Tag: Articles-Opinions

By: Sanjiit Laishram

I was wondering, when was the last time we had a blacktop road on this busy stretch of road along the Konung Mamang-Andro Parking area separating Wangkhei and Yaishkul in Imphal East district. Being a municipal area, we don’t have the luxury of the centrally sponsored schemes for road development projects like pradhan mantri gram sadak yojana (PMGSY) which are prevalent in rural and hill districts of our state. One can judge the condition of roads in greater Imphal areas to those in the rural areas and the different districts. State agencies like PWD and contractors who are supposed to engage in road development work in and around Imphal are in no hurry to finish this uncompleted stretch of road in this particular area any time soon. It’s clear that, the state government is waiting of Sangai Festival which is being organised during the month of November every year to complete this particular section of road. But, this also not a guarantee.
Being dry season and the ongoing drought like situation in our state, road in this particular stretch is becoming a motorist’s nightmare. With dust and suspended particles covering the entire stretch of this state highway, causing severe inconvenience to both communities settling along the highway and to all business establishment around this stretch. This includes women vendors of Konung Mamang Ema Keithel, the road side eateries along the Konung Mamang till Andro Parking and various other kirana shops along this stretch. The problem of dust is Manipur is nothing new and has been a major health hazard for many residents of Imphal area. Dust is among the many workplace hazards, which include other aerosols (such as fumes and mists), gases and vapors, physical and biological agents, as well as ergonomic factors and psycho social stresses. There is a rapid rise of respiratory related diseases among the residents of Imphal in the recent past and the ever increasing case of respiratory problems to all sections of the society irrespective of gender or ages. The average middle class citizens are the worse sufferers regarding this issue, as these section of people who cannot afford the luxury of air conditioned cars directly face the blunt of the storm (of dust) in these areas.
It’s a sorry tale of incompetency and lack of civil administration on the part of concern authority and the state administration, that blacktopping of half a kilometer of road in the heart of Imphal city couldn’t be completed for almost two years and running. One can very well imagine the ongoing project along the national highway 53, Imphal- Jiribam section of blacktopping all weather roads that is been promised by concern minister and the honorable chief minister of our state. I don’t know who is at fault in this issue – the contractor, the public works department (PWD), the local minister concern (Wangkhei/Yaishkul Kendra) or the general public at large for giving vote to incompetent contract(or) ministers who never address the issues of the general public. What could we do now? Do we have to follow the age old tradition of Bandh or Blockade of this stretch of road till complete work is executed or do we have to boycott the contractor or the concern minister in charge or should we take the help of RTI to know the project status or a public interest litigation (PIL) against the concern department handling the road development work.
Whatever may be the step, it is time as a citizen of this nation that we need to make our self-heard, against lack of civil amenities. We as citizens need to make our self-accountable for this mess as our elected representative has failed to deliver their full on promises as a people’s representative. It’s high time for a change, a change that shapes future course of actions. Let’s join, one and all.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/05/dust-republic-tale-of-2-constituencies/

By Tara Manchin Hangzo PhD

I missed the most wonderful thing a woman can experience i.e. childbirth and motherhood. Far too long, I led my life not experiencing the pleasure of being a mother.  There are many women like me who due to circumstances in life are not able to experience the sheer pleasure of being a mother. Sometimes it is out of choice ( I know of few couple who consciously choose not to have a child) and sometime it is destiny. I feel  blessed as I have an opportunity of playing small mothering roles to my many nephews and my nieces  in various ways. Oh how glorious it is to be in the company of a bright and intelligent toddler and a curious smart boy. They keep you entertained and enthralled the whole day and one never gets bored in their company.

Living in a rapidly changing world our perception and views about motherhood has undergone a slight change.  My mother’s generation grew up expecting to become a good wife and mother, sacrificing for her large family, and to be taken care of and honored by her children in her old age. However, her children grew up in cities like Delhi and Bangalore with very different values than she was raised with. Some of her children even moved to Western countries, and lead their own separate lives. Today she leads a totally independent life thanks to her good health and gene. My point here is that having children is to enjoy raising them, giving them the values handed down by generations after generations and not expect anything in return except love and respect. Taking care of the financial needs is always there if the need arises and our Manipuri children always obliged parents and family members in need of help.

A woman who has not been a mother and spent time with babies will not be able to comprehend the joy of motherhood. I was one of them before but not anymore. This brings to the question; does a woman have to give birth to her own child to experience motherhood? My answer will be NO! You need not give physical birth to satisfy your motherhood instinct anymore. Motherhood can now be experience by adoption, surrogacy, caring for the younger siblings in case you belong to a large family, taking care of your nieces and nephews etc. Better still, running a crèche and caring for young ones like a friend of mine who did and she said it fulfilled her maternal instincts as well as provide her  good income too.

Our society is still patriarchal in nature and our culture does discriminate against barren childless women till today.  The sufferings of childless women in a patriarchal society are felt only by the women as they blame themselves for their childless state.

The concept of continuous family linage through the male line is still the prevalent mindset in our society. There is a lot of pressure for married girls to give birth to a male child who will carry the family lineage forward.  Hence, there are women who go through grief for not being able to bear a male child.  Worse are the married women who cannot conceive and have a baby. However, motherhood can be experienced by adopting a baby who is as good as your own. In fact I encourage adoption as there are many orphans in our state. I know many single friends who adopt and married couples  who go for a second baby by adopting a baby girl. In India girl child are not preferred for adoption but in our part of the world it doesn’t make a difference; the sex ratio is not skewed. In fact we have more female than male child according to the 2011 census.  An example is the data of Imphal West and East that shows 1029 and 1011 while Bishnupur shows a sex ratio of 1001 females per 1000 males.

In our society, child rearing is seen as the sole prerogative of the women (mothers, aunties, grandmothers, young maids, etc). Working women have to bear the added responsibilities of housework and child-rearing over their professional functions which if not supported by family can lead to no work /life balance and stress for the woman.

Non-participation of men in household work for fear of being termed a henpecked husband is just an excuse not to do any housework. In today’s modern world, the husband and wife should take equal responsibilities to rear their children but not all do for fear that the mother would object to his contribution in household works. The main duty is pick up and drop kids for tuition classes.

Scientifically it has been proven that women are biologically programmed to connect with babies. The hormones surging through woman’s bodies make us love children, no matter what!  Who can resist a cute baby? Isn’t a mother with her suckling child at her breast the sweetest sight? My sisters and friends who are married and had kids tell me that becoming a mother is their most joyful, elating and empowering moment. For some, being a mother is the most rewarding and for others it can be frustratingly rewarding. But they will not exchange it for anything in the world. They said kids challenge you, mould you and in some ways define who you are. This mother child relationship at least in terms of influence, is definitely a two way street.

I must confess that seeing my friends with the cutest baby bumps used to cause a slight envy in my heart but at the same time it warmed my heart too. I think a pregnant woman is adorable with the fuss the husband and family makes over her and the maternity dresses that modern girls sport. My very modern niece who married a foreigner flaunts her baby bump with a sexy outfit and shoes and it just looked so natural. She is celebrating her pregnancy and womanhood and yes that’s how one should feel.  In the past, most women would cover their bumps and not wear high heels or tight fitting maternal dresses.

Sometime one hears stories of a teenage girl who delivered a baby in the middle of the night and her family was not aware of her pregnancy at all. She is just 15 or 16 years old and not ready for motherhood so her family will raise her child as her younger sibling. She could continue leading a normal life and ultimately marry but would not be allow taking her child to her new life with her husband as per the customary law.

Look at another scenario, an empowered working divorcee decided to take matters into her hand by becoming a mother, impregnating herself with sperms from her married lover. She raises her child and enjoys the joys of motherhood as a single mother enduring snide remarks. Ultimately, it’s her decision to become a mother. She chose not to deny herself the joys of motherhood. It’s all about a choice a woman makes. She was ready to become a mother and she became one.

A lesbian couple decided to adopt a girl child and experience the joys of motherhood which is brave and admirable. Earlier, laws were stringent for single unmarried woman to adopt but actress Sushmita Sen paved the way for many single women to adopt and satisfy their maternal instincts. There are many modern married working women who go for adoption when they realised they cannot have children of their own. Kudos to them!

In today’s world pregnancy is a celebration of life, many opt now for C- section for a painless birth .Few opt for natural labour, many go for an epidural. Some like to give birth in the warm water to mimic the womb and induce the least trauma to the child. Everyone is entitled to do something different and enjoy the process of childbirth whichever way they like. Nowadays men too are entitled to paternity leave and enjoy fatherhood as much as the mother enjoys hers. Child rearing is a joint responsibly.

My mother’s generation had no such choices so they had natural birth at home, assisted by an experience “Dai” or the friendly neighbourhood nurse who charges nominal amount. They sail through pregnancy and child birth without frills and fuss and surprisingly the maternal and infant mortality rate was not high as compared to others state and Nepal.

Children whether a boy or a girl are indeed blessings, they are gifts from god. To me, a childless woman it doesn’t matter if the blessings are pouring over my life or onto another’s we are to celebrate joyfully with those who are blessed with motherhood.

Frankly after regaining my lost motherhood vicariously, today my heart is healing, and my joy is overflowing. I want my single/ divorced/widowed/ lonely friends who are yet to be pregnant or adopt to experience the same feelings. I want them to have the joy of experiencing motherhood by any means.

God’s blessings on each of our lives are unique. Not one of His gifts is cloned for multiple people. Sure, the gifts of motherhood and parenthood are gifted to many and denied to some, yet the blessing is in the child who is given to us through natural birth or adoption or by default. And all children are special. I feel I have gained my lost motherhood as I play with my nephew or sing him a lullaby at bedtime. Today, I am joyfully expectant for the journey being a mother in the form of other’s kids or through adoption.

To all my fellow women, I challenged you even though you are childless. Rather than envying those who surround us, take a step back and be thankful for what God has already blessed you with your own nieces and nephews and orphans kids. They maybe other’s children but you can enjoy the experience of motherhood, if only you have the compassion, love, time, the energy and the resources to be with children. Embraced denied motherhood, which is now within your grasp. Blessings are about to overflow!

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/lost-motherhood-regained/

By B.G. Verghese

Words must fail as week by week the language of electoral discourse sinks deeper into the gutter. None can escape admonition, but the BJP-Parivar’s grammar of arrogance and hatred is particularly manifest and disturbing
Last week a senior BJP candidate, Giriraj Singh, said that the place of NarendraModi’s critics,whom he identified with those indulging in cow slaughter,is in Pakistan.Not to be outdone, PravinTogadia, the firebrand VHP President, told a Bhavnagar audience forcibly to prevent Muslims from buying or occupying houses in Hindu-dominated areas on account of their food and cultural habits. In other words,he was calling for ghettoisation of Muslims beyond barricaded “frontiers” as has happened in Ahmedabad since 2002 but which NarendraModi, that far sighted statesman, by the BJP’s telling, is unable to see. A Shiv Sena leader, RamdasKadam, addressing a joint BJP-Sena rally in Mumbai alongside Modi declared that once in power, the latter would teach Muslims, whom he termed traitors, a lesson.

Modisoon after disapproved these “petty statements” but a day later in Jamnagar, reacted strongly to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s offensive against him. He said they had “crossed all limits” and even insulted Sardar Patel (how?). And then: “Twenty days remain….. I am going to take revenge”. He was probably peeved at the Gandhis’ – now Priyanka included – referring to the holes in his Gujarat development model, especially in terms of human indices, the alleged favours shown to Adani, and his treatment of women as  exemplified by his abandonment and disowning of his wife and the “snoopgate” surveillance of a married lady architect even beyond the  State’s jurisdiction and by no less than the Anti-Terror squad, allegedly for her “protection” at her father’s request as against a very different version based on taped conversations of Modiwith the lady that have not been denied.

It can be said of Modi that he is both exceedingly coy and arrogant. He claims his “Hindutva face” will be an asset in the conduct of foreign policy because it is based on the age-old concept of vasudaivakutumbakam, “the world is my family”. Which world? One that excludes his own wife, Muslims, Christians, Dalits and others? His diatribes against Muslims are based on hate of “foreign religionists” as espoused by Savarkar and Golwalkar, and find an echo in BJP school texts even to this day.  

The BJP’s ally, Baba Ramdev has just spoken most insultingly of dalits. At the same time on Ambedkar Day a fortnight back, Modi spoke of the alleged slight to Ambedkar’s legacy by the Congress. The UPA, he alleged, favoured reservations and subsidies for Muslims and Christians at the cost of these benefits that were really intended for dalits and tribals thus prioritising these two minorities over the latter.How divisive can one get?And can one for ever explain away such double speak and hate talk as “petty matters”? The whole Hindutva anti-conversion drive is based its exponents’ inability and unwillingness to fight the terrible inequities and oppression of caste divides. The brotherhood of the Hindutva crowd and the Taliban is a tragedy of our times. Both still live by standards of medieval barbarism.

ArunJaitley and MeenakshiLekhi have been the two most vocal BJP spokespersons onModi’s marriage that was not a marriage but only a child marriage that none has a right to speak about as such discussions are taboo. Both lawyers need an elementary lesson in law. Their threat to reveal or speak about the illicit relationships of Congress iconsif Modi is asked about his wife is a non sequitur and is a scarcely veiled threat of blackmail. A person’s illicit relationship with another may be immoral but not illegal. But not responding to validly-required information in a document like a passport, insurance policy or electoral nomination form is a violation of due process. The election nomination form requires a prospective candidate to declare his or her marital status. This could be bachelor/spinster, married, divorced/separated or widow/widower. If there is a spouse, the joint assets must be legally declared. Not to do so wilfully and repeatedly by ambiguous markings is reason enough for disqualification. Modi fudged his answers on three previous electoral occasions and had to be ordered by Supreme Court to reveal the truth this time.What was he hiding or lying about and why?  Does such conduct beget trust? This is no small matter. It shows up a huge character fault in someone seeking the nation’s trust. As said before and sadly, the media,as usual, lost the plot.

It is not only the BJP that goes haywire. The Principal of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai was clearly wrong and far from being purely academic in advising his students through the College website on the very eve of the poll that they should vote “wisely” – against Modi. And, typically, the Congress defended this misdemeanour.

Meanwhile, the All-India Muslim Personal Law Boardwrote to Delhi’s Lt.Governor about the “impropriety” of making registration of marriages compulsoryin the Capital, with a fine for default. The AIMPLB’s case is that registration is already being done by Imams, Wakf Boards and religious trusts.  Maybe. But what objection can there be on grounds of interference in personal law in having a uniform national marriage (and death) register. This is arrant nonsense and such bogus demands must be summarily dismissed. Private registrations are known to be irregular, incomplete, and sometime fraudulent and purchasable. There must be an end to religious humbug.

Then, why on earth should the Government decide to send a formal Indian delegation to the Vatican for the canonisation of two former Popes? This is sheer electoral gimmickry as the country could well be formally and adequately represented by its Ambassador to the Vatican.

The Election Commission says it has so far confirmed 198 cases of “paid news”. Candidate who acknowledge guilt will be asked to add the amounts paid to their electoral expense returns. This is but water off a duck’s back. More appropriately, the EC should act in concert with the Press Council and Broadcast Regulatory Authority to disqualify the candidate from contesting elections or holding any public office for 10 years and barring the Party from contesting that seat for six years. Equally, the registration of the indicted newspaper or channel for a period of time and debarring the correspondent from accreditation for 10 years should be mandated. Only such condign punishment will cure our democracy of such dangerous ills.

Finally, one must condemn in the strongest terms the crude effort of V. K. Singh, the BJP candidate from Ghaziabad, who disgraced himself and his uniform as former Army Chief, to delay the appointment of the next Army Chief until after the poll results are in. He has levelled the most scurrilous charges against the Army Commander next in line by seniority and has politicised the issue in a most brazen manner implying that whoever is appointed will be beholden not to his oath but to his “benefactor”. Chamchagiri is not the tradition of the proud Indian Army but may be Singh’s personal code of conduct.

www.bgverghese.com

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/reprehensible-and-puerile/

By Yambem Laba

In 1991 the then Chief Minister of Manipur the late R.K.Ranbir Singh had declared Manipur to be a dry state following the diktat from the proscribed People’s Liberation Army of Manipur thinking  that he would have made Manipur dry of liquor little did he realized  that his diktat  would have much influence on his move. For the bootleggers at large and the syndicate that controls the inflow of IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liqueurs) would soon be at large. And now, that IMFL and the
locally distilled Sekmai, Phayeng and Leiramam are available at equally large and abundant quantity at places where the Govt. of Manipur and its agencies are sure about their locations. Yet their whereabouts and their clandestine operations are being turned about by the custodians of the Law for their daily intake ranging from 5 to 100 rupees depending upon the force they represent.

But what the Late R.K Ranbir could be turning in his grave (May his soul  rest in Peace) is the fact that his successor Shri Okram Ibobi from Thoubal and now in his this third term as Chief Minister of Manipur has not only been able to maintain his dry state of Manipur not only to liquors but also to Water, Petrol, Diesel and Power meaning electricity.

One just have to go around looking for a petrol pump supplying  fuel to the thousands of  commuters every day  on their vehicles queuing up every morning  to fill  up their vehicles .There are no bandhs and blockades in sight yet the oil syndicate seems to have taken over the Government of Manipur to ensure that an  oil embargo was in sight-this had resulted in a fear psychosis and led to panic buying amongst the consumers- resulting in an over spilling  black market of oil consumers pushing up the price of petrol to over Rs.100 per liter. In the backdrop is the scarcity of water, something which no person in the world can do without. The taps have ran dry for the last seven days  and the private water carriers are making  gold out of that charging some Rs.300 for  a 500 liters delivery  of water potable or not. No questions are asked and non taken that seems to be the rule of the day.

This is in spite of various political parties raising a hue and cry over the non- availability of Water in the State. The Singda Dam which supplies the bulk of drinking water to the over 5 millions of citizens in the Imphal area is said to have enough water for the next 15 days. And coupled to this is the fact that both the Iril and Imphal rivers the twin suppliers of potable water to the people of Imphal and the rest of Manipur have  running dry for the last  4 months.

There have also been various debates about the non availability of water in the State .The Hon’ble PHED Minister Shri Irengbam Hemochandra had assured the people to pump water from the Loktak Lake to be purified and later pumped to the people. This was alright as a political promise but he did not spell out where the cost is going to be made-perhaps out of the personal coffers of himself or Shri Ibobi was not clarified.

But all said and done is there governance in Manipur  where people can avail of basic facilities of life like water, power or petrol to sustain their daily lives that is the big question of the day in our golden Land the Sanaleibak otherwise known as Manipur.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/manipur-the-dry-state/

Tinky Ningombam

My first mobile phone was the Nokia 3315. It was not only a phone, it was a primitive tool carved from the very rocks of Inferno. It was an indestructible lump of hardware that could have survive through any calamity. It was like a chunk of Valyrian steel that can sink any ship with just a blow. (All Ye Games of Thrones’ fans can understand what I mean!). No one could throw that piece of monstrosity on a wall and still have the wall standing. I look at my new Sony Xperia and in my mind, comes the image of the ghosts of phones past. Especially my 3315, I miss that old tool, I really do.

A lot has changed since then. Mobile-phones have become our third arm. Everybody NEEDS a mobile phone now. Everyone needs to be accessible, connected. But does everyone KNOW how to use a mobile phone? I honestly doubt. And by use, I don’t mean how to type your message or prolong the beep. People do not have much clue about phone etiquettes and if they do, very few respect them.

How hard can it be? I have a phone, I dial people, I talk. But what we do not know is how annoying it can be to other people to hear us talk or to be privy to a conversation that they have no interest in. Why should a stranger be interested in how much money you make? Why should you divulge information of all your high connections?  I normally do not like people overhearing my conversations nor do I like having long conversations on my mobile phone but everyone has their quips and a lot of them can actually be a tad irritating for the people around you.

So today, let us talk about the top ten annoying things mobile-phone users do –

1. Talking loud in an otherwise quiet and small public place

Especially the ones talking into a blue tooth device or a hands-free so that he/she doesn’t know actually how loud they are while talking. But generally, there are some people who genuinely increase the volume of their voice the moment they start talking into the phone. How many times have you seen people yelling in their phone out loud? And for the first 10 minutes all you can hear are they saying Hello. And to top that, he/she will move around trying to catch the “network”, which doesn’t make quite a good picture. Blame it on the network or blame it on your hoarse sounding voice, people should not underestimate the speaker technology of the mobile phones. Screaming normally doesn’t solve a network problem.

2. Receiving a call in the middle of a meeting with someone

One of the most annoying things to happen in a meeting is when the self-important person before you decides to answer his/her phone without excusing himself. Worse is when you two are the only people in the meeting. It is impolite to answer a call when someone is still in conversation with you or is sitting with you to have the conversation. Either we excuse ourselves and explain the importance of that call to the person across you or we send the call to voicemail. However, all of us have had situations where we are eager to check our phones while in a meeting, either to show the other person that we are a great multi tasker, that we get a hundred important messages every minute or just that we are bored of the person who is sitting across you. In all circumstances, it is not only unpleasant but downright rude to give preference to whoever/ whatever is on your phone when you have made your appointment with someone in front of you.

3. Having an inappropriate/loud ring-tone in the middle of a public gathering –

Do not embarrass yourself by having an inappropriate ring-tone ring loudly at the wrong time. We have been there, done that. Normally keep an option to change your ring volume and ringtone when entering places that are closed and public – temples, places of worship, hospitals, waiting rooms, auditoriums, meetings, libraries, museums, funerals, weddings, live performances, and cinema halls. And if it does happen once, know to shut off a ringing phone so it doesn’t happen again.

4. Deliberately talking about your big business plans so that people around you listen

Many people forget that they are not in their private quarters that they start discussing their business on the streets or the corner shop. Sometimes, these conversations are deliberate and people start making claims of how much money they want to invest to how much shares they have bought when they are within ear-shot of a crowd. Kindly avoid this attention hoarding, no-one believes in these hoaxes now anyway.

5.Talking in the public toilet – Just because it’s plain weird!

6. Talking and driving your car

Endangering your life and the lives of the people on the street is just dumb. People should just become smarter. If you really need to take the call, stop your vehicle and attend to the call. Simple.

7. Screaming into your phone before and after flight  take-offs

If I got a penny for every time this happens to me. Especially the flights landing in Imphal.  People somehow can get too excited reaching home and try to dial in when firstly they are not allowed and they keep on having the conversation even after the hostesses repeatedly tells them to switch off. Not knowing that in space like an aircraft their voluminous voice echoes across.

8. Speaking on your phone while in a queue and making the shopkeeper wait for you to pay him money

Treating the salesman like one’s own personal butler. Many a times, the all-important person will stall the rest of the people in the queue as he struggles to take out his wallet/count money/pick up change while his he is on the phone, completely oblivious to the fact that there are others with more important things to do than wait in line for him to finish.

9. Typing on your mobile-phone really loud

Have you had the misfortune to travel with someone who types on his mobile phone so hard that you start to have a head-ache? Yes, I am talking about those incessant random text-ers , the Whatsappers who unfortunately keep the text noise on so that every beep, beep or click, click magnifies a million times in your head. Yes, please don’t do that!

10. Putting your conversation on loudspeaker

Lastly, lastly , lastly… please ask the people around you if they want to join your conversation on a conference or else please do stay away from the LOUDspeaker buttons. People generally do not find your amusing and interesting conversation about other people’s love lives quite amusing. Unless you are talking to Liam Neeson, in which case, you can call in the whole world on a conference call, even record the conversation.

So with that said, I hope you will think twice before committing these cardinal sins in the future. You do not want people to remember you as the annoying person with the phone do you?

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/knowing-mobile-phone-etiquette/

– A Sublime Narrative

By : Khura Seraton

Art needs meditation, deep penetration, humility, awareness of the magnitude of the task and a total feeling of oneness with the problems at hand-RITWIT GHATAK (1925-1976).

The journey of an artist, from a young boy intrigued by the big moving camera and the silver reflector to Cannes Film Festival. From a backbench High School song composer to a film music director. An individual who fights for his conviction. An orphan who then is son of the soil. The embodied persona of an artist is well reflected in his work. This time Shri Aribam Syam Sharma has communicated in a different medium through his book “Living Shadows”.  Though the writer claim not to be confident with words as with films, he narrates stories within story with insightful erudition and style. There was a certain hesitation – if  that is the right word- in writing a review of the book. The book is easy to read, but not so easy a book to review. Reason being, one-the larger then life image of the writer (the image gets larger as we read the book). Two, we as a different generation who grew up in a different visual culture in which sattelite channels not only shape but also influence our standard, taste, sensibility et al vis-a-vis art; a trace of cultural disorientedness is very much an uncomfortable reality within us.

This envisage an introspection into our cultural milieu, its historicity and its reverberation on different art forms of Manipur in particular. And therefore, a pertinent question comes up- can we relate to his work of art ? or if the question is to be put in a simple way; are we able to appreciate our own art forms and culture? The answer is not so simple. But here is an conjectural insinuation into it ; the song from SHAPHABEE (1976) “Mapok Langol Khudingda” has become a part of Manipuri Culture. The song is played at almost every Meitei marriage (whether one like it or not) on the clarinet when the bride is received by her in-laws.

The book purport to be an autobiographical sketch per se, as the narrative is set in the context of his work where, in the author`s words, “My films have given me much pleasure as well as pain in the same way my life gave me both in equal measure. It is for the reason that I saw the relation between my films and my life that I had not concentrated just on films but I also have written something about my life prior to films“. One of the most striking attributes in his narrative is that there is something about life and lives. Notice those “slice of life” are usually in one or two simple lines. His stay in Brindaban, of close-family ties, the unconditional love from the elders- “It is one of the mysteries of life”. The Dahi wala gave a ladle full of curd free to his youngest brother, everyday. Seemingly the writer makes a pause to ponder that, “kindness, somtimes, comes from unexpected quarters. And those simple gestures can be powerful enough to stay in the memory of a life time”. His recent meeting with the writer, Shri Biren who accompanied him to his gate inspite of the illness made him realise, “that there are still some beautiful souls with us”. The book opens with the clearest memory from his childhood of a strange `sight and sound`, which later on his life became the medium of creative expression. Devastation and the sufferings cause by the bombing during the 2nd World War had a significant impact in his life and as well as to his outlook, “it dawned on us that the world is much larger and complex then what we thought it to be. Before we had the chance to set foot on the world it came to us”.

His first Love :

The way home from the Cinema which the writer saw only for the songs, was always too short to learn them. He saw the film ‘Baiju Bawra’ more than ten times to get the song  by heart. Such was the writer`s propensity towards music. His high school romance became a lifelong companion. It is also important to note that his inclination was not encouraged by the family, early during his life. Despite of it, the writer became one of the Central figures in ushering in a modern Manipuri Song- “Matamgi Eshei”. His intense affairs with music gave birth to numerous outstanding personalities, whose songs and music captured the heart of every Manipuri. The formation of the Amateur Artistes Association (AAA) and in retrospect became the forerunner of the Roop Raag (RR) the oldest musical association. Note this adventure of the writer with Shri Aheibam Budha, “The elders who were used to more oblique reference to romantic love were quite horrified by the direct approach of my songs and dismissed them as singing love letters… Budha and I would come back home late at night on our bicycles with the harmonium on my bike and his percussions on his, through the dark streets. If we were a bit early we would stand on the crossroads and talk for a while about the performance and the coming performances”. Like his films, the line surely has a visual impact on the reader. His `faithful companion` took him to Santiniketan, led him to theatre, to music direction that he first entered cinema. And also led him to an imporant person in his life-Sanaibemma.

His first born child :

Shri Aribam Syam`s first born child had to bore on the remarks such as, “salvaged from a dust bin”, “move like Charlie chaplin”. On the contrary, the child had put the northeast India on the world stage. The writer have given optimum space for the chapter “the surprise of `81″. An intimate detail of the experiences he had to go through in the making of  Imagi Ningthem (1981). It includes, the intricacies of film -making, the price of working with outdated technology, how he works with his artiste and the script. The film made him to take some major decisions in life. Its initial release in the state gave hard days to the writer. After his three major block buster, the audience were looking only for the stereotypical masala film and were ready to pay for the `service level of entertainment`. The tragic incident of the actor Ingudam Mangi, three days before the film was shown affected the writer very much. But “Imagi Ningthem” turns out to be a blessing in disguise. It travelled world-wide, earn respect and appreciation from different quaters. Imagi Ningthem remained very close to the writer`s heart, “the film gave some of us who believed in our own way of life, inspite of many drawbacks in our society, an assurance to that belief. I feel that Imagi Ningthem was my first-born. It was the reason that made me a film maker in my own eyes”. The writer confess with honesty that his three major films viz Lamja Parsuram, Shaphabee and Olangthagee Wangmadasu did nurtured his ego. But he left the readers with room to doubt on how he decided to move to a different direction after that. Perhaps some more detailing on his account of sharing “his insight” is asked for! should we ask the writer to make another film on “the making of Imagi Ningthem”? His masterpice cannot be screen today to commemorate its silver jubliee. It gives immense pain to the writer. (we share his pain).

His Company :

Living shadows fairly seems to gives the hunch of reading a who`s who of our culturalscape. It includes a host of writers, singers, dramatist, musicians, filmakers and actors etc. Each one of the names have occupied a distinctive space of its own in our cultural domain. Therefore, it is felt that the names need not be mention again in this review. But it would be an impropriety if the review fail to include the name of Sanaibemma. The book has a special chapter called “Sanaebemma”

“Sanaebemma” as the writer call Maharaj Kumari Binodini, in deference and affection, came to meet for the first time to congratulate him. Shri Syam took the role of Bishu Pagla in one of Tagore`s play. “Raktakarabi”, “the moment behind the stage was the start of a lifelong friendship, personel as well as artistic.”

The writer narrates a brief life history of Sanaibemma and throws light on the creative genius of an artiste in her. His gratefulness to her, of their artistic collaboration, the chemistry between them, are vividly mention in the chapter. He writes, “my best films owe much to her commitments. It is not easy to describe the dynamics that works….. A deep understanding of each other as individual artiste also has made our friendship long and deeply rewarding”

Yes ! without an iota of exaggeration, reading the book of Shri Aribam Syam`s Living Shadows is a rewarding experience. Other then his narrative the photographs are of visual delight. Some  of his classic works are their in the photograph. And also some of his outstanding actors. The book is highly recomended specially for film makers and those wanabe film makers. It would also be worthwhile to carefully study the chapter of his lecture delivered at the Jyoti Prasad Agarwal Memorial lecture, organised by the Guwahati Cine Club. One might overlook it, better not. And for those who are out to look souly for commercial gain by  blindly aping from anything to anybody- Do not touch it. Another very important feature of the book is the series of articles writtern by eminent critics on the writers` work. For instance, the outright criticism from Professor E. Nilakanta Singh, precisely on the film Sanabi (1995) gives a jolt. It demands sincerity and boldness for the writer to re-publish it. We find the hint of an answer to the criticism in the chapter “My lesser knowns”. Well, to give a mild criticism, the book has some silly  spelling mistakes and printing errors. BBC correspondent, John Warrington`s write up on Ishanou dates back to 1981 ! Such lapse could have been well avoided with serious proof reading.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/aribam-syams-living-shadows/

By Deepa Kh

Summer or winter, nothing can beat the refreshing feel of a steaming hot cup of tea that goes perfect with a newspaper. For as long as we can remember, people have been drinking tea as it suits the taste of everyone.  Tea, for its versatility, is the second most widely consumed beverage after water. It can be consumed either hot or cold and has many health benefits associated with it.

I am not much of a tea aficionado or an experimenter, but I have often heard people saying that tea is a comforting and pleasant beverage. However, since the day a friend introduced CC Tea to me, I got so much used to it that I feel my morning is incomplete without it. And personally, I feel this tea is much healthier than the normal black tea or coffee as it is a beverage sans caffeine. The best part of getting addicted to this drink is that it does help in improving your health.

Researchers have opined that tea is a “wonder drink” as many remarkable healing properties have been found in it. Some are of the opinion that replacing water purposely with green tea may be even healthier. The high concentration of antioxidants present in green tea helps in fighting diseases and makes your immune system stronger.

CC Tea is not just a drink but a social enterprise that will contribute in building and promoting a healthier and better society.  It is commonly referred to as herbal tea because of its herbal infusion. Today, drinking herbal tea has become so popular that it is used as a culinary item and for medicinal purpose as well. This herbal drink is one such drink which is used for its flavour, benefit and other medicinal purposes. I have listed a few benefits of CC Tea below-

Benefits of CC Tea

– Relieves constipation

– Improves your digestion and has healing properties for stomach aches, gas, bowel spasms and diarrhoea

– The mild sedative helps in calming the nerves

– Helps in maintaining a healthy eyesight and beautiful skin

– Relieves menstrual problems and nausea

– Promotes perspiration and lower fever

– Helps in keeping your body cool during summer season

– The antioxidant contents help to get rid of toxins and excess body fats.

– Improves your liver function and lowers uric acid level.

– Helps in maintaining lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

– A popular ancient remedy for curing chest congestion, colds and coughs.

Those who are addicted to tea and coffee might have an absurd feeling about how the herbal tea would taste like. Some of you might even have very bad experiences and some might even complain about its taste. But trust me; you will never regret your decision to give up your caffeine intake for CC Tea. You would be smitten by the sweet aroma and its flavour.  Consumption of CC Tea will ultimately help you in overcoming your caffeine addiction. So why think twice when you can enjoy a hot cup of refreshing herbal tea and at the same time maintain a healthy lifestyle. So get set to “Brew a healthy habit with CC tea.” You have nothing to lose in giving a try!

( Deepa Kh is a Containt Writer based in Delhi. The view expressed in the write up is her own)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/brew-a-healthy-habit-with-cc-tea/

( Part-2)

7. The EVM has no means for the voter to verify that his/her votes have been tallied properly.

8. The EVM has no  means outside of the memories of the voting machines themselves to audit or recount  the votes.

9.  Susceptibility to fraud: Although some may believe that tampering with an electronic voting machine is extremely hard to do, computer scientists have tampered with machines to prove that it is quite easily done. If  people have access to the machines, and know how to work them, they can take the memory card out of the machine, which stores the votes, and in place they put their own memory card with a virus that can tamper with the votes

10. Government  ties of manufacturers: The  Government at the time of election may hire any manufacturer or company for manufacturing EVMs according to the  needs of the political party  in power  An EVM can be tampered during manufacturing stage, that too during the manufacturing of the Chip.  After tampering the EVM, its difficult to detect it by a third party.  When the tampering happens at the manufacturing stage of chip, even those who are assembling the EVMs will not be aware of  and cannot detect tampering .

11. Malicious software programming: Any computer software is basically generated from software programming and coding. And all these soft wares could be tampered with by a computer programmer who knows the source code. Testing electronic voting systems for security problems, especially if they were intentionally introduced and concealed, is basically impossible. If malicious coding is inserted by programmers into commercial software that are triggered by obscure combinations of commands and keystrokes via the computer keyboard, then election results can change completely.

12. Physical security of machines:

13. Secure storage of cast votes: The votes that are cast using the electronic voting machines, are stored in a safe storage or space in the computer machine memory.  The time gap between election and the counting of votes is a risk to possible hacking and manipulation .   The chance of tampering increases as the time gap increases.

Allegations of hacking EVM in last elections.

When the Indian National Congress surpassed all projections to win 262 seats in 2009,  Dr. Subramanian Swamy, President of the Janata Party (24-8-2010) , alleged that the  Leader of Indian National Congress Mrs. Sonia Gandhi reportedly hired hackers to hack into election results of the electronic voting machines, which resulted in landslide victory of the Indian National Congress in the national elections in 2009. (Electronic Voting Machine: Excellent tool of manipulation- by News Desk, December 17, 2011-http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1993/electronic-voting-machine-excellent-tool)

In the last State Assembly election in 2012  in Manipur , in spite of huge anti-congress wave, the Congress Party has won 42 seats . All the 11 opposition parties suspected that  the  EVM machine might have been manipulated to fix election results in favour of Congress party. A PIL case is still pending in this connection at he Supreme Court of India .

Supreme Court’s instructions to Election Commission of India (ECI)

On 25 July 2011, responding to a PIL (Writ Petition (Civil) No. 312 of 2011), Supreme Court of India asked ECI to consider request to modify EVMs and respond within 3 months. The petitioner suggested that the EVMs should be modified to give a paper slip printed with the symbol of the party in whose favour the voter cast his ballot.  

Delhi High Court Ruling

On 17 January 2012, Delhi High Court in its ruling on Dr. Subramanian Swamy`s Writ Petition (Writ Petition (Civil) No. 11879 of 2009) challenging the use of EVMs in the present form said that EVMs are not “tamper-proof” and ordered the Election Commission to add a paper trail as an extra security measure against electoral fraud. On 19 January 2012, the Election Commission ordered Electronics Corporation of India Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to make EVMs that will generate a “paper trail” of the vote cast. Election officials pledged to upgrade 600,000 old EVMs to comply with the new guidelines and procure new ones, and voters can now file complaints if there are still problems with the devices.

Order of the Election Commission of India

On 19 January 2012, the  Election Commission ordered Electronics Corporation of India Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to make EVMs that will generate a “paper trail” of the vote cast. BEL CMD Anil Kumar said: “The new EVMs` paper trail should make the poll process safer and tamper-proof. EC has given us its requirement for EVMs and work is on to incorporate new features.

Supreme Court Directives

On 8 October, 2013, a bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi of the Supreme Court , in its order said the Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system with EVMs would ensure “free and fair” polls and help in “sorting out disputes”. The court had also directed the Centre to provide financial assistance for the system. The VVPAT system records each vote cast on paper. Once a voter presses a button on the EVM, a light glows. A printer with a drop box next to the ballot unit flashes the serial number, name of the candidate and the party symbol to confirm the voter`s choice. A paper slip then gets deposited in the drop box after the voter confirms his/her choice. The system doesn`t allow voters to get the slip as proof of their vote due to “security reasons”. However, candidates can apply for counting of the slips.

Directives of the Union Law Ministry

The Union Law Ministry, which has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to allow use of electronic voting machines fitted with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system, has introduced a new section to enable the voter to challenge VVPAT operation in case of doubt. The new rule 49MA reads: Where a printer is used, if an elector after having recorded his/her vote alleges that the paper slip generated by the printer has shown the name or symbol of a candidate other than the one he/she voted for, the Presiding Officer shall obtain a written declaration from the elector on the veracity of the allegation, after warning him/her of the consequence of making a false statement.

The Presiding Officer will then permit the elector to record a test vote in the voting machine in his presence and in the presence of the candidates/polling agents. If the voter’s allegation is true, the Presiding Officer would immediately report to the Returning Officer and stop further recording of votes in the defective machine. As per another section 56D introduced in the rule, a candidate/election agent can request the Returning Officer to count the printed paper slips in the drop box of the printer (VVPAT) in any polling station. However, such counting will be allowed only with the permission of the Election Commission.

What is VVPAT system,

In VVPAT system, when a voter presses button for the candidate of his choice in the Electronic Voting Machine(EVM), a paper ballot containing the serial number, name of the candidate and poll symbol will be printed and the voter can verify it.

A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their votes were cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results.

People’s mistrust  in paperless EVM : There is so much mistrust in the society and among intelligentsia about EVMs.

Is it a gross mistake of  the Chief Electoral Officer  to use paperless EVM in Manipur ?

From the above mentioned facts , it is clear that the Union Law Ministry, Government of India,  the Hon’ble Supreme Court have ordered the Election Commission of India to use EVM with paper trail (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system) in the 2014 Lok Sabaha election. The Election Commission of India has also ordered Electronics Corporation of India Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to make EVMs that will generate a “paper trail” of the vote cast. Considering these facts, I think, this is a  gross mistake of  the Chief Electoral Officer  to use paperless EVM in Manipur in the 2014 Lok Sabha election . Or is he pressurized by the High Command to stick to  paperless EVM for winning the election. Any thing may be possible in Manipur.

Under such circumstances ,  I as a citizen of India  am deeply disappointed to see the paperless EVMs being used in the 2014 Lok Sabha election  on 9th and 17th April, 2014 .

In this connection , may I request the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur  and the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur to clarify the following points to the people of Manipur through all  media  to  save democracy in Manipur. The clarification may be  done in greater public interest before counting of votes .

1. Are the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur  and the Chief Electoral Officer , Manipur aware that  the paperless EVM can be easily hackled or manipulated at the time of manufacturing , before election or after election in favour of  a particular candidate?

2. If so, why are the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur  and the Chief Electoral Officer , Manipur using paperless EVM in the 2014 Lok Sabha Election ?

3. How do we know that the paperless EVMs used in the 2014 Lok Sabha Election have not been hackled or manipulated during manufacturing stage  and /or before election  and/or after election  ?  What is the proof ?

4. Since the chance of tampering EVM  increases as the time gap  between election and counting increases, how do we know that the paperless EVMs we have used will not be manipulated during the storage time ( 9th April to 16 May, 2014 and 17th April to 16 May, 2014).

5. Why do  the Chief Electoral  officer, Manipur failed to  use the EVM with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system in the 2014 Lok  Sabha election ? Shortage of fund should not be an excuse because the Indian  National Congress use Rs. 500 crores  for advertisment of Rahul  Gandhi’s candidature.

6. How far and on what ground will the people of Manipur believe in the outcome of Lok Sabha election -2014. Please  clarify  to the people with valid reasons .  

7. By using the paperless  EVM, is the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur  deliberately helping the Indian National Cogress to win the Lok Sabha election -2014.

8. If the the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur  and the Chief Electoral Officer , Manipur can not clarify with  valid reasons, why not  the Election Commission of India  declare the Lok Sabha Election -2014 of Manipur as countermanded and hold  another fresh election using Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) EVM.
Concluded

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/how-far-will-the-outcome-of-the-2014lok-sabha-election-in-manipur-be-reliable/

By Amar Yumnam

The ongoing elections for the Indian Parliament have just been completed, except for the counting and announcement of results thereof, in so far as Manipur is concerned. It has been almost like a province-wide randomised experiment to observe and test the connectivity of the Indian democratic process with the behaviour of the populace of the land. It gave us an opportunity to see the identification of the people of Manipur with the Indian polity. It is an event for testing the connectivity, similarities and differentiations with the larger Indian perception of the event. It is also an event for observing the sensitivity of people of the province as to the level of significance they attach to the parliamentary elections as an important component of Indian democracy. Further, it is an event for assessing the engagement degree of the provincial population with the issues supposedly important for the life and livelihood of the population.

Examining all these issues has been possible because of the isolation of the parliamentary elections from the ones for the provincial Assembly in the current round. In cases where the two elections are simultaneously held, there is a mixture of issues and feelings, and as such the examinations of these issues are blurred. Besides, unlike the previous elections to the Indian parliament, the present one has acquired the characteristics of a path breaking one. Even the elections in 1977 after the Emergency and in which the Congress under Indira Gandhi suffered a huge defeat were not as significant as the present one; it was simply a referendum for path dependence or otherwise. One biggest issue, which has remained unaddressed in India even after seven decades after the colonizers left the country, is the issue of social reforms for social advancement. The prevalence of the Nehruvian modernisation approach (read Westernization) over the Gandhian approach (recall the point-based programme of Gandhi) for putting institutional reforms at the core of policy concern at the initial stage made India lose the opportunity for breaking from the approach of the colonists. The continuation of this approach has made both formal and informal social and political institutions worsen over time. One criticality is the rise in social tolerance of nonsense (like corruption of both grand and petty forms) consequent upon the non-attempt for institutional reforms. The ongoing elections have assumed the potential for ushering in social and institutional reforms as evident from the debates in the country and around the world.  Further the future as against living in the past has emerged as an important agendum in the current elections; Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze have termed India’s contemporary situation as “Uncertain Glory”.  Has it been like these in the case of Manipur?

Without mincing words and without wasting time and words in articulation, we can say that the elections in Manipur have not acquired any of these features. None of the involvements of the general populace as usually seen in elections to the provincial Assembly was visible in the just completed elections for the Manipur part. It is almost as if the elections to the Indian parliament have no connection with the sensibility and issues of the people of Manipur; the people of Manipur care a hoot with what might happen to the composition of the Indian parliament. The moot question is why such a scenario prevails in Manipur and in sharp contrast to what is happening in the rest of India. A clear understanding of this and the interventions needed would have lots of implications for the future trajectory and social reforms of Manipur.   

Now my take on why such a scenario rules in Manipur. Why is it that the people of Manipur have developed an incorrigible tolerance for all the nonsense of governance and the failures on all aspects of livelihood to such an extent that the parliamentary elections are taken as unimportant? The cause for this is to be found at two levels. First, the governance at the country level has never been meaningfully connected with the life and livelihood of the people of Manipur. The sore and core issues of the provincial population have so far not been made part of the national agenda. The governance at the country level has all along been preoccupied with the militaristic solutions to any problem that arises. Here even the perception of the problems has been purely from the angle of the governance at the Centre and never has the sensibilities of the provincial population been given cognisance. Second, the political elite in the province has all along taken advantage of this political economic lapse at the country level. While any failure would be projected as consequent upon the attitude of the government at the Centre, no attempt has ever been made to go for institutional reforms at the provincial level. This gives a very facilitating atmosphere for the provincial governance to indulge in any form of nonsense for aggravation of personal benefits. The resultant outcome of these two failures at both the levels of governance in this country has been that the provincial population perceive elections in any form and at any level as having meanings only when there is scope for potential personal gains, immediate or in the near future; elections have no social significance by any means. Well, this is the connection or rather the disconnection between the provincial population and the democratic process in this country. It remains to be seen how the new government in the Centre might think of addressing this terrible lapse in nation-building.   

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/indian-democracy-electoral-process-and-manipur-is-there-any-connection/

By B.G. Verghese

Sanjay Baru, former Press Adviser to the Prime Minister has been pummelled and traduced this past week for all the wrong reasons. “The Accidental Prime Minister” does not stab Dr Manmohan Singh in the back but constitutes a reasoned, balanced, sensitive and sympathetic account of his stewardship of UPA-I and an assessment of his, alas, diminished role in UPA-II. There is nothing in the book that was not already public knowledge in recent years, at home and abroad, and commented upon, often out of context and in a spiteful and demeaning manner,by Baru’s current critics.

The Prime Minister and his family understandably feel wounded today, but a re-reading of the book in tranquillity may lend perspective to an honest political biography that fortunately avoids hagiography and does the nation a service by telling the story as it was. At the end, Dr Singh emerges as man who unselfishly and quietly rendered the state considerable service but, latterly, tragically failed to assert his authority above the din of “coalition compulsions” and inner party intrigue in UPA-II. The Government foundered in hopeless indecision and drift.  

In UPA-I, Dr Manmohan Singh was an appointee of Sonia Gandhi, the Party leader and UPA Chairperson. The division of labour was clear. She would manage the party and coalition politics and he, the technocrat, would run the government. The arrangement worked well. The economy prospered and the Indo-US civil nuclear deal and foreign policy initiatives with Pakistan and China were proud feathers in the PM’s cap.

Come 2008. Baru, by then a trusted confidant, left for academic pastures. The PM’s stature certainly contributed to the UPA’s electoral victory. But Sonia Gandhi was ill and an ambitious coterie had begun to push for Rahul Gandhi as prime minister. Mrs Gandhi did not discourage this undercutting of the PM, while Manmohan Singh himself started the process of abdication by repeatedly announcing his readiness to step down in favour of Rahul Gandhi, a callow “youth” with no credentials other than bombast anda family name that he never failed to flaunt.

The States started flexing their “federal” muscles to stymie the Centre without being sternly called to order. As “scam” followed “scam”, some based on “presumptive loss” without taking account of huge collateral gain,  individual ministers began to take their own line with some senior officials unwilling to stand their ground on principle. The Press broke every semblance of credibility with “breaking news” and The Daily Scream “impact” while the Opposition cried murder. Allegation became fact. Due process was scuttled. Parliament was stalled. And the Government remained supine, confused and divided.  

Though he held the trump cards, as none would have dared oppose him if he had cracked the whip, as over the US civil nuclear deal, there being no alternative and none ready to face elections, he failed to act. The coup de grace came with Rahul Gandhi’s contemptuous stab in the back while the PM was representing India at the UN and US. He described a proposed and, indeed, utterly foolish, government ordinance (on not unseating legislators found guilty of criminality until disposal of the first appeal) as “complete nonsense” and “rubbish” whose proper place was in the waste dump. Yet he had been privy to this very decision, as had his mother, but lacked the integrity and gumption to voice his objections at the right time and place.

The Prime Minister had by then sadly decided to swallow his pride and  soldier on so as not to let the side down when the name of the game, within and without UPA-II, was to get him and ridicule him at every turn. For the Prime Minister’s many friends and admirers, like this writer, this was a matter of genuine grief. For the country it was a disaster. Baru has only recorded history – not invented it. The timing of the book was the publisher’s call. The truth would not have been less or more true six weeks later. The Opposition has of course been only too willing to make the bogus claim that they now have “insider” confirmation!

A few years ago, for whatever reason I was gifted a handsome bronze plaque proclaiming “The Buck Stops Here”. Being of no relevance to me, I presented it to the Prime Minister in the hope that, placed on his desk, it would be an unambiguous assertion to all and sundry as to who was in charge. I do not know what happened to that plaque.

ManmohanSingh’s legacy will survive this traumatic denouement. As he himself has stated, history will be kinder to him than his present-day critics, who lack his personal integrity and vision. Typical of the man, he and his gracious wife, will move out of the official prime ministerial residence, No. 7 Race Course Road, to his permanent retirement abode in Delhi a day before the poll result is announced – a principled gesture that says so much in a smash-and-grab political culture.

The NDA will most probably come out on top in the poll; but it is not certain to this writer that it will gain a majority on its own. And if the gap is wider than the “low” opinion forecasts, who knows the NDA-Plus partners may decide they want a leader who will unite the country. Modi remains a divisive and ruthless figure despite his new rhetoric. Silly interlocutors ask why he does not apologise for 2002?Wrong question. Why should he when he denies any wrongdoing. The right question is why he consistently refused to express remorse at the terrible carnage under his watch. Read the press notes officially issued in 2002 and his broadcasts and speeches. There is not a trace of remorse: only the promise of terrible revenge. The elections will soon be over but not the 2002-related trials and due process.

Regrettably, as the election campaign has continued, communal polarisation has deepened all round. The latest barb was on Ambedkarjayanti when the BJP and Modi personally said the Congress had sought to favour Muslims and Christians at the cost of Dalits, witness the Sachar and Ranganath Mishra Reports. According to a BJP pamphlet distributed that day, “About 15 crore converted Christians and Muslims will become eligible for reservations along with 22 crore members of the Scheduled Castes”! (Indian Express, April 15).

This comes at a time when in Iran, the long-persecuted “Bahai’s of the world” have been gifted by Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani, a prominent cleric, an illuminated work of calligraphy of a paragraph from the writings of Baha`u`llah, the Prophet-founder of the Baha`i Faith. Ayatollah Tehrani states on his website that this “symbolic action (is intended to) serve as a reminder of the importance of valuing human beings, of peaceful coexistence, of cooperation and mutual support, and of avoidance of hatred, enmity and blind religious prejudice.” This is a message of remorse and reconciliation.

Are we in India listening?

www.bgverghese.com

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/much-ado-about-nothing/

By RK Lakhi Kant
 
As the women carry heavy loads of firewood
Down the busy roads;
On a high of wealth, does the younger generation know
How life is going about in the impoverished homes
In the neighborhoods of New Delhi;
Is it justice? – The poor left on their own with a few currency notes;
Does the city planning include them,
And their way of life;
A life removed from what they know reality to be like, as at home;
An enforced, business like equation now – but,
In all fairness, say the rich.
 
Reality for the younger people; for them,
High rise colonies and microwave cooking is life’s reality;
The poor pay with hard labor for the ‘inebriated with money’ class;
 
Further down the freeway as I take a walk,
A poor man with a big sack on his head
Waits for the traffic to halt at an awkwardly placed red light;
Designer cars and motorcycles whir and roar
Like a mammoth giant, as the man wobbles across.
 
Every zebra crossing made on this stretch of road is
At the wrong place, pushing the walkers out of contention;
Commitment to the machines;
Men don’t matter;
In the hurry which has now become the pace of life.
 
Their lives are miles apart;
One doesn’t see beyond his convenience,
And the other watches from a distance these people speeding by
Everyday;
The mind is too miles apart; one trapped in the misery of life,
And the other seemingly safe from that but not necessarily
Doing something understandable and good for all;
For it is the duty of those who lead to find a way for all;
How long can we remove ourselves from a real life
Situation where everyone will be happy; Yes, it is possible;
See how the bell chimes, calling for attention.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/beyond-the-beaten-track/

Robin S Ngangom takes a closer look at some of the poetry written in English language           

It would be pointless to ask the new generation of poets from the Northeast who writes in English why they have chosen the colonizer’s language. The politics of language no longer concerns them; linguistic quarrels for them might well have been consigned to the archives of literary history. On the contrary, the new generation writes with a confidence which would be the envy of their older fellow poets.

In the English language poetry of the Northeast, one can discern an emerging tradition, an alternative to the poetry pioneered by the metropolitan poets of the 1960s and their present-day descendants. Schooled as they were in the Pound-Eliot academy, these metropolitan poets perfected a detached, formal, craft-driven poetry. It is a self-regarding, albeit passionless, ‘internationally minded’ pursuit, motivated by a fashionable philosophy of exile and alienation. The poetry of the Northeast, on the other hand, can be ‘statemental’ in comparison to the verbally-dazzling metropolitan artefact, rooted as against the alienated stance of modernist city poets, autobiographical as against the impersonal. The Northeast poets are also not particularly concerned with technique, form, and symmetry; they are not remarkable experimenters with metre or craft. Their verse often lacks the linguistic sophistication of the metropolitan poets, and read like ‘translations’, as someone pointed out. Further, instead of the expected radical break with the near past, Northeast poetry written in English suggests a continuity with the past.

What are the distinguishing traits of Northeast poetry written in English? It is the native world, most of all, which comes into view in the work of these poets. A predilection for images and motifs drawn from nature is proof that Northeast poetry in English is deeply rooted in the land. ‘Nature’ is not an impassive witness to the existential despair of men and women as in the contemporary wasteland of modernist poets, but a living presence for the Northeast poets, where hills and rivers are also deities (‘Everything has life – rocks, stones, trees, rivers, hills, and all life is sacred,’ says Mamang Dai) and the fates of natives are inevitably intertwined with them. Thus, in spite of the trappings of modernity, the life of most communities of the Northeast is defined by their folk origins. The mythic world still survives at the frontiers of the civilized world, and the ‘folk’ still continues to assume the ‘intensity of reality’ for many. Myths provide a key to the cultural behaviour of a people, but when communities seem to be losing their way in the midst of cultural colonization, mythopoeic poets, out of a deep-seated desire, step in and try to emulate the traditional storytellers and shamans by recalling the lore of the tribe. The chronicling of contemporary events, the fallout of violence above all, is another important aspect of Northeast poetry in English. This has led to the charge that some Northeast poets are unduly obsessed with the poetry of politics and brutality. However, to be a tenacious witness to the agonizing and recurrent political violence without sensationalizing it, is also a risk that the Northeast poet has to undertake often. This is not the poetry of unquestioning ‘nationalism’ in the face of a fear of loss of identity and encroachment of territory and cultural values, but a nervous internalization of the increasingly complex politics of the region.

Could there be regional varieties within English language poetry in India? Regionalism as a literary phenomenon seems to have arrived, the ‘regional’ often perceived in creative friction with the centre. If Mumbai and Delhi constitute the centre of English language poetry in India, Northeast poetry in English makes up the ‘regional’. The alternative tradition offered by Northeast poetry has perhaps created a body of verse that is more approachable. Northeast poetry in English has great variety, the region being the home of diverse communities, speaking different languages and embodying discrete cultures. The poets featured in the supplement represent this variety to an extent.

A Poem for Her

By Anurag Rudra

These days are long and dusty
Do not blame me if I turn to stone
Like a false god. I have seen many a
Sullen afternoon die a slow death
Baring themselves to the hungry night
Like unwilling women selling love
This day, beloved, will it be any different?
Today, like other days, you shall not rouse
As this indifferent commotion recedes
Into the lull of this sunlit funeral
Today, I shall roam these streets again, this
Ancient burden of being a man, weighing
On me, like an insipid, forgotten sin
And we shall remain mere tombstones
In these dusty graves. Will this winter
Promise another bout of hazy memory?
Only these lifeless lines shall banish us
To the hope of this brutal love, and us.
Strangers in this tepid, misty rain

Me

By Aruni Kashyap

Even I have words.
I can clay-mould them
I have languages, literatures
forest songs.
They crawl back centuries,
earthquakes generational.
Grandmas circulated them; with betel nuts
on courtyards under honeyed moons,
like rains, they drench minds, and more—
When first-drenched ones are time-parched,
to the new ones who are parched for stories.
With time, they have descended
Like seasons and mists, to rest with us.
I have tunes too, books
written on bark with earthworm`s blood;
they are different,
independent, like these rivers
in my chest, legends- laden
mournful, yet swelling with energy furious
Love-lost like singing spring birds
Anonymous, beyond the hills
Where rivers and rains are born
To flow down as legends, life-blood.
My history is different, defined
by grandmas, rivers, hills,
singing spring birds behind green trees
and seventeen victories.
My words: they have legends in them.
The way tea-leaves run in my veins
instead of blood.
Stories, of new-born speaking from backyard graves
About dogs transforming into man
Man to sheep, goats
And a girl, singing through lime trees,
gourds and lilies from backyards.
And I still wait, for a warm embrace
My throat peacock-parched, in longing
All the rivers from my land
legends, rains weary
Cannot quench my thirst, I need your love
Don`t you see,
I`m different?
Even I have words.
Languages, literatures
And stories to tell you
Are you eager to listen, at all?

In the Hills of Seven Huts

By Ibohal Kshetrimayum

In the hills of seven huts,
where WAR is either a place or surname,
and dreams are translated into numbers,
and a number became a gambler’s sad song,
I found God breathing through the pine trees.
Orchards in the hills shivered in winter’s palms,
golden oranges plucked for city bazaars,
a young leaf wanted to go along,
discontented orange tree held it back.
A fleeting rainbow across Noh-Kali-Kai,
a glimpse of her precious final steps,
before she became a waterfall.
Twangs of hammer on hot iron,
a dagger hissed in a bucket of water,
Mylliem’s blacksmiths keep their tradition throbbing.
Mylliem’s giant boulders,
memoirs of the great earthquake,
we were cast out recklessly-
says a mossy stone.
Sunday morning in the church,
a pair of long legs walked past a pew,
a clergyman sighed in agony.
Christmas in Shillong,
roast turkey on the table,
rush of stampeding shoppers,
merchants carol their way to the bank.
A dog swallowing the moon,
beating of empty tins, chasing the dog away,
I became a lunar-eclipse drummer in Shillong’s hills.
I went down on my knees,
and asked God for my Biblical rib,
and I found her snoring gently beside me,
in the hills of seven huts.

Cyril’s Award

By Nabanita Kanungo

Are you sure
what left your bow of habit
on the plains of the Surma,
was a pencil and not an arrow?
What then spirals up from below
to sink into our hearts
that poison-tipped story,
enough to curdle even your darling Europe’s blood?
Tell me whether it was a Hindu or a Muslim night
when you flicked my grandparents to nearby hills..
….and destined dispossession for all times?
They took only the names
of their homesteads and courtyards with them
because only names become of memories
and only memories can be fiddled around with
in a land of blasted palms.
Sun-baked feelings, the nose of dung’s sweet wiped floor,
the golden thatch of desh, nights of bari and bhite,
rustic Lalan* fakir songs are names.
But the sun was killed after the moon
they would have said if they lived to see our impotence.
For only cartography drips from our retro-roof
and we try to plumb the rift with a gooey tongue,
gazing stars of bygone sixty, seventy and ninety year-old faces.
History kills slowly but surely.
Cyril, who are you?
I am a twenty-seven-year-old refugee yesterday
stunted beneath blaming anyone else
and my cheeks are still bloody
with the costly pinch of your charity.

Note: desh refers to a sense one’s own country, bari means a home founded on one’s soil and bhite is the hearth therein.

* Lalan fakir was a popular, almost symbolic figure who sang Sylheti folk songs with a sufi touch.

North A.O.C.

By Poireinganba Thangjam

The toothless pimps smile at the passers-by
from the second floor of the three-storey building
like wooden puppets in the market.
Then a wayward wind wafts in with such license,
the income tax collector sulks in a corner.
It swept the wine tumblers down like an invisible broom.
Where its drops fell down the wooden floor
someone screamed just down below
“Blood, Blood”
and the homeland security drove in lazily with exhausted sirens
like an experienced gambler lurking in rummy shades.
Everybody ran under the sheltering sky
as the search for a murdered corpse began.
Sixty minute ticks of the weary clock and
they couldn’t find a dead body anywhere,
so fired two shots on the ground floor making up for lost time
where the carpenter and his wife Seema rented a place to sleep
upsetting the Bihari coolis as they slept with their iron hooks.
The sugar traders at the top floor with spring-board arses
pounded buttocks over the roof-tiles, jumping over the other buildings
while the over-fed prostitutes chattered in naked Burmese
as the policemen drove away in their olive green combat vehicles,
and I, in my rickshaw, swollen-eyed cycled back
believing they had just killed my lover and his man.

One Day, Ema!

By Shreema Ningombam

It will rain
And you will unbind your hair and wash it
In the slow dripping from the thatch
One day
The flowers will bloom
In your dark mystique bun
As if they were never plucked
One day
The wind will carry the scent
Of your fresh steamed rice
Through the corners of this ravaged street
One day
They will come
For whom you have waited for so long
In this life or in this death
One day
The rainbow will color
The ashen shawl around your bosom
With your darling shades
One day
Your children will fling open
The eternally closed gates
With the cries of “Ema! Ema!”
One day
The kites will fly
In your blue sky with tails of freedom
With no one to harness them
One day
I will garland your neck
With the wreath so painstakingly woven
As you walk past the triumphant crowd
One day…Ema.

‘Ema’:’ Manipuri word for mother.
(Robin S Ngangom teaches at NEHU)
 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/alternative-poetry-of-the-northeast/

By Amar Yumnam

Korean television serials are very popular in a very robust way in Manipur. The strength and transformation of the South Korean economy were based on exports of manufactured goods. But now television serials as cultural goods are also a strong export item. This is what as should be in a context of expanding globalisation. The reduction in both space and time is the understandable impact of globalisation. This creates a convenient atmosphere for the trading of cultural goods like television serials. In other words, what we observe in the Korean case is absolute positive loop of globalisation processes. The country has experienced what Benedict Anderson calls the phenomenon of “long-distance nationalism” in which the identity of the people gets submerged with the global identity without in any way needing to forego the original local identity; the compression in space and time consequent upon the globalisation processes creates an opportunity to resolve the transitional identity crises in a much wider and inclusive way.

Compare this with the scenario prevailing in Manipur in so far as identity issues are concerned. We now experience rising inter-ethnic distances. The Indian approach to culture without any meaningful scope for compression of time and space in inter-ethnic interactions has only led to rising frequency of phenomena like unashamed indulgence in rape, the Kuki-Naga conflict, and the lock, stock and barrel political only articulations of inter-ethnic issues; the atmosphere for inter-ethnic relationships is just surcharged with negative voltages. Something like what Yuval-Davis describes as the price the price of multiculturalism has happened in its intense form in the North East and Manipur: “a basic problem with multiculturalism is the assumption that all members of a specific cultural collectivity are equally committed to that culture. It tends to construct the members of minority collectivities as basically homogeneous, speaking with a unified cultural voice. These cultural voices have to be as distinguishable as possible from the majority culture in order for them to be perceived as being “different”; thus the more traditional and distanced from the majority culture the voice of the “community representatives” is, the more “authentic” it will be seen to be within such a construction.” I must hasten here that I am not saying I despise multiculturalism as such. Multiculturalism, however, has to be followed only in accompaniment of social and economic policies for enhancing inter-ethnic interactions and facilitating evolution of cultures. In the absence of these social and economic policies, the capabilities of the individuals are neither created nor nurtured to flourish in a world of reducing time and space. In the Indian case, the approach to multiculturalism has been marked more by ridiculous appeasements for a few in a community and not by wide-based interventions. This has had the unwanted effect of compromising the capability of the community for the sake of a few closed to the powers that be; the powers that be are increasingly twin in Manipur and the North East as we move farther from the provincial capitals. This has further had two retarding effects. First, the state machineries have been conveniently allowed to be ineffectual. Second, the voices of the community and the individuals have been socially dampened and economically non-existent.

In a globalising world, the members of a developing society would also be increasingly globalised in space leading to its reduction. But they will not be necessarily going for compression of time in terms of culture. As evident from the Korean, the Japanese and the Chinese experiences during the last five decades or so, the original identity has also been experiencing spells of assertion from a globalised space and time. The original identity crisis of fear of losing it in a globalised context has now been transformed into a kind of strength in a world of reducing space and time. In the case of the other countries, this transformative experience has been more rather than less uniform across communities. This has not been the experience in the Indian case, and so also in the case of Manipur. The Indian policies since 1947 have been rather epitomes of exclusion and pretensions of cohesiveness. The same policies have been repeated at the provincial levels as well. This is how the issue of black money gets larger. This is also how the base of political support gets disunited among the Non Resident Indians. In the case of Manipur too, the Thabal Chongba being planned in Chicago by the Meeteis based in North America could also be allowed to transform into a cultural event for all the Manipuris.  

This is exactly where the critical crisis of Manipur lies. The South East and East Asian development experience has been one where the local history has transformed itself into a globalised history in which the transitional identity crises of communities are allowed to evolve with the changing times. In the case of Manipur, the policy approaches of both the provincial and the country-level governments have been marked by subversively and covertly enhancing segregation of identities rather than evolution. This has been most recently visible in connection with the policy-bluffs around the so-called Look East Policy. This is where we need to look for a new personality and new commitment in the forthcoming parliamentary elections as getting unfolded in Manipur.   

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/social-crises-in-manipur-the-contrast-with-international-development-experiences/

( Part-1)

By Dr. Khomdon Lisam

We, Manipuris tend to celebrate election as a festival without much thinking about the consequences. At the time of election campaign ,  anybody can go to the candidate and ask for money or chak chanaba or shumang Lila or  even for drinking wine or  Heroin  drugs (No-4)  and that too in the name of democracy. The politicians also distribute money through their agents to win the election. Rampant corruption and bribery starts from the time of election. At the time of election, we tend to forget  core issues of Manipur  like Corruption, AFSPA-1958, Inner Line Permit, unemployment, electricity , water supply, economic blockade, rape and human rights violations, dharnas,  bandhs, strikes, petrol queue, rising price of petrol, LPG and many other core issues. During economic blockade, we have experienced many suffering and hardships – Rice selling at Rs.150-200 a kilogram, a liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refill at Rs.2,000, petrol at Rs.200 a litre, and diesel at Rs.150 a litre. At the time of election, we tend to forget  our long suffering and surrender  our right  to vote  to  Congress for a paltry sum of  Rs. 1000.

Our  right to vote has been sold at Rs. 1000 to a particular candidate for five years  or Rs. 0.54 per day. The result is that we end up electing contractors, drug traffickers , criminals and former militants as MLAs.  Ved Marwah, former governor of Manipur told TIME. “There is no democracy” in Manipur, he said “but rather the trappings of democracy and a combination of tribal society, various insurgent groups and total corruption.”

At the time of election, we tend to forget

(1) Irom Sharmila Chanu who  has been fasting since 2nd November, 2000 demanding for repeal of AFSPA-1958 .

(2) 5665 persons were killed in Manipur because of AFSPA during 1992-2010

(3) June 18, 2001 episode during BJP rule where the Manipur State Assembly building and many office buildings were burnt down and 18 people sacrificed their lives for protecting the territorial integrity of Manipur

(4) Heirangoithong massacre of 14 March 1984, at the Heirangoithong Volley ball Ground following indiscriminate firing by the CRPF personnel stationed nearby resulting in the death of 110  persons and injuring thirty-one  

(5) Malom Massacre of 2 November,  2000 – the arbitrary killing of eleven persons including women and one child, who had just received a national Bravery Award from the President of India.

(6) The massacre at Tabanglong in western Tamenglong District on 28 December 2000 resulted in the death of eight  villagers when they were attacked by soldiers belonging to the 15th Jat Regiment of the Indian army  

(7) Oinam Massacre (Operation Blue Bird) : July 10, 1987 where  Fourteen civilians were shot dead and several others died of hunger, starvation and torture in the concentration camps:

(8)  RMC – Massacre of  7 January, 1995 – execution of nine civilians by the CRPF in Imphal City  within the campus of the Regional Medical College (RMC) now renamed the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS)

(9) Pebam Chittaranjan’s self immolation  on 16 August 2004 for removing AFSPA.

(10) Thangjam Manorama was raped  and then killed by the Assam Rifles on 11 July 2004

(11) Nude protest by 40 women in front of Assam Rifles on 15 July, 2004

(12) killing of Chungkham Sanjit and Thokchom Rabina in the open market at broad day light on 23 July, 2009.

(13) Fake encounter of Andro on November 1st 2009 where, 7 youths has been gunned down by 28th Assam Rifles troops in suspicion of militants (The Hueiyen New Service- 31st January 2011).

(14) Oinam Leikai Massacre on November 21, 1980,

(15) Tera Bazar Massacre: March 25, 1993: Five civilians were killed and many others received bullet injuries due to indiscriminate firing by CRPF. However, no enquiry has been instituted to date.

(16) Ukhrul Massacres on May 9, 1995,

(17) Bashikhong massacre on February 19, 1995,

(18) Churachandpur Massacres on July 21, 1999,

(19)Nungleiban Massacre on October 15, 1997,

(20) Tabokpikhong Massacres on August 12, 1997,

(21) Tonsen lamkhai Massacres on September 3, 2000 . Will  the sacrifices of our martyrs go in vain.  The Manipur Government has not made a  single judicial enquiry report public. That is why people have lost faith in such judicial  enquiry . Retired Sessions Judge C. Upendra said that he had headed twelve such enquiries himself, and found in all cases the  encounters were fake, though none of his reports was made public.

Every political party except Congress, BJP and CPI  is demanding repeal of AFSPA-1958 at this time of election. The national level election manifesto has not mentioned any word on AFSPA . The Congress, BJP and CPI have clearly indicated that they will not do it unless situation improves.  

Shall we ask a counter question to elicit response from the people -why should the AFSPA be removed from Manipur (1) Why should we vote for Congress, BJP and CPI if they are determined not to remove AFSPA from Manipur . (2) why should we continue worshipping our  Ministers and MLAs who are against the removal of AFSPA. (3) why should  we consider it  a status symbol to invite high ranking Military and police officers to our functions (4) when we are encouraging, welcoming and celebrating defection of opposition parties to the ruling party. Is it not  a shameless action to jump from one political party to another ?  They should apologise to the people who voted for them. (5) why don’t  we have the courage to boycott the Ministers and MLAs who are living under the shadow of ASPA. (6) why should we accept  small gifts  from Assam Rifles and Indian Army in the form of solar lamps or Water filters, generators etc.  (7) why can’t we be united and create a people’s mass movement against AFSPA . I heard Law and Order is in the State list but AFSPA is in the concurrent list –that means it can be revoked either by the State Government or by the Central Government. That is why our Chief Minister has revoked AFSPA from seven constituencies of Imphal. The Union Home Ministry, the defence Ministry are strongly against removal of AFSPA from Manipur. Therefore  Our Hon’ble Chief Minister may be thinking  that AFSPA can be removed only by the Central Government. The Hon’ble Chief Minister may ask the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister why AFSPA is not imposed on Maoist affected states like West Bengal, Bihar , Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttaranchal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra. The Indian government has declared that “out of 630 districts in India,  220 districts are Maoist affected areas. The Naxalite Maoist insurgency gained media attention internationally after the 2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley, which resulted in the deaths of around 24 Indian National Congress leaders, including the former state minister Mahendra Karma and the Chhattisgarh Congress Chief Nand Kumar Patel. This completely shook the political system of India. On October 31, the New York Times wrote, “India’s Maoist rebels are now present in 20 states and have evolved into a potent insurgency. In the last four years, the Maoists have killed more than 900 Indian security officers…violence erupts almost daily.”

The Ministry of Home Affairs has deployed around 110,000 military and para-military troops to eliminate the Maoist . The Ministry of Home Affairs say that the amount extorted by Maoists is around Rs.1400 Crore annually. Jharkhand has emerged as the largest supplier to the Naxal kitty by contributing around Rs.300 crores per year. : The Indian Prime Minister said “ India is losing the battle against Maoist rebels…violence is increasing” and “Maoists have growing appeal among a large section of Indian society including tribal communities, the rural poor and the intelligentsia.” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently described the Maoist movement as “the biggest internal security threat” confronting India. On Feb 2, 2010, Mr.  Chidambaram, the then Union Home Minister said the situation in Maoist-affected states continues to be “a cause of grave concern”.  Our Hon’ble Chief Minister may ask to the national political leaders  “ If that is so, why not the Government of India , imposed AFSPA in all the Maoist -affected states. Why this racial discrimination even in the case of AFSPA. Do the Government of India think  that the people of North East are expandable. If that is so , then  why not our respected Chief Minister sit in the Dharna demanding from the central government  with 10,000 followers : (1) lifting of AFSPA from all districts of Manipur, (2) Inner Line Permit System, (3) Special drive for employment f Manipuris, (4) establishment of an Upper House  State  Legislative Council) with a minimum of 40 members  with provision for 10 nominated members, (5)  increase of Lok Sabha Constituencies from 2 to 6 ( Anglo Indian Community with a population of  two lakhs was given two seats) , (6) increase of Rajya Sabha seats from 1 to 7 reflecting equal  representation of states as done in USA  and other countries, (7) amendment of  Article 371C of Indian Constitution, (8) protection of boundaries of Manipur etc. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi  was the only Chief Minister in India who sat in dharna during the last 64 years demanding justice from the Central Government. The example of Arvind Kejriwal has been followed by other Chief Ministers. The Indian Constitution which our politicians consider as Gita or Bible  or  Quran can be amended to look after the interest of Manipuris. We have never exercised this right  for the last 64 years because of lack of political maturity  and clear cut vision of our political masters.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/wake-up-call-to-all-voters-of-manipur/

Swar Thounaojam, winner of many awards, who writes, performs and directs plays; IFP had a quick chat with the woman who seeks her own feminism as separate from the ‘mainland’ feminism. She works under the banner of Fewer Emergencies.

IFP: Do tell us about how you came to be in theatre and performance? What propelled you into this?

Swar: I was very interested in Shumang Lila when I grew up but you know how educated middle class in Imphal thinks about such art. I was not allowed to watch such performance, I use to go in secret or tag along with aunts. During my graduation when I was in Hindu College I was active in Street theatre. After my Masters I wanted to do MPhil but I didn’t, the teachers in the department were not inspiring enough. At that period I applied to Arundhati Nag’s Rangashankara theatre in Bangalore. I write to her stating that I wanted a hands-on training. She didn’t promise me anything but I just boarded the train and went to Bangalore. In the interview or rather the interaction we had she straightaway said “Why don’t you join today?” This was in the month of September 2004. This move proved lucky for me. I was a part of the one month festival and since this was a very prestigious project I got to know a lot of people in the theatre circuit. I was a part of Rangashankara for a year. We did everything from sweeping the floor to coordinating to everything. After I left Rangashankara, I free lanced for a while.

IFP: When did you begin writing plays?

Swar: My life as a playwright began with Writers Bloc a collaboration of Rage theatre and British Council, Royal Court theatre. I sent in a play. This was a turning point. I was selected; I went to Bombay and was in the Jindal farmhouse as a part of the residency. As a part of it I wrote a new play to be a part of the festival. What began in 2006 was performed in 2007. Sunil S directed the play. I was lucky because he is a well-known theatre director. Turel, was the play. I was 25 years old then. However, I was thought of as a cultural ambassador. “As an artist do I want to work within this confine?” was a question I began to ask myself. I wanted to be a playwright but had to figure out what kind of playwright I wanted to be. It is very important for me to write in my own terms.

In 2006, after my marriage I told my husband that I wanted to leave India for a while. We were in Munich for two years. This time was very important to me because in Munich I could be anonymous. During this time I read a lot of plays, looked up the work of various playwright. I was a part of an Experimental Theatre. I did a lot of learning by watching.

After I came back to Bangalore I got the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship and got a residency in London, Royal Court Theatre. My first directorial venture is Fake Palindrome. It consists of seven pieces. We rehearsed through 2010 and it was performed in 2011. As a playwright my worldview is affected by what is happening around me and also by the fact of being a woman and as a person of north east India residing in Bangalore. From 2011 -2014 I tried different collaborations to see what kind of directorial venture I could think of. I’ve also resumed performing and have been doing so for the past two years.

I am seeking my own feminism as separate from the “mainland” feminism. The perpetual question is –What is my narrative? I am also very interested in Ima Keithel. It is my first project here. After my work here in Ima keithel I went to London and saw the Paula Rego Retrospective exhibition. Her series called Dog Woman inspired me to look at Ima keithel anew.

Lucky Lobster, 2011 is a satire. Bogeyman, 2013 is based on the stories of Churanthaba, Tapta, Lai Khusangbi etc. but with the idea of policing being central to it. I am looking at policing through the lens of terrorism, space and the body. Bogeyman is an investigation into this.

IFP: Tell us about your Future Projects?

Great Game East grew from my experience of the incident of exodus especially from Bangalore. My dissatisfaction was also with the fact that one rarely gets to see on stage the North East body. Other than theatre groups coming from the states of North East India there is no performer from here in the so-called mainstream plays. I started thinking of the possible way to initiate and thought of photography as the medium to begin with. This project is as of now self-financed. We go to neighbourhoods in Bangalore. The subject necessarily a person from the north-east holds a mirror, others -sights and people of the city peeps into the mirror out of curiosity. I also take videos around it. This would entail three different medium – photography, video and performance.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/writing-in-her-own-terms/

By Jiten Yumnam   

On a cloudy mid afternoon of 20 March 2014, our small Air Panama plane flew over vast forest of Kuna Yala territory in Panama and lands in a strangely small airport in Ustupo Island which is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. The sea waves breaks on the edge and sides of the runway and the soft and moist winds from the sea swept over continuously. A short boat ride reaches us to the main Ustupu Island, inhabited by the Guna indigenous people of Panama.                                        

Guna elders and women in traditional attires received us as we visit the island for a four day international training workshop on climate change. Traditional Guna houses made from reeds and coconut leaves abound where children and women peek from windows and doorsteps wearing  curious looks on yet another ‘outsiders’ entering their territory. The children’s playful and happy laughter permeates the environ in the Ustupu village as they greets us with innocent and happy grin. Many children happily paddle their canoes past their village waters. The village air is filled with bountiful freshness of cool breezes from Caribbean Sea continuously sweeping around. One is simply mesmerized in the freshness of the air and purity of the land.     

As the Traditional Chief and villagers of Ustupo welcomed us in the Kuna Congress traditional hut and as the elders of the village shared on Kuna peoples’ history of struggles to defend their land from colonial expansionism, to preserve and promote their cultures, survival dependence over their land, forest, waters, one could feel the vision and maturity of the people of this land, a vision which can contribute in healing the wounds of our mother earth.    

As days ensured, Kuna Yala territory’s enchanting beauty unfolds as the blue sea waters turns silvery in evenings and as the trees sways in unisons in gushing wind. As we traversed its waters, surrounding islands and its deep green forest as part of our training, the life of the land, the synergy between the people and the land, the deep inseparable relationship is revealed further. The Guna people here are blessed with bountiful land and majestic green forest amidst the mighty blue waters. The land here is also blessed because of the people in it. The people and the land complement each other in securing their sustenance and life.      

The Guna People are well known all over for rejecting one of the most infamous market based solution to global climate crisis, christened as ‘REDD’ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project, which envisage to target their enchanting forest for Carbon Trading project, which will allow rich developed countries to continue to pollute the earth. The Panama REDD programme is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme, together with the Panama National Environment Authority. The proponents of the REDD program in embarking on false climate change solutions are rendered meaningless in this land, simply by the visionary thoughts and wise resolve of the Guna people, a decision evolved through a series of community oriented consultations, reflections through their traditional institutions.

The Guna people feared once the REDD is implemented, communities will be restricted from their free and unhindered access to their traditional forest with corporate controlling their land. And with the sea level rises, they will have nowhere to settle once their islands are submerged. The perception of forest as mere carbon stocks, rather than as source of ‘life’, the complexity of the mechanism, the potential for corruption and disruption of community fabric due to involvement of huge amount of money for compensation etc are some of the specific reasons of Guna peoples rejecting REDD projects in their territory and land. Land is life and much dearer to financial compensations.

Guna Yala is, indeed, the land where the ideas of technocrats, economist, corporate and scientists are put into test and where ultimately, the will and wishes of the people to be free with their mind and deeds prevails. The Guna peoples’ resolves also exposes the fallacies and nuances of false solutions to climate change. One wonders what guides the wisdom of the people to defend their inherent rights, when many of the world’s indigenous peoples are still grappling on how best to respond and as many are caught unaware and rendered helpless by the strong waves of imperialist globalization, development onslaught and brute and reckless militarism.  The Guna people consider their land as sacred, as their mother and giver of life, something which is just inseparable for their own survival and being. Without the land and the forest, the people simply cannot survive and they will lose everything, their cultures, their traditional knowledge and most importantly their future.   

The decision and resolve of Guna people against REDD is significant as the Government of India and the Government of Manipur through the National and Manipur State Action Plan on Climate Change envisaged aggressive push for REDD+ and creation of reservoirs over river systems of the region to mitigate climate change. However, such initiatives will only limit communities’ access to forest land, promote mono plantations and destroy forest and peoples livelihood. Development processes and pursuance of false climate change solutions will only led to more corporatisation and privatisation of the land, commodification and commercialization of indigenous peoples’ lives and future. Indigenous peoples of Manipur and India’s North East has tonnes to learn from Guna people.

The yearnings for self determination are strong and are unique to the people of this land. Democratic values and practices best prevails here at a time when democratic practices wanes and fast disappears in a fast changing world. This is the land where children plays freely, where the trees sway their branches freely, where waves breaks freely and where people think and act freely. Its people and women are heartious, welcoming and beautiful. This is the land where children dance and sing with their elders and learning their cultures and traditional knowledge in living practice. The land is where values and practices of political functioning best prevail. Determined are the people that they opt nothing less than full defence of their land by themselves. A land where the ever gushing wind drives the freshness of the ideas and new vision that runs deep and one could feel it strong. Guna Yala is where people best expressed their cultures and political belief successfully withstanding strong winds of changes. The people here strongly guarded their wish to decide for them and this is exactly what the people here did while rejecting false climate crisis solutions.

The wise words, caring thoughts of Kuna elders’ runs heavy, with endless and limitless space accorded to youths of generations to freshen their mind, to sharpen their thoughts and vision and to develop and strengthen their leadership and wisdom, to nurture their land and future.  There’s increasing influence of the world, such as its seas accumulates trash. However, guided by the wisdom and care of the elders, Guna’s children are learning and practicing to keep the ocean clean, its land pure to keep their future safe.  

The Guna people by rejecting REDD had already set a global example. The present day climate crisis is only an outcome of continued pursuance of insatiable greed by profit mongering corporations and imperialist countries and their insistence on over consumption and over production, which led to usurping of indigenous peoples land and resources. The real solution to climate crisis lies in promoting the right to self determination of all indigenous peoples, ending capitalist growth and development model, promoting multicultural models of development as well as sustainable ways of life as practiced by indigenous peoples worldwide. Other Indigenous peoples of Panama such as the Ngobe people also rejected Barro Blanco Dam, which is projected as clean and renewable source of energy under the Clean Development Mechanism of UNFCCC. Such project actually sees ‘red’ blood flowing from victims of communities killed by Government troopers for protesting the dam.   

One hopes the children of Guna Yala continues to play merrily and freely for coming generations and the birds chirp melodiously without fear, and the spirit of the Guna people to defend their land and to determine their future grows stronger as the days descends into future. The political thoughts and beliefs of the Guna today transcends beyond borders and now a guiding light for many reeling in endless uncertainties and darkness. The resolve of Guna Yala had already inspired peoples worldwide and Manipur and the rest of the region can never be an exception.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/impressions-of-guna-yala-panama/

By  Yumlembam Khogen Singh

In accordance with the prevailing narrowly defined and often ineffectually articulated definitions of development, ‘development’ signifies ends like increased income, reduced poverty, and transition to modernity palpably reflected as better roads and architecture, improved means of communication and transportation, etc. which are achievable through narrowly defined means like ‘science and technology’. Against the claims of achieved development, hard facts suggest that irrespective of developed, developing or underdeveloped countries, present world is facing development induced displacement and environmental crisis. On the prevailing development discourses, some theorists put forward that there are three main perspectives on development namely – Mainstream Perspective on Development (MPD), Alternative Perspective on Development (APD) and Post-Development Perspective (PDP). MPD originated from colonialism and its civilizing missions, it pursues development through modernization and westernization. It assumes development as a homogenous process thereby underestimating diversity and complexities. Rebuffling the singular notion of modernization, APD emerged as an alternative model and strive for development through participatory and self-reliant strategies, i.e. it advocates people-oriented development. And thereafter, under the influence of post-structuralism, PDP questions the very notion of modernity and development; and it comprehends development as treatment for the maladies invented by modernity. These development discourses seems complementing as well as critiquing one another for a better model of development, but the hunt is still unfinished. It can also be argued that whether it is socialist, capitalist or mixed model of development there are always cognitive blackouts in displacement, disparity, distress and discrimination in the prevailing dominant discourses on development. Thus, the leading development discourses can be criticized for their omissions and cost, and there is need for a broader perceptions, methodologies and strategies to deal with the issues concerning development. There is still need for a better model of development. Here, what we can do is to re-question the desirability of the existing conceptions of development. Imperative questions are- whether we are having development or mal-development, and whose development we are concerned about?

When the writer attended the 14th North West Indian Sociological Association Conference on ‘Challenges of Social Development in North-West India’ at MDU, Rohtak on 3rd March 2011; in his inaugural address, world renown sociologist and Padma Bhushan awardee Prof. T. K. Oommen theorized some unanticipated consequences of the prevailing ‘homocentric’ model of development and explained four unanticipated Ds of development: disparity, displacement, discriminations and distress. Sagacious people can also see how disparity exists despite of the so-called development, e.g. male-female, rural-urban disparities, etc. and how development becomes axiomatic with displacement, say displacement of tribal by big development projects. The prevailing divides like gender discrimination, caste discriminations, etc. against the slogan of ‘equality for all’ are unacceptable and the odd distress like increasing rate of suicides despite development in the developed countries insinuate towards flaws in the existing development models. Escalating ‘Genocides’, ‘Culturocides’, and ‘Ecocides’ further substantiated the above mentioned unanticipated consequences of development. Unfortunately the United Nations’ definition of genocide given in 1994 excluded some forms of genocides like killing of an ideological group by the State and killing of people by displacement resulting from huge development projects. If W.H.O. termed such killings as silent genocides; for human rights activists and cultural revivalists, the acts of destroying the characteristics of a group, prohibition of the use of their language and destruction of their cultural heritage should also come under the category of genocide. Prof. Oommen (1986) called such systematic destruction of people’s life in general and the systemic liquidation of cultural identities of minorities in particular as ‘Culturocide’. For a social environmentalist, the deliberate destruction of the ecology of a group of people or the ecological degradation in general is ‘Ecocides’. Thus the ongoing development projects guided by homocentric view on development can be accused of causing such consequences like ‘Genocides’, ‘Culturocides’, and ‘Ecocides’.

As replacement for development, ‘sustainable development’ as a long-term proposal grew out of the ‘Limits to Growth’ debate of early 1970s and it became fully established in late 1980s. As a broad concept it was first widely publicized by the World Conservation Strategy and the term itself was coined in October 1987 when the Brundtland Commission released a document titled ‘Our Common Future’ or ‘Brundtland Report’, and the report defined ‘sustainable development’ as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the present model of development being adopted in the present world is still ‘Homocentric’ in view, guided by excessive individualism and rigidity with prime focus on human generations, thereby neglecting other living beings and non-livings like culture, identity, etc. Till the early 1990s, almost all approaches to sustainable growth or sustainable development seem endorsing the same core ethic of intergenerational equity that future generations are entitled. However, human distress as an unanticipated consequence of development can only be reduced if we reduce such excessive individualism and excessive rigidity.

The critique of anthropocentric value system started a few decades ago. In 1980s, American philosopher J. Baird Callicot with his profound knowledge of religious studies made an impact in the development of environmental ethics. Callicot’s (1984) main argument was – “An anthropocentric value theory, by common consensus, confers intrinsic value on human beings and regards all other things, including other forms of life, as being only instrumentally valuable, i.e., value only to the extent that they are means or instruments which may serve human beings. A non-anthropocentric value theory on other hand would confer intrinsic value on some non-human beings”. Amartya Sen (1998) also emphasized matters of life and death, well-being and illness, happiness and misery, freedom and vulnerability in the conceptual debates of development. As Giri and Ufford (2003) also says that notions of ‘can do’ (management) rather than ‘must do’ (responsibility) are increasingly dominant in the problems of definition of development.
As an improvement, twenty-first century’s recent development in the concept of ‘sustainable development’ aims to include ‘cultural sustainability’/ ‘institutional sustainability (say good governance)’ as the fourth domain into the previously existing three constituent parts of environmental, economic and socio-political sustainability. Even though we have an evolved concept of ‘sustainable development’ to mitigate the ill consequences of mal-development, the problem with the present conception of ‘sustainable development’ is that even if we achieve sustainability in our development, still we are having homocentric view of development. Men’s generation, men’s future, men’s needs, etc. That is, the philosophical basis or thought behind the conception of ‘sustainable development’ is inadequate. Hence, for harmonious existence of ‘nature’ and ‘human’, it is high time to craft a holistic vision that bestow due importance to nature and confer intrinsic value on non-human beings. Therefore, the need of the time is to have a model of development which considers all forms of life, culture, and non-living things as equal beneficiaries of development.

(The writer teaches at the Department of Sociology, Manipur University )

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/critiquing-development-discourses-its-time-to-go-beyond-sustainable/

Should my child be sincerely super-rich or -poor?
True competitiveness and excellence are the mantras, Bill Gates as an example

Gunadhor S Okram
Wednesday, April 09, 2014

These words what we are reading here is now-a-days normally typed through a personal computer (called also PC, in short). Many of us know that it is quite often in a Microsoft windows’ ‘word’ software. The software ‘word’ is a part of several components of the main software called ‘Microsoft windows’, which have several versions and are developed as per the need of the society. This can be known as a part of the so-called information technology (IT). These versions are gradually developed like a human being is born as a baby. Then, it becomes slowly a child, a boy/ girl, an adult, man/woman and finally old man/woman.

As a baby turns older and older to become finally an old man/ woman, people believe that s/he becomes more and more wise. However, harder the person in her/ his studies, wiser normally s/he is. The same rule holds there also in Microsoft windows as the version increases more and more, its applicability becomes more and more versatile as per our societal need in information technology. In other words, the software becomes smarter and smarter as its version increases as its aging goes on and on. This makes us more versatile as the time passes by. If it is so, shall we raise a question: Who discovered this idea and who manages to upgrade this in this way what everybody likes?

This was discovered and founded by none other than Mr. Bill Gates (with Paul Allen) who is an entrepreneur and subsequently became one of the richest men in the world today! One may also translate this modern miraculous item (Microsoft) as souls of computers and many more of modern gadgets. Means, without this, a computer is just a sophisticated-looking box of no use! That is, a computer without (Microsoft) software is a box like death body (corpse) of an animal/ a human without soul.  This translates into the fact that this looking-like invisible software similar to our soul rules our academia or modern humans and hence into the fact that to rule somebody’s mind and its body requires innovative knowledge (idea). This is above the normal way of thinking, a first class innovation!

This is what Bill Gates (and his friend Paul Allen) demonstrated to the modern world. Born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, USA, he (Bill) began to show an interest in computer programming at the age of 13 at the Lakeside School. He pursued his passion through college. Striking out on his own with his friend and business partner Paul Allen, Gates discovered himself at the right place at the right time. Through technological innovation, keen business strategy and aggressive business tactics, he built the world’s largest software business, Microsoft, to make himself Bill gates of today.

Bill Gates grew up in an upper middle-class family with elder sister (Kristianne) and younger sister (Libby). William H. Gates Sr., their promising father who was a law student, met his future wife, Mary Maxwell. She was fond of athletics, outgoing, loves student affairs and leadership. They created a warm atmosphere in their home. All three children were encouraged to be competitive and strive for excellence. Bill showed early signs of competitiveness and teamwork. He coordinated family athletic games at their summer house on Puget Sound and was also excelled at Monopoly; risk was his favorite. Mary, a brief career as a teacher, also served on several corporate boards, including those of the First Interstate Bank in Seattle (founded by her grandfather), the United Way and International Business Machines (IBM) takes care of Bill well. She often accompanies Bill along as volunteer in schools and at community organizations.

He was an avid reader as a child, spending many hours over reference books such as the encyclopedia. Around the age of 12, his parents were worried about his behavior. When Bill turned 13, they enrolled him at Seattle’s Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school. He shined in nearly all his subjects, excelled in math and science, very well performed also in drama and English. The most dramatic outcome was his entrancement with what a computer could do and spent much of his free time working on a terminal, which was offered by a Seattle computer company for the students through the Mother’s Club. He wrote a tic-tac-toe program in BASIC computer programming language that enabled users to play against the computer. This was his onset of the journey ….

Today, an owner of US$ 76 billion (Rs 4.5 lakh crore), http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/ 2014/03/03/forbes-billionaires-full-list-of-the-worlds-500-richest-people/, Bill is the richest man on earth by just his own talent, an organizational and extraordinary talent and its products something invisible like our souls, not with Boeing who possesses just US$40 billion (Rs 2.4 lakh crore) makes aircrafts in one of which passengers of six buses can seat! In other words, money creating power is not just the size of the product but the capability it possesses. Is it the reason that over a billion people use products of Bill while heftily sized Boeing aircrafts are used by a few million people? Similarly, most of the top richest people are from (tele) communications. It seems Facebook is to earn about Rs 500 crore in this general Indian election. They earn money sort of in GODLY manner, not by ghastly means.

This is where we can learn from: we should encourage our children hard work, sincerity, innovativeness, valued life, love for knowledge (philosophy), love for the environment (nature) and others, dutifulness, patriotism, punctuality, respect for elders and others, regards for others; not instant solution to get good marks in their exams by unfair means, insincerity, hate for others, laziness, dereliction of duty, unpunctuality, disregard of, and disrespect for, others.

The former (talent) constructs and develop the society systematically (like normal cells in our body) while the latter (materialism/greediness) destructs it systematically (like cancerous cells in our body) to ruins. If we choose the latter, our society may one day become just like man-like (monkeys) who (may perhaps) carry sophisticated smart mobiles and swanky cars with majestic houses with no moral values or knowledge as to how these gadgets work like those in Gulf countries, who import skilled people, not like those of America, Japan or European countries who export their products derived from their knowledge. A man without (using) knowledge may be no different from monkey or corpse. Which one should we choose from?

What (civilized) society appreciates are industrialized nations, not the wealthy nations. The former is synonymous with industrious people while the latter with lazy ones with lots of natural resources. If we do not have either, who should we be/ become? Our future wealth would then lie in nurturing our children for hard-work, sincerity, innovative knowledge, genuine competition, creativity, value-added life, strong desire for new knowledge, affection for environment (nature), dutifulness, obedience, patriotism, punctuality, respect and strive for excellence with kind regards to others. This will wholly lie with the concerted efforts of co-ordination of our parents, planners, administrators, employees and all who should create such an enviable environment synergically.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/should-my-child-be-sincerely-super-rich-or-poor/