Tag: Articles/Opinion

By Akendra Sana
The immediate first. An economic and hi-tech power South Korea whose size is only about four and a half times, a small size country and population about seventeen and a half times that of Manipur with only technology has come to Manipur like none before. South Korea is today the thirteenth largest economy of the world, its long dependence on the US notwithstanding. Movies and Music, Drama that are originating from there through Discs, internet and TV are already determining what the preferences of the Manipuri youth and the society itself. How much of the music and drama are of American influence is another story. Pre-teens, teens and grownups in all the streets of Manipur swear by it. Some have even mastered the language only through TV. And fashion, shall we say more. Hair styles, dress and even mannerisms, if you care to watch some of these TV serials and movies, all have found comfortable homes in our youth. This is all about acceptance.

No community exists in isolation. Cultural influences come in many ways. Think of Bamon Khunthok, arrival of the Brahmins to Manipur from as far as present-day Gujarat and elsewhere dating back to at least the fifteenth century if not earlier and the interaction that took place whose harmony or otherwise is still visible. Religion, Bengal Renaissance and Bengal’s size and its role in the British scheme of things had considerable influence on Manipur. There was a time, to conduct business (or read political relationship) with the British, knowledge of the Bengali language was essential. This led Manipuri Kings to induct Bengalis into its administration. English of course was for the super elite say at least a century ago. When Johnstone Middle School was established in 1885 and upgraded to a High School about a quarter century later, the medium of instruction was Bengali, even though this can be said to be the beginning of formal western education. Pettigrew after experimenting in Imphal around 1895 found hospitality and acceptance in Ukhrul with both religion and education. The rest is history as they say about western education in all parts of Manipur and its influence on us all.

One wonders if any educated elder of that generation who knew speaking, reading and writing Bengali is still alive. If a few at all are, they cannot be any younger than ninety, ninety-five. Many things including literature and fashion were through Calcutta and Dacca. Bengal’s strong influence in culture, literature, fashion, dress and mannerisms in Manipur seems to be going away with the passing away of that generation. Bengal’s role and influence was determined by geo-politics of the time. Juxtapose this with Korea’s influence today, it is only technology that is determining and doing all the work. In later years, Bengal for Manipur became like any other province of India.

Britain’s full force came to Manipur with the Anglo-Manipur Conflict of 1891 and with the installation of the boy king, Churachand Maharaj. English education slowly began to find space. However, religion of the West of course was taboo. Some kind of adjustment and reconciliation among Christianity, Hinduism and the Manipuri religious beliefs continues to be taking place in layers, even as over the years western education is accepted completely. So soon it was for English language, literature, dress and many others like so many in similar situations in Colonial and Post Colonial societies. All aspirations have been against this backdrop since.

Along with all these, not so discreetly Americanism, if one may use the expression, has also been finding its exalted place with the rise of American power. Because whether it is blue denim or chewing gums or coke, a lot have come to universal permanence in our lives everywhere, in Bengal, Britain, Korea or Manipur and elsewhere. And of course, an American Degree is considered the path to everything successful.

World War Two can be considered to be the real window to the world for Manipur. For Manipuris, however brief the presence of the soldiers of all hues and nationalities during the war in many parts of Manipur, the influence can never be underplayed. Many elders then later narrate how the Japanese look so physically like us even as they also recall the Japanese bombings. And then of course today youngsters and the not so young tell you from what you see that the Koreans not only physically look like us, their body language, expressions and delivery of speech are so like us.

Apart from the natural adoption of these hair styles, dress and music, some unexplained willingness also seems to be in place. What about East and East, eagerness to find acceptance and questioning the status quo in them? And reconfirming, hey! narrow-eyes can be also fashionable and discovering almost a déjà vu. But then let us also remind that the space left by the exit of Bollywood movies and all that influence on the youth is now comfortably occupied by the Korean movies they choose to send out. Fashion is also about the in thing and about identification with what is perceived to be noticeable and acceptable among peers. If all this makes the youngsters more confident, so be it. But then, South Korea’s per Capita Income at about twenty thousand US Dollars will be much more than thirty times that of Manipur even by the most liberal estimate. So consumption patterns are hugely different. All our youths will do well to cautiously and consciously ignore the consumption habits of what they watch in the movies and serials.

Whether it is music or language or mannerisms, internet and TV are the leveller of our times. And yet you see powers like Britain appear to be looking inwards and occasionally reasserting for that exalted position, Bengal’s pride is undiminished. And well for some like Manipur assertion for pride is even greater in this din and clutter of the world. Is it therefore not of that connect of different times and milieu of a generation?

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By Dr. R. S. Khoiyangbam
Living around protected areas (PAs) often carries a cost. The cost is liable to vary essentially with the individual countries involved, categories of PAs, species conserved and socio-economic conditions of inhabitants besides many other underlying factors. In general, the economic costs incurred are often found considerable to the living standards of the marginalised population in PAs, particularly in developing countries like India. Whereas, the benefits of wildlife protection accrue to the national and global economy, the burdens are often borne by the local poor. The international conservation community at the World Parks Congress in 2003 had voiced in the Durban Accord this concern ‘that many costs of protected areas are born locally – particular by poor communities – while the benefits accrue globally’ (WPC, 2003). In Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), the hardships of co-existing with wildlife ranged from damage of property, denying access to natural resources, restriction to livestock grazing and in some instances, loss of human lives attributed to wild boar attack. Some of the economic cost incurred by local people, worth mentioning are the medical expenses attributed to wild boar attack, opportunity costs associated with land use foregone, transaction costs associated with pursuing compensation, and “hidden” social costs such as diminished states of psychological well being, etc. Economic appraisal of conservation that reconciles competition between wildlife and human is an essential component of any sustainable wildlife management programme and there is greater need of such initiatives in KLNP.

All PAs in the country are much the same, but the KLNP stands out because it is different from the others in more than one. Firstly, KLNP has the uniqueness of being the only known floating wildlife reserve in the world. This has been its strength as well as weakness. The floating vegetative island, locally called as ‘Phum’, is known to support specialised habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial biota and provides significant ecological and socio-economic services. Due to its rich biodiversity and luxuriant vegetative growth, phums, particularly those in KLNP are subjected to rampant exploitation with tangible consequences to wildlife. Detachment and adrift of smaller patch of periphery phum from the main island park, sometimes harbouring wild animals are reported. There are claims that the phums in the KLNP are becoming thinner over the years, this pose a question mark on the long term sustenance of the park itself. Secondly, Loktak Lake, in which KLNP forms a part, is a designated wetland of International Importance (Ramsar site no. 463), based on its high ecological and socioeconomic significance. However, over the years, the unabated human onslaughts on the lake seem to have diluted and eroded some of the basic characteristic features that justify its inclusion in international status. Thirdly, unlike many other National Parks, KLNP is an island of natural habitat for wildlife conservation in a sea of human settlements. Humans have dominated the land and water in the area over generations and their livelihood is closely tied to it. The traditional anthropogenic activities in the area includes primarily subsistence collection of fuel wood, fodder, wild edible plants, housing and thatch material, fishing, etc. The comparatively small size (~ 40 km2) plus the enclosure by villages on all sides make KLNP highly vulnerable to human and livestock interference. Fourthly, Loktak, the then fluctuating floodplain wetland until a few decades ago is today converted virtually into a man-manipulated artificial reservoir rather than man managed natural lake. The Lake is currently in deep ecological crisis and the water bodies are showing sign of near total collapse. Unless remedial measures are taken straightway, we are headed for a major castratrophe.

Historically, the traditions, religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of the Hindu majority society around KLNP make the people more tolerant towards wild animals. Many local people consider ‘Sangai’ to be scared animal. Except for a handful of people indulging in poaching and wildlife crime, majority consider wild animals to be revered and deserve protection. It is but for this patronage and reverence for wildlife, that the critically endangered ‘sangai’ in KLNP survived today. In spite of these good intent and feelings for the animals, the poor and resource dependent peoples are always vulnerable to punishments in the hands of the authorities, largely due to suspect of their credentials. Past experiences in KLNP show that, any incident of wildlife crime is followed subsequently by imposition of strict restrictions on people’s entry into park, depriving the income generation opportunities of the poor and marginalised ones. The situation may turn bad to worse in villages where the local people have no other recourse. Consequently, this results into animosity between Park authorities and the community, bringing the decades-old rift to the forefront. This in the long run may imperil the park authority’s ability to work effectively to conserve wildlife in KLNP. After all, poaching and wildlife related crimes are not restricted to KLNP alone, it is an international issue, prevalent in many PAs worldwide and there is need for finding new ways to counter them. A villager does not understand why the park authorities are hard on poor villagers.

The lives of people in villages around the KLNP turned miserable with increased restrictions on fishing and biomass collection, with the establishment of the KLNP in 1977. This has been further aggravated by the ecological crisis attributed to the change in hydrological regime in Loktak Lake in the aftermath of commissioning of hydropower project in 1983. The impoundment of reservoir water is claimed to have permanently inundated vast tracks of lands and is the cause of recurring floods in the area. However, the local people were debarred from claiming compensation for the submerged lands as most of them have no formal title to the private, ranch and community lands lost. Due to small landholding farm-based incomes and as agriculture provided only one crop the households in KLNP are left with few options worthwhile, other than relying on the immediate economic opportunities present nearby. Any attempts by the park authorities to enforce restrictions on entry into KLNP and resource extraction led to great unrest among villagers and were met with vociferous protests and direct confrontation. Compounded by the effects of unemployment, lack of cash many villagers are compelled to leave their villages in search of work. Some are found attempting to secure their livelihoods through illegal practice of ‘athaphums’ fishing inside the park. However, over the years, the alienation of local people who lost lands and extraction rights culminated into negative attitudes towards KLNP and the park-people relationship has been dismally poor.

The KLNP has a good base of natural resources for fulfilling most biomass needs of the local communities. Other than providing several items for domestic consumption, extraction pressures of some wild edible plants in the park have moved up from subsistence to market level. Wild edible vegetables mainly, Loklei (Hedychium coronarium), Pullei (Alpinia galanga) and Komprek (Oenanthera javanica) are extracted for market and it formed an important source of income for many households in KLNP. An individual can earn around rupees 200 to 300 a day by selling these vegetables in the local market. In villages such as Khordak and Laphupat Tera, female members of more than 90 % of the households are engaged in this occupation. For many of them, it’s a round the year activity and the cash earned the only source of income to sustain their family and sending their children to school. For some underprivileged, it’s a straight away choice between starvation and risk of encountering wild boar, poisonous snakes and harassment by forest guards. Due to their geographical proximity with the reservoir, fishing besides agriculture is an important traditional occupation for peoples around KLNP. Any restrictions imposed on fishing directly affected traditional livelihoods of the fishermen community. However, compelled by necessities of livelihood security, the fishermen continued fishing despite risks of severe fines and punishment from Park authorities.

Wild boars straying out of the KLNP, in nearby agricultural fields and villages are not uncommon in the past. This has been largely contained in the recent decades due to the impoundment of the lake water for hydropower, breaking the wildlife habitat-land continuum by a permanent water boundary. While, wild boars straying out of the park are not a conflict per se, such events are often precursor of human adversaries. Foraging and destruction of rice crops by wild boar were the major issues identified by the agricultural community. Attacks on humans causing fatal injuries are occasionally reported in and around KLNP, but death occurring due to the attacks is rare. Retaliatory killings of the animal were common when the incidents occur outside the park. The loss of life caused by wild boar may not be numerous, but any loss of life is tragic. Financial compensation schemes for victims of animal attacks are not very effective as the processes involved are costly and time consuming and often result in only a small portion of the claims being paid. Thus, people are discouraged. Another minor but significant implication on local people due to establishment of KLNP is the restriction on their mobility. Villagers have to travel more than 40 km to visit relatives on the other side of the park, for a distance of not more than 4 km they travelled before by waterways. The difficulties faced by them today are more linked to lack of proper transportation facilities and the time constraints to spare from their busy work schedule. Livestock is an integral part of the rural livelihood and a source of income for communities around KLNP. Restrictions to livestock grazing have severe consequences in the absence of alternate grazing fields.

In conclusion, it is increasing realised that there is an inherent asymmetry in the costs and benefits of wildlife conservation in PAs. Conservation initiatives taken up in PAs, in delivering the “international public good” value of wildlife, often inflict some local costs that come at the expense of poor peoples’ livelihoods. In KLNP, the marginalised population that lives in close proximity to the park are the hardest hit, but there exist no formal strategies to fully articulate their concerns in terms of resource compensation or sharing the benefits from wildlife. So far, the people whose lives were devastated by the KLNP and hydropower reservoir were less consulted and heard. This imbalance leads to a perception of local people that wildlife is conserved at the cost of their livelihood. This in terms promotes negative attitudes towards wildlife, conservation and KLNP as whole amongst the local people. In order to break this cycle, there is a greater need to protect rural livelihoods, counter balance losses with benefits and foster community-based conservation. The World Parks Congress in 2003, had rightly made the commitment, ‘that protected area management strives to reduce, and in no way exacerbates, poverty’. In fact, resolution of human-wildlife conflicts in KLNP is no longer a choice, it is inevitable. There is an urgent need for a sensitive economic appraisal that reconciles the local community’s demands for biomass and incomes from the park with the requirement of wildlife conservation in KLNP.

Dr. R. S. Khoiyangbam,
PI, ATREE Small Grants Programme
& Lecturer, Department of Environmental Science,
D. M. College of Science, Imphal
E-mail:khoiyangbam@yahoo.co.in

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By Sun Li
There are different perspectives, arguments, theories etc. regarding the global system and ‘satellite’ (periphery) to its economic situation and development. Some other argues about the ‘external factors’ as the cause of the miserable conditions of the Third World or those remain to the periphery. What is espousing to such ontology assumes globalization is the ingenious modification of the former imperialism. The terrible issues of poverty, environmental crisis, human rights violations, dismantle of indigenous culture etc are not yet overcome in the less developed countries (LDCs). On the other hand the global economies are more market oriented. The deterministic tendency of centre to periphery development model directs fate of many Third World countries. But this phenomenon is arguable. What shall be the practical model of a highly developed economy i.e. ‘Free Economy’ as contrary to dependency model, possibility to rise to the first class level of the core countries? It will bring the alternative radical development to ‘satellite’ countries and construction of the periphery.

The dependency model of centre to periphery indicates the opening routes of FDI, unequal trade agreement, the exchange of raw materials for higher price manufactured goods etc. which results the periphery into structurally unequal as compare to the ‘metropole’ or core. Gunder Frank argues about the ‘sucking out’ effects of FDI where wealth is systematically transferred from the ‘satellite’ to the ‘metropole’ which creates the chronic underdevelopment. His arguments are based upon the external mechanisms of the control system of ‘metropole’. The ‘metropole’ keep the periphery in an abject situation of underdevelopment for the purpose of superexploitation. In brief, dependency paradigm regards underdevelopment is not an original inherent condition; rather it is the determined outcome of the historical relationship between the dominant and subordinate states. In such way, Capitalism is a world system in which metropolitan states gains surpluses from the ‘satellite’ countries simultaneously results the development of the former and underdevelopment of the later. Third World countries are underdeveloped because they are structurally dependent within such a system. This theory is applicable to some countries but has limitations as it unable provides the convincing explanation to the phenomenon of ‘Tiger economies’.

Kwame Nkrumah, the Ghanaian independent leader argued about the new force of global operating system to indicate the powerful designation of neo-colonialism. According to him it is also maintains through a local elite or ‘comprador class’. The intelligentsia, academics, creative writers and artistes includes in the ‘comprador class’ ‘whose independence may be compromised by a reliance on, and identification with, colonial power’. Moreover some recent commentator argues ‘colonial powers deliberately avoided granting independence until they had, through internal discrimination and hegemonic educational practices, created an elite (comprador class) to maintain the aspects of the colonial control on their behalf but without the cost or the opprobrium associated with the classical colonial models.’ Such class also does ‘bidding of foreign capital at the expenses of the local economy’.

All the North Eastern states are dependent entity to the Indian union. Its economy is ‘half opened and half closed’. There is not much bulk of FDI & its development programs are comprised of centre to periphery model. Some sectors are developing but the rest of sectors remain disorganized. There requires new economic policies for the radical transformation of the entire underdeveloped region. However the threatening and obstructing factor is the operation of ‘captive market’ in the era of market economy. In such way the underdevelopment of this region is mostly the outcome of ‘external factor’. It is also necessary to find out as it is the inherent or original condition or rather the outcome of the historical relationship between the dominant Indian state and subordinate NE states. Many other new approaches shall entertain to give the suitable models of explanation.

The rise of unemployment, poverty, inflation etc leads the Third World countries of Asia, Africa & Latin America to call for a new Bretton Woods conference. Besides America & other OECD member states exercised their control to the rest of the LDCs by transfer of capital. The paradigms of dependency still prevail. However the rise of the Asian Tiger economies challenges the dependency model. The reason for the success of the Asian NICs (Newly Industrializing Countries) is widely and hotly debated. China, Hongkong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan have demonstrated the possibility of other Third World economy to develop like core countries. Such NICs have achieved the remarkably high rate of growth over the past 40 years.

In brief, the dependency paradigm regards the impoverishment of Third World is the result of the capitalistic relationship with ‘metropole’. However remarkable growth of Asian NICs has shown that it is possible to break free from such a centre to periphery deterministic relationship. For example, South Korea is now a member of OECD.  The rapid development of Asian NICs is the role model of a ‘Free Economy’ today. It is questionable in the context of NE states, can it be said to be developing as its citizens are politically oppressed and basic human rights denied?  On the other hand, the   transformation of the Asian NICs to the status of first world economy attracts more theoretical treatments, new analysis and practical approaches than the former dependency treatment. Besides there is enough proof to show that global inequality growing significantly to the Third World and requires new perspectives towards the ruling high class elites or are they actually the ‘comprador class’? That has to find out.

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By Paonam Thoibi

CASE 1…Tomba (name changed) was abducted by uniformed men late one night from his house. Three days later, his dead body was found somewhere with different clothes and along with some bullets. …

CASE 2… Chaoba (name changed) didn’t return home since he went out with a friend for some tea at the local tea-stall. He reappeared some weeks later and related his ordeal in custody where he was kept blindfolded, tormented and tortured. He continues to live in fear now, avoiding everyone, and refusing help…

CASE 3…Debola (name changed) lives with three small children. Her husband was shot dead inside their bedroom by an unidentified gunman in front of her and her son. After the incident, she says that she has changed a lot. She is now easily frightened, gets startled and edgy most of the time…

These are happenings familiar to us all today in Manipur. The common element in all the three cases is a systematic and deliberate infliction of severe pain or punishment, even unto death, on a person over whom he or she has no physical control. Torture is hence outlined by the cases.

Torture is defined in the UN Convention against Torture as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.” But, social health researchers have offered a wider definition of torture as the systematic and deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person over whom the actor has no physical control, in order to induce a behavioural response from that person.

Torture is prohibited under international law, and the national laws of most countries. It is considered to be a barbaric violation of human rights, and is declared to be unacceptable. Torture is a global problem. The biggest world body, the UN, has repeatedly committed itself to fight torture, but inspite of this torture is still practiced in a large number of member states. Torture is often used as a weapon against democracy. It is no surprise, therefore, that it is the States that covet democratic ideals and principles who lead the present worldwide campaign against torture.

Torture is aimed at intentionally destroying the soul, identity and personality of a human being. Severe torture often leads to death, which can be also be intentional and not a mistake. It is committed with the knowledge and approval, tacit or otherwise, of the government. Mostly, torture is performed in detention settings and also publicly. It is often targeted to political workers, union/student leaders and members of ethnic/national minorities to ensure a state of repression and fear. Even the common man, women and the children are not spared. Torture is also meted out by armed opposition groups, which possess some characteristics of government.

In most of the cases, where torture is perpetrated by the authority, persons are picked up randomly and exposed to severe custodial violence ending with release or death of the victim. Methods of torture may vary, using both physical and mental methods separately or in combination. Commonly employed methods of torture are blind-folding, beatings with blunt instruments, electric or water (submarine) torture, burning with cigarettes or electrically heated bars, being hung up, limiting movements and being packed in a small cell, with poor sanitary access and any requests to use the toilet often denied and turned into pretexts of more torture, deprivation of human contact, sleep, food and life-saving drugs, etc., mock execution, forced witnessing of torture of near ones. Many victims are threatened with having to do or say things against his or her beliefs or convictions by attacking their fundamental identity, such as self-respect and self-esteem.

Torture is not only inhuman and unbearable; it results in serious physical after-effects. But worst of all are the psychological consequences it often results in, such as depression, anxiety, nightmares, feelings of changed personality, shame, guilt, low self-esteem, isolation, a deep mistrust in other people, impaired memory and concentration, headaches, sexual problems, fatigue and a severe impairment of a person’s normal functions. Survivors may not have similar after-effects of torture. However, survivors brutally traumatized are at the risk of developing severe and long-lasting problems, often feeling powerless, helpless and paralyzed. All their reactions are typical considering that they have been exposed to something very cruel, inhuman and abnormal, constituting a serious threat to their well-being and lives.

Medical professionals working to help torture victims in the 70s made an important discovery. Experiences of torture take time to be forgotten, but it is possible to “recreate” a meaningful life by overcoming the after-effects of torture. They have developed principles and techniques to heal a victim of torture covering the whole physical, psychological, social, legal and spiritual aspects of a person.

There are many national and international non-government torture treatment and rehabilitation centers today, which aim at responding as best as possible to the needs of the people who are affected.

Torture, like violence, is recognised today by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an international public health problem. It is a hidden crime against humanity; and, like “the silence of the lambs”, the tortured suffer meekly in solitude, silence and shame. We would not be mistaken in saying that torture happens every day. The prevention of torture can only become a reality when torture is exposed and the world becomes aware about the practice of torture, its methods, who the perpetrators are, and what the ill-effects of torture can be.

Torture does not happen in vacuum. The socio-political context and the availability of tools and techniques for inflicting pain rely on a failure of political will. If the governments of the world had the political will to stop torture they could do so.

As a legal attempt to prevent torture, the United Nations adopted a Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 10th December, 1984. The Convention required that states should take effective measures to prevent torture within their borders, and forbids states to return people to their home country if there is reason to believe they will be tortured. The government of India signed the UN Convention in 1997 but has not as yet ratified it till date exposing its lack of political will and hypocrisy regarding its lofty democratic claims.

Nobel Peace Prize laureates, the likes of Kofi Annan and Sandrine Salerno, Mayor of Geneva, formally signed the “Nothing can justify torture under any circumstances” Manifesto on 23 June 2010 to launch an international campaign to alert everyone to the dangers which a society that tolerates torture risks.

“…….Security, the right to a decent social and economic life, [political] and cultural freedom belong to every member of society. They not only belong to innocent people whose dignity and freedom are inviolable by the state and who must be guaranteed respect for their physical, mental and moral being, but also to offenders who should expect to be judged by independent courts where penalties are defined by law. These rights also belong to the police and judiciary, who have the duty of building a safe society by such legitimate means as are worthy of their professions. They belong to victims, who must renounce vengeance in their demands for justice and compensation. They belong to women, who in their domestic and professional lives must be confident that they will be given equal treatment with men. They belong to indigenous and ethnic minorities who also enjoy the same rights as any other members of the human family. They belong to the poor, for it is no crime to struggle for a better life. They belong to migrants and displaced people looking for the security denied them in their home countries. They belong to those who defend human rights, whose efforts deserve recognition and support; for any infringement of their rights affects the rights of the victims they defend. Finally these rights belong to society as a whole, where no progress is possible without the individual and collective belief that we can create a world in which such rights are guaranteed to everyone…….”

The UN has marked June 26th as the International Day in Support of Survivors and Victims of Torture. Each year both the government and non-governmental bodies are expected join hands to denounce torture. They must reach out to the victims and survivors of torture to help them cope with the after effects and trauma of the torture they had underwent, survived or witnessed. This year, as we pay homage to the victims who succumbed to torture, the day signifies the world’s commitment to help the survivors rebuild their broken lives.

(Author is a Client Service Professional and Clinical Psychologist at the Human to Humane Transcultural Centre for Torture and Trauma (H2H), Lamphelpat. Contact her at h2h.inform AT gmail.com)

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The spokesman of the Government of Manipur(GoM), Minister N. Biren has magnanimously stated that UNC(United Naga Council) is a civil organization of the state and for which the GoM will hear and address their demands in the interest of the State. Well said. But in the very next breath he interprets the democratic process of tripartite talk of the Government of Manipur(GoM), Government of India(GoI) and the UNC on the demand for Alternative Arrangement as a bipartite talk and not a tripartite one as the GoI is only an observer.

What Minister Biren interprets now according to the convenience of the GoM cannot change the fact that the tripartite talk was initiated by the Hon’ble Union Home Minister and not because the UNC desired it. The tripartite talk, it may be noted is now in its 3rd round, with the first having taken place on 21st September, 2010 at Delhi and the second on the 3rd December, 2010 at Senapati. The invitation of the GoM to UNC for a round table talk on 3rd August, 2010 and also invitation for talk with a ministerial team of GoM on the 7th August, 2010 was rejected as the Nagas in Manipur had declared severance of political ties with the GoM. Let it be clear that there can be no bipartite talk between the GoM and the UNC.

In the talk earlier scheduled for the 30th of May, 2011 the GOM had announced a ministerial team to represent it just as it was also given out officially in respect of the 3rd December, 2010 tripartite talk held at Tahamzam(Senapati). The former was unceremoniously deferred and the latter saw the GoM represented only by the Chief Secretary and Senior bureaucrats. This time around, for the 30th June, 2011 which is yet to be officially confirmed by the GoI, the GOM Cabinet has decided that the Chief Secretary and the Home Commissioner would represent the GoM.

Therefore the moot point is why is the GoM shying away from the tripartite talk? Is it really concerned about the territorial integrity of Manipur State? If so, are the Chief Secretary and Senior bureaucrats being empowered to take political position in the tripartite talk ? Or does it mean that the GoM has nothing material to respond to the Memorandum of the UNC demand which is now in the public domain and the Chief Secretary and Senior bureaucrats being sent again, as in the tripartite talk of 3rd December, 2010 just to state that the territorial integrity of Manipur cannot be disturbed, which is an unconstitutional position.

The press statement reported in the 22nd June, 2011 edition of a Dimapur based paper, purported to have been issued by a fictitious group “Naga Crusader” asking Meities to leave the hills of Manipur is highly suspect. That there is grave potential for communal confrontation and violence in Manipur is a fact and it has been like that for quite some time. But using such dirty and dangerous tricks to derail the democratic process of dialogue speaks volume of those organizations and their paymasters, who are against the tripartite talk

The demand for an alternative arrangement outside the state of Manipur has no mysticism, veiled agenda or confusion and the Indian Constitution provides for alternative arrangements to accommodate the political aspirations of the people. It is the birthright of all people to have their rights to life, land and resources and their culture, customary practices and value system protected by law founded under democracy. And the movement for securing the Alternative Arrangement, which is totally legitimate, both morally and legally, must be supported by all right thinking persons, be they of the Imphal valley or of the tribal hills or those Nagas who till now have chosen to curry favour from the oppressive and communal GOM.

Dr. Kateipfona
Christian Colony,
Senapati District H.Q., – 795106, Manipur
e-mail : nagavoices AT rediffmail.com

Posted: 2011-06-26

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By: Khelsoril Wanbe
The importance and role of electricity in this power-driven age is something that doesn’t need any more explanation, elaboration or analysis. What we often hear from people who have just had the privilege of visiting our neighboring states is that “power is very regular in this or that state.” In Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura etc power supply is said to be much better than Manipur. Here in Manipur too we can claim that power comes and goes at punctual hours: load shedding is very regular and predictable unless interrupted by some transformer or electric post or cyclone problems. If power fails to arrive at the expected hour, we can say, with some measure of confidence that there must be some disturbances in the power transmission lines. Every day we enjoy at least four hours of power supply during day time and five to seven hours at night. We are still expecting the power condition to deteriorate further. So the question arises as to whether we are enjoying exactly what we deserve or are we being made to suffer like mute species. It’s indeed a very sad electricity situation that we are experiencing here in Manipur, India. India is a highly rapidly developing country that is expected to be the richest country in the near future, which may not be true. But, it is at least true that India is a fast developing country. People who have visited other states of India know it very well that despite extreme climatic conditions in those states, electricity condition is far better than what we are enjoying here in MANIPUR. Could this power scarcity here be because of the fact that we do not need much electricity here because our climate is comparatively not so extreme? My point is that here in Manipur, we can somehow survive the summer heat without ceiling or table fans, which will not be possible in cities like Delhi, Kolkota, Chennai, Bengalore, Mumbai and so on. Another reason why we don’t bother much about the irregularity of electric(ity) may be because of the easy availability of generators and invertors. I really wonder whether the few hours of daily electricity supply is sufficient to carry on with our daily business. Payment of electric bills too is now a very complicated problem for for how many years most of us have not paid power taxes. The problem is faced not only by the bill payers but also by the power tax collectors or the government electricity department. The government seems to be encountering a gargantuan problem in connection with power tax collection due to the piling up of mountain high electric bills that have been defaulted by both the public and the government departments. Regarding the power bills owed by the Manipur government departments, it’s still unclear how much remains unpaid. Instead of staging some kind of power show on the public power tariff defaulters, I think, it would be much better to think seriously of a lasting solution. Perhaps, grinding of heads together is what all the concerned parties (the government, the people, civil bodies etc) need to do. How long; how long are we going to suffer from this power crisis? If I’m not mistaken, I think I heard with my own ears, a few years ago, that our power crisis would be over by 2012. 2012 is projected as a danger year by a movie of the same title. Our worry then is whether we are going to meet the doomsday without ever fully tasting the fruits of human civilization. We are now, of course, in possession of all the electronic gadgets, devices and appliances that the modern civilization affords, but without proper supply of electricity what is the meaning of owning a TV, fridge, computer, fan, AC, electric cooker, washing machine, Xerox machine, printing machine and so on and so 4th. In previous years we used to enjoy a more regular supply during rainy seasons, but now that good time has failed to return. Power poverty in this post- nuclear age may be something unbelievable for people living in developed and developing places of the world. Power failure is something very rarely experienced in metropolitan cities like Chennai, Bengalore, Guwahati etc forget about Delhi and Mumbai. A once in a blue moon blackout may be tolerated with little complaint, but having to experience it on a regular basis does not fail to give us the feeling that we are still living in the past centuries. I feel, it’s high time now for the government to try to bring a solution to this problem. Some kind of long term plan needs to be formulated without wasting many more precious months and years. We the public too need to understand the need to pay bills regularly and timely. Power inequality too is something to be properly taken into consideration and done away with. The aristocrats, kings and queens too need to experience the pleasure of having to endure hot, dark summer nights without electricity. They too need to feel the electricity blues that the hoi polloi are singing in their humble homes! The climate of Manipur too is changing for the worse and thus the need of using electric fans too increasing. Don’t get me wrong; this is just one example. Electricity, nowadays, is no longer a luxury but a real necessity for one and all, rich and poor, young and old. But electricity should not be made available in exchange of something more valuable or dearer human survival. Proper power management, of course, is something that should be given proper thought by one and all. The big question now is how electricity/power supply is reportedly very regular in other states, and how/ why that is not the case here in this godforsaken corner of the world. This is something to be seriously pondered upon by the government and the people before being left far behind.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/ZDWrworEcc8/

By: Dee Abonmai XL
The observation of the first Fathers` Day was started by a mother. Her name was Mrs. John Bruce Dodd. She lived in the town of Spokane, Washington in America. How then did start this Fathers` Day?

It was in the year 1909 when she attended a church on Mothers` Day in the month of May. When she heard her Pastor preaching about the love of mothers, she remembered her father`s love. Her mother died when she was young. Her mother died leaving six children for their father to look after. Even without her mother, her father raised all the six children like a good Christian family. She painfully remembered how her father struggled to feed and raise all the six children. Sitting in the church she decided to give due honour to her father and all the father of the world.

Mrs Dodd went to the president of the Spokane Ministerial Association and said. “Every year we remember our mothers on Mother` Day, therefore, every year you must select a special day for the fathers, and the churches must observe the day of honour and praise for the fathers.”

The Spokane Ministerial Association accepted suggestion and selected the 3rd Sunday of June as the Fathers` Day. It was the day of her father`s Birthday.         *;

When the Mayor of Spokane heard about the Fathers` Day, he immediately ordered the proclamation to observe the Fathers` Day, he immediately ordered the proclamation to observe the Fathers` Day. Later on, when the Governor heard that Spokane Church will be observing the Fathers` Day on the 3rd Sunday of June, he too declared in all the States to celebrate Father`s Day.

William Jennings Byrant was an outstanding man in America. He suggested in the Senate that Fathers` Day should be observed as a National Holiday. Therefore, in the year 1924, Fathers` Day was announced as a national holiday in America. President Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. President proclaimed the 3rd Sunday of June as Fathers` Day and said “Every family pays respect and honour to Dad.”

Since then, people all over the world, especially Christians celebrate Fathers` Day with great enthusian. Mrs John Bruce Dodd was delighted when her wishes were fulfilled by all the families in America. After some year when people asked Mrs. Dodd about her feelings she replied, “I think Fathers` Day should include family attendance at church, a small gift for dad, and sharing with him some kind words you have always wanted to tell him.”

This is a great day for all fathers as churches organize special services to honour father. As we celebrate Fathers` Day with special gifts, meals, flowers and prayers, it is a challenge to every father to check their all round contribution to their families and society. Happy Fathers` Day!

A Responsible Father
(1 thess2:8-12)
Vicky Huffman wrote about her childhood relationship with her father in her book, plus living; “My father through no fault of his own, wasn`t there when I was born. He was an Air Force Pilot, away fighting World War II. The war nearly over when I arrived, but he didn`t come home until I was two years old. He had crashed overseas and was hospitalized with burns for many months.

When he did return, we got off to a slow start. I was shy around a man because I had been around so few; he had never been around a baby. I was a little bit spoiled, and he expected his new found daughter to behave like a miniature soldier. Our relationship soon settled into a pattern that lasted for many years; he gave orders, and I took them. I lived in fear of bringing down a cold military style wrath on my head. But I think he was just as fearful. He seemed to believed that showing emotion was a sign of weakness and would cause him to lose control of his family.

After I was married I finally put my fear of my father behind and tried to have a close relationship with him. But by then, thousands of miles kept us from having no more than annual visits. There never seemed to be enough time to demolish the concrete will between us. We chipped away at it up untill the time of his death from cancer a few years ago but it ever really fell.

I know my father loved me my mother told me he did . It would have been wonderful if he had told me himself more often. May be he didn`t understand how much I needed to hear those words.

Studies have been done on people raised in all kinds of environment. Some were abused or physically deprived. Some were emotionally deprived. I was never abused or deprived of any physical comfort, but I was deprived of the love relationship that a child wants and needs from a father.”

Father, can you see the broken relationships here in this story? The work of making a home does not rest upon the mother alone. Fathers have an important part to play.

The father is the head of the household. The wife looks to him for love and sympathy, The children look to the father for support and guidance. The father is to stand as a man with manly character and with his passions spirit in the home . Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discourage”(Col3:21).

The Father`s duty to his children cannot be transferred to the mother because she has enough burden to bear. You as a father should not excuse yourself from your part in the work of education your children for life. You must share in the responsibility. Your kind, cheerful and encouraging words will prove more effective than the most healing medicines. Remember, your personal characteristics are passed down generation after generation.

Two contrastion cases in point are worthy of our attention. “The father of Jonathan Edwards was a minister and his mother was the daughter of a clergyman. Among their descendants were fourteen presidents of college, more than one hundred college professors, more than one hundred clergyman, missionaries and theology professors, and about sixty authors. There is scarcely any great American industry that has not had one of his family among its chief promoters. Such is the product of one American Christian family, reared under the most favourable conditions.

The contrast is presented in the juke`s family. Their entire record is one of pauperism and crime, insanity and imbecility. Among their twelve hundred known descendants three hundred ten were professional paupers, four hundred forty were physically wrecked by their one wickedness, sixty three habitual thieves, one hundred thirty were convicted criminals, fifty five were victims of impurity only twenty learned a trade and ten of these learned it in a state prison, and this notorious family produced seven murderers. Overall their family cost the state of New York millions of dollar.”

What qualities and character traits are you passing down to your children? Are you actively involved in knowing your children, guiding them towards maturity? Father`s spend time with your children! Upon returning home from your business. Work, office you should find it a pleasant change to spend some time with your children.

Ellen G. White says; “The father of boys should come into close contact with his sons, giving them the benefit of his larger experience and talking with them in such simplicity them see that he has their best interest, thier happiness, in view all the time.”

Fathers, spend as much time as possible with your children. You will never know your child unless you take control of your schedule and plan time just to listen and disposition that you may know how to train your children in harmony with the word of God. Never should a word of discouragement pass your lips. Do not bring darkness into the home . Be pleasant, kind and affectionate toward your children; but not foolishly indulgent. In proverbs 13:24 Solomon reminds all the fathers, ” He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him discipline him diligently.”

Too many fathers rely on punishment alone to displine their children.

But by doing that, they`re neglecting to give their kids the assistance they need in understanding and applying God`s word into their lives.

Father, combine affection with authority, kindness and sympathy with firm restraint. Give some of your leisure hours to your children; become acquainted with then associate with them in their work and in their sports and win their confidence. Cultivate friendship with them, especially with your sons. In this way you will be a strong influence for good.

Fathers, how well-prepared are you to shape your children`s wills with the wisdom of God`s word. Are you training them in the way they should go or punishing them for going on the way they should? Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pro 22:6).

How sad it is that many fathers have cast off their God given responsibility to their children, and are willing that strangers should bear it for them!

Fathers, you have your own responsibilities that no one can bear for you. As long as you live, you are accountable to God to keep His way. Fathers, who make the word of God their guide and who realize how much thier children depend upon them for the characters they form, will set an example that it will be safe for their children to follow.

Read through the words of Anne Ortlund which is taken from her book Children are Wet Cement.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/xtbFAqcoGBs/

By Farida Ahmed Haque
For the denizens of Guwahati and some other cities where one has to sizzle at the burning charcoal climate a few days’ outing at Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hill district of Meghalaya is like going to the heaven during the lifetime. It is near the Indo Banglaesh border.The professionals who have unavoidable office works have been going there for a few hours on Sundays and holidays. It is about 2 hours’ drive from the Shillong city having a distance of 90 km.

It is located towards Cherapunjee which, till recently, had the maximum rainfall in the world. However midway the hilly serpentine road branches off. But being in the same region, Mawlynnong, the cleanest village in Asia, has rains most times of the year. Being a northeasterner we were not so much interested in the breath taking scenic beauty there. But the torrential rain was the spoilsport since we could not even walk out. We remained huddled in the thatched challet where the backpackers could put up at affordable rents. There are palm leaf covered cottages which are guest houses. One double bedded room with extremely neat and modern bathroom is available  between Rs1200  & Rs 2400 per day. But then the rent is negotiable and it will depend on your mastery of haggling. There are some villagers who had separated some rooms for letting out to the tourists. The tourists get home made meals, friendly company, valuable guidance and some garrulous house owners regale the tourists with anecdotes even long after dinners.

Though we felt invigorated by the natural air conditioning we had to do something as we were on holiday. An idea clicked to all of us simultaneously. At one word we rushed out in the blinding rains. Someone blared out Bollywood hits from the car stereos and then all of us danced. Dance we did without caring for anything. Other tourists who were taken aback kept on ogling at us. Had it not been for this deus ex machina our holiday there would have been just like any other rainy day in Guwahati or Agartala.

There are ubiquitous modest, clean and homely restaurants to cater to the tourists of all hues. Various dishes are available at affordable prices. The most delicious one suited for the Indian tourists is the steamy rice, curried mountain bantam meat with thick gravy and vegetables. For the worshippers of Bacchus a wide range of country and IMFL is available there.

On October 12,2010 the villagers of Mawlynnong publicly declared that this village is smoke free. The villagers are all educated and as such this health related public policy was not surprising.

When the drizzle stopped for a few hours the roaring sound of waterfalls reach the bed rooms. There are Elephant and Seven Sisters waterfalls. One could sit near the waterfalls and enjoy the beauties.  Such intercourse with Nature is something people in other parts of the country cannot get for love or money. One longs for staying here for ever.

Since it is the cleanest village in Asia it is not surprising that like Paro,Thimpu and other cities in Bhutan a tourist does not see any rubbish scattered here and there. Bamboo baskets are seen at many places. The villagers and tourists alike use them properly. This kind of civic sense is deplorably lacking elsewhere. People in other states are yet to emulate it.

Birds, colourful insects and many rodents have a considerable population here. No doubt, they feast on the left overs of the tourists. Before the rain dance I had left my hand bag containing a ripe mango on the wooden floor. After the dance I scooped it to refesh myself with the ripe mango. I screamed like a banshee bringing down the sky. A big rat was inside the bag relishing the ripe mango. It innocently looked at me, perhaps surprised by the way I had interrupted his lunch.

Though foreigners flock here the domestic tourism is flourishing and it has helped the growth of the local economy. And more and more families from Assam and others including those of Shillong are spending hours and days in this beautiful tourist spot of the region.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/lDvNYJJWtmE/

By N. Arunkumar
A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people. There are few men so foolish, hence the erratic quality of leadership in the world.

You`re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn`t lose it. DU dictum!

Yes. It is official now. The DU cut off of 100% is downright absurd, ridiculous, insensitive and discriminatory to the rest of the country. Is the DU the preserve of the elite and the favoured who can garner such ridiculous marks that put them right at the apex of the marks tally in the public examinations? How can a student get 100% marks in languages? India or rather Delhi is the only place on the planet perhaps, where students can score a cent percent mark in language, it seems. The government’s assurance of the right to education bill has been scorned at fair and square by this bizarre decision by the DU to peg the ceiling at such a target.

Now, this brings into focus the marking standards in the country’s premier educational board’s right from the CBSE to the State Boards as they stand. If the CBSE students can score such absurd marks in the public examinations, then why lay stringent standards for other state boards to follow and adhere to rigorously? Most state educational boards are still languishing in the age old correction methods, which make it next to impossible for students to get fair marks, other than those who are again at the elite strata of the state’s social ladder. A few rare exceptions are there no doubt, though those cases are few and far between. Most often, it is apparent that the students coming from well – to – do ambience manage to outclass their lesser privileged brethren in the educational race by a distant margin.

This happens due to a number of factors, ranging from nepotism to preferential treatment of certain institutional corruption of the educational field by unscrupulous elements from within the society. When we find a few institutes doing well on a regular basis, we begin to wonder what is going on behind the scenes. There has to be something that is incorrect here, as it is most likely that a few people indulge in malpractices to wrest superiority over others. If the premier institute in the country goes to such extents as to allow only students of cent percent calibre into their corridors of educational merit, it will create another annoyed class of people, and it will plainly further widen the gap between the have and have not’s in this country. Don’t we already have enough of this gap amidst us that is giving us sufficient headaches? These are of course mere speculations that are brought up front by myself as a matter of concern to me and perhaps others like me.

Why is the bureaucracy in the country living in Utopia? What kind of role do they think they are playing in developing the talent pool in the country by resorting to such absurd practices of discrimination among the students who had burned the midnight oil to achieve something of a dignified status in their examinations? Isn’t there something really unnatural about such illogical decisions by the educational bureaucracy to the needs of the students of the country? Or, shall we say that there is a coterie already in place indulging in a new scam to divide and rule and make hay while the going is good for them? Do we need another expose of the murky goings on in the corridors of the universities of the country who are resorting to such practices that are downright unethical to the very noble intentions of education?

I think there is something very fishy about the whole thing at the moment and there is a time bomb ticking, and waiting to be brought out into the open. Not everything looks rosy in the educational field of the country today, folks. The education minister meanwhile is busy fighting the Ramdev’s, Hazare’s etc who are trying to bring the corrupted leaders to book. He is a lawyer first and lawyers are forever, remember that. An erudite spokesman who brings all his years of experience in fighting high profile cases at a hefty fee is now a leader of the downtrodden? The joke of Indian politics and the Indian politicians cannot get eerier than this! It is more than preposterous, and we fade away to the distant horizon, in the haze of scams, scandals and siphoning of money from the common man’s pocket with typical insouciance. The silliness of such inconsistencies is just too comical for us to ignore.

The Robin Hood factor is a reality in our political circles today. People like Digivijay Singh and sometimes even the other voices of the Congress are indulging in mudslinging with those who are uniting together to bring the corrupt politicians to the altar of justice. The language being used by these leaders leave much to be desired and are downright in poor taste. They should realize that they are playing to the media gallery and are under the scrutinising glares of the world when they appear on TV. However, it appears that they have lost all respect for the sentiments of the educated people in this country and indulge in phrases which are of very poor quality. Calling names at such figures like the Baba and even Anna Hazare is not acceptable to the common people, and they seem to overlook this.

So, how can poor students expect justice in such a murky atmosphere? Who will listen to their grievances? Should we have to fight out this stupidity again in the courts? For every simple thing if we are to go to the courts for our rights, then when are we going to go ahead with the business of living in this country? Each passing day is making the situation more and more complicated for us to find our rights in an ordinary way. Our politicians and so called leaders call our civil societies as ‘so called civil society’ and we are merely the ‘so called janta’ of the country. We are as good as cattle for them who are enjoying the heady reins of power over us and allowed to determine our quality of life. The only precondition to it is that it should not interfere with their quality of life…I mean our ‘so called’ leaders’ quality of living that is.

So, poor students of unfortunate states and humble backgrounds can now forget the DU, as it is formally declared accessible only to the real crème – de – la crème of the society in the country. The rest may go pleading to the private colleges who are ever ready to welcome you as long as you pay them the hefty fee that they demand from you anyway. So, is a nexus coming to light here? A faint ray of this nexus is already in the vanguard, don’t you think so? Nonetheless…God help our aspiring students from beyond the NCR.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/65DWaMlJyHk/

By N. Arunkumar
A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people. There are few men so foolish, hence the erratic quality of leadership in the world.

You`re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn`t lose it. DU dictum!

Yes. It is official now. The DU cut off of 100% is downright absurd, ridiculous, insensitive and discriminatory to the rest of the country. Is the DU the preserve of the elite and the favoured who can garner such ridiculous marks that put them right at the apex of the marks tally in the public examinations? How can a student get 100% marks in languages? India or rather Delhi is the only place on the planet perhaps, where students can score a cent percent mark in language, it seems. The government’s assurance of the right to education bill has been scorned at fair and square by this bizarre decision by the DU to peg the ceiling at such a target.

Now, this brings into focus the marking standards in the country’s premier educational board’s right from the CBSE to the State Boards as they stand. If the CBSE students can score such absurd marks in the public examinations, then why lay stringent standards for other state boards to follow and adhere to rigorously? Most state educational boards are still languishing in the age old correction methods, which make it next to impossible for students to get fair marks, other than those who are again at the elite strata of the state’s social ladder. A few rare exceptions are there no doubt, though those cases are few and far between. Most often, it is apparent that the students coming from well – to – do ambience manage to outclass their lesser privileged brethren in the educational race by a distant margin.

This happens due to a number of factors, ranging from nepotism to preferential treatment of certain institutional corruption of the educational field by unscrupulous elements from within the society. When we find a few institutes doing well on a regular basis, we begin to wonder what is going on behind the scenes. There has to be something that is incorrect here, as it is most likely that a few people indulge in malpractices to wrest superiority over others. If the premier institute in the country goes to such extents as to allow only students of cent percent calibre into their corridors of educational merit, it will create another annoyed class of people, and it will plainly further widen the gap between the have and have not’s in this country. Don’t we already have enough of this gap amidst us that is giving us sufficient headaches? These are of course mere speculations that are brought up front by myself as a matter of concern to me and perhaps others like me.

Why is the bureaucracy in the country living in Utopia? What kind of role do they think they are playing in developing the talent pool in the country by resorting to such absurd practices of discrimination among the students who had burned the midnight oil to achieve something of a dignified status in their examinations? Isn’t there something really unnatural about such illogical decisions by the educational bureaucracy to the needs of the students of the country? Or, shall we say that there is a coterie already in place indulging in a new scam to divide and rule and make hay while the going is good for them? Do we need another expose of the murky goings on in the corridors of the universities of the country who are resorting to such practices that are downright unethical to the very noble intentions of education?

I think there is something very fishy about the whole thing at the moment and there is a time bomb ticking, and waiting to be brought out into the open. Not everything looks rosy in the educational field of the country today, folks. The education minister meanwhile is busy fighting the Ramdev’s, Hazare’s etc who are trying to bring the corrupted leaders to book. He is a lawyer first and lawyers are forever, remember that. An erudite spokesman who brings all his years of experience in fighting high profile cases at a hefty fee is now a leader of the downtrodden? The joke of Indian politics and the Indian politicians cannot get eerier than this! It is more than preposterous, and we fade away to the distant horizon, in the haze of scams, scandals and siphoning of money from the common man’s pocket with typical insouciance. The silliness of such inconsistencies is just too comical for us to ignore.

The Robin Hood factor is a reality in our political circles today. People like Digivijay Singh and sometimes even the other voices of the Congress are indulging in mudslinging with those who are uniting together to bring the corrupt politicians to the altar of justice. The language being used by these leaders leave much to be desired and are downright in poor taste. They should realize that they are playing to the media gallery and are under the scrutinising glares of the world when they appear on TV. However, it appears that they have lost all respect for the sentiments of the educated people in this country and indulge in phrases which are of very poor quality. Calling names at such figures like the Baba and even Anna Hazare is not acceptable to the common people, and they seem to overlook this.

So, how can poor students expect justice in such a murky atmosphere? Who will listen to their grievances? Should we have to fight out this stupidity again in the courts? For every simple thing if we are to go to the courts for our rights, then when are we going to go ahead with the business of living in this country? Each passing day is making the situation more and more complicated for us to find our rights in an ordinary way. Our politicians and so called leaders call our civil societies as ‘so called civil society’ and we are merely the ‘so called janta’ of the country. We are as good as cattle for them who are enjoying the heady reins of power over us and allowed to determine our quality of life. The only precondition to it is that it should not interfere with their quality of life…I mean our ‘so called’ leaders’ quality of living that is.

So, poor students of unfortunate states and humble backgrounds can now forget the DU, as it is formally declared accessible only to the real crème – de – la crème of the society in the country. The rest may go pleading to the private colleges who are ever ready to welcome you as long as you pay them the hefty fee that they demand from you anyway. So, is a nexus coming to light here? A faint ray of this nexus is already in the vanguard, don’t you think so? Nonetheless…God help our aspiring students from beyond the NCR.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/kIh_j9UB70Q/

By N. Arunkumar
An important job had to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

This is the moral of the following observation of mine. Somebody may like it and everybody will read it, I hope.

Yours truly is not a sensational writer of greater wisdom or quality than the conscious reader holding this paper in his or her hands at this moment. At the outset, before I begin to draft any missive to send to various newspapers here and outside here, I begin with these humble opinions about myself. Therefore, whatever I write need not be exactly earth – shattering or mind blowing to make people sit up and crouch on their backs and take note of the subject that I find worth mentioning in my musings. Yet, the present state of the drainage system in our Imphal city merits some attention by me today. It goes without saying, and off the block, that it is a city in perennial pathos of negligence, carelessness (by the authorities as well as its citizens), laissez – faire in doing things as and how one pleases, proprietary attitude towards civic amenities, and the list is continually long.

The city has no visible municipality working for its preservation or development of whatever exists in the name of civic amenities available to us citizens. Some areas of the city are flooded endlessly throughout the monsoon season, which also peculiarly seems to last forever these days. The weather patterns in the world have undeniably changed considerably over the past four to five years and, we are faced with an entirely new sowing and harvesting season too, in the wake of these odd climate changes. Besides blaming global warming or whatever it is that are causing these changes, we have to be prepared to meet any emergencies that tend to crop up in our day – to – day affairs of living. Woefully, that remains a distant dream for the people of the city. Our sloppiness is more manifest than our vigilance to meet eventualities of various kinds. The recent incessant downpour has again left the people stranded with no help from the authorities concerned to redress their grievances and provide decent amenities to them.

Many roads remain inaccessible due to water logging in the absence of drains to draw the water away to its natural reservoir or treatment plant. There is simply nothing of such kind in existence anywhere in this city, with educated members in the Corporation, civic authorities and elected council members who are entrusted with our votes, to ensure that the city grows up vividly and exponentially in terms of healthy living standards. Sadly, at the moment, we are living in wretched conditions, to say the least and put across gently. The real terminologies which are to actually to be used to exhibit our disgust might provoke our very sensitive public servants to anger and react, who were in fact supposed to ensure these things for us in the first place. But, they are mostly in their jobs to provide for the comfort of their families first, and not to provide any comforts to the masses after all.

So again, why should the department employees bother with these trivial things? They have their eyes on their pensions and how heavy it will be at the end of their tenure of public disservice. Some of the drains in the town have been completely blocked by individuals and groups at their own free will, as the water that flows through the public drain collects in front of their houses due to blockages here and there along the way. I have come across an instance where a senior officer in the Govt. of Manipur has stored a large amount of iron in the drain outside his house, and even refuses to remove them in spite of repeated pleas by the neighbourhood residents. He has used his clout as a senior officer to create nuisance to the residents. The water does not flow down this drain and the situation is status quo as I draft these observations for you. Some groups and individuals have even made their own drains, with as little space as possible to utilize the land to its maximum advantage. The society around may go to hell, is their stance to civilized living in a cosmopolitan society.

These attitudes are overlooked by the authorities as they are hardly bothered to do their jobs or what is expected from them. If the administration sleeps like this, the people have no one to turn to for redress of their grievances, and ultimately we witness such situations parallel to a kind of social anarchy. Each one of us will do things to suit our own conveniences, and thus the society will remain in a state of disharmony. We have enough of this already, and yet more of such cacophony is being added almost with steady uniformity. If the citizens realize that a city has to reflect a culture of its own and remain distinctly unique in the context of the present day world, it requires many sacrifices and accommodations of personal liberty by the citizens, for the benefit of social liberty for all other citizens. Harmony is not just a word in the dictionary of the elite, but an absolute necessity if we are to claim that we are proud citizens of Imphal.

It is therefore absolutely imperative for the government authorities to wake up to their responsibilities now and do their jobs properly. They have to justify their salaries rather than amass wealth on the sly in every ordinary work they are supposed to perform as a part of their regular duties. If the government has departments with qualified people in the form of Chief Engineers, Junior Engineers and skilled staff at their disposal, they must be made accountable to their departments for their performances, rather than turning a blind eye to their negligence of duties. Corruption is the hot topic these days with all kinds of people ranging from the ordinary man on the street to the corporate honchos having a say in the ongoing drama of fighting against it. In Manipur, we are simply living with this menace, which we have come to accept as a fact of life. Without greasing palms with speed money, nothing works here.

Take the disgusting example of traffic cops, mostly looking malnourished and starving, with a permanent sneer on their faces, shamelessly extending their palms out at rickshaw pullers and pocketing the pittance they dole out to them. Here, it is the rickshaw puller who is doing an honest job and the cop is the parasite. The uniform and the lathi in his hand is his ticket to broad daylight goondaism or dacoity, whatever you wish to call it. I mean, it is so difficult to pinpoint where we have to begin to clean up our act and start taking responsibility towards our city. The whole so called system is so rotten now, that searching for a place to start the activities for cleaning up our system of the disorder will almost be like looking for the needle in the haystack. We are condemned, unless each of us begin to change our attitudes towards peaceful coexistence with each other and then progress towards being true global citizens who care for our tomorrows, by being accountable to our personal hygiene as well as the hygiene of the land we co – exist in.

I shall conclude by reflecting on the US Patriot missiles that were abundantly used during the Gulf Wars to subdue Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The Americans named their missiles with these substitutions for the Patriot. It goes like ‘Proud Americans Taking Responsibility For Our Tomorrows’. So, taking inspiration from that, shall we call ourselves as ‘Proud Asians Taking Responsibility For Our Tomorrows’ at least? That is the minimum we can do to provide us the incentive to surge forward with hopes of achieving a global status and a respectable place in the world. Try it folks!

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By Professor N. Mohendro Singh
Former Member, Steering Committee, NER Vision, 2020
Well, it is good that the 60th plenary session of the North Eastern Council to be held on 16th and 17th June at New Delhi has been meaningfully designed to give effect to the NER Vision, 2020 signed on 13th May 2008 at Agartala after exhaustive preparation of three years. The development initiative marks a turning point to get down to the ground realities. In fact it is a Bible of Development for the entire North Eastern Region with the Transfer of Development Rights in the wake of challenges of globalization and imperatives of liberalization which was set in motion in 1991. Regional imbalance continued to pose a tantalizing headache for the planners in the country. The performance of economic planning in the country for the last 58 years fails to address the issue of regional imbalance. Curiously, to the dismay and disappointment, the North Eastern Region was found lagging 30 per cent behind the rest of the country. It was therefore essential to prepare the roadmap and guiding framework for a structural
change and responsive trajectory of growth.
In order to catch up with the rest of the country the North Eastern Region should be prepared to achieve annual average growth rate of Gross State Domestic Product of 13.17 per cent and Manipur 13.25 per cent by 2012-2017 as against the national average of 9 per cent. This is a new development challenge.

Any exercise has, therefore, to be made keeping this reality in view not merely the routine exercise of a few projects not carefully worked out to ascertain the accurate multiplier effect on the growth acceleration and stimuli released by way of externalities. In this connection we have to identify four major issues:
1 Where do we stand now i.e. by 2011-12?
2 Where to go (economic destination)?
3 How to go (potentials/priorities/strategy)?
4 How soon (time frame/time line)?

In the course of preparation of the Vision Document we suggested six components of strategy
a. Empowerment of people
b. Creation of Development Opportunities
c. Developing sectors with comparative advantage
d. Capacity Development of people and institution
e. Creating hospitable investment climate
f. Investment by both public and private sectors

It could be fair and equally convincing if the projects prepared by the Government of Manipur for the plenary session touch on and are derived from the components of the strategy. Of course, one should not ignore the abject ground realities in the state.

Well, it could be necessary to reiterate the fact that any major development initiative neither preceded nor accompanied by sufficient social empowerment invites inequality, imbalance and instability in due course. The very purpose of inclusive growth gets defeated. A sound strategy demands that Development and Empowerment should go together. Look at the impact of heavy projects of high capital intensity. The lion’s share of the intervention goes to the wealth-to-do rich contractors, companies and suppliers. The poor and unorganized sector remains a mere marginal beneficiary with a spill-over of daily wages.

Secondly we also identified crucial roles of social capital and social entrepreneurs to implement, run and maintain the economic projects. In this connection, once in a meeting of the Steering Committee, SHREE MANI SHANKAR AIYAR, former Honourable Minister, DoNER, in reply to my strong argument on Investment Gap in Manipur said “Professor Mohendro, please don’t worry about money. I will give you enough money for any project but who will look after the project? I know maintenance remains an unsolved problem in Manipur”. Even today plan for plan maintenance remains criminally ignored as a result of which many assets to-day remain half-completed, idle or underutilized. We suggested Administrative Reforms before any policy initiative. What we need in Manipur today is bureaucratic machinery with commitment rooted in domestic institutions not merely so-called refresher programmes.

One should not expect good governance without a fair knowledge on what to do and not to do. In fact confusion begins withjack of fair knowledge and firm commitment. Right now the bureaucratic apparatus in the state, by and large, fails to appreciate the historical necessity of Plan Culture not merely the so-called work culture. The compendium of a few schemes cannot substitute the planned works born out of a series of economic relationships.

It is really surprising that we are harbouring the false notion of inefficiency of District Planning while the whole world has accepted the principle of decentralization of planning and development as cornerstone of inclusive growth. Even to-day we do not have District Resource Inventory, District Perspective Plan and District Annual Plan. We have schemes but not plans. The Hill Development Strategy should necessary be part of the long term District Perspective Plan based on District Resource Potentials. To-day the development process in the hill areas gets distorted and remains visibly insensitive.

Lastly, yes, participation in the 60th plenary session is important;— but more important is the WAY the preparation is made and much more important is the SPIRIT with which you participate. The burden of heavy involvement in the gigantic task of the production of Vision Document remains a reminder of seriousness and thoroughness with which the action plans have to be prepared in order to initiate a directional departure.

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By N. Arunkumar
Laika, the first living creature who was sent to space on November 3, 1957, had actually died it seems, soon after the launch of the Sputnik 2, Russia`s manned space ship, to go one notch up on its rival of those days , the USA. Unfortunately, Laika was a scapegoat, a guinea pig, as the jargon goes, for specimens used for laboratory experiments to test something new on a living creature, in the name of scientific progress.

Laika was a street dog, a mongrel that was picked up from the streets of Moscow, in order to be sent on that ground-breaking mission to space. Of course the poor mongrel clearly did not know what was going to be her fate, or even what the whole thing was about that was being secretly put in place by the Russian scientists.

In that rigid Communist regime of the erstwhile USSR, it was impossible for anyone to question or even enquire about the activities of the highly secretive and often ruthless machinations of the coterie holding the reins of power in their politburo. Had there been a pressure group to speak up for the ethical treatment of animals, the story would perhaps have been different and Laika would have lived an average dog`s life.

In fact, one scientist involved in that path – breaking mission, had declared that it was not worth having sent the poor mongrel to its terrifying end, as they had hardly learnt anything significant from that experiment, according to his own admission. The craft had eventually crashed into the ocean floor after a while.

The poor dog had died within five to seven hours of the launch, though the regime withheld that truth till much later. The people were however given to believe that Laika had lived in space for many days, instead of hours, as news was never told in truth from behind the Iron Curtains of the regime. The poor dog invokes a tear in those who care to read the real story of the fate of the creature, available all over the Internet today.

There are detailed accounts of how she was prepared for the mission and trained to endure the stress of space travel, though the scientists knew that they were sending her to her wretched end all the time. Mans singular aim to realize a majestic scientific accomplishment took priority over other noble human values, in the case of this dog. The poor street dog had only wanted a loving home and affection from her handlers, and perhaps she had felt secure under their watchful eyes and the special treatments that were being showered upon her in the build up to the last days before the mission, after she was snatched from the streets of Moscow.

There is a particular picture of the poor creature sitting in her capsule inside the Sputnik 2, looking helplessly and almost crying out for some sympathy from her handlers, who had left her in the capsule to be sent to space. That picture refuses to leave my mind even at this moment as I try to feel like her, sitting in that death row. A dog was about to be sacrificed at the altar of science and quest for supremacy over a rival nation, equally ruthless in its quest for doing one better than the other.

A monument has been erected in Moscow by the Russians now, as a memorial to the sacrificed little dog, Laika. The language of love, which all mankind professes as the only solution to achieve a peaceful world and happiness for all, is more or less all the time put under the butcher`s knife relentlessly. You might wonder why I should be musing over the death of a mere dog, who had been instrumental in mans pursuit for scientific knowledge.

It is of course insignificant to many who have no element of compassion for our speechless friends from the world of the animals of less important faculties. But, the simple fact is that they are also creatures, who have needs and fears just like us superior humans.

Man has forever been a major threat to weaker animals, and it would not be out of place to mention here that more often than not, he is even prone to be wilder than the wild animals roaming in the jungles of the world. Man has pitted himself against monster beasts, using his feeble body but far superior powers of thought and action.

But, Laika, my dear girl, you will forever be remembered and cherished as the brave girl who went ahead in your journey to death, and I take solace in thinking that you went away from our midst, nearer to God who treasures you now in his garden of everlasting joy. You will always remain alive in our memories Laika, my dear brave girl.

I heard your last bark that was recorded before you went silent eternally. Your terrified bark will forever travel in the waves of eternal time as a message to those who sent you up, as a bark to the horrors of being men. However, we pray that you are resting in peace, nearer to the creator who loved you more than us. I console myself by these self delusions.

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by Babloo Loitongbam
This paper was presented at the Regional Workshop on War on Terror and Asian Democracy 17 May 2011, Kim Dae-Jung Convention Centre, South Korea organised by Solidarity for Democratization Movement in Asia (SDMA)

Introduction
In the discourse on terrorism and counter terrorism, September 11 stands as a watershed because of the attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001. Government of India (GoI) also took full advantage of the ‘War on Terror’ that followed, to clamp down on their own version of ‘terrorism’. But for the people of the North East region of India the traumatic significance of the date goes back much beyond; for, it was on the same day fifty-three years ago that the President of India gave his assent to the notorious Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA).

In this paper we shall be discussing the human rights impact of both the old and invisible 9/11 as well as the new and glaring 9/11.

The Old 9/11
Once an area is declared ‘disturbed’ under AFSPA, special powers are granted to the Armed Forces of the Union to enter and search premises without warrant, destroy structures on suspicion, and arrest persons without warrant, detain and interrogate them to extract ‘operational intelligence’, use force even to the extent of causing death on mere suspicion. No prosecution or legal action can be taken up against the armed forces personnel without prior sanction from the Union government.

In the 1950s the Naga Hills was declared ‘disturbed’ under the Act as the self-determination struggle of the Nagas turned violent. The ‘disturbed area’ tag claimed the Lushai Hills in the 1960s as Mizos too embarked upon a similar path. Following the reorganisation of the North East region in 1972, the Act was amended to cover the new units carved out of Assam and extended to the state of Tripura. Under the new law the power to declare an area ‘disturbed’, which was hitherto confined only to the State/union territory is now extended to the Union Government. Gradually all the seven sister states of the North East region are pock-marked with disturbed area. In 1990 a similar law is enacted for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Under this Act, the Indian Air Force was used to bomb and strafe Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, from 5 to 12 March 1966. Widespread practice of enforced ‘disappearance’, extra-judicial execution, rape, torture and arbitrary detention are documented and reported with depressing regularity and a climate of impunity is institutionalized.

The UN Human Rights Committee regretted that some parts of India have been subjected to declaration as ‘disturbed area’ under AFSPA for many decades and in these areas the State party is in effect using emergency powers without resorting to article 4, paragraph 3, of the Covenant. Article 4(3) entails upon the State party, availing itself of the right to derogate some of the human rights (excluding the core non-derogable human rights) by declaring a state of emergency, to immediately inform the other State parties through the intermediary of the Secretary General of the United Nations (1) the provisions from which it has derogated, (2) the reasons by which it was actuated and (3) date on which it terminates such derogation.

The Committee also stated its concern at the continuing reliance on special powers under these legislations resulting in serious human rights violations of the right to life (Article 6), right against torture (Article 7), right to liberty and security of person (Article 9) and right to fair trial (Article 14) committed by the security forces acting under these laws. It may be noted that articles 6 and 7 are human rights which cannot be derogated even in a state of emergency.

The Committee reminded the Government of India of its obligation to respect the right to self-determination of peoples (Article 1), right to freedom of expression (Article 9) and right to participation in governance (Article 25); and endorses the view of India’s own National Human Rights Commission that the problems in the areas affected by terrorism and insurgency are essentially political in character and that the approach to resolving such problems must also essentially be political, and emphasis that terrorism should be fought with means that are compatible with the Covenant.

While paying lip service to the values enshrined in the Covenant, the actions of the GoI as well as other limbs of governance are at odds with the said rights at the ground level or even at the discourse level. For example, the Supreme Court of India quickly disposed off the writ petitions challenging the AFSPA by passing a “notorious judgement” that upheld AFSPA’s constitutional validity. In doing so, the Court is not only ignoring the UN Committee’s specific recommendation to examine the Act’s compatibility with the Covenant but also directly undermining the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution of India itself. In a similar vein, the National Human Rights Commission continues to shy away from taking a position on AFSPA.

In the wake of an unprecedented public outcry following the custodial rape and murder of a Manipuri maiden, Thangjam Manorama, by the Indian armed force personnel in 2004, the Prime Minister promised the people of Manipur that “the Act will be replaced by a more humane Act”. Thereafter, the Union Government appointed the Committee to Review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 with Justice B.P. Jeevan Redddy, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, as its Chairman. The Committee after considering the views of various stakeholders concludes that “the Act, for whatever reason, has become a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination and high-handedness. It is highly desirable and advisable to repeal this Act altogether…”

The report was duly submitted to the Government on 6 June 2005. But instead of taking action on the basis of the recommendation the report is kept as a closely guarded secret. Thanks to the activism of ‘The Hindu’ newspaper, the report is now posted on its website.

In another damning report, the UN Racial Discrimination Committee has taken note of the racist nature of AFSPA, and urged the GoI to repeal AFSPA within one year as per the recommendation of the GoI’s own Review Committee. The GoI has not yet complied with the recommendation, nor has it responded to the series of reminders from the Racial Decimation Committee. These consistent acts of omissions of the GoI has driven the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Naveen Pillay, to lend her firm voice to the demand for the repeal of AFSPA terming it “a dated emergency law of a colonial vintage” during her only visit to India in March 2009.

Yet AFSPA continues despite international opprobrium. Votaries of human rights and democracy in the rest of the world may resonate with the 11-year-old hunger strike of Gwangju laureate Ms. Irom Sharmila Chanu for repeal of AFSPA. But the Indian State perseveres in painting her intensely moral struggle as a criminal act of self-destruction so that AFSPA may continue to rule the ‘disturbed area’ of the North East and Kashmir.

The New 9/11
The first response of the GoI to the US led “War on Terror” is the enactment of Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in the year 2002. Besides the New York WTC attack in September 2001, the attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi in December 2001, too, acted as an added catalyst. But in the following years POTA was heavily criticized on two counts. One was that the POTA stood the time tested principle of criminal jurisprudence — that the accused is presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise — by putting the onus of proof on the accused. The second was that the POTA lent itself to widespread abuse, particularly in targeting the minority Muslim community and proved to be counter-productive. Intense lobbying by different sections of the society, including the human rights groups, resulted in the repeal of POTA by the Parliament in 2004. But simultaneously, many of its draconian provisions are re-grafted into a much older law called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 (UAPA) through an amendment.

This is not the first time that the democratic movement in India pushed away repressive laws. The infamous Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971 (MISA), which was widely misused during the national emergency (1975-1977) was repealed when the anti-emergency Janata Party lead government came to power in 1977. The Terrorist and Disruptive Activist (Prevention) Act (TADA) which was enacted in the aftermath of the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, by her own bodyguard, was made to lapse in 1995 following sharp criticism and popular discontent.

The 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai led to a lot of jingoism and muscle flexing, ‘Getting tough on terror’ is equated to bringing tougher laws. Soon more draconian provisions are introduced to the already draconian UAPA through an amendment adopted in the Parliament with virtually no debate in December 2008. This version of UAPA is the national anti-terror legislation today. The legislation seeks to locate the power and jurisdiction to “investigate and prosecute offences affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India” on a central institution called National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the lines of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US by encroaching on the constitutionally granted monopoly power of the states over “law and order” within their territorial boundaries. The Union Home Minister Mr. Chidambaram has, according to the Wikileaks, conceded that he was coming “”perilously close to crossing constitutional limits”” in empowering the NIA”.

Amnesty International’s concerns on the 2008 amendments to the UAPA include:
· sweeping and overbroad definitions of “acts of terrorism”
· no clear and strict definition of what constitutes “membership” of a “terrorist gang or organization”
· minimum period of detention of persons suspected to be involved in acts of terrorism extended to 30 days from 15 days,and the maximum period of detention of such persons to 180 days from 90 days – already far beyond international standards
· denial of bail to foreign nationals who may have entered the country in an unauthorised or illegal manner, except in very exceptional circumstances
· the requirement of accused people to prove their innocence under the Act
· the new legislation on the NIA authorises special courts to close hearings to public without defining or limiting the grounds under which they may do so.

There are, of course, many state/region specific legislations such as the Chhasttisgarh Special Public Security Act, Maharashtra Organized Crime Act, Public Security Act of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab Security of State Act, Disturbed Area Act of Assam, etc., which are in operation as Counter Terrorism Measure (CTM) today in India. In fact, it is the combination of UAPA and Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act under which Gwangju laureate Dr. Binayak Sen is charged. As a leading civil right lawyer commented, far from curbing terror, draconian laws used by a corrupt and communal police are creating conditions that will make the problem worse.

Old + New 9/11: The Manipur Case
‘Terrorist Act’ is defined in very broad terms under the UAPA, 2008. The actus reus of the offence include the use of bombs, dynamite or other explosive substance or firearms… or by any means of whatever nature. The mens rea of the offence is fulfilled if the act is done with the intention to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of India or with the intention to strike terror in the people in India…

Under this definition, any Manipuri whose ‘Indian-ness’ is actively contested till date can be prosecuted as a ‘terrorist’ notwithstanding the fact that the 1947 Manipur Constitution which predates India’s Constitution and the then Manipur government elected democratically under the 1947 Constitution was summarily dissolved to forcibly merge the State into the Dominion of India in 1949. It is these circumstances which had given Manipur the dubious distinction of having the highest per capita ‘terrorist organisation’ in world – for a population of about a million, there are six ‘terrorist organisations’ listed under the UAPA. The same circumstances have been used to justify the unbroken operation of the draconian AFSPA for over five decades in the state effectively derogating all fundamental human rights for its people without recourse to emergency provision prescribed by International Covenant on Civil and political Rights.

The climate of total impunity ushered in by the State over the last five decades with its complement of subversion of democratic institutions, including the rule of law, can be gauged from the following episodes.

1. On the intervening night of 2-3 April 2011, when India won the International Cricket Council World Cup, the 80,000-odd Indian armed forces stationed in Manipur celebrated India’s triumph by firing several rounds from their automatic weapons for about 30 minutes. A 75-year-old Ms. Waikhom Mani who was fast asleep in her bedroom, at Nongangkhong village, about 800 meters from one of the military camp. was hit by one of these stray bullets and killed instantly. There is no report of any action taken.

2. On 20 April 2011, the vehicle of Justice T. Nandakumar of Guwahati High Court overtook a vehicle of the armed forces during the rush hour in the heart of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. Ostensibly provoked at being overtaken, the officer and personnel of the 28th Assam Rifles in the latter vehicle chased the judge right up to the court complex and publicly berated the judge. The legal community were moved to protest high handedness of the security forces.

3. On 18 August 2010, Ms. Moirangthem Londhoni Devi, a school teacher and mother of Kangleinganbi (7 years) and Kanishka (4 years) took a flight to Guwahati to meet her husband. In the evening both of them were arrested for alleged involvement with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Manipur. Even though she was granted bail by a Judicial Magistrate on 6 September 2010 on the ground that there is no sufficient material against her, she continues to be under detention of the designated NIA court in Guwahati.

NIA used the draconian provisions of UAPA where the period of pre-charge detention may be extended to 180 days. The only thing that the Judge has to do is to find out whether the investigation has progressed or not. Even after the expiry of this period the court has denied her bail on the subjective feeling that the accusation is prima facie true. So on the vague accusation of being a member of a ‘terrorist organisation’ she continues to be under detention for more than ten months.

The banal negation of basic human rights and democracy itself is happening in a particular geographical and racial context in a country which is hailed as the largest democracy. Yet over these periods of negation of human rights which is almost as old as the history of independent and democratic India, vast parts of the so-called world’s largest democracy have remained indifferent to the negation of democracy itself in the North Eastern part of India.

Nothing seems to move the government. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 and the Unlawful Actives Prevention Act, 1967 as amended in 2008 continues to be the lawless law in India where thousands of women, children and men silently endure all kinds of indignities that the State has devised in the name of countering ‘terrorism’.

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By Amar Yumnam
The contrast between the recent growth experiences of China and India is absolutely remarkable. In China, the growth has taken place because of the government. There the government has put in place a wonderful infrastructure system, continually evolving, and an effective administration. In India, the recent growth phenomenon is in spite of the government. The infrastructure in India is absolutely poor and the bureaucracy is absolutely outdated and corrupt.

The result is that the Chinese growth is very systematic and the Indian experience is absolutely messy. Here the example of Gurgaon near Delhi is exemplary. About two decades ago, this city was a barren land of blue cows where none dared to enter. Near this, there was Faridabad with a full-fledged municipal authority and none was attracted to the barren place. But the government left it o the private players to do whatever they felt like investing on with the barren land of Gurgaon. This is how the cityhas now come to the present stage, leaving Faridabad far behind as laggard. Gurgaon today has larger commercial floor space area than Delhi. But Gurgaon’s commercial areas are absolutely unstructured with no clear linkages to one another. The road shave not been attended to by the government. The power has not been ensured by the government. The water supply has not been ensured by the government. There is no functioning public transport system. All the commercial places, malls and corporate houses have their own generator arrangements, water supply schemes and transportation facilities for their employees. The government have been lagging far behind in meeting her responsibilities but the private sector has gone far ahead in ensuring an economic dynamism. The Gurgaon story is true in the case of Bangalore as well. There is dynamism in the midst of absolute mess. By and large the Indian story of growth is dynamism in an environment of absolute chaos. Questions are being raised about the sustainability of the country’s recent growth trajectory mainly because of the quality of governance and the lack of broad-basing the growth. These worries are being increasingly sounded at the global level as well by the regional bodies like the ASEAN and the Asian Development bank.

Home Scenario: Whenever I think of the global and national growth experiences, I am naturally drawn to the home scenario of Manipur. The Indian messiness because of the government is more than true in the case of Manipur as well. All the weaknesses of government are visible with aggravated symptoms in Manipur. But the worst part is that the private sector has not emerged and those which endeavour to emerge have been forcefully stunted.

The government has not delivered on any front; social and economic infrastructure is so bad that not only the growth not happening but the earlier advantages are being dissipated as well. The best example is the case of the education sector where many once laggards have beaten us hands down in every conceivable indicator. The same is true even for the road infrastructure which is the mandatory need for social cohesion, economic advancement and creation of an atmosphere for ethnic progression along modern lines instead of the primordial considerations. While in the Imphal roads we now have red flickers on the sides and in the middle to guide us through the night, are we really concern with the fact that there are many villages still in the mountains of Manipur where the arrival of monsoon is an invariable curse in so far as communication is concerned?

Well, the government has failed, but what are we doing about the private sector? We do not have any atmosphere nor do we endeavour to create one where the private sector can really flourish leading to expansion of income and employment. The best recent example is that of the Haldiram of Manipur being subjected to the worst of threats. What is most disgusting in the entire scenario is the public suspicion that, in this stunting of private sector growth, the agents involved are both state and non-state. If this is true – there are signs that this could be true to the realities – , nothing could be more unfortunate. While the non-state agents indulge in extortions or whatever non-positive acts, the people should have the state as the ultimate and wholly reliable saviour as well as promoter for those attempting to harness the social energy for expansion of income and employment. But this is not happening in the case of Manipur. The result is that the youths are caught in a dilemma over which they have no control and which they do not fully understand.

Potential Derailed: The youths are the potent force anywhere in the world. This is true for Manipur as well. Globally, we now experience a resurgence of youth for higher social existence than just for jobs. The youths the world over are now asking for meaningful social existence in terms of questioning the prevailing administration for not adequately defining the tasks to be performed by them. But the Manipur youths have been caught in the vicious engagement of somehow landing to a job. This “somehow” effort has to a large extent eaten into the social ethos of Manipur so much so that a police job has now emerged as the most coveted one. People and youths would now advising each other to “somehow” see to it that there is a police officer in one’s family. Well, the job of a policeman is definitely not bad, but the context in which the new social ethos has emerged is not a healthy one. The global winds of engagement for the youths are giving the Manipur youths a slip this time round, and an unfortunate one at that.

Our Responsibility: The collective as well as the individual responsibility for all of us today is to ensure that we do not allow our beautiful land to become like the Bottle Imp of Robert Louis Stevenson and land ourselves into eternal damnation.

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DISCOVERY OF KANGLEIPAK (24)
BY WANGKHEMCHA CHINGTAMLEN

Clarification on two topics most disinformed with invented controversies:
1. The concepts of the “Sanamahi” in the indigenous Sanamahi Religion.
2. Seven Salais or nine Salais.

The religious concept of the “Sanamahi” in the indigenous Sanamahi religion of the Meetei race is practically one of the finest religious concepts among the comity of the world religions. It is unique.

How the name “Sanamahi” came into existence.

The puya, Wakoklon Heelel Thilel Salai Ama-ilon Pukok says very clearly that at the beginning of creation, the ultimate universal god, the Father of all living beings, Ipung Loinapa Apakpa as the Kanglei ancestors called Him, gave a Talang Laipao (God”s message from the open space) to the effect that he will come down to the Earth to create living beings. The universal Father clearly says in the Talang Laipao that He will be found as a “Threeday- child” (Not 3 days old child) in the colour of “Sana”.

The Talang Laipao was heard by gods. The Salailel Sitapa (space personified as male person) Ima Leimalel Sitapi (the earth personified as Female principle) also heard it. As predicted by the Talang Laipao a “Three-day-child” was found in the “”Isaiphu” of the Salailel Sitapa (space – Ipa sorarel).

What is actually written in the puya is this “Numit humni supaki Angangki Matam- Kumna Sanaki Masak Malpa Nouwa Ama oina Leilamke”.

The word/concept “Sana” was first used by the universal Father, and was also first heard by the gods (lesser gods) before creation.

What we know from the puya scripture upto this stage of creation, we have now the knowledge that the concept of “Sana” used in the puya in relation to the theory of creation, is never related in whatever way to the “Sana”, yellow metal gold which is a product of scientific age of the world.

The word/concept “Sana” is described in the puya, Wachetlon Pathup as ” Wakonpungta Leipa Tongsaki Machuti Sana Ahingpa Machune| Fisetti Angoupane||” A rough translation of the passage from the puya scripture may please be seen :

“The colour of the muscle in Wakonpung (Head) is living Sana colour, dressed in white.” Further, please see what are actually written in the puya, scripture, wakoklon heelel thilel salai ama-ilon pukok “asum oipa laipaoki matung inna sitapaki Isaiphu illon nungta numit humni supaki nouwaki ma-ong oina Sanaki machu manpa nouwa ama leilamle|| Nouwa atupu yenglaka sanaki masak manpa angangpa machuna leitengpa maahi atupu upata sanamahi haipa mingthonpu pituna machaki matamkumna Loukhatle|| Asum touna loukhatlapaka lailelpi sitapi Lailem mata pishille ||0|| Lailem mana yenglaka ngangleinapa nouwa atupu upata angang mingthon phangtuna chetna channa konsille||”

Please read carefully to above quotation from the puya, scripture.

The scheme of creation of God is shown in the passage of the scripture. The universal Father God sends the life-seed to the Earth and the seed is preserved in the male person. This time when the life-seed is preserved in the male person, it is called Sanamahi. The Sanamahi is given to Female person, then it becomes Angang.

Now please think what is Sanamahi. It is the life-essense given by the God preserved in the Male person for endless creation. A male person is called Pali in Kanglei vocabulary. Pali = Pa + Li = Pa means universal father, who gave the life-seed to Male Person + Li means Leeba, Leeduna thamba, that is, preservation in English. In such scheme of creation of the universal God Father, can there be any possibility of the “Sanamahi” in the Male Person to be a “Gold liquid” , yellow metal liquid.

In the above quotation from the puya, scripture, the words “Isaiphu illonnung” means in the body of the Salailel sitapa (the space personified as a Male person), and “Lailelpi Sitapi Lailemma” means the Earth personified as a female person.

Isaiphu = I + Sa + iphu = I means blood, human blood + Sa means Hakchang. Human body + Iphu = I means blood + phu means chaphu, further means pot. Therefore Isaiphu means human body, full of blood. Illonnung simply means in the blood of the body.

The using of an Isaiphu in every religious ceremony as a symbol of the universal lord in the Kanglei tradition comes from this “Isaiphu” in the puya, the scripture.

As a corollary of this knowledge of “Isaiphu” in the scripture of the Meetei Race, we come now to know that to keep an “Isaiphu” at the Phampal of Ima Leimalel sitapi at the left side of the house is patently wrong, may be an arrangement during the Hindu rule since 18th century C.E.

In the Kanglei Lai Haraoba, “Ningthourelgi Sagoldi mamei jum jum Laoyida, Angouba Sagol Tongbara?” is heard generally. Here the “Ningthourel” means the ultimate universal God Father, “Sagol” means Sakol = Sa + Kol means the creative, procreative life-seed in always with the “Ningthourel”; nothing can give, nothing can have the life-seed with, except the “Ningthourel”. So, the sentence means the white colour Sanamahi is with the “Sagol” of the universal God Father” The “Ningthourelgi Sagoldi mamei jum jum Laoyida” means the “Sagol” with the Ningthourel becomes numerous in the long rung, meaning the increasing living beings in the long run in the process of creation. Lastly, the writer show a verse from the puya scripture showing in a nutshell the philosophy of the Kanglei creation theory: Malem Leimana Lumpala, Palem Immana Malum-ee; Koilou Nongmatonna Wangpala, Panthou Ipana Mawang-ee.

The above four lines verse indicates the heights of Kanglei Wang-u-lon (philosophy) of the meetei race of Kangleipak. The last two lines say that “Panthou Ipa” is higher than the Koulou Nongmaton (the top of the space, the sky, the Ating-aa, the Atiya in different languages of the same word/concept). The sky seemingly round above our heads is called “Koilou Nongmaton” by the Puya, the scripture of the Meetei race. The “Panthou Ipa” in the above verse is the universal father God Creator who gave the Talang Laipao for creation. The Kanglei Meetei Race call Him Panthou Ipa or simply Ipa (Father roughly in English) who is higher than the Koilou Nongmaton.

When my esteemed readers begin to think critically about the “Sanamahi Kachin” and the “Santhong” (door of creation) which they see everyday, the readers may come to their senses about the concept of Sanamahi etc.

The Kangleicha Meetei Race is of seven Salais or nine Salais?

At present in Kangleipak, A sizeable population with imperfect knowledge of the Meetei culture and Kanglei civilization think and say that the Meetei Race is of 9 (nine) Salais. This imperfect knowledge of the Meetei culture and Kanglei civilization gives a wrong message to the world about the unique culture and civilization of the Meetei Race.

The most ancient Puya of the Meetei Race, Wakoklon Heelel Thilel Salai Ama-ilon Pukok says “He Mee-oipa tapio| Tapang Palpa Mapuki Konpu Iyek Konpung Wakonpung Kouye| Wakonpungki Kayat Laiphamki Laiming Amati Taipang Palpaki Mai Sitapina Salaiki Fiset Taletmak, Nonglon Taletmaki Machu Taletmak Asi Kheipikpu Mapham Atuta Leena Leipane ||0||”

From what the puya, scripture of the Meetei Race”s categorical statement that “Salaiki Fiset Taletmak, Nonglon Taletmaki Machu Taletmak”, we know in the 21st century CE that the seven colours clothes used traditionally by the seven salais of the Meetei Race as their turbans and dresses are the primary seven colours of the rainbow (Nonglon Talet = seven colours of the space).

The puya further says “Nongthou Malon Taletki yaphamta Tingpalpa Mapuna Sai-on Toutuna Taipangpalpa Santhoknaphamni Haituna Santhong Apanpa Kouna| Mala Lelphu Oikhale|| Malem Leikhalon Taletna Amampa Leimu Lonki Masak kumna Taipang Palpaki Tungnapham Leisa Oina Leikhale||”

From this categorical statement of the scripture, we come to know that there are seven layers of the space (colours of the space) and seven layers of the earth crust, before anybody know them in the world. We also know that the seven colour dresses in the seven primary colours of the space were used by the Meetei Seven Salais from time immemorial.

Now coming to history, written recorded accounts of the Meetei Race, it is very clearly written in the Puya mentioned above that Konchin Tukthapa Ipu Athoupa Pakhangpa, the first political monarch of Kangleipak co-habiting seven Lai Ladies – 1. Laikok Huimulei puksi khompi 2. Huimu Leima 3. Loikhompi Mawai Thong-ngai Lelpi 4. Laiyek Pithet Leima 5 . Leima Ulum Khaochao Tonpi 6. Lietham Tali Leima 7. Nonghainu Lilee Leima gave birth to 7 sons – 1. Mangang 2 Luwang 3. Khuman 4. Angom 5. Moilang 6. Khapa-Nganpa 7. Salai Leishangthem.

These seven sons of the first monarch are called Salais, the present seven clans or groups of peoples of Kangleipak are in the names of these 7 sons of the first monarch of Kangleipak. The peoples of Kangleipak are still maintaining and still keeping immortalizing these 7 sons” names of the first monarch Konchin Tukthapa upto this day. Nobody can deny this. We find written 7 primary colours names along with the birth times of the seven sons of the first monarch. Nobody can deny this also.

Then how can anybody say on the Earth, there are 9 (nine) Salais of the Meetei race. Can anybody on the Earth say the colours of the dresses and turbans of the 8th and 9th Salais, if there are 9 Salais of the Meetei Race?

This continuous nine Salais disinformation campaigns may kindly be stopped from today.

Posted: 2011-06-11

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By Dr. Thamsing Lamkang
Sport is an institution as influential as sports cannot escape examination and subsequent judgment as either ‘good’ or ‘evil’. In some parts of the world sport is thought to be inherently evil and participation in sports is considered sinful, an ideology that stems from Ancient Greek thoughts.

Sports will be good and healthy when you see good outcome through the players (such as good health, fitness and discipline, mould friendship and build relationship etc.). It can also be a bad sport when you see bad things happens among the players (such as violence, death, fighting, injuries, cheating and addictions etc). But the fact is “Sports was designed for good reasons, with healthy competitions to serves the good purpose to the players”.

In the opinion of those who studied, played and liked sports were determined to say that sports was designed by God and ordained by God. Therefore, like all of His creation, it was originally good. Similarly, I believe that God’s creativity made sportspeople who they are, intending them to lead them to become rich, full lives enjoying what He has given while bringing Him pleasure. God intentionally genetically designed and wired some people with superior sporting abilities.

For many people, playing sport is not merely an activity, but a vital part of who they are. Recognizing that God made some people with sporting abilities, and desires is an important point that should not be overlooked. Christians have felt the need to defend sports and sports participants with utilitarian purposes, such as a way to keep out of trouble. But these views overlook the idea that perhaps God made players with abilities simply for their enjoyment and pleasure.

So, I would simply say that sport is part of God’s creation, and morally an ethically neutral. The morality of sports is not determined by the objectives of the activity itself, but by the heart of the participants. God gave humans the ability to create sports within His created order. He filled the hearts of players with the desire to play. Yet as a result of sin, sports, like everything else, is now in bondage to decay. As redeemed people through faith in Jesus, we have the ability to restore sports as God intended. Our task as Christian people of sports is to play sports reflecting the image of Christ. That is, if sin has destroyed the good in sport, then perhaps the task of a Christian sportsperson is to reflect the image of Christ in the activity of sports so that sport can be played and enjoyed the way God intended.

A sportsperson who is a believer should know exactly where his self-image comes from. His identity is found in Christ alone. He can compete with the complete freedom to knowing that his identity is not based on his performance. The Late Latin, ‘competere’, of the word “compete” means to “come together to agree”. Thus, “competition”, in the best sense, is two opponents coming together to agree for the purpose of bringing the best out of each other, not the worst.

The believer can play his best with the intent to win while viewing his opponents as a challenge to improve his abilities and skill. He does not view his opponents as the enemy, but as one who can bring out his best in all areas; physically through skills and fitness level; socially through his relationships with the teammates, opponents and coaches; mentally through strategy and plays, spiritually through motivation and actions; and emotionally through self-control.

“Competition is inherent in sports! Whether it is cricket, football or volleyball, competition is a part of the experience. But what is competition? Definitions may vary based on your background, but in general terms most of the world defines competition as “win at all costs”, that destroys the good ethics and philosophy of games. Before you object to that definition, ask some few people. Or better yet, go watch a game and observe the demeanor and countenance of those who have been victorious and those who have not.

Interestingly enough the dictionary defines “to compete” as “to strive consciously or unconsciously in the pursuit of a goal or an objective.” While many would like to make competition wrong or bad, this definition seems to indicate that competition is neutral. Theologian and seminary instructor Dr. Rainer Martens says, “Sports are not inherently evil or inherently good – they are what we makes them.” By the same token, competition… the pursuit of a goal or objective… also is not inherently good or evil, but has the potential to become good of evil depending on how we pursue the goal.

He does not have to compete to defeat the opponents in order to feel good about himself; instead, he competes because of who he is. Nothing should differ from winning or losing the games, rather you should accept the defeats by appreciating your opponents who play better than you do. If you win, it is much easier to humble self and thank God. So, I strongly mandated that whether you win or lost you can still be yourself, to walk home the same person as when you come! 

Thus, as believers in the world of sport, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our identity in Christ to people who are searching for healthy identities. What a strategic place and role the Christian competitor has as an agent of redemption in the ‘World of Sport for Christ’!

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By Kh. Chonjohn SinghThe Christian Medical College Hospital (CMC in short), Vellore, founded in 1909 – a gift to the “Tamils – Vellories” in particular and the people of the whole region in general, getting employment of hundreds and thousands of educated youths, males and females, has now become a prestigious hospital of the country, it is a leading hospital where patients from all over its States, and the countries abroad have been pouring into taking treatment of their sickness by admitting themselves either as indoor patients or outdoor patients as according to the nature of their disease and the course or manner of treatment they are receiving.
The Manipuris from the far flung north-eastern border of the country are also taking queue at the CMC for treatment of their disease left out or abandoned by their Manipur or north-eastern regional Medical Institutions, awaiting results of investigations, diagnosis and treatment for weeks, months and even for years by staying themselves (patients and their party) at the private lodges, hotels and restaurants by payment of rents daily, weekly or monthly. They have thus got treatment of different kinds of disease at the CMC during the last many decades. In the case of treatment of individuals from the other north-eastern States, some individuals of such other States like Meghalaya, Mizoram, etc. they have stated about bearing (by re-imbursement) of some percentage of their medical expenses by their respective State Governments whether the patients are Government employees or not.
After some of the north-eastern States have already opened their State House at Vellore, although it was too late for the State of Manipur, upon a series of efforts made by some public spirited individuals and dignitaries of the Social Welfare Department, Manipur, the then Hon`ble Minister (Social Welfare) Shri Korunthang opened and inaugurated the Manipur Guest House (Manipur house or House, in short) on the 17th. day of November, 2006 at Poongansqar, Sathuvachari, Vellore, Thanks for this that it has really given shelter and accommodation to the poor patients and their party from Manipur.
Life of a patient is racked with a dreary round of pain and suffering being overburdened by his economic problems and hardships at all such times of his stress. He is feeling himself to be a burden to his dependants and worse still he feels frustrated. He and his party were all at large seeking accommodation nearby the CMC with no enough space for his or their complete rest and satisfaction bodily and mentally.
Initially, perhaps by lack of knowledge about the location or existence of this Manipur House, for some time after its opening and inauguration, it had no customer The Manipur officials like the Officer-on-Special Duty (OSD) himself had at all times took no pain in making contact with and holding talks to the Manipur patients at CMC to come to and stay at the Manipur House. Those who could convince themselves of the circumstances responded and stayed at this House. It was how this House started functioning, and by now, Manipur patients and their party are on the `Wait List1 for accommodation, some of them staying elsewhere for rooms being vacated and made available to them in this House.
No matter, one with clear knowledge about the Manipur House, stays here or not for his own reason or cause advantageous or disadvantageous to him, if it is a question of distance little far from CMC with auto fare of Rs. 6 + Rs. 5 being spent, as at present, per head to and for, the sum of Rs.300/- or Rs.400/- per day for accommodation at the lodge, hotels or restaurants nearby the CMC, can he effectively managed by payment of Rs.200/-per day for each A.C. room of the Manipur House or Rs. 75/-per day for non-A.C. room of the House having fans with non-stop electricity. There are 11 (eleven) rooms of the same size and design at three different buildings of the Manipur House located in the same compound. Each room consists of two bed rooms with bath room, toilet and kitchen attached. This Manipur House at Vellore is really and practically a paradise for the patients and their party, and above all, non-stop electricity hare at Vellore, except for a short duration sometimes, not daily, as an essential part of right to life is highly appreciated.
As of the context, at this stage when this article touches electricity or states about regularity of electricity at this Manipur House, Vellore, I cannot escape and/or skip over the chance to tell you about the worse alarming situation of load-sheding in Manipur for days, weeks and even for months together continuously as a regular feature of life for the last sixty years after independence, as if we are all victims of `black-out` – presently making it (electricity) available along the domestic lines for 2 or 3 hours a day that also on alternate day, and consequently, not speaking about other disadvantages, the mobile phones at home remain inoperative or not workable for want of re-charge. Supposing, if, by a special arrangement, a power line is provided from Manipur direct to this Manipur House at Vellore, the patients would cry for candles and next morning they all would flee this House. No one is expected to stay here without either non-stop A.C. or fan because of the extreme climate of this region.
One Mr. Nayar, O.S.D. of the Manipur House from the Manipur Secretariat pool (who is said to be of the Manipur Bhavan category) is the only State Government Officer available and working here as both the officer and the peon (grade IV-attendant) for himself although there are two local Tamil Women Workers (attendants, in one sense) of the House as being engaged or retained on casual basis – one as a cook-cam-room in-charge for washing of bad sheets and window screens and the other as sweeper.
One casual clerk from Manipur was once working in the Manipur House as appointed by the Social “welfare Department for about two years but he has already left service about ten months ago but no substitute has yet been sent or deputed here in his place. Non-appointment or non-deputation 01 an assistant(grade-III/IV) for this House is a serious handicap to the functioning of the House quite disadvantageous to the patient-customers. The two women attendants are available during day time only, not at nights patients-customers have come to and they have to go away from the House at any time, day and night, as according to their railway and flight schedules, and as such, at all such times of their arrival and departure, an official of the House is very much necessary to be present in the office or at and nearby the room so that there may not be any complaint about shortage of luggage or any belongings of either side.
With no State budget provisions or any plan or non-plan estimates for running this Manipur House at Vellore unlike the other Manipur Bhavans elsewhere in other States, one would be really shocking and worried with apprehension of the House being shut down or closed at any time without any consequential responsibility on the part of bureacracy of the Government of Manipur or of its Social Welfare Department. This House is run only by its meagre income being the rent collections from the customers even to the extent of acquisition of one Maruti Van by or in the name of the House. This is a credit of the management. In the case of emergency for immediate admission of the patients to the CMC at night, the van can be used by the patients by payment of the requisite fares (hiring charge) under the supervision and control of the OSD. But the difficulty being faced by the management is non-appointment or non-availability of driver for the van at any time. No driver can be made ready for the van without payment of pay or salary or honorarium. The Meghalaya House at Vellore has got two official drivers for their two vehicles and the Mizoram House has also got driver of their House vehicle.
Moreover, on the other hand, many chances for acquisition of more rooms (same size, extent and design as of the present eleven rooms) by the Government of Manipur, as left and sold out by the owners in the same buildings at Poonganagar, Vellore, have been lost. Some rooms of the same buildings of the Manipur House still seem lying vacant.
 More rooms may be acquired if the Government of Manipur is really interested in the functioning and maintenance of the Manipur House at Vellore for accommodation of the overwhelming number of Manipur patients at Vellore.
In view of the precious services of the Manipur House so far made available to the Manipur patients-customers, simple question that emerges here at this juncture is why the General Administration department (G.A.D.) should not take over and manage the Manipur House at Vellore as those of the Manipur Bhavans elsewhere, or at least, why this house should not be upgraded to the status of Manipur Bhavan under the supervision and/or administrative control of the GAD for all round development and accountability of the House in all respect.
Everyone of you whether from up in the hills of Manipur down to the Imphal Valley all along the streams covering all districts, are all welcomed to the Manipur House at Vellore whenever you are in need for proper accommodation here at or during your medical treatment at Vellore, and let us join hands to uphold the basic value of this House as that of the Manipur Bhavans func¬tioning in other States.
Whatever the prevailing circumstances of this Manipur House may be, as of now, during the last about one year or so, the Department of Social Welfare, Manipur sometimes used to writs “letters of permission” for the Manipur patients and their party, requesting the O.S.D. of the Manipur House, vellore for reservation of rooms for them subject to availability of room. The letter of the Department is used to be addressed to the o.S.D. of a nonexistent “Women Shelter Home, Vellore” instead of addressing the same to the O.S.D. of Manipur Guest House as usual. Letter dated 12.4.2011 of the Department has been addressed to the OSD of Woman Shelter Home, Vellore while its subsequent letter dated 27.4.2011 has been addressed to the OSD of Manipur Guest House, Vellore. All subsequent letters of the Department are now used to be addressed to the OSD of Women Shelter Home.
 What, is the intent and purposes of the Department to address or to name the Manipur Guest House, Vellore as Women Shelter Home, Vellore ? If it is named as a Women Shelter Home, whether any women from Tamil Nadu or any other States of India, not only of Manipur, can occupy the House as a place for their shelter ? Is there decision of the State Government of Manipur to name the Manipur Guest House at Vellore as Women Shelter Home, Vellore ? If not so, this practice of the Department addressing its letters to the OSD of Women Shelter Home deserves to be dropped and withdrawn forth with . Lot it not be doubted about the existence of any hidden agenda or secrecy of somebody to convert the Manipur Guest House, Vellore to a private/autonomous institution calling it as “Women Shelter Home”.
Some people say as if defending this Department for its issuance of the said letters to the OSD of Women Shelter Home that initially before opening the House, proposal of the Department was for opening the same House as Women Shelter Home and therefore, the letter may have been issued as intended. Emphatically “no”, everybody would not accept such a style of functioning and no such a practice can be followed at the choice or whims of one officer or the ether of the Department. Change of name of the House shell be upon the decision of the State Government .The House has been sc named, opened and inaugurated as Manipur Guest House, Vellore. It still remains functioning as such. Normal duty should be as to how the House be made improved not to confuse its existence and functioning.
Let credibility of the Department be ensured with maintenance of public confidence ell along, and at the same time, the Government of Manipur be urged to entrust the Manipur Guest House, Vellore to the GAD and to upgrade its status as Manipur Bhavan.

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By: Rev. Simon L RaomaiWhat is ecology?The word ecology is a combination of two Greek words, oikos which means house or home and logia means word or study. So the literal meaning of ecology is the habitat of all living beings on earth which human beings share with other living beings and especially to the mutual relations between organism and their environment. So, ecological imbalance means, the crisis and problems in the house or home.The relation between Man and nature:Nature acts or serves the human beings and all living beings as a mother who cares, protects and provides her children all their needs. It provides us with materials for our house, crops plants for our food and water for our drink and many other natural resources. Everything that we need in our day to day’s existence is produced from nature. Therefore, for all these good reasons and factors nature is our mother who nurtures us for survival and sustenance and we cannot live without her. Throughout the ages, our ancestors lived with nature harmoniously and they loved it. Their folk songs and folk tales are closely related with nature. Our ancestor was not aggressive to animals whether domestic or wild except in times of need. The land was carefully preserved. An area of land was preserved for years before it was cultivated. After the cultivation, trees are also preserved and let live for at least ten years again. The forest was never been destroyed. It was kept evergreen throughout the ages. The farmer watched the nature and followed its voice for cultivation and festivals, thus they respected the nature. When a hunter went for hunting he would pray to Almighty God to show him mercy and grant him the needs for the day. The farmers would pray for the soil and bountiful yield of crops. Their relation was a nature based religion. Thus they respected both plants and animals, for they believed that they belonged to god. Our people had emotional attachment to the land and soil because their life was solely dependent on the land.The reverse situations: Today our children are aggressive towards the nature as if ungrateful children are aggressive against his mother torturing and tormenting her who cares and feeds them. We kill all kinds of animals, birds, fish, insects etc. for consumption. The so called civilized or educated people use sophisticated weapons against the defenceless creatures. Man instead of loving the nature, he has become the greatest enemy of the nature. He is also the immediate enemy of his own and is responsible for his self destruction. They exploit all kinds of trees and plants, in the name of economic development, using all kinds of devices and machines. They pollute volumes of water. The air is being polluted with nuclear power in the name of defence. Thus they do not destroy the nature but, also the image of the creator. Bible says “do not harm earth and sea or trees (Rev.7:3). But today people do not care about the nature rather they are at war with nature.Our failures:Global warming and climate change due to Ecological crisis is now one of the greatest problems in human life and it involves in all areas of human life, namely, air pollution, water pollution, deforestation and killing of animals. Here below, let us look at them one by one particularly referring to our own land.Deforestation Despite of god’s bountiful blessings with ever green fertile forest, the land suffers a serious degradation of soil and erosion due to deforestation and burning of jungles. Following are the factors contributed to it -The traditional method of jhum cultivationDue to jhum cultivation, the large portion of forest is destroyed every year. In the past only after 10 or 20 years the farmers return to the same area for shifting cultivation but now after six or seven years they return to the same place. Therefore, fertility is low and harvest is poor. Because of jhum or shifting cultivation trees are mercilessly cut down and deforestation becomes al perpetual activity of man. All good forests including water shades are being destroyed. For all these reasons, our springs are drying up and so are our wet paddy fields. Our streams are also slowly drying uup and consequently we are facing acute scarcity of water everywhere. This shifting cultivation causes soil erosion. And landslide is the consequences of erosion.Business of firewood and charcoalNow, towns are established in our land. Within a couple of decades all trees around the town are destroyed. Town people have no firewood but still town people dwellers use firewood, especially by people who run bakeries, boarding’s, hostels etc. their demands is met by the villagers. Truck loads of firewood are being brought from villages to town and highways for fuel. Therefore, a number of trees are being cut down every day for commercial purposes.Trading of timbersTimber business is also one of the factors of fast deforestation in our land. Now for about a couple of decades, all kinds of forest tree, the green gold of our land have been mercilessly cut down for sale and supply due to human greed and selfish for their fast earnings just like killing the golden hen. Therefore, within few years, precious trees and other valuable medicinal herbs in our land has been tremendously destroyed altogether without considering for the next generation. The big and tall Uningthou was the pride of the people. The good and great houses of the kings were made constructed with uningthou. However, very unfortunately, it is no longer so. Because the uningthou that was once grown thickly have been rapidly disappearing from our forest due to timber business. It is being transported to the towns and cities by the businessman for commercial purposes and it is now seen only in the furniture showrooms and rich men’s houses as furniture. Therefore, today the poor people of Manipur, once the owner of these great trees are now living in bamboo-walled or mud walled houses. As a result the hill people have to go to the saw mill or wood industries to buy again the wood he had sold for the construction of their houses. The homes of the hornbills and swallows, and the shelter of bears and tigers are gradually being destroyed. As a result, the animals and birds are slowly deserting our land and forest to safer places for their survival. On the other hand, while selling the timbers, our ignorant people receive only 20 to 30% of its valued price. We are breaking into our own bank of natural resources along with the outsiders. And our economy is being drained away slowly when we are still in our dormant state without realising the fact of our economic bankruptcy. So today, the beautiful and bountiful forests have vanished and there are only few who had become rich out of this business but many evils have come into the society through this business. With the onset of this timber business in our land, almost all the tribal villages have disputes with one another. These are the negative impacts of the timber business. If we don’t realise or stop committing our senseless act of selfishness and greed, we will be condemned and cursed by our future generation for not leaving their shares of the resources for their survival.Burning jungleOur life is entirely dependent on jungles. We get fuel as well as vegetables from forests. When it is burned our store house is burnt. Millions of medicinal herbs and plants which are the hidden treasures of life saving resources and our future economic hope are destroyed and the soil is irreparably damaged. And many animals and birds are rendered homeless without knowing the consequences of the future. Very unfortunately, our people have the tendency of burning jungles especially during the dry and lean season. We also enjoy watching the wild fire at the pains of other creatures and at the expense of our own loss. Hence, our actions are expediting their extinction from the face of the earth and thereby, our land is left barren. By burning the forest, we are also tarnishing the beautiful of God’s creation. We often recite the Lord’s Prayer… “Give us his day our daily bread.” On the other hand we are destroying the nature from which our daily bread comes forth. God does not send our daily bread directly from heaven, He provides us through the nature.Hunting and fishingThe hill people were not only head hunters but also animal hunters. From time immemorial, the tribals are non-vegetarians. They are very fond of meat eating. Hunting is something like a sport for the tribals. In ancient days, the hunter who brings more animal heads home were honoured and placed in a higher social status. Therefore, most of the hill people were hunters, thereby, which brought about a mass slaughter of the innocent birds and animals. Till today, a group of hunters would go out with guns and spears along with their dogs, howling and shouting, chasing the animals towards the spot where the expert hunters ambush for the prey. By this cannibalistic culture of mass hunting, many animals had been killed and are being chased away from our natural zoological park to a safer habitat elsewhere. This is an act of barbarism and violence against nature. It is strange enough that, instead of admiring and enjoying the beautiful sight of enchanting and chirping birds and leaping animals, the ignorant people would rather attack these beautiful creations of God with stones and weapons as if they are their enemies. This evil attitude against the fauna should be stopped. If this destructive trend of hunting habit continues in our land, the animals like bears, deer, leopard, tiger, wild-boar, reindeer, stag, monkey, pangolin, wild-goat, wild cat, etc. and the beautiful birds will be gradually terminated from our land. The rare orchids and the precious medicinal plant known as white wild ginger is also being exported extensively to other neighbouring countries like Myanmar, China, Thailand, etc. by the traders.My childhood experience:When I was a young boy, I used to see flocks of beautiful hornbills flying over our village when the winter is approaching. I was so thrilled and my joy knew no bounds when I hear enrapturing chirping of the birds and the chattering monkeys near the brook below my kitchen garden. But today, it saddens me to realise that all these lovely creatures have gone out of sight. Who is to be blamed? It is an irony that a place like Manipur once rich in flora and fauna remains a barren land today. Where have all our friends gone? What will be the answers for the questions put to us by the future generations? The legendary birds and animals like will be seen only in the picture books and zoo. Some preventive measures:(1) The church should set up eco care committee in order to check the destruction. (2) The church should create an awareness an eco friendly by way of organising seminars and workshops.(3) The church authority should formulate rules and regulations of hunting and fishing by cooperating with the local authorities. Hunting and fishing during breeding season should be strictly prohibited to restore eco balance.(4) The church should spread the message of preserving and planting more trees and strictly ban felling of trees.(5) The church should encourage to plant cash crops instead of planting cannabis (ganja), poppies, etc. which is unlawful and against the teaching of the Bible.Human beings cannot live alone. God created nature for a specific purpose for eco-balance and co-existence. We are indispensible to one another. Destruction of nature is destruction of self. We understand salvation only in terms of a soul being saved from sin. But if we study the bible carefully, salvation is inclusive of the whole creation. We are living in a crucial age of time when the whole creation is groaning (Romans 8:22). The fish has no place to swim freely, the cattle has no place to graze peacefully; the flower cannot open its bud due to environmental pollution. And humans have no fresh air to breathe. Eventually, there will be no place for mankind to live on this planet. Hence, ecological balance is not only environmental or theological concern but it has become a universal concern of every citizen as we live in a global village. Human life depends on the mother earth; if she is destroyed then mankind will also perish. Therefore, let us arise and restore our resources and take pledge to protect and preserve our land from further destruction less we regret tomorrow. Then only, we can realise the peace and joy of the kingdom of God here on earth.

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