country. It is important for the applicant to be an `all-rounder`™, which means one has to be good in studies and as well as in co-curricular activities, including games and sports.

RK: Right. I had applied giving emphasis on my sports activities, as I have played Volleyball, Kabaddi and football at national level competitions. But the selecting authority had instructed us to furnish our academic records too.

IFP: What was your first reaction on getting the news of your selection?

RK: It was during our half yearly exam, Naresh was called by our Principal, N Dhiren. Sir instructed Naresh to check his personal e-mail as it was already time for announcement of selected students. I stayed back in the dorm, with butterfly in my stomach.

NK: The first word was `congratulation`™; I quickly figured out that I was enlisted. Then I went back to dorm to inform Ruhi, and insisted him to check his mail. But he was reluctant.

IFP: Naresh, we learn that you have been going places even after your Japan trip. Tell us something about it.

NK: Well, I along with six students of our school went to attend an inspirational talk session given by renowned scientists organised by CSIR at the North East Institute of Science & Technology, Jorhat from Jan 5 `“ 10. JNV Khumbong was the lone school from Manipur to take part in the programme. There was an elocution competition as well during the session. Our school bagged the 1st and 2nd position. We spoke on a common theme: Nanotechnology.

IFP: Congrats. You have been doing well, making the school and your parents proud of you. Did you get inspired after the session? What are your future plans?

NK: Thank you. Yes, certainly. We are inspired. I also attended a science programme some time back in Manipur University. From that session and the last one we attended in Jorhat, I have decided to pursue higher studies in research work. I want to become a scientist. I want to do research in Chemistry as it has been my favourite subject.

IFP: How about you, Ruhikumar?

RK: I want to go for active service; I want to become an army officer. A few days back, an alumnus who is now serving as Lt. Col in the army came to meet us on the school annual day. His talk was very inspiring.

IFP: We wish you all the best. Now, tell us about your Japan trip.

NK: I don`™t know how to begin about the trip. It was an amazing experience. The place is so advanced and people are so warm. I can never forget their hospitality. We were segregated into groups. They took us to different places like school, stadium and yes; the home-stay experience was unforgettable.

RK: Yes, we were amazed by their discipline, cleanliness, their sense of belonging to their country. Of course, the physical infrastructure they have is something that overwhelmed us all. The skyscrapers in Tokyo were so high, I thought, they would collapse upon us (laugh). And our guide told us that they are all designed to withstand earthquakes.

IFP: Did you not have a ride on their Bullet trains?

NK: Yes, we did. They took my group (5 of us), to Aomori, a town in the northern most corner of Japan. It was 400 miles away from Tokyo. The Bullet train covered the distance in just 3 hours. And then we were taken to the Kawamonzen family. The family is a rich family though farming is their occupation. They grow apples and strawberries, and own 3 cars (laugh).

RK: My home-stay was with the Kudou family. They are also farmer. What was exciting was that the family took me to their strawberry fields and asked me to help them in their work, to which I happily agreed. It was a mild kind of work compared to their refreshments and hospitality. I would like to go back to Japan if given the opportunity.

IFP: What things would you like to bring back from that country?

RK: I definitely like their urban infrastructure. How they are design and build; it has been a puzzle to me, and will be for a long time. Take their school for instance. The kind of gymnasium and other facilities they have is beyond words to describe. But what I admire most is the discipline of the people. People follow time very strictly.

NK: Our guide told us that if you ask for direction to someone walking fast in the street, most probably you will not get an answer. Because he/she do not want to be late even for a minute to reach their work place, otherwise, people are very helpful. I too like the sense of discipline of the Japanese. It is worth emulating.

(Nareshkumar is son of N Krishnamohon Singh and N Prema of Heirok, Part-III, Champrathong Makhong & Ruhikumar is son of S Ibungo and S Tampakleima Devi of Samurou Makha Leikai)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/a-trip-to-the-land-of-rising-sun/

By Dr Roy Laifungbam & Deben Bachaspatimayum

The discovery of eight human skulls and other bones in the compound of a former high school in the heart of Imphal impels us to make a conscious attempt to be inquisitive and at the same time be skeptical about the objective facts and circumstances around this last Christmas surprise. This is not to challenge or debunk the views held by the victim families of recorded cases of involuntary disappearance and human rights defenders in Manipur but for the justice we are all hunger for by choosing a less travelled road `“ looking at things from adversary`™s point of view. The internationally accepted general definition of a mass grave, which says that it can also be one that is not related to any war crime or act of genocide but of burials of those who were casualties of natural calamities buried with full honour and human dignity that the dead deserve – does encourage one to think the other way round. This precisely, of late, not only seems to be the views of the Govt but also attempt to let pass the discovery as anything other than war crime related burial site. It is, therefore, necessary to press the Govt to prove their point, by a credible investigating agency following transparent and evidence-based scientific methods by taking the burden of proving as it alone has all the powers and resources, and obligations by the mandate of the people and law. While the Cabinet decision to rope in CBI is a step forward, pressures must be built on for transparent and speedy process lest this rare opportunity also should pass like another incident.

Reason for raising this unusual question and approach is also that we don`™t have another untouched grave waiting in the public domain to prove out point. The only one we have stumbled over for the first time is also one that has been badly disturbed and dislocated from its original location rendering it unfit for archaeological investigations. We have only the skulls and bones to tell the truth, not any another grave to tell us how they were buried and what type of grave it was. Alternately, one could also imagine the dangers of pushing the government on victims`™ terms to investigate the case only to finally conclude that it was not a mass grave or for that matter none of the victims`™ families are related to skulls by DNA tests! It is highly likely that this may happen especially when Manipur State does not have any extraordinary Constitutional safeguards or provision to self-determine in certain areas of critical importance. Moreover, Manipur`™s special status, of being the 90% grant-in-aid state also seems to weaken elected Govt in taking any tough social and political high ground against the central security forces for the Rights and Justice of its people! For these reasons, the case of the grave will be simply lost, forever, even before it is fought and the Government will be the winner of all such potential cases.

This makes the case all the more imperative to ensure that a thoroughly scientific investigation is swiftly conducted by proven experts in this field, and in accordance with established international guidelines and protocols. What is most important, apart from the rising clamour of human rights activists and victims, is the need to have professional associations of forensic scientists, anthropologists and archaeologists to make an informed presentation to our government to do what is necessary as responsible citizens of a democratic country. There is a reason to be hopeful if the approach to the issue is with open mind.

Govt of India has finally recognized the existence of 2700 Mass graves in Kashmir and investigations are going on by an international expert group called, International People`™s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir (IPTK). This is the first time Mass grave has been discovered and officially recognized in India, and the ensuing post-partition armed conflicts over Kashmir. The stories of unmarked mass graves were uncovered only in 2011 following decades of internal armed conflicts having taken heavy tolls of youth population in the state. Despite all efforts to withdraw the infamous AFSP Act 1958 under which the counter-insurgency operations are going on by the elected Govt of J&K the Act continues to be operative in the state. However, the State Government has prevailed over the Army in J&K to allow the international expert team at work to secure and protect all of those identified unmarked mass grave sites for proper scientific investigations. The Government of India is also allowing the investigations going on. Since expert teams are at work, all these identified sites have been secured and protected by law.

AFSPA 1958 has been enforced in the state to counter the growing insurgency and cross-border terrorism. Much earlier, the black military law was imposed in the Naga Hills and some areas of Manipur to counter growing secessionist Naga nationalism. By 1980, the entire territory of Manipur state was also declared disturbed and AFSPA extended. Over the last three decades, more than 10,000 youth have been killed in counter-insurgency operation which included more than 1500 recorded cases of alleged extrajudicial killings and 21 cases of recently recorded enforced or involuntary disappearance.

Based on these facts, it is theoretically possible to find a mass grave in Manipur. It is premised over the existence of an organization called the Families of Involuntary Disappearance Association, Manipur (FIDAM), the Extrajudicial Execution Victims Family Association, Manipur (EEVFAM), police records filed by aggrieved families and the recent Supreme Court`™s judgment which recognized extrajudicial killings in Manipur. Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur (CSCHR) `“ a collective of human rights defenders and civil society organizations, takes the discovery of eight human skulls along with other skeletal remains and human artifacts at the compound of the former Tombisana High School on 25th Dec 2014 as a case of uncovering a mass grave in Manipur. But the Government`™s indifference towards the sentiments and views of civil society is apparent in their efforts to continue the excavation works at the site for the construction of a huge market place until AMSU, a student body intervened. Earth moving works, using heavy machinery, continued for next five days after the human skulls and other skeletal remains were scooped out by a JCB earth remover and dumped at another place in Mantripukhri area, about 3 KM from away, for filling another site. It is extremely pertinent to note that, according to reports of persons who were conducting the excavations, at least seven (7) of the skulls emerged in a single scoop of the JCB while another skull appeared in another scoop. These are grounds to suspect that the dead bodies were buried in close contact with each other.

Various definitions of mass graves have been put forward by forensic scientists and archaeologists. Each definition employs or emphasises different qualifiers such as the minimum number of individuals buried, different formation and transformation processes, the physical relationship between buried bodies and the specific micro-environment it creates, societal, political and legal aspects of the killing or the creation of the grave, and so on.

According to Dr. Mark Skinner, an archaeologist who has worked extensively on the field recovery of (semi) skeletonized human remains from crime and non-crime contexts internationally, a mass grave contains many (at least half a dozen) individuals, while another expert, A.K. Mant, is more modest regarding numbers: two or more bodies in contact with each other suffice to define a mass grave. Yet other archaeologists, like Haglund, Connor and Scott, state that `Mass, of course, means a large quantity or aggregate, usually of considerable size`. All three definitions recognise a most important characteristic of the mass grave `“ the human remains being in close contact. Contrary to the situation in multiple burials where the bodies are laid out parallel to one another reflecting a general concern for the dignity of the deceased, in mass graves they are placed indiscriminately, tightly together and with no reverence for the individual. To this definition Skinner has later added murder being the manner of death and concealment on the part of the perpetrator during times of war or civil conflict being the origin of the feature.

The final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts to the former Yugoslavia defines a mass grave as any site intended as a place of permanent interment from which the bodies are prevented from being moved by natural elements, and which contain two or more bodies.

Another definition focusing on legal aspects is that of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Bacre Waly Ndiaye `“ defining a mass grave as a location where three or more victims of extra-judicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, not having died in combat or armed confrontations are buried. This definition is used by The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Like the Experts Commission`™s definition it allows for other types of features than actual graves, like village wells and natural ravines.

However, a mass grave can also be found where dead bodies caused by natural calamities are buried together, most often in an orderly manner and with the dignity the deceased deserved. By the definition, it is important for any investigating team to establish that the bodies were found in a single small area or pit, very close to or in contact with each other. Experts who have worked in this field for long, however, distinguish between the criminal mass grave from the accident-related mass grave, and the type of mass grave that requires medico-legal investigation from the type that does not (mostly a matter of chronology setting off modern mass graves from ancient ones). The criminal mass grave is containing the remains of a group of individuals (meaning more than one) who share `some common trait that justified their assassinations in the eyes of the perpetrators`. It has been pointed out that, although mass graves originating from war crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity are often designated clandestine graves implying secrecy and lack of knowledge, always somebody knows about their existence even if unable to point out their exact geographical location. He also points out that in many instances the party creating the mass grave is not the one responsible for the killing, giving as a reason that at the time of the crime perpetrators needed not fear reprisal. The need for concealment often comes only later.

For these reasons, it is extremely important to undertake an expert forensic-archaeological examination of the site itself. The in situ examination of the human remains becomes extremely crucial to establish the nature of act or acts that led to the death of the persons found in a mass grave. In the case of Manipur, there seems to be nothing left on the ground at the original site to prove existence of a mass grave, least to qualify that it may have been attributable to a war crime or genocide. Victims of involuntary or enforced disappearance must now rely majorly on a thorough and expert osteological and dental investigation along with DNA matching between any of one of more of the skulls and surviving families of the reported cases of involuntary disappearances. Examination of other artifacts and human clothing, jewellery also would play an important role.

This is easier said than done. The government has to agree to such a thorough expert and impartial investigation of international standard. The government has no official records of involuntary disappearances in the state. Some documentation done by few human rights defenders exist but this is far from being an exhaustive one. Many such cases remain hidden. Some studies on involuntary or enforced disappearance around the world found that many victims`™ families try to disassociate themselves from the disappeared person or choose to remain silent for the fear of reprisals and further persecution. Such cases never appear in any report. Not all of the 21 families documented as cases of involuntary disappearance in Manipur have been able to register a FIR at the police stations or file a habeas corpus petition in a court of law. Finally, the intention of the government will greatly influence the case. If the present government supports the victims of involuntary disappearance with a serious intent to deliver fair justice to its people it can do a lot. But if the recent extension of disturbed area declaration under section 3 of AFSPA 1958 for another year is any indication then the Govt will not / cannot do anything that could demoralize the operating troops for the security of the nation. But such a view would necessarily have to be weighed against India`™s obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and ends of justice for its citizens.

(Dr. Roy Debabrata Laifungbam, is a Public Health Physician, and is the President of CORE and Convener of Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur, Deben Bachaspatimayum, (PhD) in Social Anthropology and Convener of People`™s Development Initiatives (PDI), a constituent of the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur.)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/are-there-mass-graves-in-manipur/

By RK Lakhi Kant

The culprits in a collective crime,
the people, choose to walk a bit
away from beleaguered beggars,
mad men in rags, or poor men
in need. This is big irresponsibility;
why can`t the people who come by
such unfortunate men offer them
something – food, clothes, a small
employment, or some
money to buy themselves
the next meal.
It is only because of an
irresponsible citizenry
that men suffer in acute hardship.
The morally corrupt government
regulates income tax
and other sources of revenue,
but what for – nothing is done
even for those pushed to begging.
First we put them in the spot
they are in and next
we treat them as untouchables.
Inhuman!
One man`s suffering is
reason enough to
implicate the rulers.
But this wisdom is now found
neither in the men
nor their government.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/inhuman-distance/

By Malangba Bangormayum

The duo Simon and Garfunkel sang `I`d rather be a sparrow than a snail Yes I would, if I could, I surely would/ I`d rather be a hammer than a nail Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would` You get the picture what they were getting at. It`™s better to be wise than foolish, strong than being weak. This refrain one gets to hear in different contexts and situations. On TV, I see people trying to outwit, out-speak, the other. Now there are reality shows, where you prove that you can out-sing, out-dance, out-do any other. And you get fame and fortune for that. We love winners; we extol those who are better. I note this not to register any complain against it. Who does not love excellence?

Lately, I have been wondering whether there can be any virtue in being not wise, being not intelligent, being not fast? Is there any good in being not healthy? To the last question I can answer a qualified response (of course the question frames a qualified response). I learnt as part of high school biology that those who suffer from the disease called sickle cell anaemia have resistance against malaria.

It`™s not much fun to be anaemic, but if you are in a place where malaria is endemic, then it might not be that bad to be sickle cell anaemic. Can we push this case for the other questions in the beginning of this paragraph? Can we say that there are sometimes situations in which it is alright to be dumb, or are there cases where it is positively better not to be wise, not to be beautiful or amazing, mind-blowing or such superlatives that the judges on reality TV shows shower on the contestants? Can there be a reality show where the search is for the dumbest person? How would be the rating? I throw these questions for a response if you please.

Ignorance is bliss, there are sayings amounting to that. There are also deeply entrenched intellectual and spiritual traditions which take knowledge to be the key to soteriological aspirations. Ignorance and knowledge in the ultimate analysis could turn out not be a far cryfrom each other but intuitively, and at least in our common understanding, they are wholly different things.

I keep telling my wife that I have become wiser since I married her. This could be understood in at least two different ways. It could either mean that she is the cause of my getting more intelligent or it could be a way of saying something ordinary i.e., people get wiser with age and that we are getting older together. Depending on her mood she is pleased some times, sometimes she is annoyed and tells me not to be sarcastic. But, seriously, I feel that I have become wiser in the last few days. Something is happening to me. That`™s how I feel.

When I share this with my wife she has a good laugh. Let me explain why I say I feel wiser. There is something reminiscent of the Socrates of Platonic dialogues here. I vaguely remember the dialogue in question had something to do with the Oracle of Delphi. One can look up on the internet: another portal to becoming more intelligent, more informed and wiser.

I have been having this reconciliation, lately, with myself that some of the thoughts I had and actions that I had performed were not the best. I never could reconcile until recently that I ever was wrong. Somehow, I tried to defend myself, rationalise to others and myself all my actions. Lately, pride is on the wane, humility on the rise.

Strange enough, humility seems to make things clearer for me. It has shown that I was wrong; I was definitely not wise. I have come to know that I might be foolish sometimes, if not always. This realisation is what I mean by my becoming wiser. The realisation that I was, am, may and can be ignorant and wrong. The realisation that I am simply dumb*** sometimes and acted like one has dawned on me with the coming of the New Year. This could be a temporary phenomenon. My conceitedness might creep back any day without my knowing.

Remember that movie Dumb and Dumber, the film about two idiots trying to outsmart one another? We laughed at them. We laughed at their dumbness, more so at their thinking that they were smart. A person who is a fool and knows he is a fool is smarter than the person who is a fool but does not know that he is a fool. Therefore, in the scale of dumbness, I might claim that I am smarter than those two characters.

Now, where can we put a person who is wise and knows that he is wise? Obviously, he has to be above someone like me. But the catch is this, is it ever possible that for such someone to know that he is wise? If we take for granted the human condition as rooted in its limitedness, then for any human being whatever knowledge and wisdom he has, has to be seriously limited on the cosmic scale. So, if someone knows that he is wise, he is mistaken and a bit conceited. Mistakes and knowledge do not go together; neither do conceit and wisdom. Therefore, one can claim that there can be no wise man who knows that he is wise! This means that there is no person wiser than the likes of me.

Let me tell my wife this discovery of mine. I have a feeling that instead of laughing she might cry this time.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/hammer-and-nails/

By Deben Bachaspatimayum

It seems the market development plans of the present Govt has once again stumbled over another treasure chest that can change fortunes. It is not another Gold chest but the eight unidentified skulls in the erstwhile Tombisana High School campus discovered on the 25th December, 2014, the day when the world was observing the Birth of Jesus Christ. These skulls are there to tell the truth which remained buried and unheard for so long. The truth of these skulls will demand of the Govt justice due to them and healing for their traumatized surviving families. And it is in responding to these demands of unidentified remains of the deaths by following due legal, political, cultural and social processes, authentically and appropriately that the present Govt both at the state and centre can transform the culture of conflict, institutionalized violence and resultant painful memories of the past into one of a vibrant and progressive multicultural democratic society and systems in the state.

This opportunity of correcting historical wrongs, which has been acknowledged by former the former Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai, seems to have come in our hands by providence not by any human designs. The truth existed only to be revealed on that day. By all media reports available and Govt’s plan for the site, the discovery of the eight human skulls not older than 17-40 years (according to preliminary experts’ opinion as reported in the Newspapers) coincided with the period when the entire territory of the state came to be declared as ‘disturbed area’ and AFSPA 1958 has been kept enforced as part of governance and civil administration. Over 10,000, mostly civilians, have been reportedly killed during this period excluding those many who never returned home after they were picked up. As per records, the violent armed conflicts began from 1980 between the state security forces comprising of both military and paramilitary forces mostly belonging to diverse linguistic, cultural and racial backgrounds from rest of India and various armed groups both in the valley and hills districts belong to different indigenous communities in the state. The war is still on but if the accidental discovery of the eight skulls in an erstwhile educational institute facing the state’s highest decision making institution (the Old Manipur Legislative Assembly campus) is any indication it seems to beckon us like the white flag in the battlefield to retreat, reflect and re-strategize future course of engagements based on the ground realities. However, the response of the State Govt seems to indicate lack of seriousness by all measures in the matter to take any advantage for a change.

Though the state police have, dutifully, registered a case at Heingang PS but did nothing to get the excavation works on the site stopped for proper investigations until AMSU, a student body forced cease work at the site on 30th Dec 2014. This was five full days after the discovery! The fact that Govt allowed the further excavation works to go on continuously for 5 more days after the skulls were discovered makes the elected Govt culpable as per the law and party to the possible crime which resulted into the discovery of the skeletons. By law, all the present and future plans for developing the site where the skulls were accidentally discovered must come to a complete halt and an appropriate investigating State authority should have secured the site under its custody and kept it out of access by all Govt, State and Non-govt parties but nothing of that seems to have happened even after one whole week till 30th Dec 2014. These precious five days also went by in complete absence of judiciaries in the state who could have taken a suo moto case on the incident. A PIL filed to the High Court on 30th Dec 2014 also remained unattended.

Despite all efforts by human rights defenders and civil society groups, the State Human Rights Commission remains death. All the Judges at the State High Court were also reportedly on New Year leaves. All sections of the society including the elected representatives and Govt were in the New Year festivity and Christmas mood when excavation was making extensive progress in the erstwhile Tamphasan H School campus. The timing was good for the work.

Now that eight skulls have surfaced, accidentally, to tell the truth the Govt only has to answer to the people, not by premature speculations but after thorough scientific inquiry on who, when, where from, how and why the skulls were there in the Tombisana HS campus. The Govt has to first establish whether the deaths of these many people were caused with due legal procedures or in subversion of it. Secondly, in either of the cases, establish the identities of the death with their surviving families by using latest forensic technologies. Thirdly, to determine if anyone of the eight skulls or all of them were connected to any one of the registered cases of enforced involuntary disappearances after 1980. And lastly, according to the findings, take up such appropriate political and legal actions as responsible and representative government of the people. But even before taking up any such credible step it also behoves well for the Govt to show some solidarity with by sharing the pains of those families who have been reporting involuntary enforced disappearance of their near and dear ones both in the hills and valley during the past few years along with the routine New Year greetings.

All the above may be mere wish-list of concerned citizens and it may not even reach the ears of our Govt. What remains for sure is that the skulls are there where-ever they are kept to speak the TRUTH to the experts. But what may concern any responsible and law abiding citizen in the state is whether the experts, if at all some established and credible ones are at work, would be allowed to reveal the truth for public consumption by the elected Govt! It is here the integrity and credibility of the elected Govt in Manipur and the Central Govt is at stake and will be subjected to litmus test especially when the State, by the Constitution is duty-bound to protect life and property of its citizens unless one is proven guilty of homicide or any other such crimes against humanity. Both the State bodies; at the state and the centre have to take critical choice in this matter. The choices are two. One is to let the people know the truth as revealed by the skulls and take legal actions against those responsible for the crime. Or. Two, conceal the facts and the truth about the matter for the fear of further disturbing internal / national security in the politically sensitive state.

The choice is clearly between the people and military. If the state and central government considers, as has been the case so far till date since the merger in 1949, military /security forces only to be trusted for national security in Manipur it will conceal the truth by tempering all evidences. And if by the recent change in national politics both the elected government at the state and centre decide to trust the people over the security forces for the India’s national security the truth will be out in and justice will be done, deeply held trauma and historical pains will begin to be assuaged, and credibility and accountability of the Indian state will be improved. However, going by the past trends, the state Govt is likely to choose for the first option but if changing time favours the second choice, 2015 can prove to be a watershed moment for social transformation in the history of the State. The second option is likely choice for present state Govt only if it is bold enough to trust its own strength of being the most stable Govt and honest enough to be accountable to the people more important than the loyalty to the Central Govt, although, it is indeed the hardest choice.

In the unlikelihood of opting for the harder choice, there can be a third option for the Govt which may be easier and quite adept to have developed mastery. This is to do anything to weaken agitating civil society groups demanding for justice. It requires inviting the agitating groups one by one, divide them and buy them off to their favour or bully them by intimidations or isolate them (if one is too extreme or too hard to bend) by putting them behind the bars on any flimsy grounds for years and weaken them from inside while keeping alive like Sharmila. Interestingly, this tactic has worked well with the people in Manipur as they are deeply divided within community and groups, suspicious of one another, competing leaderships with deep distrusts and often impulsively reactive to situations and indulge in mob violence, and especially when public memory is also often short-lived. In such situation often times people’s movement easily get diverted to side tracts from the main issue as there are many leaders. For instance, ILP movement was derailed for sometime by Victoria factor and Sharmila’s historical movement by Coutinho factor for the few years. The state always wins the game without having to deliver the justice people hunger for restoration of human dignity! Furthermore, since the state alone has the right to use violence by established international laws and conventions, it is easy and right for any Govt to arm itself tooth to nail and use violence against its own people who use violence against the state and also justify the same. State’s right to armed and use violence cannot be questioned by any non-state group within the state except by an intervention at the legislation and judiciary. But why the legislatures and judiciaries do not/ cannot work in Manipur to make the state less violent and more people centered?

And yet, the eight skulls, standing together, are asking to hear them out the unheard stories of crimes committed upon them and their families as the state alone can, is capable of and duty bound to listen to the grievances of its citizens on issue of fundamental violation of human rights, unless by law the state with due procedures declares someone ‘outlaw’. The question is: Is the state Govt of Manipur ready to listen to them and let the people know the truth in toto and take up concrete legal and social measures to deliver restorative justice to the victim families? Equally critical is also the question to civil society groups and human rights defenders in the state whether they will be able to get the state deliver justice to the victim family – which may prove to be a historical and transformative moment for the state by engaging the state consistently as one collective and using appropriate legal, social and political means without resorting to violence that could weaken the struggles for human rights in this undeclared war field. Even as these questions will continue to trouble us it may be worthwhile to take few observations on the suspected war crime sites without declared war.

Discovery of eight skulls right across the State Legislative Assembly building inside the campus of an educational institute also tells upon the character of consecutive Governments that we only elected to rule and the nature of the state of Manipur over the past three-four decades which may have serious social and political implications. However, going by the version of the state home minister, if the Govt is able to prove with authentic records; facts and figures of the place once having been a hospital mortuary and no. of death bodies voluntarily or with family consent, dumped at the site, it can put at rest all the implications of discovering the eight unidentified skulls. Until such time the Govt proves it this way, the location of the suspected homicidal war crime site close to law making institute of a established democratic society, irrespective of whether the criminals were state or non state actors, undoubtedly show the weakness and subjugation of civil authority to either the military under AFSPA 1958 or non-state groups over the years to commit any crimes they wanted under their nose. It further raises more fundamental questions.

One may like to ask the role of elected Government in the undeclared internal war between the state armed forces and non-state armed groups in Manipur. Is the Govt of Manipur facilitating war or peace in Manipur when it cannot exercise its power over the military under AFSPA 1958 to investigate and prevent the reported cases of enforced involuntary disappearance of its own people and encourage proven extra-judicial killings of innocent people in the state over the last three decades? Why does the Govt of Manipur religiously and obediently so have to extend the “Disturbed Area Act” year after year to use security forces under the Act on whom they have no control? Whose securities are at stake in Manipur: the Govt security forces who have to operate in alien racial and cultural region; the elected leaders and the political class; the contractors and business communities who finance the political class; or the majority of common people on the streets, farmers and the poor in the rural areas? Who is benefitting most out of the sustained disturbed conditions and persistent presence of army under AFSPA with extra-judicial powers in the state?

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/skulls-to-tell-the-truth-who-is-prepared-to-listen-and-act/