Tag: Articles-Opinions

`Protest is when I say I don`™t like this. Resistance is when I put an end to what I don`™t like. Protest is when I say I refuse to go along with this anymore. Resistance is when I make sure everybody else stops going alone too`.
`“ Ulrike Meinhof

At a time when the worshippers of neo-liberalism flex its muscle of high growth, at a time when mission to the moon is being envisaged at a future not so far away, it is prudent not to sweep aside the vast army of unemployed and ever increasing rate of farmers committing suicide out of distress. This is the state of Indian democracy after its sixty years of independence. Its triumphalist placard of being the world`™s largest democracy has been put to test, relentlessly, by these voices of dissent. These voices are dealt with an iron fist by the Indian State with heavy repression in pure Chanakian fashion. Is there a right time per se to register protest against atrocities? Or is there a way to interrogate the system which employs violence as a means to curb any uprising or protest?

In a lecture at the Sydney Film Festival in 1991, Dennis O`™ Rourke pondered on the `The Ethics of Non-Fiction Film Making`™. He contested the conventional narrative representation of documentaries. The conventional understanding is that documentaries primarily serve to make the audience feel `good`™, feel part of an enlightened elite, as though they have achieved some cachet or absolution for themselves by the simple act of watching a film. He went on, `I travel on a journey of discovery, on an unmarked road to see where it leads. And I travel not in order to return. One cannot return to the point of departure because, in the meantime, one changes, so, I don`™t make film, the film makes me`. He further maintained that the magic of documentary film is that one can start to create with no idea of narrative and concentrate all thinking on the present moment and thing. In this fashion, Sanjay Kak`™s Red Ants Dream does not serve to make us feel `good`™. And one does not feel to be part of the enlightened elite. However, the film definitely is a journey of discovery of the social and political distress and unrest, which are innate with the Indian State.

There is a film by Warner Herzog with a slightly similar title, Where the Green Ants Dream. Herzog`™s film focuses on a tussle between the Aborigines and a mining company in Australia. The continental country`™s history is chequered with tragic discordance between the Aborigines and the White settlers. Generally speaking, history is witness to bloodsheds and hostilities between the early settlers and the expansionists. Their world views are not only diametrically opposite but also differ on the priority of interest. While the sole interest of the expansionists is to plunder any available resources, the Aborigines, on the other hand, believe the earth and the human body to be one. Any assault on the earth is regarded as an assault on their own body. The Green Ants Dreams captures the Aborigines`™ vehement fight against the mining company. The film was featured in the Cannes, 1994.

Red Ants Dream treads on the similar theme of Herzog`™s film. In both the films, the central thrust is on people`™s struggle against any force, which threatens to annihilate lives for profit. Sanjay Kak is a film maker who has made films such as Jashn-e-Azadi (about Kashmir), One Weapon, Words on Water (about the movement of the Narmada Bachao Andolan) and others. All his films are about the resistance of the people. Needless to say, he is in his element in Red Ants Dream, too. Amidst the darkness of a dusty highway HGVs hurl its headlight directly to the camera. The intimidating image sets a thematic premise of the film from its very opening visual. Guerrillas in battle-green outfit gearing up for an observation in a jungle, voice from the All India Radio (news in English), reads out that the government is going to continue its operation against the Naxals unless they abdicate violence. The voice reports, Home Minister, P. Chidambaram`™s statement that the operation is carried out not to kill anybody but to re-establish administration in areas where the Naxal has its control. It then jump-cuts to a juxtaposing visual of the anti-Naxal commandoes carrying out their daily work out. The next location is at a village in Punjab. Poet Avtar Singh, popularly known as Pash, was killed by religious fanatics, killed on the same date of another great revolutionary, Bhagat Singh. Punjab has a history of violent resurrections. According to the narrator, the recent-most resurrection was `Violently snuffed out and the bloodshed was masked by what was called Green revolution`. Villagers bearing flags and banners took to the streets, sloganeering the glory of Pash`™s and Bhagat Singh`™s ideals. A group of young school girls sing:

The fruit of their labour they will get

A Heaven on earth they will make
Equal shares of happiness for all to live by
No tyrant there`™ll be to drink our blood
The red flag will fly on high- O comrade
The sky will dance
The earth will sing `¦

Red Ants Dream intersperses on varied geographical locations ranging from the Niyamgiri Forest in Odissa to Bhagat Singh`™s birth place in Punjab and Dandakarnya jungle in Baster. These diverse locations, however, share a single umbilical cord `“ of resistance, of love and conviction of an ideal.

At Kamker, deep in the jungle of Chatisgarh, there is a retired army brigadier who trains hundreds of state armed forces. He looks after the Counter Terrorism & Jungle Warfare College. Here hundreds of young men are tailored to fight the Naxals with advanced methods of warfare and weapons. In the Retd. Brigadier`™s own words, `It is a politico-military-socioeconomic-psychological counter Naxals campaign`. However, one often hears about the state commandoes suffering more casualty than their counterparts who are ill-equipped and perhaps not even half-trained in modern warfare and weaponry. The reason could be perhaps, the guerrillas are familiar with the terrain like the backs of their hands. In fact, the jungle is their home.

The guerrillas have two tasks in hand `“ to defend themselves from the onslaught of the state apparatus and to educate the villagers. For the guerrillas their primary task is to overthrow the regime. Whether they will succeed or not is altogether a different proposition. It is beyond the scope/ambit of a film. Yet, if one is asked to point out the indexicality of the film, I would say, it is the power to question. A film that can spotlight a story, which has for long been swept aside by the Indian State, has acuity in itself.

It is worthwhile to recall that the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh, declared the Naxal Movement to be the biggest internal security threat of the country. This declaration came at a time when the well-trained state commandoes suffered maximum casualties one after another. The rebels have a different take on the security of the land.

If the security of the land means
That every strike crushed
Makes that peace stronger.
Martyrdom is no more
Than death at the borders.
Art blooms only at the Palace window,
Intellect only drives the water wheel
That irrigates the ruler`™s crop.
Labour is little more than a broom
At the palace door.
Than the security of the land
Is a threat to us `¦

One cannot speculate on Sanjay Kak`™s next venture. Perhaps, he might pan his camera at another movement, which has been termed by the Indian State as `Low Intensity Conflict`™. Insurgency in the Northeast India has also been a long drawn one. There has been news that some major groups of the Northeast have made alliances with the Naxals in Central India. They have even carried out joint military exercises. These outfits in the Northeast also swear by the word `revolution`™.

One can say that film maker like Kak perhaps draws inspiration from `Third Cinema`, a movement that started in the 1960s civil rights and human rights movement; struggle against colonialism, nuclear weapons, which all marked a time of political ferment. Many of the film makers of `Third Cinema` see themselves as cultural vanguards for change. The movement along with the technological breakthroughs heralded the birth of cinema verite and the video age. Kak`™s sprinkling of words from names like Marx, Clausewitz, Pattanayak and Bhagat Singh in the frame within the narrative invite interrogation as well as interpretation.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/red-ants-dream-of-stories-untold/

By Chitra Ahanthem

It`™s been about a year and a half since I was diagnosed with having a neck prolapse (two slipped disc). This means it`™s been the same time frame since I have stepped on to drive any two wheeler vehicle. Do I miss the independence that comes from my mobility? I do totally, but I would step in to say that it hasn`™t been such a bad thing altogether. Yes, not being able to drive myself to where I want and need to go is not much fun but I am one who believe in giving in to a situation that I cannot control and then looking at the better part of it. Having my movements curtailed means I get a valid reason to not turn up for certain events or happenings that I would have otherwise been obliged to attend. And when I do attend a few events or go out for personal interactions, it is to do with people whom I want to meet up and things that I want to do. The horrible shared auto service around town comes in handy when I do go out. Horrible because just to go to North AOC area from my locality in Keishamthong area, I have to take two autos and the take a long walk for just one leg of the travel. If I have to go to Bapupara area, I can take an auto till Keishamthong and then walk till the petrol pump and then have the remaining stretch too short to take an auto and too long to walk. And no, I love walking but that is for the evenings and I prefer not to walk to keep an appointment or when going out for work. This bit about shared autos around Imphal is rather strange for there are quite a lot of them: enough to clog the traffic on the streets but the routes are so very badly planned out that it leaves passengers very inconvenienced.

One of the side-effects of not having mobility is the dependency on the poor auto service and a few good people who go out of their way literally to come and pick me up. This Saturday took me a film screening at the Manipur Film Development Corporation where every second Saturday of the month sees a film screening followed by discussions. Organized by the Television and Cine Foundation, these monthly screenings have been happening for quite some time now but it was rather strange to see less than 20 people turning up. The more interesting highlights of the film outing was along the road that took me from my home to MFDC. Heading from Keishamthong towards the way to Thumbuthong, we saw a `road closed`™ sign with some police personnel waving people away. We took a few lanes that would take us to the road that would pass by lane where a private hospital is located right in the middle of a residential area but there again, there were police personnel, a lot of dust and a lot of work happening on the roads. The penny fell: of course! This was all part of the great dressing up exercise for the Sangai Festival (they have dropped the word `tourism`™). The Government and its agencies would not definitely want to postpone the event till the Sanjenthong bridge gets completed, or dress it down and shift it elsewhere for if they did take either of this route, the allocated funding would not be around for the loot and plunder.

In between, this matter of the bridge has dragged on long enough. All it has done is caused traffic horrors on the most congested areas of Imphal. The ones who are suffering the most are residents around the Tumbuthong area and the lane from the bridge till BOAT side as it is this route that people are taking with Sanjenthong out of service. The amount of dust caked on the houses and property of people living in this stretch is unimaginable and one begins to wonder if it gets into their food and their body systems. Thinking about young children living in the area breathing in dust daily is enough to make me worried.

End-point:

One other sighting along the road were police personnel of all colours and hues doing what they do best: detain young people to check their papers, not with the intent of doing a proper check but to throw their weight around. All of us can see the manner in which they insist on young people to keep their hands raised even as four to five security personnel keep them surrounded. With an intent on harassing people on the street rather than focusing on ground intelligence while they carry out their duties, is it any surprise that blasts keep happening at regular intervals around Imphal?

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/the-bridge-on-imphal-river/

By Ananya S Guha

The government has set up a monitoring cell to track attendance in offices in the country. This is laudable, because attendance or the abysmal lack of it is what ails our governance today. Heads of offices seem unable to control this malaise because the rest of the staff seem to be in cahoots with one another. All differences are then buried, and colleagues then show an astonishing display of solidarity. Coming late for work is of course another bane. The usual riposte that he or she should at least inform that he will be late, does not hold much water because why should one be an inveterate late comer? All these: punctuality, or the lack of it and coming late are related to the work ethic.. And what constitutes such a work ethic? It is commitment and transparency. The usual shrug: “ this is not my work “ is one of the commonest excuses. This is effete, anything can be anyone`s work, depending upon what the situation warrants. The overarching aspect is achieving goals and completing tasks.

How the monitoring of attendance will take place in the entire country is difficult to assess. But the challenge has been taken and a warning sounded. That is the positive. The casual attitude, with impunity that ` no one can touch me` is not only reprehensible, but something that should not be tolerated. But government rules also allow all kinds of leave to make this possible, one of the egregious things is ` sick ` leave when the whole world knows that one is not sick ( sic!). Then there is this thing : called restricted leave, which is anything but at all restrictive! How not to work, rather than to work is the ideology. However mere attendance will not suffice. There are the truant makers, who once on arriving kick up all kinds of ruses to go out and then return just in time for lunch! And that means a minimum of an hour. Then of course is the ever handy tea. Deadlines suffer and so do the bosses. And god forbid if the boss is also of the chameleon type, liking to play this game of musical chairs or hide and seek. Meetings, meetings and meetings are another ploy for work coming to a veritable standstill. The bosses in faraway New Delhi are notorious for this. Bureaucrats can and should be bureaucratic, but not others such as academics.

Why is punctuality so important? It is: for the simple reason that work gets attended to on time, and this sets an example to other colleagues. Setting an example, achieving goals are clear cut objectives, not the usual refrain : “ I will do it tomorrow“. This is one of the most frustrating things to handle at work. The other is as mentioned earlier: “ this is not my work “. But sometimes the usually languid worker is transformed with alacrity into a fire ball of energy when the work is related to processing his medical bill or LTC or for that matter leave. The reasons for this metabolism are not far to seek. Just when you think happily that the person has been transformed, then does the truth dawn on you ever so painfully.

This is the first time that we have seen that a government centrally located addressing such a vexed issue. This must be supported. Attending work punctually is not only a motion, it entails responsibility, commitment and love for one`s job. This is work ethic. Coercion will not help here, what is required is vigorous self examination and setting honest examples.When we indefinitely harp on regular attendance the concomitant is regular and productive work, not dashing off to canteens for continuous cups of tea, which in turn results in desultory habits.

The other is that it must be impressed that these steps are taken seriously and any breach will be taken serious cognizance- not the usual rigmarole of truncating a leave. The message must be loud and clear that the errant will be held responsible. Can this be done all over the country? It can if an effective and stringent monitoring mechanism is put to place. And of course the flagrantly errant.

The notion held since time immemorial that government jobs are ` secure ` has been the killer. They are so secure that they have led to insecurity. They are so secure that we relax comfortably. They are so secure that some think they are invincible. They are so secure, that often the sickening response is: “ I know so and so…“. So what? The ` so what?` positing should now be used with more vigour and, aggressively.The ones who think they are infallible are the ones who also think that they have the blessings of a few. It is high time that now while tackling such problems we pay two hoots to the supposedly powerful, in the so called higher echelons. Every system, every institution is suffering from such a syndrome, it is high time that the dismantling process begins. Then only will the edifice, or the cookie not crumble!

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/-better-late-than-never/

By Paonam Thoibi

`School is one place where a child develops into an adult he is made to grow up into`

Q 1. My 5 year old nephew is the only boy child in his family after three elder sisters. He has grown up to be a little sensitive boy. He has started his school this year but finds it a little difficult to adjust due to his over sensitivity and inclinations towards more girly stuffs. Like most boys, he likes car and bikes, but he really likes many `girl` things like Barbies which his sisters play fondly. His choice of color of his bag, pencil box all are influenced by his sisters`™ choices. I have heard that he is made fun of quite easily due to this by his friends in the class and his mother is really worried about this. I have tried to tell her that it is quite ok for a boy to like girls`™ stuff but cannot do more convincing than this. Please advise if making him want traditional boy stuffs will help to have my nephew avoid being bullied? Sunita Ksh

Ans: Dear Sunita, you worry is quite valid since it concerns your nephew being introduced to the harsh realities of life, head-on. Your telling your nephew`™s mom that it is ok for a boy to like girly stuff is reflective of how you are concerned in making the child to `be himself`™ and not succumb to norms set by traditional values and thinking. Therefore it is not much advisable to have him want boy things and suppress his choice of things and preferences. Most probably, his choice and play preferences will surface up. So his parents should let him make his own choices as they help him understand why certain consequences follow due to his different manners and choices. The parents should appreciate his good choice of things and encourage him to stand for his likes, passions and desires.

You also mentioned that you nephew is very sensitive which may be probably because of his spending time more with his sisters in the house. But being sensitive is one good attribute which should be encouraged rather than be scared of. Of course this can be also one reason for which he could be made fun of at school because most children who behave differently than the majority are susceptible to being picked on and made fun of. And there are a lot of children who have successfully braved through bullies and grew up to become far better than the rest of his classmates. The school is one place where a child develops into an adult he is made to grow up into. It is the first place where life`™s hurdles and difficulties are handled and resolved. The teachers play a vital role in this development.

Lastly, if he gets bullied because of his preferences and choices then it is not his problem, rather it is the other kids who have a big problem and the school should intervene immediately.

Q 2. Dear Madam, most of us are familiar with the difficult kind of neighbors. Ours is particularly difficult as we live so close by and their family indulges in petty fights and violent behaviors. Many a times, I have come across the man beating up the wife in front of his two small children who would burst into tears and cry. We could have intervened but again it is a temporary thing and I know it won`™t bring about any lasting change. Still, I am very much worried about their small kids and at times, I feel embarrassed to be a passive onlooker and not being able to do my bit in this regard. – Anonymous

Ans: This question is quite relevant in our time now where many people are becoming intolerant on the one hand and one`™s family affair negatively affects their neighbors who live so close by. It would have been better to know the gender of the writer since the different gender roles could have played differently in the best possible way to intervene in such tricky situations. One in authority and older in age, both male and female could have been at a better disposal in these equation. For someone middle aged or a youth, this needs to be handled more carefully and in such a way not to appear very interfering and more arrogant or inviting more harm towards themselves.

A man who would beat up his wife in front of his children is someone who is both arrogant and dangerous. There was little or no way you could have stopped him but you should have reacted with a shout or a yell to bring him to his better sense. The reason to do this is to show the man, his wife and their children that another person is standing up and expressing, `This is unacceptable. This is not right. This is not how men should behave.` Letting the children experience brutality and the helplessness of the other people around was equally not good. These children will grow up with their trauma and may find adjustment issues in life.

Calling the police, local women folk (Meira Paibis) or other elders can also be another way of intervention. The frequency of such torments can be accounted to see if that was a onetime event which would not repeat again or the man is a habitual abuser. The woman can also be given counseling to approach their relationship in an assertive and respectable manner and not yield to abuses in the future. She may be compelled to take difficult decisions and the neighbors can give necessary social support to her and the children to restore their sense of safety and security.

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

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/mind-matters/

By Chitra Ahanthem

IMPHAL, October 7: Catching up with Akee Sorokhaibam, 29 proves to be difficult. His inclusion in the list of Film Fellows for the third edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) of Himachal Pradesh (October 30-November 2) means being caught in a mad rush of travel plans currently.

Akee along with other selected fellows from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh will now head for Dharamshala where there will be opportunities to participate in its various events that include screenings of the best contemporary independent cinema, and master classes and workshops held by visiting filmmakers and industry professionals.

Not only this, the Film Fellows will be able to attend special mentorship sessions with the jury and attend film making sessions in the DIFF which is a non-profit undertaking presented by White Crane Arts & Media Trust.

Over a flurry of online and phone exchanges with IFP, Akee traces his journey into the world of film making. Hailing from Wangjing Sorokhaibam Leikai but staying at Langol Housing Complex, Akee studied for his Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Philosophy from University of Delhi (2003-06), and eventually came back to the State and working with National Film award winning film maker Makhonmani Mongsaba. `He is my teacher and guide,` he says of Makhonmani who encouraged him to keep applying for the Film Appreciation Course held at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune in 2008. `My first application in 2007 was turned down and I was not too sure about myself,` Akee says. This, despite having being part of various TV programs commissioned by Doordarshan. He laughs with fondness over how he had to once dress up as `Bir Tikendrajit`™ for a TV serial of the same name for a scene where the actor playing the role did not turn up
for the shooting schedule!

Asked how his love for films developed, Akee laughs yet again and tells IFP that his uncle had a video parlour and watching films was just part of growing up. But to get back to his film career graph, Akee points out how the one-month film appreciation course at FTII was the best thing to have happened to him. `The range of films we got to watch and the discussions following the screenings was what I enjoyed the most,` says Akee. After the course, he ended up as Promo Editor/Producer at ET Now in Mumbai till 2010 when he came back to Manipur for good.

Answering what challenges young film makers face today in the State, Akee is quick to point out that most producers want to play safe with young film makers and not so established names in the film making world. `I want to make a full fledged feature film one day but with lack of finances, I have only made shorts and dabbled with music videos,` he says. Akee`™s short `Alternative Dancer` in collaboration with two young professionals from the state, contemporary dancer Surjit Nongmeikapam and Senjam Hemjit, a Bboy and fusion dance choreographer was officially selected in competition section of the `4th Siliguri International Short and Documentary Film Festival, 2014`™ and `Alpaviram South Asian Short and Documentary Film Festival, 2014`™ at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

For now, Akee`™s attention is on the Dharamshala International Film Festival where there will be films covering a wide range of film-makers telling their stories.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/producers-play-safe-with-young-film-makers-akee-sorokhaibam/

By M.C. Linthoingambee

Most often than not, Sports news have mostly been relegated to the back pages of newspapers with the exceptions made for cricket. However, sports news have recently had an unusual sprint on the front page in a welcome change. One must point out here that Sports are not a common day occurrence. History records the origin of some of the world`™s greatest games like: chess, polo, etc in India. The modern era seems to be missing out on a gap in these general previews in what existed as a historical lineage is more or less forgotten. The same spirit that lived yesterday is different from what is followed today. Are sports still transparent? From the world`™s biggest event of Olympics to many small matches taking place, can we guarantee match fixing does not exist? With a ban some years back on the Indian Olympic Association by the International Olympic Association, we had seen the sporting arena likely filled with authorities putting more into their pockets rather than working for the development of the game. But it still looks like corruption is taking a heavy toll in what seems most likely to not have happened in the first place. The general rules and regulations forged against corruption never seem to take notice. Anna Hazare for example, took to fasting when he demanded for imposition of Lokayukta and the Jan Lokpal Bill to keep track of such actions.

Sports law has an unusually well developed pattern of globalized regulation and overlaps substantially with labor law, contract law, criminal law, public law, administrative law, antitrust law, competition law, intellectual property rights law, law of tort, media law, company law, human rights law etc. These laws have been applied to sporting context involving public order, drugs, safety, disciplinary measures, conduct and wider issues relating to restraint of trade, anti competitive behavior, match fixing and the commercial exploitation of sports. Issues like defamation and privacy rights are also an integral aspect of sports law. In India, sports figures in the State list of the Seventh Schedule (Entry 33) of the Constitution. The Sports Law in India is governed and regulated by National Sports Policy, Sports Law and Welfare Association of India, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and The Sports Broadcasting Law in India.

Sometimes governance works in a more different path that expected also, the movie Mary Kom depicted a subtle act of the Boxing Federation not taking the appropriate steps to better the hygiene of its boxers. Rather the ideology of a banana, an egg and chai seems appropriate for a meal in their books. The condition of the kitchen seemed more likely to deter with the presence of more rats and cockroaches taking shelter in those very rooms. Isn`™t this a point taken? Most of us seem to care more for the medals bought back home rather than to care for the fate of those responsible for the same.

The recent results at the Incheon Games have had its share of highs and lows. India ranks 8 currently but the striking return of the Indian Hockey Team and the Men`™s and Women`™s Kabbadi Team winning gold are some of those moments that come with sheer hard work. In the midst of all this, a controversy struck one of our own! I am going by the general belief that L.Sarita Devi deserved a silver medal rather than a bronze for boxing. As per the code of conduct, the idea of sportsmanship is to live by the ethics of morality. But does the decision of the Judges specify as being moral? We won`™t know for sure since it is adjudicated that what seems like a win to the spectators might be different to the eyes of a Judge.

The emergent interaction between sports and law has shaped a new need for a greater understanding of how the law relates to the sporting world and thus owning up to the diversity of the field of law. India needs expert sports law consultants to meet a fusion of diverse legal disciplines such as sports law and policy, contract, tort, taxation, labor, competition, TV rights, match fixing and related criminal laws. Things might have turned differently in the current situation and it is beneficial to take note of legal representation of experts for the future of the sports to gain effective implementation.

There are provisions for punishments on grounds of illicit practice and match fixing, doping charges, etc. But in spite of the presence, there are no proper trials for the sportsman, match fixing still happens in some of the most acknowledged events, not to mention its effect on cricket.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/transparency-adrenaline/

By RK Lakhi Kant

A strange tree
The top half was dry to the core
Being a euclyptus the branches
Were all pointing up, stretching
To the limits toward a clear sky
The bottom half had green leaves
And usual branches
A crow perched on a top half branch
Perfectly blended with the dry scene –
The heat from the late summer sky,
The dry banches only existing
Without any liveliness
And the crow, hardly considered
A bird of any worth outside of it`s group.

On the Metro, surveying from
The transparent windows and doors,
Enjoying a vantage view of the
Greenery and human settlements
Down at the ground level
Like an uninvited guest,
Which the crow is, at parks
Where men gather with eatables
And the crows wait impatiently
To feed on the leftovers,
“I say, `O, if only I could relax and walk
In these greens!` `O, if only I had
A house like those ones among the greens.` ”
I find these missing in life
Like many fellow commuters
The inner self urges me on
But I am resourceless in life
Shunned, detested, chased away
Not a flighty bird, never taught
To enjoy, suffering in foolishness
But the last time I went to Manipur
I saw a couple of ravens sometimes
Flying around some large and old
Mango trees. My father told me
There were many crows in his time
At the same grove which was then
A forest. It was certainly a nostalgic
Sight, especially when you
Are used to to the crowing and ruckus
Created by crows in places like
Delhi where they are in good numbers
Whoever would think of missing
The crows, but that`s what happened.

Nature – abundant, beautiful, and
Calm – you have a place in the
Heart for every being
Many times in the moments of my
Passing life I survey meaninglessly
Like the crow on the euclyptus
And find out that I too,
Like the crow, am a part of
Nature`s plan, giving me reason
To live as I please, no matter
How strict the rules men devise.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/caw-caw/

By Amar Yumnam

India`™s policy (read as the Central Government`™s policy) towards the North Eastern Region (NER) of the country has undergone three phases. First, there was the period from the start of the Planning Era to the end of the 1980s. This was the period when the principle of not doing anything except militaristic-perspective-based interventions was honoured. The second period starts from the beginning of the 1990s when the Look East Policy (LEP) became a coin for international political announcements and the so-called border trade agreement was also signed between India and Myanmar. This second period has been the most pretentious one so far as the policies towards the NER are concerned. This period gave an overt picture of being concerned with the development concerns of the region. But this was nothing more than a bluff as the underlying principle of the first phase was adopted with no content of body and soul to the supposedly new overtures. In fact, this period had the cruelty of abandoning the innocence about the region in the first phase and replacing it by a pseudo concern for transforming the region. This second phase has just been ended with the completion of the recent visit to Japan by the Indian Prime Minister and the signing of the Tokyo Declaration by the leaders of the two countries. We are now in the third phase of the NER policies of the government of India.

The charm of the latest phase lies in the replacement of the policy-bluffs so far by genuine concerns for development of the NER. This is borne out by the fast pace of unfolding policy dynamics. Well, the region was the main focus of the recent Tokyo Declaration of the two leaders. This has now been followed by a Roundtable Discussion on the NER in the context of the emerging India-ASEAN relationships. In the few policy discussions I have had the fortune of attending and in so far as they relate to the region, the latest is very different. In the two-day Roundtable almost all the member countries of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) were represented by their Ambassadors right from the start of the discussion till the end on both the days; except the Philippines and Myanmar, whose Ambassadors were represented by their deputies due to unavoidable reasons, the remaining eight countries were represented by the Ambassadors and High Commissioners themselves. What all these imply is that the seriousness of the new Prime Minister of India on the development issues of the region is now appreciated in the entire South East and East Asia.

Here I would like to focus on some issues about the connectivity being thought about and the model of this in order that the beauty of the new turn in policy perspective is converted into a strength for ushering into a path-breaking development dynamics in the NER. The changes in the highest echelon of national policy formulation can be made meaningfully and inclusively fruitful only when accompanied by regional level involvements for convergence to the new changes. While quite often issues are raised as to what the region has to present herself for trade, I would like to put two points immediately. First, global development history tells us that once a linkage has been established and scope for opportunities emerged, it has always been the role of entrepreneurs to smart the line of progression; development has never been along dotted lines anywhere. When the CNN was first started in the USA, it was dubbed by the people as the Chicken Noodle Network. When Lee Kuan Yew started on a new development path for the absolutely small country, Singapore, the world never believed that the country would emerge from underdevelopment. Second, at least we know for sure that Manipur offers the world to enjoy the organic Moon and the organic Stars every night if there are no clouds.

Now issues about the connectivity with the South East Asian countries. Let me emphasise here the new global understanding of the significance of connectivity. In the earlier rounds of globalisation, connectivity was simply connecting Point A with Point B for facilitating the movement of merchandise items. But today it goes much beyond this. Now technology flows, knowledge flows, ideas flow and even culture flows along with the movement of merchandise and people on these connectivity routes. Further, in this age of competition and efficiency, speed is also paramount. It is exactly on these dimensions that we need to be alert, conscious, conscientious, and involved. In the context of the NER we know how the poverty of connectivity and poorness of development transformation have been the characteristic so far and thus a strong foundation for widespread resentment. This demands a pragmatically relevant approach to the development of connectivity in the NER such that the resentments are not nurtured or allowed to bounce back with a gusto in the future. This means that the new infrastructure for connectivity should possess the qualities of facilitating fast and furious. The new infrastructure for connectivity should also reflect the latest technology with an inherent capability for adoption of new technologies as they emerge. The new infrastructure for connectivity should also be converted into a reality at a pace vastly different from the one which had characterised the LEP so far.

Now how can we go about on these? This requires understanding the reality of the region. I would call as geographic non-linearity the topographical slopes of ups and down. But the new infrastructure for connectivity should be able to take care of these non-linearities in order to meet the contemporary demands of speed and competence. In other words, there is the imperative for creating linear infrastructure for connectivity. The best example in this is the infrastructure for connectivity being created in Western Yunnan right now. Further, Manipur has been deprived of being present in the railway map of the country for the last seven decades. The logic of propriety and justice demands that any railway connectivity being created today should possess convergence capabilities when the latest technologies for railways reach India sooner than later. But unfortunately, as of now, the new infrastructure for connectivity being envisaged and implemented in the region does not satisfy any of these principles of justice and requirements.

This is exactly where I would expect the provincial government to rise to the occasion and press for the needs in order that nation-building is facilitated and the grudges of deprivation are not allowed to transform into new formulations. The provincial government should now transform herself from an `occasional partner in life` (a phrase borrowed from a latest book by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge titled The Fourth Revolution: The Global Race To Reinvent The State) to one which legitimately earns the confidence of the people. Time to be pragmatic. Time for big decisions. John Maynard Keynes once complained when change was in the air thus: `We do not dance even yet to a new tune.` Manipur in particular and the NER in general cannot afford such an atmosphere to prevail and sustain.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/international-relations-and-the-north-east-agenda-time-for-revolutionary-pragmatism/

By Malangba Bangormayum

In October a `Great Soul` was born.

In September, a friend of mine and I were discussing about something which led to the etymology of the word `Tantra`. He explained, in quite some length, what that word means. What I got out of that explanation was that the root of the word has to do with instrumentality. The literal meaning of the word, it seems, is to do with the loom. Tantra, therefore, I thought, could be taken as instruments, means to an end. It could also mean `looms`™ of various kinds, which give us means to weave webs of significances around ourselves, others and the world.

In June some years ago, I got married. My wife is the sixth of seven sisters. Her elder sisters got, as parental gifts, in line with tradition, the gift of looms – looms on which they could weave clothes,perhaps a livelihood. Eachwas also gifted a cow. I came to know of the cow earlier than the fact of the gift of looms. So, before the marriage, I asked my would-be-wife, whether she is bringing a cow. I said that would be great. I had this vision of a cow ferried on a truck to my place. I thought that would be fun. My expression of interest in the cow was taken seriously by her parents. Arrangements were made, the cow was chosen. My parents did not take it that way. They thought I was being infantile. When the cow was about to be put on the truck, words were sent by my father requesting my would-be-in-laws that the cow would not be a good idea. His argument was that there simply was no place to put the animal, and that the cow be sent when proper arrangements, a cow-shed was made. The cow-shed is yet to be constructed.

My wife did not receive any loom either. I inquired why? I also had this vision of her weaving clothes. That too looked good. She had this story to tell why she was not gifted a loom as was the case with her sisters. There was a `crazy woman`™ in her locality, when she was a child. This `crazy woman`™went around the locality to places where there were infants and children. She looked for chancesto hold them and play with them. It goes without saying that she was not entertained.

She saw some kids playing on a bullock cart. The bigger ones ran away when she approached. A little girl remained for she could not get down. The `crazy woman`™ took her down with care, but something happened which made her topple over the little girl. The girl got a fracture on her left-arm. The girl grew up, and became my wife one day, in June.

Taking long bus rides to a medicine-man in Khongjom, the parents of the girl treated their daughter but it did not quite worked out. They took her to a doctor, who told them that the bone had set but in the wrong way. The only way was to break it again and reset it. They would not hear of it. They resolved that they would make sure that their daughter never labour with her hands. She was not allowed to lift the heavy bucket, that heavy bag of rice. They also made sure that she gets the best education that they could afford, so that she never works on the loom. If that was the case, it is no mystery why she did not get the loom. She already had the gift of a loom of a different kind from her parents.

I knew what `Sva` means. If it is to be conjoined with `Tantra`, then it gives an idea worth fighting for. It is now clear why that `Great Soul` used to physically labour on a loom of his own. There is atwo-way traffic between the physical to the abstract idea and the idea to the physical. Another dimension of greatness of that `Great Soul` struck me in some kind of an epiphany. He was indeed someone who felt, what he thought and thought what he felt. Knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or not, he expressed what he felt and what he thought. The loom that he used to spin seems to be a case in point. His struggle for freedom for his people somehow expressed itself in the innocuous looking loom that he spun religiously. The physical loom as a launch pad, a symbolism for the idea that he was struggling for, need not have been a conscious design on his part. But isn`™t it the beautiful part, the effortlessness of a consummate artiste?The idea gave form to the physical loom. And in between these was the literal meaning of words that stand for `self`™ and `loom`™ and which together comes to stand for Independence, Self-rule, Freedom, Dignity and the myriad terms having a familial relation. He spun his loom, to realize the gift of a loom for everyone. He spun on his loom, now I realize, to make possible that everyone gets a loom of one`™s own.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/a-loom-of-ones-own/

By Tinky Ningombam

A while back, I got a rather inopportune call from one of my relatives. Unlucky for him, I was not in the best of moods and hence I sounded more grim and serious than ever. To which, his obvious comment implied that I have changed from a happy and positive person to a serious one and advised me that I must not take so much pressure in life. Harmless as it was, his words led the pragmatist in me to pose the likely question: if stressing to find solutions to problems is not a positive aspect, then what is?

Let us set our context straight. One of the biggest lie in the history of modern psychology is making people believe that positive thinking eliminates all your worries and makes you more successful. This western concept has been interpreted in a lot of absurd ways such as having happy thoughts all the time makes one a happy person. Thinking about only the positives in life makes you into a positive person. Acknowledging the most positive aspects of another person makes you think of them positively. You must have heard of all of them before, these are not my imaginary constructs. These are teachings and corporate lectures, all based on the `Be Positive` cult that has spread so much hogwash.

What positive thinking does is to make us believe that if we have the positive thoughts, something good is bound to happen always, as if it`™s inevitable. The universe conspires to it. Magically, all good things will attached themselves to me if my conviction towards good thoughts are strong.

Humans being narcissistic and self-obsessed do tend to believe that they are God`™s gift, we demand nothing but the best for ourselves. `I have never done anything wrong to people, I have always had good thoughts, I have always been positive to people, why is nothing good happening to me?`

We constantly undermine that in a person`™s life, there will be ups and downs. Because we focus so much on the highs that we ignore the lows and have a hard time accepting it. We cannot acknowledge it and hence we do not tackle it. We want to take life in an upward curve, the perpetual high, riding the pinnacle of success. Hence our flawed definition of success is constructed by man-made achievements that there is no place for the `chance occurring`. Fate or Fortune is something that we have discarded as vague concepts. We have forgotten to accept destiny or chance to govern our likely outcome. Hence when we see and hear of people with positive thoughts succeeding in life, we believe that all our human endeavours will be translated its weight in gold. While Goddess Fortuna (goddess of Fortune) spinning her Rota Fortunae, the wheel of Fortune might have bigger plans.

Rather be a pragmatist. Think of multiple outcomes if at all you need to think. Plan A: something good happens. Plan B: something bad happens. And then there`™s Plan C: the chance occurring.

Thoughts and outcomes are very subjective. First of all, we cannot force down an emotion/thought/fantasy on someone. You cannot smile all the time and force yourself to think you are happy. It has to come in naturally. You have to naturally positive in order to feel positive. If there is a `negative` threat, you have to deal with it head on and not ignore it, hiding behind your positive reinforcements. What it does is to blur your reality.

If I didn`™t study for my exams, all the good thoughts in the world cannot make me pass it. It is wrong to tell people to be overly optimistic without putting in the hard-work required for it. And this is exactly what the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology research on positive thinking proved. It said: `Positive fantasies that idealize the future are found to be inversely related to achievement over time: the more positively the fantasies are experienced, the less effort do people invest in realizing these fantasies, and the lower is their success in achieving them.` The more people fantasise of success or positive outcomes, the less effort they put into the job. When you constantly tell your kid that you see a very bright future for them and that being a member of your famed family, he/she is going to be as successful or bright or a genius, without teaching them how to get there, then that is a false reinforcement. When he/she grows up, if fortune does not favour, they will most likely land up in more depression. The correct way is to tell them that to cope with the harsh realities of life as they would the good parts, learn to handle the pressure of failure and that of success and to worry less of the future and live in the Present.

(`The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.` `“ Gautama Buddha)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/live-the-moment/

By Anjuman Ara Begum

`It was on the 11 September 1958 that the President of India signed the Act, and the same day 9/11 is observed as the anti-terrorism day world over, the struggle against state terrorism started on the same day for the inalienable civil, political and cultural rights of the peoples of Northeast India with the imposition of AFSPA 56 years ago…`™. this was the reaction of civil society members gathered on September 11, 2014 at Guwahati to `celebrate`™ the 56 years of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA, in short). AFSPA became law on September 11, 1958 after receiving assent of the president of India. It was promised to be a temporary measure. 56 years on, the Act is still in force despite several calls for its repeal and is still held strong by the armed forces an excuse for legalising repression and impunity calling it a `holly book`™. Participating in the same gathering renowned human rights activist of the region Babloo Loitongbam, `if this is temporary measure then what it the meaning of permanent?`™, a thought that provokes human conscience to rethink about AFSPA.

RULE OF LAW, a universally celebrated and adopted concept to counter arbitrariness and unreasonableness in law and practice. The concept dominates the law making process of today`™s civilised and democratic countries. Soon after adopting a written constitution in 1950 with implicit guarantee of RULE OF LAW, the state of India continue to resort to repressive policies as well as practices. Following the colonial footsteps, the AFSP bill was passed in the parliament in August, 1958 after a brief seven hours debate. It was in the same year of 1958, India signed Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Geneva Conventions of 1948, Convention against Racial Discrimination and several others. State of India continued to reaffirm its commitment towards the protection and promotion of international human rights standards despite resorting to repressive policies and practices like AFSPA domestically.

Soon after becoming a law, AFSPA started concretising it`™s existence. It`™s application continued to be extended as well as it`™s abuses. Needless to say that the Act has `normalised`™ routine declaration of disturbed area, encouraged the practice of extrajudicial execution and reinforced the culture of impunity. Let`™s us consider these three aspects.

Firstly, the extension `disturbed area` status for north eastern states since 1955 has now attained the status of a mere routine administrative exercise. What constitute `disturbances`™ is still not codified in legal literature. Even the judiciary ignored this aspect. In Naga People Movement for Human Rights vs. Union of India, AIR 1998 SC 431, it was simply said that the country understands what constructs a `disturbed area`™. It was further decreed that there is no requirement that the Central Government shall consult the State Government before making the declaration. In fact, there are instances where state`s resolution against such declaration has been ignored. It is reported that Nagaland state assembly passed resolutions against the extension on four occasions and each time these resolutions have been ignored by the centre government. Tripura, a state often claimed as an example of successful counter insurgency measures still remained `disturbed`™. Tripura hardly had any major armed encounter in recent years. Such back door declarations of emergency situation continued simultaneously when Government of India claimed internationally that there is no situation of armed conflict in the country.

Declaration of `disturbed area` also means additional budget allocations. In a corrupt country like India, this aspect is important in the context of recurring extension of `disturbed area`™ status. Parliament of India`™s record suggests that the Government has been providing financial assistance. During the period of the year 2011- 2012 financial assistance was provided under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) to the affected States are Assam (153.04 crore), Nagaland (83.11 crore), Manipur (28.88 crore), Tripura (39.25 crore), Arunachal Pradesh (27.82 crore), J& K (342.27 crore)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/56-years-of-afspa-legalising-rule-o-flaw/

By Amar Yumnam

Manipur today stands at an historically critical juncture and this is unavoidable. The emerging transnational interventions put Manipur at a junction where South Asia would interact with South East and East Asia. This is where the contemporary weaknesses and unpreparedness of Manipur for playing the host for the interactions come to the fore with dangerous social implications. Any interaction between different entities at any historical juncture demands a new set of cultures to serve the purpose of the interactions as well as to enable the involving parties to flourish out of the interactions. The needed set of new cultures goes much beyond the preoccupation of Manipur society so far of only the quest for a useful glory of the past, and rather demands evolution, new dynamics and practise of hitherto ignored dimensions of social functioning. This functioning with a new culture is needed of the society collectively, of the individual at personal levels and the government in performing governance. Let me put a word here on what I mean by culture. I would rather put it simply as the character and principle with which an individual performs her functions, the society conducts the business of societal existence and the government performs her responsibilities.

The needed new culture is very different from the ones we usually identify with, e.g., our dances, the valour of our forefathers and the like. The new culture is oriented towards facilitating the movement and exchange of people and commodities. It should be in sync with any new technology, knowledge and ideas irrespective of whether these are home-grown or inflows from outside. Earlier the relationships and interactions between different economies were mercantile focused, and the component of knowledge and technology was very small if any. But the very content of mercantile relationships has undergone a drastic change now with rising content of non-material movements. Besides, the movement and exchange today include movement of people and exchange of knowledge and technology in addition to the rising content of knowledge and technology in the mercantile component as well. Still further, there is a continuous competition based on efficiency and competence inherent in all these. Since the movements and exchanges are in differentiated items, the efficiency and competence are not necessarily in relative terms. Nevertheless, I must hasten to add, the presence of a minimum level of globally acceptable efficiency and competence is essential for in the otherwise case the society would be just swept aside by the tide instead of floating with the new wave.

Now all these movements and exchange of mercantile items, people, technology and knowledge are accompanied by a new set of culture hitherto unexperienced by Manipur society; every new technology comes along with a new culture to make it functional and meaningful; this is besides the new competence and efficiency required by the evolving dynamics. This is exactly where the weaknesses of Manipur are salient at all sectors `“ individual, social and governmental. Let me start with the individual level challenge. Many new technologies are now present in Manipur. Let us look at the ATM machines `“ though these are widely present in Manipur, the people of Manipur at large are non-conversant with the culture associated with the functioning of these. There are now so many new cars and motorcycles, but the culture associated with these is absolutely absent among the people using these. Even more unfortunately, there is no scope for acquiring this new culture as the very people who should be foundations for social learning are the most violators of the new culture. The most common and extreme example is the behaviour of the individuals manning and performing the functions of the government. Even the civil servant who has just started his/her career would move about with a flag-post and would impose right of way and precedence at every point of travel. So the absence of culture associated with new technology characterises both the common people and the people in the government.

Besides these individual level crimes (crimes because these go against the to-be-shared and long-term interests of the people), the collective level crimes too are aplenty. We continuously hear of mob delivery of justice (well the governance might fail in delivering justice but mob-delivery is not something in tune with international norms for advancement) instead of social movements for improving the quality of governance. We are aware and experiencing the conduct of cultural bodies like Pakhangba Seva Committees by a set of social thieves on a principle of continual practising of lies.

As we know that both the individuals and the society of Manipur are not in sync with the contemporary interaction based on technology and knowledge and the culture demanded of it, we may now ask as to how the functioning of government reflects on these. One example I frequently cite my friends is a comparison of an individual moving in a private car and the trucks loaded with goods. Any private car moves on the road purely to serve personal interests. In comparison to this, the trucks loaded with goods are on the roads serving the cause of the society and the economy of that society. It requires of the governance to see to it that these movements of loaded trucks are really facilitated in order that the economic activities of the society are fastened and growth is hastened; I am aware of regulations needed in this context. But this is exactly what the functioning of the government of Manipur violates today. Whenever a loaded truck moves on the road, we observe the traffic-policemen/policewomen and the police personnel suddenly become alert, and the consequent event is the hand-shake with the driver wherein money is exchanged. This is something, we would never encounter in any developed social atmosphere. It should always be the case that the loaded trucks are more facilitated vis-à-vis the private cars in public interest (which in this case is development of the economy of Manipur); public interest is seen only in government orders and notices but never in practice of the government of Manipur.

So when the whole world is moving towards Manipur equipped with new technology and continuously improved technology and knowledge, individuals, society and government of Manipur are least prepared to face the world with a culture founded on competence and efficiency. Manipur today needs a new cultural learning and a new cultural dynamics oriented to the present for a brighter future instead of the current of looking back to the past and immediate personal gains.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/culture-beyond-a-quest-for-the-useful-past-manipurs-imperative-for-a-contemporary-culture-for-a-meaningful-future/

By Dr Khushboo Shah Sawant

“World Heart Day” this year falls on 29th of September. It is a day to spread awareness about heart health and also create a `heart friendly environment`. Today, we shall get some basic information about heart health, which may prove as a life saver when the need arises. Heart attack is one of the leading causes of deaths in India. It is in fact one of the most common causes of death worldwide. But what exactly is a heart attack?

To put it in layperson terms, it is a commonly used name for one of the most frequently seen forms of heart disease in which the blood vessels which supply blood to the heart become narrow or blocked, and so are not able to supply the required amount of blood to the heart, or in case of a completely blocked blood vessel, not able to supply blood at all. What causes the blood vessels to narrow or get completely blocked? There are various factors, which increase the risk of heart diseases with many of them not being within control and hence inevitable. However, there are enough risk factors that are well within the means of man and thus are controllable.

Some of the risk factors that are inevitable include old age, as progressing age increases the chances of heart disease. This factor of age is fast changing due to changing lifestyle and poor quality of life with the trend now slowly affecting not just the older generation but also the middle age group. The tendency for a heart disease is far greater in males than in females. In case of women, the tendency to heart diseases increases greatly after attaining menopause. If a person has a history of immediate relatives like parents, siblings etc. who have been affected by heart disease then the person himself also naturally stands a risk for heart ailments.

By making some lifestyle changes a person can actually reduce the risk factors towards heart diseases. One risk factor that is controllable is smoking. Smokers have more than twice the risk of heart disease as compared to non smokers. So it is best to not smoke at all, or reduce smoking gradually and eventually quit. Increased cholesterol levels is another factor that increases the risk of heart attacks greatly. People should go for annual cholesterol check ups after the age of 35. The main aim should be to keep the total cholesterol count under 200 mg/dL, and increase in the HDL (High Density Lipids) levels which is the `good cholesterol`™ while reducing the amount of LDL (Low density lipids) which is the `bad cholesterol`™. It is always advisable for people with an abnormal cholesterol profile to visit a doctor to seek their opinion regarding starting medications to control the same.

High blood pressure also plays a vital role in increasing the risk towards a heart attack and is one of the most common heart conditions in India. Ideal blood pressure of a person must be 120/80 mmHg. If there is an increase in the blood pressure, then like cholesterol, its interpretation must be sought from a doctor and treatment should be individualized taking into account a person`™s entire risk profile. Diabetes contributes another significant amount to the risk factors of heart disease. Controlling diabetes by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular medications is known to reduce the risk.

Increased body weight and sedentary lifestyle are also other risk factors. Increasing weight gain puts unnecessary strain on the heart and also worsens several heart condition risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol etc. Exercising or maintaining a healthy weight by controlling the diet can help. Exercising infrequently or not exercising at all has a higher rate of tendency towards heart ailments. It is a healthy practice to do mild to moderate physical activity. Even leisurely walk or activities like gardening can significantly lower the risk. Eating a healthy diet that is low in salt content, saturated fats, cholesterol, refined sugars etc is a `heart healthy`™ habit. It is also healthy to increase the intake of foods rich in vitamins and other nutrients especially antioxidants which have been proven to lower the risk of heart diseases. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts is a very healthy habit.

Stress can contribute greatly to heart diseases and learning to cope with it is of vital importance. Dealing with stress by venting it out in the form of anger or violence only adds to health issues, rather than reducing it. Poorly controlled stress or anger can lead to heart attacks or stroke. It is important to learn stress and anger management techniques, by practicing relaxation exercises, practice yoga, learning to manage time, setting realistic goals, and also learn to accept failure and cope with it. It is important to spend quality free time doing things that a person likes or feels relaxed with.

While the inevitable risk factors are beyond control, it is best to follow a healthy and balanced lifestyle keep the controllable risk factors at bay.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/heart-friendly-this-world-heart-day/

By M.C. Linthoingambee

Often, we forget that we rely more on the drivers who drive around and bring us supplies. The National Highway Routes in Manipur have always been a constant place of danger for civilians who serve the profession of being carrier drivers. When will this ever stop? From the interstate territorial disputes to the constant conflict being prime reasons, every hour seems a constant rebellion as they journey along the beautiful scenery. The Right to Life seems to be negated in a constant standstill every now and then with the living blockade and strikes called in these seemingly beautiful routes. The general public are not fully aware of these happenings because let`™s face it, airways seems a better option for travel rather than suffering the backlog of these poor roads.

It is not just today that news traveled of a driver being killed and thrown off or even abducted for a hefty ransom. Where is the protection? The citizens of India are guaranteed with the right to protection by armed forces in times of need. With more and more wings and recruitments generated, there are more people that join the link to military prospect. But, little aid comes by in these situations. There are heroic stories of a soldier saving a small girl in a far off village but that is ever so dim. The families that are left behind are often one of the main victims left without the necessary compensation and to topple it up not having the enough required financial funds necessities them to be deprived off basic requirements and enter the poverty strata.

The condition today are burnt trucks, money takers, and many other elements which are dreaded for experience even as the police escort provided for their safety are many too few. It brings to our notice that for a driver who works day and night and transport supplies and produces mainly for the people have to battle a constant factor of risks. The conflict present in these lines should be acknowledged if we to take initiatives to better the situation.

Coming across one such incident last year, certain demands were put forth. The Co-Ordinating Body of Trade Unions, Manipur submitted a Charter of Demands for immediate implementation for the motor workers, owners and bereaved family of the deceased driver.

It started with the idea booking the culprits immediately and punishing them according to the law of our country, paying compensation of more than 10 lakhs, institution of a High Level Committee to look at the causes of such type of incidents, permanent Highway Protection Force should be manned on the National Highways in the hill areas of Manipur to protect the vehicles, motor workers, owners and general public. And yet, the situation keeps on repeating itself.

The pride of a nation lies in acknowledging the safety guarantee of human rights and yet, we act as though we have never of the term. There are certain issues that spring up in each session of the legislative assembly yet, there are little proposed on the matter. The outline scenario of the loss felt by the loved ones is never asked nor answered. All speaks in awe of grave danger lurking through the passage to another state though the hill roads leading to other territories and yet, we have fallen to take notice. How many incidents of abduction will it take to make the news reach further?

The torture of a person is an encroachment of the guaranteed fundamental rights. It is high time that the calm scenery be looked up for the criminals with outstation of a task force. The right to freedom of trade and carry out profession is hampered and the hurdle and burden of long court proceedings often compel the families of these motor drivers not to take up the matter in court. It is time the additional benefits of the road transport corporations file for a collective application for the Government both Central and State to compel the transfer of police forces to protect its minor segment of motor drivers and their conductors. They need to seek out pro bono and be adjudicated in the need to guarantee a certain term of assurance that can show that the principle of Natural Justice have not completely given up on them. Insurance Companies need to come up with better plans to pay the liability owed to the vehicle owners and drivers in case of such special circumstances. It does not take one incident to stop a profession yet, some are constantly scared away with the instantaneous news that travel by. When we live in an era where we can launch satellite into Mars orbit, it is sad that the same country faces these other risks.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/drifting-route/

By Iboyaima Laithangbam

As a child when I hanged around dispensaries at Kangpokpi, Thoubal or Andro where the all pervasive stench of disinfectants wafted in the hospitals and wards. This distinctive stench is conspicuous by its absence in the general wards in general and special wards in particular in Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, which is under the union health ministry. The reason is not deep to root for. Adequate fund must be sanctioned for such disinfectants. When I was admitted in a special ward recently there was no nurse in the cubicle. Some of them were gossiping in the rest room. Much later one sidled out. I explained to her that I had to rush to the eye ward for check up and the test reports were needed. The nurse casually asked me to take the reports and submit the same when I returned. The system is that the nurses on duty should have welcomed a patient like me, lodged in the room and my reports properly docketed.

One attendant should have taken the reports to the eye department. When I returned a new group of nurses were on duty. One sharp tongued nurse was not happy that I took the reports instead of depositing to the cubicle. Even after my explanation she kept on lecturing.

Anyway they should have swung into actions attending to my needs including medication. No nurse came to my room. On the second the doctor asked one nurse to send someone to fetch ear buds for me from the eye department. It was ignored with contempt. Instead of doing hospital work a hand written list of four bulbs, one bucket, one mug, etc was brought for my signature. It was quite insulting that RIMS treats patients as potential thieves who would steal a bulb costing about Rs 12.

In hospitals elsewhere in the country a nurse will closely monitor the patient and personally administer the medicines and tests usually done by a nurse on duty. But no nurse came during my three day stay there.

At the instruction of the doctor an allergic test was done at 4.38 pm on the second in preparation for the operation the following day.

However no nurse came and the night shift nurses did not know about it. At 7 pm I walked to the cubicle to ask about it and one nurse casually said that if I do not have itch it was okay.

One sweeper comes to “sweep” the room in less than one minute, really a gold medal winning performance. Later another comes for “mopping” without bucket or water. After two or three swipes she also leaves. There is no disinfectant. The bathroom is also cleaned without such disinfectants or water since the taps had gone dry by that time. Two plumbers visited the bathroom three times on the second day to set right the faucets. They forgot to turn off the same. Much later the bathroom, room were flooded and spilled over at the corridor. A nurse tongue lashed my wife. My wife also hit back saying that the plumbers are to be blamed. Since there was no sweeper at that time my wife had to mop the floors. A very attractive award of the paying ward. Being paying ward there should be restrictions on visitors, their number and duration of stay as is done elsewhere. In absence of such regulations visitors overstay in huge number suffocating the patients.

Besides as there is no nobody to guide the unlettered visitors knock each and every door in search of their relatives. The extent of harassment caused to the patients is maddening. Patients cannot depend on the nurses for timely medication whereas in other states patients` relatives are not allowed to handle the medicines. One nurse frankly admitted that it was her first contact with an eye patient. She also had forgotten to inform me on the timing of the medication. She could not identify two sets of tablets, It was only when a post graduate student came and identified the tablets that I took them.

The doctors, post graduate students and operation equipments will be envy of many big hospitals in the country. But proper supervision, administration, reorientation of the mindset of the nurses to make the hospital patient friendly are urgently called for. One does not have to delve deep to know why most of the patients prefer the private hospitals despite the prohibitive expenses. Is it any wonder that my treatment sheet was blank during my stay and even the name of the doctor was not taken and written there except the word `Prof`?

(My special thanks and gratitude to Dr Chingshuingamba and his dedicated team who attended to me).

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/doctor-stench-is-missing-from-rims/

By Chitra Ahanthem

The grass is green on the other side` is an oft-repeated saying. Every single time I run into a salesgirl or a receptionist or an attendant or security guard from various parts of the state in metros spread across the country, this saying comes to my mind, also considering that Manipur sees quite a number of migrant population eking out a living here. Yes, there are many from the state who are employed in various parts of the country in senior levels in highly paid salary bands and leading from the front in various sectors. But there are more lower ranked, lowly paid people from the state who exist on a few thousands per month than the few hundreds who are earning well and moving around in senior levels. This then begs the question of what is it that makes people move from their home and roots and try and get a foothold somewhere else. As far as the presence of migrant labour in Manipur is concerned, many say that the cost of living here is low. Over and above this bit, the lack of a work force that is prepared to do menial jobs like cleaning, sweeping, carrying loads easily facilitates a vacuum that migrants fill in the state. The sheer irony here is that a lot many young people from the state are heading outside the state to work more hours on not so much pay but where the cost of living does not come cheap at all.

You see them in shopping malls working as salespersons, as attendants in parking lots, as hotel helps and cooks, as helpers in saloons and beauty parlours. The ones who can speak polished English are visible in the same job sector but in a more better position: as hairdressers, spa staff, as receptionists, as stewards and waiters in hotels and restaurants. Strike a conversation with them and they will tell you that they have been around for some time, that they earn a 15,000 maximum salary band per month and that they work 8 hours a day with one day off for the week. Only a few of those I speak with say they are also continuing with their studies along with their work by taking up distance learning since they are too tired to do anything else. But ask about the reason for leaving the comforts of home to work long hours with little pay, and the reasons make an interesting mix. Some say that they were brought into the cities where they work to study by relatives who were studying but then offered the choice of jobs when their marks were found to be on the lesser side; a few say that working outside of the state is the best option as there is a dearth of the same kind of openings for people in the state.

In the beauty, wellness and hospitality sector, those from the state and the other North Eastern states are preferred over others, provided they are confident and do not have a language issue. It is this category that has the most opportunities in terms of promotions and incentives, with employers wanting faces from the region to exhibit just a bit of exotica. My youngest sister who has been in the beauty and wellness industry in a senior level executive industry tells me that more and more, the industry is looking for people from the region with employers going the extra mile of providing company staying places. She tells me that the difference in facial structures is a huge hit with consumers who may or may not know about the citizenship of people from the region. She would know: many years as she began her first foray into the beauty sector, my sister was picked to have her photo for a promotional campaign of the beauty training institute that had a tagline saying `across the world`™. The advertisement had foreign faces and hers would have been included an Asian (read Mongoloid) face.

End-point:

Be what it may, the world today has shrunk and just as young people are venturing out to work as per their qualifications, so also the presence of migrant labour in the state. This crisscrossing of people across places and regions in search of livelihood will endure and continue. Some will be lucky to have a supportive environment as they try to fit into alien surroundings, and some will be unfortunate enough to have restrictions on their movement and work. But the struggle for a better life will continue over the ages.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/in-search-of-greener-pastures/