Tag: Articles-Opinions

By Malangba Bangormayum

I like people who like people whom I like. I like specially those people who like my son and tell things like, `he is so cute`, `he is so talented`… `he is very intelligent`. I like them anyways even if I know that what they say might not be true. Is it just me or is it a common phenomenon? My wife says it is common enough.

I like people who like Manipur. I met two such people on the same day last week. The first person`™s father was an IAS officer posted in different parts of Manipur – Chandel, Churachandpur, Ukhrul and Imphal. She grew up in Manipur. And more importantly she talks of Manipur with a certain unmistakable nostalgia. She conducts a children`™s choir. Her brother is none other than the conductor of The Shillong Chamber Choir. Circumstances had somehow brought the two of us together to adjudge very talented singers and instrumentalists from the NER. In fact, the talent and stature of one in particular put the two of us in a very discomforting position. We had to judge, one of the most identifiable singers from our region, who has attained iconic status. He was part of the Great Society and has a penchant for wearing really tight and really short jeans pants while performing. There are some people who are beyond any kind of formal judging `“ they have made a mark, they have contributed their bit. He is one of them. How do one judge persons like him? Simply because I happen to have a formal degree in the domain in which he functions, I am made a judge of him.

The director of the government agency where this business transpired, it so happens, was throwing a luncheon to celebrate his retirement in a few days. When I was making an exit from the premises, I was introduced to him. He was in high spirits. He smelled of fine spirits – literally. As soon as he came to know that I am from Manipur, he started to move his well-oiled wheels of eloquence. His father was the proprietor of Imphal Talkies. He grew up in Imphal. He talked of Imphal Talkies with pride and joy `“ even though Imphal Talkies is no longer theirs. His father made it a point that the finest Hollywood productions had its premiere shows, in the country, in Imphal Talkies. This was a big gamble. Distributors charge disproportionate fees for premieres. Though this made him lose money he didn`™t mind. Such was his passion to make Imphal Talkies a Cinema to talk about.

My Fair Lady, I was told by this gentleman, made its premier in India at Imphal Talkies. When one of the Warner Brothers came to Bombay as part of a victory lap for the phenomenal success, especially in terms of returns of this film, he was greeted by a bouquet of flowers with the card `For My Fair Lady from Imphal Talkies`. When the producer returned home, he sent a thank you card with the words – `To Imphal Talkies from My Fair Lady. No one had sent a lovelier gift`. These stories from another generation sounded fantastic. They enervated my tired nerves after a daylong affair of judging artistes`™s talents and capabilities, some of which were atrocious. The stories reaffirmed my belief about the part passions play in carving the world.

When I was about to leave, I asked the name of his father. The gentleman came close to my ears and whispered a name which sounded like an Islamic name. But the spirits had done its work by then. I could not get the name. Afraid that I might offend such a nice person, I did not have the courage to ask him to repeat the name. I thought `what`™s the point?` I know the person without knowing the name, without having seen his face. I felt I knew him, someone separated by time. What`™s in a name anyways?

I remember the big long fans inside Imphal Talkies. Who can forget the languorous whirring synchronicity they performed in those warm Imphal summer holidays. As a kid, I loved to look at them, more than the movies sometimes. Now, everyone knows the condition of Imphal Talkies. It has had its day. And what an amazing day it must have been.

On my way home, I silently reflected on whether the state`™s creative output in the area of films had anything to do with the passion of that gentleman. Perhaps, it might have. Some Manipuri friends of the gentleman`™s father jokingly told him that his father whetted the insurgency movements by bringing in films about rebellion, films about freedom and films about the wild, wild-west. Perhaps, this too might have some truth under the veneer of a joke. A far-fetched possibility in any case.

Every time I go by Imphal Talkies, I shall smile, knowing that it had a past, a wonderful past. I might also sigh at the condition that it has come to. Perhaps, I would then reflect on the transitory illusoriness of things. This reflection too, no doubt, shall be transitory.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/flowers-for-my-fair-lady/

By Tinky Ningombam

In the hope to do a little bit of research for this year`™s fest, I stumbled upon their pretty website http://sangaifestival.gov.in/ . Ignoring my OCD against grammatical errors, I browsed through the pages in a frenzy. And then I found something fascinating. There it was, a tab that said `MAN BEHIND THE WHEELS/FESTIVALS`, just within the section THEME & PURPOSE OF FESTIVAL. Of course I wanted to know who the MAN is, the man who is running this entire show, who came up with this spectacular event. Who wouldn`™t? I clicked on it and what did I find? NOTHING. A blank page. A million questions ran in my mind. Why was this blank? If it was supposed to be blank, why was this page created? Who did they want to name the Father of The Sangai Festival? Who is the neo, the alpha, the omega ? Who is the ONE? A mystery never fails to excite me. Manipur, you always seem to give me such profound moments of joy every single day. One mystery after another. It is like living a Sherlock Holmes story. When will I ever tire of you?
Manipur celebrates Sangai Festival. All that people seem to be talking about is the festival. Which is good. Talk is good. No publicity is bad publicity. 30,000 thronged the 8th day of the event read local dailies. For the state it is one of the rare market-able investment. So far in all these years, the only scaling up I felt were the delegations from other states and countries. And now our PM.

The cultural events seems to have wowed the delegates; that is good news indeed. Sunday`™s grand finale will be the make or break day. It might just be a little early to rejoice. Last time I checked, the best thing about last year turned out to be the Moreh light bulbs outside. Not only for being a good backdrop for people`™s Facebook pictures but especially the day after where people took (stole) it to light their own homes. And who could forget the ample bad memories from years past. The unruly audience catcalling foreign artistes and the obnoxious thefts from the foreign stalls. The drunk people at the venue and the caterwauling at fashion shows. See, some things you have to learn as individuals. The government is not responsible for how the people behave, that we have to admit. This time around, it is quite funny though that by far the most talked about stall is the certain one with fried chicken from Guwahati. Beat that! Manipur tourism fest mega-seller is a fried chicken stall! Colonel Sanders must be seeing dollar signs in heaven.

Though without doubt, a state sponsored festival with no competition so far is definitely a very good product to build and market. Give or take some glitches, such as the lack of security or proper hospitality infrastructure. People like a spectacle, period. We like drama and entertainment. All work and no play definitely makes Jack a dull boy. So every year, people come to see the same venue and stalls over and over again in the hope to find something new, something better for them. But what is the future of the festival now? Can we hosts hundreds of people coming in from other places to visit? Because it is `Safety First` right? Till we can assure safe travels and stays, the Sangai Festival has to be in the beta stage because sadly, despite many promises, it is still a `come at your own risk` affair.

It is an occupational hazard that every time I read a bad headline, the PR person in me twitches her thumbs. A grenade managing to miraculously get past our beloved and efficient police and security forces. Some officials seem to be a little too distracted by the food stalls. But what the heck, business as usual, eh? One asks why it is that anything that our state government does gets bad press. One answer. No trust. It is all a vicious circle. The people don`™t trust the government, they don`™t trust the law enforcers, and the government don`™t trust the people `¦ practically no-one trusts anyone to do the right job. Murphy`™s Law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. In our state, there is more wrong than right.In fact there is no `right`, there is the `wrong` and the `not-so-wrong.`

What of the festival though? The gathering of rich and poor alike, meeting of locals and people from beyond. How does it bode for the state? This is where it makes one wonder how you measure the success of the festival. Is it the public`™s satisfied palates, profits from the local stalls, publicity to fill up their year books? What is the benchmark? What deals goes on behind the red tapes?

There is only one way to sustain a property to create interest and that is to scale it up – to make it bigger, better and grander. Tourism is more than just festivals, you will agree. Tourism fests are about creating local affinities, enabling infrastructure, enhancing the image of the state, helping the economy. You don`t need a college degree to understand this. We need some real action, less deceptive magic tricks. No smoke clouds and sparkles. More returns for the people. Because we know better that it is one thing to create a spectacle and another to get benefits. Some national limelight will definitely be a welcome sign for the final day. Due credit to one of Indian media`™s darling, our hon. Prime Minister, Mr Modi. Grand day ahead. Between a curfew and the PM`™s bandobast, it will be a swell Sunday. Notwithstanding some inappropriate man-handling and body cavity searches. Readers, do upload selfies.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/the-2014-edition-of-the-great-sangai-festival/

By Tinky Ningombam

In the hope to do a little bit of research for this year`™s fest, I stumbled upon their pretty website http://sangaifestival.gov.in/ . Ignoring my OCD against grammatical errors, I browsed through the pages in a frenzy. And then I found something fascinating. There it was, a tab that said `MAN BEHIND THE WHEELS/FESTIVALS`, just within the section THEME & PURPOSE OF FESTIVAL. Of course I wanted to know who the MAN is, the man who is running this entire show, who came up with this spectacular event. Who wouldn`™t? I clicked on it and what did I find? NOTHING. A blank page. A million questions ran in my mind. Why was this blank? If it was supposed to be blank, why was this page created? Who did they want to name the Father of The Sangai Festival? Who is the neo, the alpha, the omega ? Who is the ONE? A mystery never fails to excite me. Manipur, you always seem to give me such profound moments of joy every single day. One mystery after another. It is like living a Sherlock Holmes story. When will I ever tire of you?
Manipur celebrates Sangai Festival. All that people seem to be talking about is the festival. Which is good. Talk is good. No publicity is bad publicity. 30,000 thronged the 8th day of the event read local dailies. For the state it is one of the rare market-able investment. So far in all these years, the only scaling up I felt were the delegations from other states and countries. And now our PM.

The cultural events seems to have wowed the delegates; that is good news indeed. Sunday`™s grand finale will be the make or break day. It might just be a little early to rejoice. Last time I checked, the best thing about last year turned out to be the Moreh light bulbs outside. Not only for being a good backdrop for people`™s Facebook pictures but especially the day after where people took (stole) it to light their own homes. And who could forget the ample bad memories from years past. The unruly audience catcalling foreign artistes and the obnoxious thefts from the foreign stalls. The drunk people at the venue and the caterwauling at fashion shows. See, some things you have to learn as individuals. The government is not responsible for how the people behave, that we have to admit. This time around, it is quite funny though that by far the most talked about stall is the certain one with fried chicken from Guwahati. Beat that! Manipur tourism fest mega-seller is a fried chicken stall! Colonel Sanders must be seeing dollar signs in heaven.

Though without doubt, a state sponsored festival with no competition so far is definitely a very good product to build and market. Give or take some glitches, such as the lack of security or proper hospitality infrastructure. People like a spectacle, period. We like drama and entertainment. All work and no play definitely makes Jack a dull boy. So every year, people come to see the same venue and stalls over and over again in the hope to find something new, something better for them. But what is the future of the festival now? Can we hosts hundreds of people coming in from other places to visit? Because it is `Safety First` right? Till we can assure safe travels and stays, the Sangai Festival has to be in the beta stage because sadly, despite many promises, it is still a `come at your own risk` affair.

It is an occupational hazard that every time I read a bad headline, the PR person in me twitches her thumbs. A grenade managing to miraculously get past our beloved and efficient police and security forces. Some officials seem to be a little too distracted by the food stalls. But what the heck, business as usual, eh? One asks why it is that anything that our state government does gets bad press. One answer. No trust. It is all a vicious circle. The people don`™t trust the government, they don`™t trust the law enforcers, and the government don`™t trust the people `¦ practically no-one trusts anyone to do the right job. Murphy`™s Law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. In our state, there is more wrong than right.In fact there is no `right`, there is the `wrong` and the `not-so-wrong.`

What of the festival though? The gathering of rich and poor alike, meeting of locals and people from beyond. How does it bode for the state? This is where it makes one wonder how you measure the success of the festival. Is it the public`™s satisfied palates, profits from the local stalls, publicity to fill up their year books? What is the benchmark? What deals goes on behind the red tapes?

There is only one way to sustain a property to create interest and that is to scale it up – to make it bigger, better and grander. Tourism is more than just festivals, you will agree. Tourism fests are about creating local affinities, enabling infrastructure, enhancing the image of the state, helping the economy. You don`t need a college degree to understand this. We need some real action, less deceptive magic tricks. No smoke clouds and sparkles. More returns for the people. Because we know better that it is one thing to create a spectacle and another to get benefits. Some national limelight will definitely be a welcome sign for the final day. Due credit to one of Indian media`™s darling, our hon. Prime Minister, Mr Modi. Grand day ahead. Between a curfew and the PM`™s bandobast, it will be a swell Sunday. Notwithstanding some inappropriate man-handling and body cavity searches. Readers, do upload selfies.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/the-2014-edition-of-the-great-sangai-festival/

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/haider-and-its-echoes/

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/haider-and-its-echoes/

Hon`™ble Sir,

Greetings from Manipur, where the Indian National Flag was hoisted for the first time in India on 14 April, 1944. I am not a political person but a Social Worker working in the field of social issues in Manipur to bring peace, prosperity , communal harmony in Manipur.

You may be aware of the rich history of Manipur as a sovereign kingdom with unbroken history from 1445 BC till 27 April, 1891 and as a princely state from 1891 till 15 October, 1949 when Manipur was forcibly merged to India. The Government of India had committed a series of historical blunders during 1947-1950 which are beyond the scope of international laws and which remained as a source of conflicts with the Government of India and the people of Manipur. The present policy of the Government of India appeasing Naga underground (NSCN-IM) sacrificing the vital interest of Manipur added fuel to the prevailing ethnic tension in Manipur . This is definitely not a wise policy of the Government of India.

In this connection, you may kindly refer to the statement of G.K. Pillai, the then Union Home Secretary, which was published on 27 September, 2011 in the Telegraph newspaper. According to him, the repeal of the draconian act AFSPA -1958 was one of the first steps towards resolving the vexed conflict of Manipur`™s valley and hills. He said that ` the ancient kingdom of Manipur had a constitution even before India wrote her own and had a proud history and was overnight turned into a C-category state in 1948. He further added ` we have to build trust by dealing with the core issues An apology , say by the Prime Minister or the Home Minister, for the past mistakes could be a start.` Kumari Irom Chanu Sharmila has been undergoing ` Fasting unto death` for the last 14 years for repeal of AFSPA whereas Gandhiji`™s longest fast was 21 days.

We feel that an apology is not sufficient. The historical blunders which led to illegal annexation of Manipur to India generate a sense of betrayal in the psyche of youths of Manipur today. G.K. Pillai said ` Naga political problem in the hills and the Meitei militancy were intricately enmeshed. It was after Nagaland was formed that the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the oldest Meitei insurgent group in Manipur was formed in 1964.` In fact Nagaland state was created by the Government of India from a village republic with no written history when Manipur with a written history of 2000 years was denied of Statehood till 1972.

The recent statement of the Union Home Minister that the Government of India will continue the implementation of AFSPA as per wishes of the Indian Army amount to handing over the administration of Manipur to the Army. If it is so, why not the Indian Government impose AFSPA on Maoist and Naxalite infested states like Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Why do the Indian Government choose to impose AFSPA selectively in some states like Manipur, Kashmir. Is there any hidden agenda?

If the Government of India genuinely wants a long lasting solution bringing peace, prosperity, development and communal harmony of Manipur, you may kindly consider to come out with some concrete solutions in the form of constitutional amendments .

1. The Instrument of Accession signed by Maharajah Bodhchandra of Manipur on 11 August was never ratified by the Manipur Constituent Assembly and therefore not valid. In case of Jammu and Kashmir , the Instrument of Accession was ratified on February 15, 1954.

2. According to the Government of India Act-1935 (6), (9) , as soon as may be after any Instrument of Accession or Supplementary Instrument has been accepted by His Majesty under this section, copies of the Instrument and His Majesty`™s acceptance thereof shall be laid before the Parliament and all courts shall take judicial notice of every such instrument and acceptance. But there are no records of the accepted copies of the Instrument of Accession of Manipur having laid down before the Parliament and all courts of India ?

3. Signing of Merger agreement on 21 September, 1949 was done by deceit, coercion, intimidation and forceful tactics contrary to international laws when India claimed to be a democratic country. Even after signing the Instrument of Accession, Manipur did not lose her sovereignty as the Union Government was to look after Defense, External affairs and Communications. The signing of the Manipur Merger Agreement was therefore between a sovereign state called Manipur and the Government of India. It should therefore be free from coercion or intimidation, force or undue pressure. What the Government of India did was nothing but coercion, intimidation under house arrest with a large numbers of security personnel.

4. The 4th sitting of the 3rd session of the Manipur State Assembly in its session held at the Johnston School on 28th September, 1949 at 2.30 pm in protest against the “Merger Agreement signed on 21st September 1949″ declared the Merger Agreement was invalid as the powers and authorities of Maharaja had been vested with the State Assembly. The excerpt of the Assembly proceedings was published in the Manipur State Gazette, part IV, dated 14 October 1949. Mr. T.C. Tiankham Speaker , Mr. M. K, Priyobarta Singh, Chief Minister and 6 other Ministers and Hon`ble 43 Members were present and adopted the resolution. The copies of the declaration signed by P.B. Singh, Chief Minister, T.C. Tiankham, Speaker, Arambam Ibungotomcha Singh, Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs was sent to the Government of India. But there is no reply on this issue during the last 65 years.

5. Once Manipur became part of the India, the Government of India dissolved the State`s Constitution Assembly in October, 1949 without repealing the Manipur Constitution Act-1947. This is another blunder the Government of India placed Manipur under `Part C State`. This was considered a disgrace to the state and the people of Manipur. Further it was degraded to the status of the union territory from 1956 onwards. In 1972, Manipur was elevated to the status of a state (or province) after a long and protracted struggle. Nagaland was raised from a village republic to Statehood on1 December, 1963 as a part of appeasement policy of the Government of India towards the Naga underground movement. Manipuris took it as a gross insult to the state and the people of Manipur perpetuated by the Government of India.

In case of Jammu and Kashmir, Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India had allowed to have (1) a special status under Article 370 of Indian Constitution in spite of so many oppositions, Ambedkar refused to prepare a draft of Article 370 (2) a separate constitution (3) a separate flag (4) a separate emblem to appease his half-brother Sheikh Abdulla, who was just a school teacher. In case of Manipur, he had done many things, which was detrimental to the general interest of Manipur people. His small statue at Imphal constantly reminded the people about the blunders he had done to the people. The existing Article 371C of the Indian Constitution is found to be extremely discriminatory and the source of all communal conflicts in Manipur which needs to be amended. We feel that you may be aware that the Indian Constitution was imposed on Manipur. Manipur did not participate in the Indian Constitutional debate held during 9th december,1946 to 24th January, 1950. It was never ratified by the then Manipur State Assembly. Manipur never asked the Government of India for constitutional amendment during the last 65 years. Among all the problems of Manipur, constitutional amendment to bring about communal harmony, unity, equality and solidarity among all ethnic groups of Manipur is the number one priority.

Considering these points, I would like to request you kindly find a permanent cure to these problem in Manipur and consider amendment of the Indian Constitution with the following provisions :-

1. The Article 3 of Indian Constitution regarding alteration of state boundaries shall not apply in respect of Manipur to protect the 2000 year old territorial integrity of Manipur.

2. The Union List and Concurrent list under the Indian Constitution pertaining to Manipur shall be taken up by the Government of India only with the concurrence of the State Legislative Assembly

3. Since 90% of Manipur is a hill area, Manipur may be declared as a Hill State

4. All the ethnic groups in Manipur may be brought under an uniform civil code

5. All the ethnic groups in Manipur may be brought under an uniform Land Laws

6. Any person from other states of India will be allowed to purchase lands only with the approval of the State Government to protect the indigenous people of Manipur

7. Any person from other states of India shall need an `Inner Line Permit` to enter Manipur on payment of nominal fees to protect the identity, culture, traditions, language, script of the Manipuris . Manipur welcomes all people from other states to visit Manipur .

8. The Pakhangba `“Sanamahi religion and other Tribal religions which are the indigenous religions of Manipur will be recognized as the other religions of the State.

9. The Constitution should provide establishment of an upper house ( Legislative Council ) with a minimum of 40 members with 10 seats reserved for nomination.

10 The Number of Rajya Sabha MPs should be increased to seven (7) on the basis of equal representation of states as done in USA and other countries. Large and small states shoukl dbe treated at par in the Rajya Sabha or Council of States.

11. The Manipuri script ( Meitei Mayek) should be included in the coins and currency bank notes

12. The followers of Pakhangba `“Sanamahi religion may be put under ` Scheduled Tribe category` of the Indian Constitution.

If you kindly consider these amendments and implement successfully , more than 90 percent of the problems of Manipur will subside.

Your sincerely

Dr. Khomdon Lisam
Former Superintendent of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of
Medical Sciences, Imphal.
(khomdon,lisham@yahoo.com)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/an-open-letter-to-shri-narendra-modi-honble-prime-minister-of-india/

Hon`™ble Sir,

Greetings from Manipur, where the Indian National Flag was hoisted for the first time in India on 14 April, 1944. I am not a political person but a Social Worker working in the field of social issues in Manipur to bring peace, prosperity , communal harmony in Manipur.

You may be aware of the rich history of Manipur as a sovereign kingdom with unbroken history from 1445 BC till 27 April, 1891 and as a princely state from 1891 till 15 October, 1949 when Manipur was forcibly merged to India. The Government of India had committed a series of historical blunders during 1947-1950 which are beyond the scope of international laws and which remained as a source of conflicts with the Government of India and the people of Manipur. The present policy of the Government of India appeasing Naga underground (NSCN-IM) sacrificing the vital interest of Manipur added fuel to the prevailing ethnic tension in Manipur . This is definitely not a wise policy of the Government of India.

In this connection, you may kindly refer to the statement of G.K. Pillai, the then Union Home Secretary, which was published on 27 September, 2011 in the Telegraph newspaper. According to him, the repeal of the draconian act AFSPA -1958 was one of the first steps towards resolving the vexed conflict of Manipur`™s valley and hills. He said that ` the ancient kingdom of Manipur had a constitution even before India wrote her own and had a proud history and was overnight turned into a C-category state in 1948. He further added ` we have to build trust by dealing with the core issues An apology , say by the Prime Minister or the Home Minister, for the past mistakes could be a start.` Kumari Irom Chanu Sharmila has been undergoing ` Fasting unto death` for the last 14 years for repeal of AFSPA whereas Gandhiji`™s longest fast was 21 days.

We feel that an apology is not sufficient. The historical blunders which led to illegal annexation of Manipur to India generate a sense of betrayal in the psyche of youths of Manipur today. G.K. Pillai said ` Naga political problem in the hills and the Meitei militancy were intricately enmeshed. It was after Nagaland was formed that the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the oldest Meitei insurgent group in Manipur was formed in 1964.` In fact Nagaland state was created by the Government of India from a village republic with no written history when Manipur with a written history of 2000 years was denied of Statehood till 1972.

The recent statement of the Union Home Minister that the Government of India will continue the implementation of AFSPA as per wishes of the Indian Army amount to handing over the administration of Manipur to the Army. If it is so, why not the Indian Government impose AFSPA on Maoist and Naxalite infested states like Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Why do the Indian Government choose to impose AFSPA selectively in some states like Manipur, Kashmir. Is there any hidden agenda?

If the Government of India genuinely wants a long lasting solution bringing peace, prosperity, development and communal harmony of Manipur, you may kindly consider to come out with some concrete solutions in the form of constitutional amendments .

1. The Instrument of Accession signed by Maharajah Bodhchandra of Manipur on 11 August was never ratified by the Manipur Constituent Assembly and therefore not valid. In case of Jammu and Kashmir , the Instrument of Accession was ratified on February 15, 1954.

2. According to the Government of India Act-1935 (6), (9) , as soon as may be after any Instrument of Accession or Supplementary Instrument has been accepted by His Majesty under this section, copies of the Instrument and His Majesty`™s acceptance thereof shall be laid before the Parliament and all courts shall take judicial notice of every such instrument and acceptance. But there are no records of the accepted copies of the Instrument of Accession of Manipur having laid down before the Parliament and all courts of India ?

3. Signing of Merger agreement on 21 September, 1949 was done by deceit, coercion, intimidation and forceful tactics contrary to international laws when India claimed to be a democratic country. Even after signing the Instrument of Accession, Manipur did not lose her sovereignty as the Union Government was to look after Defense, External affairs and Communications. The signing of the Manipur Merger Agreement was therefore between a sovereign state called Manipur and the Government of India. It should therefore be free from coercion or intimidation, force or undue pressure. What the Government of India did was nothing but coercion, intimidation under house arrest with a large numbers of security personnel.

4. The 4th sitting of the 3rd session of the Manipur State Assembly in its session held at the Johnston School on 28th September, 1949 at 2.30 pm in protest against the “Merger Agreement signed on 21st September 1949″ declared the Merger Agreement was invalid as the powers and authorities of Maharaja had been vested with the State Assembly. The excerpt of the Assembly proceedings was published in the Manipur State Gazette, part IV, dated 14 October 1949. Mr. T.C. Tiankham Speaker , Mr. M. K, Priyobarta Singh, Chief Minister and 6 other Ministers and Hon`ble 43 Members were present and adopted the resolution. The copies of the declaration signed by P.B. Singh, Chief Minister, T.C. Tiankham, Speaker, Arambam Ibungotomcha Singh, Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs was sent to the Government of India. But there is no reply on this issue during the last 65 years.

5. Once Manipur became part of the India, the Government of India dissolved the State`s Constitution Assembly in October, 1949 without repealing the Manipur Constitution Act-1947. This is another blunder the Government of India placed Manipur under `Part C State`. This was considered a disgrace to the state and the people of Manipur. Further it was degraded to the status of the union territory from 1956 onwards. In 1972, Manipur was elevated to the status of a state (or province) after a long and protracted struggle. Nagaland was raised from a village republic to Statehood on1 December, 1963 as a part of appeasement policy of the Government of India towards the Naga underground movement. Manipuris took it as a gross insult to the state and the people of Manipur perpetuated by the Government of India.

In case of Jammu and Kashmir, Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India had allowed to have (1) a special status under Article 370 of Indian Constitution in spite of so many oppositions, Ambedkar refused to prepare a draft of Article 370 (2) a separate constitution (3) a separate flag (4) a separate emblem to appease his half-brother Sheikh Abdulla, who was just a school teacher. In case of Manipur, he had done many things, which was detrimental to the general interest of Manipur people. His small statue at Imphal constantly reminded the people about the blunders he had done to the people. The existing Article 371C of the Indian Constitution is found to be extremely discriminatory and the source of all communal conflicts in Manipur which needs to be amended. We feel that you may be aware that the Indian Constitution was imposed on Manipur. Manipur did not participate in the Indian Constitutional debate held during 9th december,1946 to 24th January, 1950. It was never ratified by the then Manipur State Assembly. Manipur never asked the Government of India for constitutional amendment during the last 65 years. Among all the problems of Manipur, constitutional amendment to bring about communal harmony, unity, equality and solidarity among all ethnic groups of Manipur is the number one priority.

Considering these points, I would like to request you kindly find a permanent cure to these problem in Manipur and consider amendment of the Indian Constitution with the following provisions :-

1. The Article 3 of Indian Constitution regarding alteration of state boundaries shall not apply in respect of Manipur to protect the 2000 year old territorial integrity of Manipur.

2. The Union List and Concurrent list under the Indian Constitution pertaining to Manipur shall be taken up by the Government of India only with the concurrence of the State Legislative Assembly

3. Since 90% of Manipur is a hill area, Manipur may be declared as a Hill State

4. All the ethnic groups in Manipur may be brought under an uniform civil code

5. All the ethnic groups in Manipur may be brought under an uniform Land Laws

6. Any person from other states of India will be allowed to purchase lands only with the approval of the State Government to protect the indigenous people of Manipur

7. Any person from other states of India shall need an `Inner Line Permit` to enter Manipur on payment of nominal fees to protect the identity, culture, traditions, language, script of the Manipuris . Manipur welcomes all people from other states to visit Manipur .

8. The Pakhangba `“Sanamahi religion and other Tribal religions which are the indigenous religions of Manipur will be recognized as the other religions of the State.

9. The Constitution should provide establishment of an upper house ( Legislative Council ) with a minimum of 40 members with 10 seats reserved for nomination.

10 The Number of Rajya Sabha MPs should be increased to seven (7) on the basis of equal representation of states as done in USA and other countries. Large and small states shoukl dbe treated at par in the Rajya Sabha or Council of States.

11. The Manipuri script ( Meitei Mayek) should be included in the coins and currency bank notes

12. The followers of Pakhangba `“Sanamahi religion may be put under ` Scheduled Tribe category` of the Indian Constitution.

If you kindly consider these amendments and implement successfully , more than 90 percent of the problems of Manipur will subside.

Your sincerely

Dr. Khomdon Lisam
Former Superintendent of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of
Medical Sciences, Imphal.
(khomdon,lisham@yahoo.com)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/11/an-open-letter-to-shri-narendra-modi-honble-prime-minister-of-india/

By Thangkhanlal Ngaihte

People like to have it easy. No one wants to get hurt.
This may be one good way to explain why cases like Juliet Zonunmawii keep happening. Juliet was a 24-years old Mizo woman who died on October 16 in Delhi. Investigation is ongoing, but there was a deep stab wound on her thigh and foul play is apparent. Her alleged boyfriend, one Virender Singh from Dehradun, is a suspect in the case.
Predictably, social media is awash with wisdom-after-the-fact. Why did she went out with an outsider (community-wise) in the first place? She brought shame on the entire Zo community and she deserved what she got, many said.
Juliet was unlucky. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of northeast women whose lives are identical to Juliet. Take a walk through the by-lanes of Munirka, where Juliet lives, around 11 pm. There is no dearth of young woman, too drunk to walk, or, too affected by whatever drugs they are taking to care how they look or what others think as they watch. You see them cavorting with African men, or mainlanders. On a Christmas night a few years ago, when I was also living in Munirka, I came across a Mizo-speaking girl crouching on the sidewalk as I walk out, sobbing and whispering into her phone. When I returned, she was still there. It was a cold night. I gingerly approached her and tried to talk to her. She suddenly jerked her face toward me and shouted, `get away.`™ I got away and never see her again.
There was a time when things were better at home in the northeast and very few ventured into places like Delhi. Then, things got bad. The better-off amongst us started migrating to the cities, mainly for education and government-service. Then, the economy went global, internet boom happened and with it, BPO and retail jobs. Northeasterners, who have a headstart in English education, came to be much sought after. Retail jobs and hospitality demand exotic-looking girls. The profile of those who migrate to the cities changed. Now, the majority of those who come here do so to grab jobs in the private sector, not for education.
At home, we have layers of social solidarities protecting us. Most of us live with our parents and grand-parents. We sometimes resent their overbearance, but we can always rush to their ams when we face trouble. They are precious cushions to emotional turmoil. There is the church in which we seek emotional and spiritual well-being. There are legions of social and philanthropic bodies to set rules and boundaries regarding social life.
In places like Delhi too, we tried to reproduce those institutions. We used to make records of everyone from our community coming here. We organize social meets and freshers welcome functions. We set up our own churches. We connect and keep track of each other.
But, since sometime, we seem to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of migration. Some people also resent that we set up all those social bodies, trying to create a `mini-Lamka`™ in Delhi. Churches no longer search out those who come, it is for those who come to search out the church. Many people, especially those who came for easy jobs, do not bother to reach out to their own kind. They started to live on their own.
The cities are unforgiving. There is neither soul nor emotion. This is especially hard for us northeasterners because we were used to layers and layers of social relationships and protection in a tight-knit village society. One major complaint against northeasterners is that they often gather together, party and play loud music. This is actually no surprise. It is simply that this is how we live life back home, though, in a more innocent setting. We long for home food. We want to hear and talk about home. We cannot do without our own kind. We always long for that animating fire-side chat and human solidarity.
You live alone. You don`™t know the person living next door. You feel lonely and depressed. You had a fight with your parents who don`™t understand how things are. You broke up with your boyfriend. Your job did not work out. You run out of money and feel ashamed to ask your parents. What do you do? It is natural, in such case, to open up and make relationships with anyone who show care and interest in us. That`™s what many of us do. But, these people are not interested in marriage or long term commitment. They want sex, and once they got that, they tried to use you for flesh trade or worse. They abuse you, call you a slut and leave you. You become heart-broken, but cannot turn to your own kind because you have already become famous in a bad way. What you do? Drugs, drinks, prostitution, suicide?
In many such cases, there are concerned people, or relatives, who heard about it and reported the same to parents back home. But, normally, such news are not appreciated. It`™s not that parents don`™t care for their children. They care for them so much so that they come to be willing to listen only to good news about them. They would rather not hear anything than hear bad news. May be, they are in constant dread of receiving calls for fear of hearing bad news. Feeling helpless and frustrated, they often vent that frustration on the bearers of bad news. As I said above, no one likes to get hurt. People want it easy. Only, in some cases, the refusal to face reality and confront it leads to corpses coming home.
Migration to alien cities will continue. Racism and racist violence will not end. If at all, it will still get worse before it gets better. Incidents like Juliet`™s will likely continue too. What can we do? Frankly, I am at a loss. But, one thing we should focus on must be to rebuild our social and religious institutions. We should reconnect in a human way. Churches should pay more attention to the city and train more pastors for personal counselling, psychological support, etc. Our need for such solidarities increase, not decrease, in the city which is, by its very nature, atomistic, alienating and soulless. Facebook is simply no substitute for such warm solidarities.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/no-one-likes-to-get-hurt/

By B.G. Verghese

Not unexpectedly, as forecast, Modi has won the elections. But it has not been a famous victory.The BJP has a clear majority in Haryana but must partner with the Shiv Sena, with which it broke, in Maharashtra. The Congress has been swept away. Anti-incumbency, in-fighting, corruption, lack of leadership and arrogance brought about its downfall. The verdict is a crushing commentary on the utter non-performance of Rahul Gandhi who has been propped up by Sonia despite his proven incompetence. The Congress will die if the duo continues. The cry to bring in Priyanka has already been heard. But dynastic politics has no future and the tainted Vadra is a millstone around her neck. Now that Hooda is no more there to protect him as Haryana`™s chief minister, the manprobably will be arraigned on the serious charges of malfeasance levelled against him. The political field has changed.

In Maharashtra , tricky, coalition and leadership talks will begin.

The Congress has become so petty as to have removed Shahsi Tharoor as a party spokesperson for accepting Modi`™s nomination to be a `champion` for Swacch Bharator Clean India. He is said to have praised Modi, and not for the first time. Normal civilities should never be abandoned and no Opposition party or critic should damn the Government irrespective of the merits of the issue in hand.

The Hudhud cyclone was handled pretty smartly with mass evacuation of vulnerable populations. If post-cyclone relief was tardy, especially in and around Vishakapatnam, the epicentre, this was partly because of the unprecedented wind velocities. There arelessons to be learnt about post-disaster management as climate change is going to produce severe aberrant events. But there are other storm signals too and it is here that Modi will be tested. He has promised development and reform and is entitled to full support for worthwhile initiatives. But he has to walk his talk of dealing with all Indians equally as Prime Minister.

The madness of love-jihad appears to be dissipating now that the polls are over and charges brought forward have been repeatedly disproved as a pack of lies and malicious plants by an anti-minority HIndutva lobby. The latest round of atrocities has been against young Northeasterners in Bangalore and Gurgaon. These racist attacks by illiterate and semi-or unemployed youth have been widely condemned; but investigation and punishment have been inadequate and tardy. More stringent laws are required. Racism is blood brother to communalism, casteism, fear of loss of identity, economic insecurities, loss of habitat and petty regionalism/chauvinism. There is inadequate understanding of the fact that India`™s racial composition includes Mongoloids and Negritos in addition to Aryans and Dravidians and that this is what makes for our vast cultural and social diversity. Our education has failed to teach us this and many of us live in enclaves of the mind. The foremost among these exclusivist forces is the Hindutva-Sangh Parivar that Modi embraces.

Talented, English-speaking northeasterners are seen as `stealing` jobs from native unemployed youth in much the same manner as the Shiv Sena defends the original rights of the `Marahatta manoos` . In parts of the Northeast, Hindi-speakers are seen as `outsiders` and driven out while J&K and Sikkim haves state subject laws.

Jobs forthe boys is an understandable aspiration. The problem arises only because population growth has outstripped development opportunities linked to investment and skills. WE need to create 10 m new jobs net every year just to absorb the swelling work force. This is a Herculean taskin any circumstances but is rendered impossible by dilatory administrative clearances and by environmental conservatism based on loss of `forest`, submergence and poor resettlement and tribal rights. The latest expert group on tribal rights in development led by Professor Virginius Xaxa is a no-no document. The tribal is so over-protected as to become a hapless prisoner of abstruse virtue that leaves him/her impoverished at the end of the day. These reformers do not look down the road to see what will the tribal condition a decade or two from now.

The State had dramatically failed to improve tribal lives and administration. They have been isolated and left to stew in their own juice. True, there has been exploitation from all sides without redress. The problem is now seen as callous neglect and the need to protect these communities from left-wing extremism through `packages`. The existing legal and constitutional structure under the Fifth schedule has been by-passed and we are today in no-man`™s land. Only a leaked summary of the Xaxa report is available and we must in fairness therefore wait to see what redeems it.

Corporate partnership, as prescribed by the Supreme Court`™sSamantha judgement and sought to be implemented in the Vedanta case, has been proscribed or stymied. A good, independent study of the Vedenta development experience in Lanjigarh-Nyamgiri in Orissa could be instructive. The project has been rudely stalled and tens of thousands of jobs, and downstream benefits and the multiplier effect resulting therefrom have been thrown away. What is the tribal condition in that desperately region minus Vedanta? What is the State`™s record and what a busy-body like Rahul done? What and where is Modi`™s policy, though the BJP rules in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh?

Modi`™s so-called diplomatic coup in getting SAARC leaders to attend his swearing-in in Delhi, never well planned but tom-tommed endlessly, is now in tatters. We are now in confrontation with Pakistan and China on the border, with the BJP having drummed up the idea of a `strong, no-nonsense leader`, stirring chauvinist cadres and commentators to frenzy, squeezing electoral mileage out of this. Neither Pakistan nor China are innocents abroad and the two have probably joined to drum up the latest border tension.None of this augurs well for peace and neighbourhood cooperation.

www.bgverghese. com

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/modi-wins-amid-storm-signals/

By Amar Yumnam

Time is important, and real time is really important. The significance of this understanding has really risen and at increasingly fastening pace. In the olden days the speed of the capability to run, the speed of the horses and, more recently, the speed of trains, aeroplanes and satellites were the defining features of social strength and social pride. But all these have undergone a fundamental qualitative transformation. Earlier the speed was defined relative to the static space, but now it is defined in terms of the flows. Further speed is now emerging as the necessary feature of any social, economic and political functioning. Still further, while in the earlier phases of human trajectory and global development transformation speed was applicable only to limited arena, but speed is now to be the basis for any agent, action and product. With the emergence of computers and the related developments in information technology, this feature is getting both widened and deepened to paraphrase the idioms of neo-classical growth theory; by the way, the neo-classical growth theory of Economics had taught us the phenomenon of rising inter-country differences in growth and reinforced by newer approaches in growth theory. Besides, the new emphasis on speed is founded on knowledge, ideas and technology.

Now the implications of this new direction of global competition based on real-time focussed speed are intense and genuine. I have just learned this only this week despite continuous readings on these issues. Personal learning and experience are supreme! A young French Economist, Thomas Piketty, has presented to the world a book titled as Capital in the Twenty-First Century in the beginning of this calendar year; I had reflected on this book twice in this column about four-five months back. Now this book is the most talked about and debated book among social thinkers, academics, philosophers and intelligentsia around the world. There are now journal issues, particularly in Economics, devoted fully to the discussion of this book; surveys are being conducted among Economists in North America and Europe on how many of them have read this book. Now the lesson. This book is now being considered as the most significant book since the Capital of Karl Marx and a book which would impact on social thinking for at least the next two centuries. I saw a copy of this book (in the absolutely traditional sense of printed on paper and bound beautifully) only this week at the bookshop in the Terminal 3 of Delhi International Airport. One thing I just cannot resist is: Falling in love with any book I feel like reading. Despite the prohibitive price, I would have purchased the book in the traditional circumstances at least to show to others that I have a copy of that. But I did not buy it. I have two reasons for this. First, the price was rather high as the additional (we call it marginal in Economics) value of having the book in the conventional form of a book would be nil. Second, this consideration in terms of the marginal value has been caused by the now significant form of communication and relationships and what we call networks. The traditional communication and relationships around the globe were based on formal channels and formality, but these have now been replaced by networks; now these networks too must possess speed and made possible by information technology. Through my personal networks I came to know of the significant book by Thomas Piketty within two weeks of its publication, and, lo, I had a soft copy (anything which can be transferred through the medium of computer and information technology unlike the traditional ones printed on paper and bound) of the book the very next day through the medium of information technology in real time. Until this week`™s experience at the Delhi Airport I did not know the significance of at least two earlier experiences. First, when asked for a copy of his paper, an American colleague had sent me a soft copy of his article by terming it `better yet`; I could never understand the term `better yet` and instead I would have rather liked a hard copy. Second, in an online discussion of the Elsevier on the future of print in the libraries I had opined that the charm of the printed and bound copies could never be substituted.

But today, I find and feel myself foolish on these two very counts. Contemporary competition for advancement is in terms of the race of the red herrings. Speed is paramount in this. Further this has to be founded widely and deeply on knowledge and oriented towards technology deepening. This is exactly where I feel drawn to the realities of Manipur and feel really disturbed by that.

Computers and information technology have now become a fundamental need for addressing social transformation requirements and household well-being. Manipur has missed the bus of development in many rounds. But now it becomes salient that she is going to miss it again in an unbridgeable way. There are two significant digital divides that would make it amply impossible to realise development and restore social peace in Manipur. First, the inter-household divide in the valley on this is real. Second, the valley-mountain digital divide is really acute. While the more or less purely business oriented cellular phone network requirements can be easily met and have been met to a large extent, the developmentally more significant knowledge and technology oriented digital networks are yet to have a foundation.

The impacts and implications of these are really dangerous. This absence of participation in the emerging global network of knowledge and technology have really weakened the social capability of Manipur in relative terms and more hazardously in absolute terms. Despite the presence of Manipuri youths around the globe, the absolute and relative capability of the youths remaining within the soils of Manipur have been precariously weakening at very fast rates within the last two decades or so. In other works, the total social capability of Manipur is moving downhill. In this, while the valley might possess some resilient capacity, the mountains do not have. This is not a collectively sustainable social scenario for Manipur.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/the-digital-backwardness-and-digital-divide-superimposed-on-absence-of-development-perspective-and-development-itself-manipur-scenario/

By Chitra Ahanthem

The reports of students of the region being beaten up in Bangalore and Gurgaon this week is unfortunately becoming just another statistics with comments on the incidents also questioning whether attacks on non locals in the state are creating this reaction far away. India as we know do not have an anti racism law which would obviously start with a definition of what is racist behavior/attitude/practice. As of now, there are many who say that attacks on people from the region in the rest of the country is racist in nature while attacks on non locals in the region is a manifestation of political ethnocentrism. Sociologists and political commentators can delve more into this area but the core area is that yes, there are attacks in the rest of the country on people who look different from them and look different from them and there are attacks in this part of the country because they look different and are in the minority. Before this two cases in Bangalore and Gurgaon, there have been many other cases, some high profile like that of the Tania case and many that faded away. In each of these cases, what differs is only the amount of media coverage and how people respond on social media. In real terms, nothing has changed in terms of ensuring security for minority populations in the country. There is that much amount of intolerance about people who look different and that much amount of ignorance though of course whenever a sportsperson from the region makes a name for the country, there are fulsome praise and pride over that area.

Sports reminds me about the ongoing India Super League (ISL) where football is being pitched on a scale that has not been visible when it comes to the sport. With all things Indian, the involvement of Hindi film actors in the ISL is being talked about but really where stakes are high, the idea would be to bring in as many eyeballs as possible, which will then translate into advertisements and corporate backings. The turn out of people to watch the matches so far is an encouraging sign though the audience was thin in the match played out at Delhi. Apart from the presence of celebrities, what the current ISL is bringing on board to the Indian football scene is more investments in technical support, infrastructure support and other support systems. The best part of this football exercise is that there is not just a large presence of players and technical and other support staff from the region in the league but an actual team with the name `Northeast`™ mentioned, that is made up of players from the region. Will folks see the irony of cheering for this team even as people from the region continue to be attacked? That will be difficult to say for the majority miss out on such subtlety.

While continuing with the matter of attacks on people from the region in the `mainland`™, the few efforts that are being taken up follow the popular route of organizing film festivals and cultural festivals showcasing culture from this side of the country. However, many are missing out on the point that such dos are organized amongst a particular group of intellectuals, students etc who in any case are atleast aware of the region and its people, if not its issues. The majority of people who have the maximum contact with people from the region: people on the streets, in public transport and others are still without much awareness about the region. And when they do hear about people from the region, it would be about attacks on `their`™ people- a vicious cycle alright.

End-point:

When someone gets injured in a road accident, what is the first thing that strikes the one injured, those who are onlookers at the site and the one (s) who has caused or contributed to the said accident? Let us talk of this last bit from my own experience last Sunday that involved me pillion riding on a two wheeler, a car and a boy on a bile who braked right on the road when he saw someone he knew leading to a series of brakes being applied left, right and center. I was coming from my physiotherapy session and then the next minute I had fallen on to the road, banging the back of my head against the side door. If it were not for the brakes, there would have been an IFP condolence note for sure (incidentally, this was the 5th road accident where I have been injured: does that make me lucky to scrape through with only injuries or just accident prone?) And what did the couple in the car do? They had a shouting match with the choicest of slangs trying to analyze who was wrong while I stood by, getting more dizzy and wobbly by the minute. Their concern was only one thing: would I ask for money? Sigh!

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/remains-of-a-week/

By Bobo kh

Leipaklei bloomed at an evening in Jeonju, a birthplace of Korean cinema. As per the schedule it was eight o`™ clock (Korean Standard Time). A mixed crowd of cinephiles cutting across continents gathered to watch the Manipuri feature film Leipaklei at the fourteenth addition of Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), 2013, South Korea. A total of 190 films (46 world premieres) from 46 countries were screened in the nine-day long festival. The festival opened on April 25 and culminated on May 3. An initiative of the Korean film council and Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism, the festival is becoming one of the favorite destinations in international festival circuit. It is noteworthy that cinema is under the umbrella of Ministry of Culture in this country, very much different from India where cinema is literally an appendage of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Korea is comparatively younger to India in cinema. India just completed hundred years of its journey. Wholesome state patronage for independent film makers is very much evident in Korea. Ironically, the hundredth years of Indian cinema saw protest by independent film makers seeking support from the government.

Year 2013 edition of JIFF has four broad sections; Cinemascape, Stranger Than Cinema, Cinemafest and Focus On. There is a sub-section in Focus On; Special: Beyond Bollywood. According to the organizers, `Beyond Bollywood presents authentic Indian films that are like precious gems hidden in various parts of India, the festival is a rare opportunity to experience different culture of India that has been neglected all this time`. Including Leipaklei, eight other Indian films were screened: `B.A Pass`™, `When Hari Got Married`™, `Shahid`™, `Miss Lovely`™, `Untitled`™, `Azhagarsamy`™s Horse`™, `Waterbirds`™ and `Color of Sky`™. Leipaklei started its tour from the Kolkata International Film Festival last year. Korean film finder noticed it in that festival. Leipaklei was also the opening film of the Guwahati International Film Festival. It went on to win the national award for the best Manipuri Feature film. Indu Shrikent, Festival Director of Osian`™s Cinefan Film Festival, who also represented India at JIFF, congratulating the team of Leipaklei added, `what a charming film, well-acted and so refreshing. The story is told so well`. Korean audience wanted to know more about Manipur and its culture after watching the film. Set in a village, Leipaklei traverse the mysteries of a woman`™s heart, and the conviction of a lone woman in the backdrop of a close-knitted Manipuri social milieu; symbolic of the flower Leipaklei which can grow on harsh terrain. The lead role is played by Tonthoi with Kalpana, Olen, Pritam and Priyogopal as the main cast. Written by a well – known playwright of Manipur, Arambam Samarendra, who was also a close friend of the director, Aribam Syam Sharma; Leipaklei has also been a popular radio play. It has come to international limelight when made into a film. The director and the writer had ventured into prolific collaborative work in the past with acclaimed theatre plays.

Indeed, it was a joy to be in Jeonju with Leipaklei. The city is also a wonderful destination for the tourist. Almost four hour drive from Seoul is Jeonju. As the capital of post-Baekje the dynasty that Gyeonhwon established and the birthplace of the 500 years long Joseon dynasty, Jeonju is a hub enshrining Korean traditional culture. Hanok, the traditional Korean village is preserved with seven hundred houses. UNESCO has declared it as the world cultural asset. One can relish the traditional life of Korea in this village with food, music, dance, art & craft etc. No wonder that the organisers have aptly chosen the right place for an International Film Festival. Lest I forget to mention the hospitality of the Korean people, they are unbelievably warm and polite. Little did they know that their satellite television channel `Arirang`™ has been making wave in Manipur? K-Pop, TV serials, movies and fashion have captivated the youth within a very short span of time. The real Korea is a different experience with memories to be cherished.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/a-trip-to-jeonju-with-leipaklei/

By Pradip Phanjoubam

Practically every university in India today has a full-fledged School of Journalism faculty, or variously named as Mass Communication Department, Media Study Department etc. The objective is self evident from the names these departments. Mass media is acknowledged universally important, and indeed, it has been termed as the fourth estate of democracy, therefore it must be developed to its optimum.

Without a free media, democracy can never be complete, and as Economics Nobel winner Amartya Sen in `Development as Freedom` puts it rather provocatively, a free media even prevents famines, or at least mitigates their impacts. In a comparison between two famine conditions which occurred at about the same time in India and China, not long after India attained independence and chose to be a democracy, he noted how the number of people who died in these famines differed radically between India, where a free media exposed every act of omission and commission of the government, and authoritarian China of that period where only the government`™s words held sway.

No doubt about it that a free media is important and no democracy can be complete without it. However the question that arises in the midst of the new trend of introducing media studies in Indian universities is dubious at best. Has the trend strengthened journalism in any way? The answer most of those of us in the media business would give may surprise many, for it is in the negative. The reasons too are obvious. Few or no students who decide to join these university faculties have a career in journalism in mind. What most of these students are after are the degrees that would come after these courses which would then qualify them to enter the academia or else land a cosy job in the government`™s media related departments, such as the DIPR in the case of Manipur.

As a matter of fact, in poor economies like Manipur, the movement of talent is in the reverse direction. Young journalists who are already in the field are entering these courses not to hone their skills, but for the degrees. This is quite understandable, considering the ever widening disparity in salaries and perks between jobs in the independent media and government. Ironically, though not for the same reasons, many journalists in senior positions in rich metropolitan media, who can pay as much or even more than the government, are also moving away from journalism to join the public relations departments of the corporate houses. Their unstated logic seems to be, these big media houses too are turning into corporations, and senior journalists are more often than not given managerial positions and not treated as independent editors much to their disillusionment, so why not as well join as media managers in the truly corporate sector and earn bigger money. I have been in the profession long enough and know of many contemporaries who have taken this route.

To return to the discussion on journalism schools then, quite unfortunately, these media study departments in Indian universities are not serving the purpose they were conceived for in the first place. In most cases, the chief cause these new university faculties serve is laying the conditions to self-perpetuate in a Kafkaesque way. Why just journalism departments only, the same Kafkaesque alienated reality is true of the way most of Indian academia perpetuate themselves, therefore their continuance as exalted professions. Let me elaborate more on this thought in the following paragraphs.

Ideally, there ought to be an organic relationship between the knowledge being pursued in the universities and the needs of life on the ground. In many ways this is still the case, especially so in many advanced institutes of higher learnings specialised in training professionals. For instance medical colleges train and produce doctors, the IITs engineers, IIMs business managers… In this light, it is curious to think of what life skills or knowledge our universities impart to the millions of students who go them each year in order to make them fit to meet the challenges of the real mean life outside? Are students being taught merely to deserve degrees which would make them qualified to be academics in turn, who would then go about seeking the same jobs to produce more academics and perpetuate the cycle endlessly. While obviously the academia is vitally important and must have a logic for continuance and self improvement, should not the trainings it imparts also make students fit for, and willing to, move out of the academia and add to the level of knowledge and skills available in the larger reality of life outside.

In Frantz Kafka`™s `The Castle` this alienation process is depicted with disturbing force. A land surveyor arrives outside The Castle responding to a summon by someone in The Castle but those inside The Castle, lost in their own self acclaimed exalted occupations, are unable to trace the source or purpose of that summon. In the effort to locate the relevant file, certain staffs are set aside to negotiate the complex bureaucratic labyrinths inside. It would soon be discovered that at every section of The Castle where the file had to pass, new specific problems always surface, and to settle them more staffs had to be detailed. Soon, a whole gamut of engaging bureaucratic and non-bureaucratic activities develops around the issue of the arrival of the surveyor and the work order served to him. Occasionally the surveyor was sent a message on the progress of the work inside, but slowly but surely these activities inside The Castle overtake every other consideration, and the very project of determining the original purpose of the summon becomes a self sustaining and self justifying reality of its own, and even the surveyor waiting outside The Castle becomes progressively irrelevant. Ultimately even the surveyor`™s existence come to be forgotten, but the activities inside The Castle his arrival triggered off continues on, driven now by an independent engine of its own making and logic. The Castle thus becomes a self perpetuating reality of its own, totally alienated from the world outside, but nonetheless deeming itself superior to the blue collared world beyond it. Reality thus becomes warped, and the onlooker is left unsure which represented it more, The Castle or the world outside.

Kafka`™s Castle is obviously a dark and unparalleled parody of the modern State and its bureaucracy. It is therefore a strong expression of the postmodern disillusionment with the modern age, its call for absolute faith in science and scientific regimentation of the modern State, and the manner all this has succeeded in alienating the individual from the State itself, almost absolutely. The clarion call then, although not explicitly state in the novel, is also for re-establishing the bond between the reality of the Castle and the reality outside. The Castle needs an umbilical cord to the reality outside to morally validate its existence, and it is only by a grotesque and fascistic twist of reasoning that the Castle can ever come to cite itself as the justification of its own existence.

It is unlikely Kafka had the academia specifically in mind when he wrote the Castle. Nonetheless, any institution of importance, including the academia, can become absorbed in its own perception of self-importance and become Kafka`™s Castle in its own way. As a career journalist, and as someone who could also have opted to be in the academia at the time of choosing a career, and as someone who mid career did have a foot in the academia, having been during the last two years a fellow of a premiere post-doctoral research institute, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, IIAS, Shimla, on a book writing project, Kafka`™s Castle was one of my biggest scares. During those two years when everybody had the tendency of prefixing my name with the honorific, Dr. or Prof. despite my earnest pleas that I held no Ph.D. degree to qualify to these titles, and when my week days were marked by endless hours of seminars and library, I had come to the conclusion that the only way any academic pursuit can earn itself a moral legitimacy is through committed researches into the predicaments of the reality outside the Castle, and therefore making contributions to the body of knowledge about the understanding of this world outside. The Castle coming to believe itself as a self-contained reality is a supreme parody of its own conceited falsehood.

In a recent seminar on media and conflict resolution in the Rajiv Gandhi University, in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, I again encountered this uneasy issue of intelligent and bright students of journalism from all over the Northeast pursuing a course in journalism, but professing no love for journalism as a profession. Missing are the passions traditionally associated with journalism, such as those of watching events of social import from close quarters as they unfold, the adrenaline of investigating into and covering conflict, the thrill at suddenly seeing illusive reasons behind vexed issues, the joy of visiting new places and meeting new people with new ideas…

Counterweighing all these are discussions in the rooms of `What is news?` the rule of the thumb of the five `W` that make an event newsworthy, the history of journalism in particular communities… These are interesting information and knowledge, but mastering them is hardly any guarantee of success in actual newsrooms. There will however continue to emerge firebrand journalists, and in the same way that Kafka told his story, most of these will probably be made in the newsrooms and not the university classrooms. What an irony again if this prediction does hold good, and a clear dichotomy between those who study journalism as an academic subject and those who practice it as a profession becomes an everyday reality.

Though the Kafkaesque alienation is still not there in any absolute sense in Manipur`™s academia, there is no mistaking the trend of the emergence of self justifying realities, the surest indications of which is the absence of any substantive body of research work that throw new insights into the world outside and are able to impress peers elsewhere in the country and the world.

One has heard and read of outstanding stories from universities which groomed spectacular success stories of individual entrepreneurs, inventors, intellectuals, scientist… All these universities never neglected the matter of keeping in touch with the needs of the world outside. The Google story and how this came out of a Ph.D, research paper of two college colleagues is just one. Facebook, Apple, Microsoft were all, in many ways not the achievement of single individuals, but the end product of university programmes, though in the end it was individual geniuses who scored the winning goals.

Manipur must rethink its higher education orientations too in anticipation and preparation for the future. Its education at every level must never lose sight of the world outside. In fact periodic reality check should be encouraged to ensure health in the sector. In the Manipur University for instance, it would be revealing to see how many alumni of the different departments have found professions befitting the knowledge they were pursuing as students.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/reality-checks-are-a-must-to-avoid-the-bitter-and-dark-irony-of-kafkas-castle/

By M.C. Linthoingambee

Before the idea of getting independence came into India, educational rights were not something that people were aware of. Education was considered a privilege rather than a right. India`™s obligation to provide education was recognized only with the inclusion of a directive principle to this effect under Article 45 in the Indian Constitution (directive principles, unlike fundamental Rights, are not legally enforceable). But in the year 2002, the Right to Education was converted into a Fundamental Right wherein, every child within the age limit of 14 years has the legal right to have a free and compulsory education.

The most common problem that vehemently drives out the provision of education is that of poverty. Poverty imposes an oppressive weight on India, especially in the rural areas where almost three out of four Indians and 77 percent of the Indian poor live. Although poverty has been reduced during the past four decades, it remains painfully high. Despite the country`s meteoric GDP growth rate (about 9%), poverty in India is still pervasive especially in rural areas where 70% of India`™s 1.2 billion populations live. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and yet its riches are hardly distributed across the population proportionately. A wide range of anti-poverty policies have been introduced since the 1950s by the Government from time to time. If the decline in poverty went from 60% to 35% between the 70s and the early 90s, globalization and liberalization policies have made this trend go backwards in the 90s

Poverty and illiteracy are endemic. Overall, the opening of Indian markets to the world over the years did contribute to reducing poverty in India by raising the income of a large number of people, and opening access to education to many. Liberalizing the system of exports, imports and trade, along with the development of higher education in larger cities has been the major factor leading to the rise of the middle class and reduction of urban poverty in India. However, considering the scale of the country, it means that trade reforms and education should penetrate all layers of society if poverty is to be tackled substantially.

In the space of a single primary school generation, out-of-school numbers have fallen from 25 million to 8 million. The primary school enrolment rate now stands at 95%, a level unthinkable 10 years ago. Even though many girls drop out after the age of 11, gender gaps have narrowed. So encouraging are the gains that an ambitious plan to achieve universal secondary education has been adopted. But there is still an urgent need to take appropriate steps for inclusive education of children with disabilities by providing teaching-learning materials, aids and appliances in accordance with nature and needs of each disability, suitable infrastructural modifications, and training of regular teachers and school-based appointment of special teacher. There is also a need for organizing programmes for community awareness and attitude change in order to make school for all children. Home-based education has to be given to children suffering from multi-disabilities, severe and profound disability conditions.

The idea of giving education is still unacceptable in some societies. In the wake of granting the Nobel Peace Prize for two people working mainly for child rights, education is seen a growing concern. Education is to be universalized with strong recommendation on the adoption of a `common school`™ system, which would help remove or minimize inequality of educational opportunities. The quality and standard of schools also needs strong adjudication. Inequalities in education are at the heart of a wider malaise `“ a failure to translate high growth into human development. The social and political goals include rising of the levels of education in order to improve public awareness of important issues, efforts to preserve existing social orders, desires to reduce inequalities of access, and concern to reduce population growth rates.

There are new roads to grant an action plan for developing it a bit further. Illiteracy sometimes puts us in a situation where we become inclined to witness the abuse of children. That is why we need to pace up further and make a healthy environment for providing a safety route to becoming great individuals that might become world leaders someday.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/education-a-hope-in-the-making/

By Amar Yumnam

Manipur is an interesting place from the political economy angle. This `interesting` case is exactly like a doctor would speak of a serious patient suffering from dangerous ailments. In the case of the patient the doctor, the relatives and the family do struggle hard to restore the health of the patient to normalcy. But in an absolute contrast, in the case of the land and society of Manipur, those who should be playing the roles of the doctor, the family and the relatives play games (social and political) to exploit the condition of sickness in an absolutely non-sharing way `“ the disease condition invariably worsens.

Let us look at the delivery of the core functions of the state in areas like infrastructure, service and security. In any of these functions of the state, the private housing and private care of the household of the official responsible for any kind of delivery would be much better off and much superior to created or creating infrastructure, service and security. This is true and has been true in the governance characteristics in both the mountains and the valley of Manipur. This has been happening despite the cries and counter-cries relating to the mountain-valley divide. In fact, it is as if the cries and counter-cries create a facilitating milieu for the continuance of the fragility in delivery of infrastructures, service and security. Both the politicians and the individuals in the government have been and are thriving in the midst of these cries. There has never been any attempt to meaningfully address this fragility.

Recently some news item came up in connection with the autonomy status of some parts of the mountain areas consequent upon dialogues between the Union Government and one non-state agency. It has caused a mild, unlike widespread ones in earlier cases, socio-political flutter in the valley. This has been a recurring phenomenon in Manipur, and any responsive and responsible provincial government should have put in place policies and programmes in order to address the cause of the socio-political flutter. The government, in the sense of the individuals in the government, have thrived in the atmosphere of recurrent social flutter on issues unrelated to the core aspects of development `“ development dismissed.

The fragility particularly in the mountain areas of Manipur has been a long run feature. But there are no tangible signs of the provincial government putting in place policies to reduce, if not eliminate, the fragility relating to the core functions of infrastructures, service and security. This has been the same for the last seven decades. There is not even minimal transparency. While there has been serious tussle about the credibility of census figures in the mountain areas, there has not been any attempt to collect and disseminate aggregate data relating to the mountain areas. This absence of the minimum effort for transparency could be explained only by what I had said in the beginning: the private housing and household of the official responsible for any kind of delivery in the core functions of the state (infrastructure, service and security) would be much better off and much superior to created or creating infrastructure, service and security; the absence of transparency facilitates the non-performance of the governance for personal aggrandisement.

Instead we find the governance fully involved in creating atmosphere for the people to fully submerge in issues absolutely non-contemporaneous. While the traditional social institutions (like the Umang Lai committees) have been functioning and while there could be good reasons for bringing them under regulation, the need for creating mild social turmoil by the regulation being put in place is hard to digest. The method of the regulation itself is faulty, and the logic can only be explained by an urge to divert the attention of the people from the failure of the state in attending to the core functions of governance and personally thrive in the resultant environment.

Two greatest impacts of the globalisation have been the blurring of the correspondence between state and society, and also the blurring of the partition between movement and territory. With the expanding flows of people, culture, knowledge and ideas along with commodities, the traditional synchronisation of state with a particular society is fast disappearing. The newly emerging societies are marked by heterogeneity and divergence though driven by shared objectives of welfare. Further, border is now conceived in terms of networks instead of fixed boundaries; flows are now emphasised instead of fixity. But what we experience in both the mountains and the valley of Manipur today are group activities quite un-attuned to the emerging global scenario. Well, even here, let us interpret these in terms of the economics of nationalism as the commitment of the people to the land and the society of Manipur. This is a very powerful tool to cause development. If the provincial government could mobilise this nationalism, it would be an altogether development scenario in Manipur. But what we encounter rather is the indulgence of the administration in wasting the energy of the people in issues of divide and related articulations instead of harnessing the collective strength; there is urgency and necessity to focus the attention of the government (read the individuals manning the government) on positive dimensions of transformation and mobilisations for these.

However, whether prepared or ill-prepared we are socially and administratively, globalisation is now being strongly pushed in this part of the world as well under a new dispensation from the Union Government. In the prevailing and emerging scenario, the responsibility, coherence and responsiveness of the government at the provincial level are critical. We need and want the Government of Manipur to deliver inter alia at least in the

A. Core functions of state in infrastructure, security and service;

B. Address the deepening and increasingly politicising inter-ethnic polarisation; and

C. Become alive to the emerging relationship between South East Asia and India particularly under the new dispensation under PM Modi and endeavour to address the imperatives of Manipur in the changing scenario.

But I cannot help increasingly feeling if we are committing a sin in expecting anything from a government which CANNOT EVEN OPEN A PASSPORT OFFICE.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/mountain-and-valley-divide-in-manipur-and-what-not-the-politicians-want-it-the-government-cares-a-hoot-and-the-irrelevant-seeks-relevance-there/

By B.G. Verghese

The Award of the Nobel Peace Prize this year is especially symbolic. Kailash Satyarthi, a quiet but dedicated Indian worker for child rights and the well-known Malala Yusufzai , the plucky Pakistani education and child rights activist, are both well-deserving. But for a Hindu and a Muslim and an Indian and a Pakistani jointly to receive this prize for a common cause when the two sides have been warring on the border and jingoism prevails has an inspiring message. Peace matters, especially for children, our future, and both sides can join hands to accomplish this task.

Malala, alas, is still a refugee, studying in the UK as she remains a target of mad men in Pakistan. How pathetic, especially when these same medieval forces have campaigned against babies getting polio drops. The result: the incidence of polio has sharply risen in Pakistan so much so as to have got Rajasthan to declare an alert lest the disease spread there on account of cross-border movement.

The guns went silent across the LOC and international border in J&K for some days last weekend, after many civilians were killed and border villages evacuated for safety. The kind of language used by the Indian Government, let alone our war-mongering chatterati, was in striking contrast to the triumphalism evident in the hastily-planned and unprepared invitation to Nawaz Sharif and SAARC leaders for Mr Modi`™s swearing in. That was not smart diplomacy but gamesmanship that went awry and now lies in tatters.

Nothing is gained by refusing to hold local flag or commander-level meetings on the LOC, even if Pakistan is unresponsive. Ultimately there must be talks to rebuild confidence and set the stage for a resumed dialogue. Back channels have been used effectively in the past and here is no reason to shun this route. The Opposition too must resist the temptation of paying back the BJP in its own coin.

It is evident that the RSS-driven rhetoric on J&K, Muslims and minorities generally, has displaced more rational and sober talk and that even Mr Modi`™s round-the-clock election campaign in Maharashtra was perhaps partly electorally motivated to rally the nation behind the Leader. Communal incidents have mounted and Christian persecution continues unabated, spawned by `love-jihad` nonsense, especially in Madhya Pradesh. In one instance, an annual Christian gathering was banned in view of public `anger` over a recent `love-jihad` episode which was proven to be pure fabrication. The police stand is that it dare not face riotous behaviour by irate mobs if the convention is held. What is this other than gutless caving in by authority to blackmail by partisan rowdies.

One of the urgent and important tasks the nation facesis to get J&K back on its feet after the devastating floods. The effort must not be to restore the status quo based on past shady permits to do the wrong things, but to plan to build anew. Srinagar should be decongested and its drainage improved. This calls for a non-partisan and, indeed, a collective approach. Can the Centre give a lead? This is the time to plan to reconstruct the Valley and create new employment opportunities based on emerging connectivities and energy generation. Postponement of the J&K general elections has not been announced as yet, which means that polling my take place, barring in flood-affected constituencies. This could interfere in rehabilitation and reconstruction and fracture the unity of purpose that disaster sometimes creates.

Om Prakash Chautala, the former Haryana chief minister jailed on criminal charges, was ordered back to prison after it was found that he was misusing his bail, granted on health grounds, in order to electioneer. What is one to say about the morality of some of the low characters who rule us.

Jayalalitha offers no better example. Sentenced to imprisonment by a Karnataka court after a long-drawn corruption case, she has quite legitimately gone on appeal. But the AIDMK has been in `mourning` over this `injustice`. The mob`™s opinion was that Amma had been wronged both by the judgement and denial of bail by the Karnataka High Court. Kannadigas living in Tamil Nadu were roughed up and buses from that state targeted. Chennai shut down and the new government was reluctant to govern.

This unholy drama was again no more than exhibitionof misplaced politicalpique and defiance of morality and justice. Here was an effort to browbeat the law. This sort of misconduct, basically extolling wrong-doing by `leaders`, must be strongly condemned.

The former CAG, VinodRai`™s book `Not Just an Accountant` has been out for some weeks. Mr Rai is an honourable man as much as Dr Manmohan Singh is a most honourable man. Mr Rai perhaps assumed a role larger than that of a mere accountant to sit in judgement not merely on performance, which is legitimate, but on policy based on hindsight. His estimate of `presumptive losses` on the allocation of 2-G licences spectrum was based on four different sets of assumptions and ranged from Rs 2645 crore to Rs 1,76,379 crore.

The political class and media were quick to latch on to the figure of Rs 1,76, 379 cores, which became the accepted talking figure that hugely sensationalised the deal. The figure was stupendous and unheard of and from this `base` it no surprise that the coal mines allocation loss was later estimated at over Rs 2 lakh crore. Losses in thousands of crore had become the currency of politics and headline-grabbers.

No one recalled that an earlier auction had failed and the over-bidders had subsequently come crawling to the government for relief. Norwas sufficient weightage given to the enormous social gain with tele-density increasing exponentially, way above the targeted figures, and actual phone connections soaring to 500 million and then to over 800 million, by far the highest in the world. The social empowerment, connectivity, impetus to commerce and sense of unity this gave was phenomenal by any calculus. What value was placed on this social gain? Apparently none.

Go now to how the CAG sometimes ports merely as an accountant. Allegations of huge procurement losses were made after the Kargil war, causing the then Defence Minister, to seek a special audit by the CAG. The report, `Review of Procurement for OP Vijay (Army) was tabled in Parliament on December 11, 2001.This `highlighted the fact that nearly all supplies were received, or contractedand received, well after the cessation of hostilities and therefore in no way supported the operation`. The absurdity is palpable.

Here was a dastardly, clandestine operation for which India was utterly unprepared in terms of timing, terrain, weather and other conditions that no armed forces in the world had ever been called upon to confront anywhere, anytime in history. It called for an immediate response and was over in some cases even before contracts could be signed and deliveries made. But who knew how long the war would last and whether what was a localised conflict at the start might envelop the sub-continent `“ with China making noises on the side. What an utterly foolish accountant`™s report that the media lapped up!

www.bgverghese.com

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/the-peace-prize/

By Dr Khushboo Shah Sawant

Stroke is a medical emergency, which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is stopped or interrupted or severely reduced thus depriving the cells of the brain with its basic food- oxygen and glucose. Within minutes of a stroke, the brain cells begin to die thus causing brain damage. Immediate treatment is of vital importance in order to minimize the damage and probable complications. This condition is treatable to a great extent if medical attention is received on time.

There are some specific symptoms to watch out, to judge if you, or your near and dear one is having a stroke. The duration for how long the symptoms have been persisting will guide possible treatment options. Having trouble walking or maintaining balance, stumbling, dizziness, or loss of coordination etc symptoms along with trouble while speaking or understanding, words slurring with the tongue feeling thick and not moving smoothly to utter words. Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg, sudden numbness or loss of sensation in the face area, arm or leg especially in one side of the body are cause for alarm. While raising both hands together above the head and one arm falls or if one side of the mouth droops on trying to smile, a stroke would have led to them. Trouble with seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes or seeing double means one must seek immediate medical help. Another indication is a sudden severe headache, which may come along with vomiting, dizziness or loss of consciousness.

A simple acronym that can be kept in mind to mean a state of emergency for immediate medical help is `FAST`™ whose full form means:

Face: which shows signs of stroke, when the person tries to smile but the part of the mouth of the affected side tends to droop.

Arms: When you try to raise both your arms above your head, does one arm fall backwards?

Speech: Does your speech slur when you attempt to talk? Does the tongue feel thick and not move smoothly?

Time: Do not waste time if you see any of these symptoms in yourself or your near and dear ones. Call for emergency medical help. Time is very crucial in such cases and can decide the fate of recovery. The longer the person takes to reach a doctor, the more the damage progresses as further brain cells will get damaged, and may cause irreversible changes in the body.

A stroke may be caused if some blood vessel which supplies the vital nutrients to the brain is blocked partially or completely by plaques of fat etc which is known as an `ischaemic stroke`™. This is most commonly seen, when the blood vessels become narrow or completely blocked thus severely reducing the blood flow partially or completely. It may be caused due to leaking or bursting of blood vessels, which causes a haemorrhage that may have been caused due to an extremely high and uncontrolled blood pressure. This is known as a `haemorrhagic stroke`™.

There is also another variant called as a `mini stroke`™ in which the same symptoms occur but clear out within in a few minutes. But this should always be brought to the notice of the doctors, as it can lead to a certain amount of brain damage.

Many factors increase a person`™s risk to strokes, including being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary life involving minimal physical activity, excessive alcoholism or binge drinking, usage of illegal or non prescribed medications. High blood pressure is one of the commonest causes of a stroke; the risk factor begins when the blood pressure rises above the normal of 120/80mmHg and it is important to keep a check on blood pressure. Cigarette smoking can also cause the narrowing of blood vessels. High cholesterol level can add to the risk factors as it may cause the formation of plaques. Other heart problems can also lead to the increase in the risk of a stroke.

Risk factors not in the control of a person include- a family history of strokes, heart attacks etc, progressing age above 55 years. Also, men have a higher risk of stroke as compared to women.

A stroke may sometimes lead to complications like partial or complete paralysis, memory loss, thinking difficulties, etc. A stroke can be confirmed by a simple physical examination, blood tests, CT scans, MRIs, etc. Treatment options include emergency care by medications, clot removals or surgery. Again, prevention is better than cure, and even more so in conditions like stroke which are very much preventable. Even if the inevitable does occur, correct knowledge and careful assessment of symptoms and immediate medical care may reduce the progress of damage.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/strike-out-the-stroke/

By M.C. Linthoingambee

The internet is like the existence of another world that has millions of citizens with no distinction on boundaries. When Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg arrived in India recently, he proclaimed that everyone should have the freedom of access. This generation has lived in world where technology connects people far away and to the remotest corner of the world. It works wonder, yes! But everything has its positive and negative side effects.

Among internet users, E-commerce is one of the most profitable business ventures these days. Its present growth is good and its future and projected growth is tremendous. However, e-commerce in India is required to be conducted in a legally permissible manner. There are also effects brought by the steady growth of technology. In this distinction, online marketing is taking a heavier toll while Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a threat to the domestic markets now. The big names in the game like Flipkart, Amazon, E-bay, etc have finally concurred boundaries that far exceeds thier limits. The recent fiasco conducted for a discount sale on Flipkart is an example of how normal domestic retailers will be face huge losses in the years to come. In keeping up with this online sector, a local initiative from Manipur with mykeithel.com, an online portal site to provide services to the constant number of Manipuris that travel and live out of the state and abroad comes to mind.

E-commerce websites operating in India are required to follow many laws of India including the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act 2000). As per the IT Act 2000, e-commerce websites operating in India are Internet intermediaries and are required to comply with cyber laws and their requirements. With the active use of electronic commerce in India, the electronic commerce dispute resolution in India is also required to be strengthened. The present litigation system of India is not conducive for the growth of e-commerce in India and online dispute resolution in India is more appropriate for such purposes.

When there are several market spheres in question, the physical retail system would soon lose out when everything from normal household appliances to the most recent gadgets are available simply at the click of a button right when we are sitting at home at a cheaper cost. So, what happens when the trans-boundary culture becomes minimal? The role of E `“ Governance is seen as a measure to safeguard a safety net around the growing culture of cyber hacking and so forth. While the entrepreneurs focus mostly on the motive of profit, there are series of ground rules that goes unchecked – online hackers are liable to gain excess to the customers`™ credit cards, debit cards and other security details. The constant outbreak of cyber security is a major issue that calls for strict procedure of registration and compliance. Domain name protection strategy is a great place to begin with considering registration is a huge issue for identifying the distinct nature of a particular business.

E `“ Book purchases guarantees cheaper cost of books that are hard to get delivered to customers in the medium of a soft copy. This practice if left unchecked, can kill the publishing industry of production of books, novels. The sharing of computer software is also killing most of the genuine producers, when they are made available from person to person simply from home through various sites and through peer to peer (P2P) transfer.

A new online market medium is born each day with even local retails funding and looking for ways to keep their product in the sphere of social media since it is well reached by a wide audience. We need to look further and think 50 years ahead of time if we are conduct regulations for the online medium where there is nothing but limited control. Beyond the commercial intent of the internet, there are also huge bugs that travel in the ideal of piracy in subject matters of copyright.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/techno-spread-like-never-before/

(A poem for my only brother
Stephen who expired on 02-08-2014.)

By Adelina Jones N

A brother you are.
Born with a silver spoon
blessed with a beautiful childhood,
getting all your wishes.
You could have been grateful,
but you were not.
If you were, you could have turn the silver you had into gold.

Life was beautiful.
But you went ahead with artificial bliss.
Why was it so hard to give up the things you have to?
Why not try it harder? Try, try, try.
A question erupts!
Was it your destiny? Or you chose it.

Unimaginable pain I had.
You were gone too soon.
My heart is torn into pieces, pieces and pieces.
Thinking of the little good deeds you do.
The sound of your footsteps still in my ears.
My mind is running wild no answers.
Oh! How I wish it was just a dream.

Irreplaceable you are.
I will not envy another`s brother.
Gone from the Earth you are.
But you will be fondly remember forever.
Unacceptable demise.
Oh God, bless and rest his soul in peace, I pray.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/the-departed-soul/