Month: June 2014

By Pradip Phanjoubam

Ruins of cities and civilizations have always been material for the poetically minded to take romantic journeys into the past, and explore the supposed glories these stony remains once represented. From P.B. Shelley’s “Ozymandias” in 1817 to William Dalrymple’s “The Last Mughal” in 2006, the inspirations were ruins from the past – Egypt for Shelley and Delhi for Dalrymple. Many works in this genre are stories well researched and told, evoking nostalgia of worlds that once flourished, but which could not withstand the relentless onslaught of the sands of time. The mystic attraction and value accorded to ruins may also have to do with the grim reminder they serve us of the frailty of the human condition – of the transient nature of life which ensures nothing is forever, not the mightiest of civilizations or the most powerful of rulers. Everybody’s time is limited, everything one day will have to come to an end.

But increasingly, other than the fertile imaginations of poets and the desire of historians and political scientists to look for continuity of the march of civilizations, seeing these ruins not just as evidences of life’s finite nature, and striving to discover in them a cyclic continuity of history, anthropologists are now stepping in to look for something else. What made some civilizations fall, and what made others last. Jared Diamond’s “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive”, is one of these. The well known anthropologist, is also the author of the international best seller “Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies,” which takes a look at what made it possible for Europeans to conquer and dominate the world.

It is quite by co-incidence that I picked up this book (Collapse…) at a time Manipur is facing an alarming draught situation, and I would say an uneasy peep into why the place is not immune to possible human disasters in the future. Rainfall delayed by a month is virtually sending panic waves, imagine what it would be like if there were to be a radical shift in world climate, rainfall patterns were to change permanently to make similar draught situations into a routine condition. It is also quite by co-incidence that the World Environment Day arrived amidst this fear of rainfall delay and shortage, and the predictable consequences of crop failures and famine.

No intent to review Diamond’s book here, but some salient points from it will serve the purpose of this column which will look into where Manipur seems to be heading. Jared studies ruins to try and ascertain why they at all became ruins, after all, all evidences point that they were once thriving human habitations with thriving trade and commerce, arts and cultures, games and sports… Why were they abandoned and left to be reclaimed by nature? Not just ruins, but he also takes a look at societies which may not have lived in grand cities but certainly prospered and multiplied in population. Among these were certain Pacific Islands which were for a long time thought never to have been inhabited, but now new evidences confirmed were indeed very much thickly populated once. How did their populations disappear?

To cut the story short then, Diamond conjures up a convincing picture that much more than wars, civilizations fall because of changed climatic conditions. Some of these changes are external, coming about as meta-narratives of the larger universe and creation, such as the cycle of ice ages, and therefore outside the control of any given society. But what is interesting, and relevant, is that the fall of these past civilizations and societies had more to do with their self destructive characters. In almost all cases, unsustainable behaviours of these societies doomed them. Deforestation, loss of soil fertility, ground water depletion, river course shifts, over hunting and fishing, population growth outpacing food production… and by so many other ways of abusing the environment.

For instance, one of the reasons he gives for the ultimate annihilation of the population of Easter Island and the chain of other islands in its vicinity which were interdependent on each other is extremely fascinating. Excessive deforestation for various reasons, including reclaiming land for agriculture, ultimately left these islands with no worthwhile timbre to construct canoes, leaving these sea faring people stranded. Trade and barter dwindled between them, fishing became limited, wild life disappeared, ground water level sank, a perpetual and progressively worsening food shortage resulted, leading ultimately to disaster. Cannibalism made its appearance too, of which Diamond classifies two types. Distress cannibalism induced by desperation or bitter enmities, and non-distress cannibalism, where cannibalism has evolved as an accepted custom, whereby these societies eat their naturally deceased relatives and kin.

Diamond cautions not to be too hasty in making value judgments as so many Westerners have in the past. Some Polynesians he has known intimately confided they were equally appalled by the Western tradition of burying their dead. One of his research assistants, he said left the job as he had to go to another island to eat a prospective son-in-law who died in an accident. Non-distress cannibalism for these societies had become just a way of disposing their dead gainfully, and to them, as honorably as any other societies dispose of their dead. These societies were far from the marauding savages Western ethnographers have portrayed them to be, he says.

The cannibalism bit was a digression. To return to the original narrative then, it is common knowledge that the evolution of food production technology and the birth of civilization are vitally linked. Societies which have learned to domesticate animals, and have also managed to domesticate herbs and weeds to give them staple food grains, have always been where civilizations took roots. Just as cattle, sheep, horses were once wild, so were rice, wheat, corn, once wild weeds.

The obvious conclusion is also that since food surplus and civilization are so important to each other, the loss of food production capacity would jeopardize civilizations and threaten the existence of societies. In today’s interrelated democratic world, where trade relations is a given, things would be a lot different, but still, imagine what would happen if there were to be crop failure in Manipur because of poor or no monsoon for three consecutive years. Half of the population would have migrated out of the state or else perished. Imagine further that the soil in the hills have depleted because of erosion and in the valley have become infertile because of chemical contamination. What results would be nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Let us remind ourselves, these are scenarios not altogether remote anymore. Deforestation in the hills is causing soil and wildlife depletion. In the valley, since everything is drained into it and little is drained out of it, every single plastic bag, every grain of chemical fertilizer, every drop of pesticide, will remain as residue in its water bodies and soil, perhaps forever. If we are not careful, soil salinity and toxicity could climb beyond natural tolerance level.

Just to recall the place’s riverine geography, all or most rivers in the state, except notably the Barak, drains into the Loktak Lake. Only one river, Ithai River, flows out of the Loktak to become a tributary of the Chindwin River system in Myanmar. Now a barrage has been built over the Ithai River to block and maintain the Loktak water level constant so that its water can be diverted through artificial canals and tunnels to the Leimatak River, which would ultimately join the Barak River system.

In other words, just as the hills can become devoid of top soil, the soil in the valley can become contaminated easily. Let us therefore not take the eco-system of the region too much for granted. It is fragile and its fragility can cost us extremely dear if we are not careful. We cannot stop the larger climate change alone. That has to be tackled at a global level. But if we are far sighted enough, we can save our immediate environment and the civilization which it has nurtured from possible disasters.

Let us then act responsibly. Let us take the calls for leaving as little carbon footprints as possible very seriously. If there have to be some sacrifices and extra personal labour to be put in to have this come into effect, let us not hesitate to do so. Such sacrifices collectively would be towards promoting the enlightened self interest of our society as a whole, and indeed every individual in the society. Small sacrifices like refraining from using plastic bags, or at least disposing them properly, making our offices paperless to the extent possible (now in this computer age this is no longer impossible)… will all add up to make big achievements possible. In more eco-responsible societies, people even consciously avoid asking for paper printouts of balances at ATM machines. That ATM machines are programmed to prompt you of this each time you make a withdrawal, is evidence of this consciousness.

On such matters, sights in Manipur are not very encouraging. A look at the Nambul River at the Bazaar stretch will confirm this. The river has virtually become a filthy, plastic clogged drain. People litter everywhere without a thought, as if all the streets of Imphal is their natural garbage dump.

In Diamond’s fascinating book, the pattern he notices of civilizations which failed or survived in the past, apart from all others, is that their failure or survival are directly reciprocal to their citizenry’s show respect and responsibility towards their living environment. Those who lived for the immediate fared worse than those who had visions of the future. Consequently, societies with written histories fared better too, for they remembered their past better, their good times as well as disasters, putting them at a better stead to learn from past mistakes.

We are fortunate that we live in a literate world today. We have collective memories much better preserved than in the pre-literate days, in vast disciplines of knowledge pursuits. Our pasts live and recreate themselves perpetually in our literatures, cinemas, theatres, books, digital world of computers and internet. We have inherited far more insights into our pasts and possible futures thanks to dedicated and innovative scholarship on them though the generations. But all these will not matter at all if our society remains selfish and irresponsible to what we all know is the greater common good.

It is therefore essential for us all to once in a while sit back and do honest reality checks. Do we, as individuals and as a society, live for the immediate or also earnestly try to moderate our present lifestyles with what we as literates think the consequence of these lifestyles would be to the ultimate welfare and longevity of our society. At the moment, where practically everybody, even ministers and bureaucrats are essentially contractors and contract brokers, eager for easy money through organised robbery of the common coffer, signs definitely are not very encouraging.

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/eco-responsibility-is-a-question-of-collective-survival/

By Tinky Ningombam

Do you dread family get-togethers? Pardon my French, but if the answer is hell-yeah, believe me, you are not the only one.

It is true when they say that our friends are better than family, because we can pick our friends. Family? Not an option. You get what you get. The quirky ones and the crazies. No escaping that.

I remember with dread those golden moments when all our extended family gather for our family feasts. How can we escape those feasts? It’s always a tricky situation. They bribe and tempt you with good food. And every time you keep falling into that trap. And slowly and steadily, while waiting for the food to be served, you end up surrounded by the dysfunctional members of your family and then it strikes you. The forgotten resolve. The innumerable times when you had sworn to avoid the get-together the next year.

But I must admit, it was harder when I was a teenager, when inappropriate questions used to embarrass me. Who better than family to ask inappropriate and embarrassing questions? But come on, who are we kidding? When you are with your family apparently there are no inappropriate questions. And no matter what crazy questions come up, they expect an answer.

“Do you still pee in your bed, Jamie?”

“No, ma’am, I am 16 now”

“Oh, but you used to do that till you were 12, I still remember changing your diapers”

Well, nothing better than to make an interesting conversation. And reminding people of funny moments have been the favourite past-times. “Remember the time when you fell and then your pants tore, ha ha, that was hilarious!” Imagine if you decide to bring your friends along? Social suicide.

I think there is a direct correlation between your family’s capacity to embarrass you in front of people and how older you become. As in, it goes on increasing. Just last year, I went to a feast and one of my aunts by relation, I think it was an aunt, (Gosh, there are way too many of them!) told me that I gained so much weight since the last she saw me and hinted not very subtly that I looked like a plumped up cow. I obviously didn’t know how to react. Was I supposed to apologize for gaining weight? To her? Someone who I hardly knew. I didn’t even know her name! It seemed a pretty weird observation from someone who had not seen me since I was born. Well I definitely don’t remember meeting her anywhere else, except maybe the pre-historic museum. And surprisingly, the rest of the dozen women gathered around us seemed to agree to her presumably wise comment. Hence followed a long winded discussion on how I need to lose weight before I balloon up and die.

Hence one of the many reasons for my obvious hatred for social niceties amongst my crazy family and back to my futile rant – questioning why older folks in the family take all the liberty to say things to younger ones just because they are older. Social etiquette goes out of the window. So since we are family, for some, they can say anything they want. There is no greater pain than to try and play nice when all you have to deal with are dysfunctional family members who seem to give you all the reasons for you to hate your life.

Familiar scenes repeats itself in such gatherings. The drunk uncle gaffing with stories of how much money he has, the great grand moms who talk of how this generation is a lost cause, the gossiping aunts who squirm when they see our blond hair streaks and tattoos, the groups of women who complain about the other groups, the young mothers who keep on asking you when you will be hitched, the kids who giggle amongst themselves and probably make fun of your dress. And everyone just seems to be fighting for attention, to show the others how good they are. No-one wants to listen, everyone has to tell their great story.

It is in times like these when you hunt for the ones who at least relate to you in a saner way. Your gang. Your support group till the rest of the afternoon. This is where you camouflage yourself and hide before someone catches you to ask more questions, because you are the girl who has come after a long time. You are the new bait. They are bored of harassing the others, they are old news. You are the new fish to fry.

There will perhaps never be a time when you can find everyone in my family agreeing to one thing at a time. Everyone is from a different generation, different histories, different occupations, different struggles, different mindset and religious and political inclinations. But maybe the only thing that I can hope for, at least from my family, is that when worse comes to worse, you can find help from them even if they don’t agree with you. As far as get-togethers are concerned, there is no right answer to how to handle them. Just pray that you are not the bait the next time, maybe pass it on to someone else.

(“I love family reunions. Maybe next year we could pass out samurai swords. – Doug Solter”)

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/we-are-family/

By Chitra Ahanthem

One basic requirement for the sustenance of living organisms is food. The food habits of plants and animals depend on the environment but for humans, as social animals living along with others in communities and societies, our food habits are determined by a host of factors that include weather, terrain, religious factors etc. In South East Asian countries for example, insects are considered a delicacy though the West and Europe are yet to wake up to the ‘gastronomic delight’ of insects. In India, the main food preference is on cereals, pulses and milk and milk products with meat down in the list of priority food. The irony of a nation starving on one hand while having a sizeable cattle population on the other, is often cited by westerners who cannot seem to work out why a nation that is starving is not taking to cow meat, a good source of nutrition. Of course, religious sentiments will not allow a majority of the citizens of this country to eat cattle but starve to malnutrition and sometimes, even death. People in Ladakh whose core belief is non violence and who also practice Buddhism still eat meat for the simple reason that meat helps to increase the body temperature. Interestingly enough, the conflict between the basic need for food and the necessity of keeping the body warm with eating meat is resolved by having animals slaughtered by other communities. Coming to the north-east region, many people from outside the region frown on people who eat animals and rodents. What is not realized is that the people who do eat animals out of the usual fare of chicken, pork, beef and mutton are often from hilly terrain where agricultural crops are scarce and food resources low but where people not only need to eat food to stay alive but to eat meat to keep themselves warm.

Food habits also change with time and when boundaries open up which leads people to get exposed to other food habits and food components. This is true everywhere. In Manipur too, the earlier traditional food preparation processes of cooking without oil and spices have changed into a more pan Indian style of cooking and remains very much influenced and fused with the Bengali style of cooking which is not strange given the import of Hindusim from Bengal. Earlier generations of Hindus in the state brought up with strict codes of ‘pure’ and impure’ stayed away from eating meat even as fish remained the main focus of food in the valley. Those wondering why people who consider themselves Hindus have no qualms of eating fish would do well to realize that fish could not be done away from the food plate of Manipuris and specially those in the valley because it supplements for protein intake as milk is not favored by the people of the region due to their lacto intolerance levels. But the ‘fish only’ as meat contained food amongst people in the valley has over the years changed to meat only and the array of meat centers in every nook and corner of Imphal and beyond is proof of just how many people are taking to meat with a vengeance.

Food can at times be a comfort factor, which is why each one of us believes that the food that our mothers cook for us is the best. When someone grows up eating a particular food item in a certain way of cooking, taste and look, it takes some ‘getting used to’ when it comes to trying out new things that one has never eaten. Vegetarian parents often cut off meat in the diets of their own children who in turn will take a lot of effort (in a manner of speaking) to try out meat. But being used to certain food styles and limiting one’s sense of adventure to the tried and tested would mean never knowing the pleasure of discovering how other people eat. In fact, there is a standing joke amongst our people that till we eat rice, our stomachs are not really full no matter how much chapatti or rotis one has. Contrast this attitude to how culinary trends and food habits are changing around us with the concept of fusion food where different cooking methods and products mold into a new look and taste.

I grew up in a joint family that was staunchly orthodox when it came to food as my grand father was (and continues to be) a strict Hindu. My father told me of a time when he wanted to eat an omelet and my grand father asked him to make one on a broken piece of an earthen pot outside the gate and then take a bath after eating it. That was not all for my father had to change into another set of clothes, ‘purify’ himself with sacred water and then enter the house. It looks rather melodramatic in today’s world where even small children go ‘chicken’ when asked what their favorite dish is but that is how it was and how it is now.

End-point:

While traveling out of the state, I do make it a point to always try the local cuisine. Thanks to a keen knack to try out uncharted territory in terms of food, I have tried my hand at various food items though I do draw the line at sampling dog or cat meat and insects. But my mother says that the best laphu eromba we had in the family that I once pointed out to her actually contained ‘naoshek’ (commonly called water bug I am told, also scientifically known as lethocerus indicus). And there goes the food story: where we eat without any fuss if we are are unaware what is on our plate, for our palate does not really mind!

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/food-for-thought-and-the-soul/

By M.C. Linthoingambee

Marriage is not simply a walk down the road but a union of two hearts as one, and a bigger gain for two families deciding to abide as one. Where does it begin? For some, it may well begin with love acting as a magical spell that binds them to marriage while many enters into matrimony through arranged matches. In both scenarios, there are situations where the union of the two people involved gets fragmented beyond repair leading to friction, conflict, separation or divorce. I was at a wedding last night and trust me, it takes a task force to make a wedding happen without a glitch. Marriages in India are considered far more sacred than in any other places because of its large religious affiliation. Amongst the Hindus, the seven satpadi steps of the marriage ritual is like an existing law that binds a man and a woman to take on their lives together for as long as they live once they get married. There is no room for mistakes sometimes with more orthodox families believing that a woman returning home after marriage is an evil omen bringing ill forces upon the family.

Although all fairy tales muster for a happy ending after being married, most stories in the real world fail to live on to become fairy tales. The legal age for marriage in India for a male is 21 and that of a female is 18 years along with their consent. But as always, there are various ways in which this legal bar is breached that exists with marriages, child marriage being one of them. Child marriage is one of the non-tackled selfish take of the pressure of society. Some poor parents believe getting of their kids married at a young age which save them from a bigger expense is better than getting them married when they are adults. UNICEF defines child marriage as a formal marriage or union before 18 years of age. UN Women defines child marriage as a forced marriage before 18 years of age because it believes that children under age 18 are incapable of giving their consent. Even though these marriages do happen, one cannot hopefully judge that all parties were at consent in such holy matrimony. According to the UNICEF, 47% of girls are married by the age of 18 and 18% are married off by the age of 15. These practices happen in all places but India has its heavily piled up toll to prove that its statistics on child marriage is no lesser than other parts of the world. Who believes that law exist when it comes in these area? Who requires consent?

Indian Law has made child marriage illegal but even so, it still continues to persists in its actions in various regions across the nation. Records prove and shows its highest rates in the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It causes variant affects on both boys and girls but girls are more vulnerable to such a result although numbers are beginning to decline in the recent years. Such rules of marrying young had first been traced to the times of monarch marrying young to carry on their royal lineage and their bloodlines. But today, the situation is totally different from that time and beliefs and practices which means, it is time we changed our thinking. Today there are many victims of sexual and gender abuse as a result of our general social mistakes. It only takes one step at a time to make things happen. The world that existed before us was different much not like it is today.

On given records and findings as per reliable sources, Friedman claims, “arranging and contracting the marriage of a young girl were the undisputed prerogatives of her father in ancient Israel.” Most girls were married before the age of 15, often at the start of their puberty. Most religions, over history, influenced the marriageable age. For example, Christian ecclesiastical law forbade marriage of a girl before the age of puberty. Hindu vedic scriptures mandated the age of a girl’s marriage to be adulthood which they defined as three years after the onset of puberty. Jewish scholars and rabbis strongly discouraged marriages before the onset of puberty. In contrast, some Islamic marriage practices have permitted marriage of girls below the age of 10, because Sharia law is based in part on the life and practices of Muhammad, the Prophet, as described in part in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The Prophet married Aisha, his third wife, and consummated the marriage before she reached the age of 10. Narrated ‘Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death). —Sahih al-Bukhari, 7:62:64. Some Islamic scholars have suggested that it is not the chronological age that matters; marriageable age under Muslim religious law is the age when the guardians of the girl feel she has reached sexual maturity. Such determination of sexual maturity is a matter of subjective judgment, and there is a strong belief among most Muslims and scholars, based on Sharia, that marrying a girl less than 13 years old is an acceptable practice for Muslims

If customs and religions still make do of what is an unnatural act shouldn’t we break down the barrier earlier before it takes roots? It is a tough and malicious ruling to go against what has already been existing but it should be left up to the people to decide what is really good for them and if it a child who cannot makes its own decisions, we should learn to wait.

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/for-better-or-for-worse/

By Soibam Haripriya

The 6th of June this year is being remembered as the 30th year of Operation Blue Star. Operation Blue Star understandably is an open wound as it is, in most minds associated with the 1984 pogrom against the Sikhs especially in Delhi though in other parts of the country too. As most persecutions against a group or community of people (usually the minorities) in this country it happened with the active participation of the elected representatives of the people and the state police. Political parties use the 1984 as well as the Gujarat pogrom as scoring point against each other with the least intention to bring justice to either. This year general election too saw a repeat of this both by the Congress and the BJP.

The memorial gurdwara – Gurdwara Yaadgaar Shaheedan inside the Golden Temple premises commemorates the sacrifice of ‘martyrs’ of Operation Blue Star. It was built by the Damdami Takshal. The building of the monument inaugurated last year is still a contentious issue. The clash between the two groups –The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) inside the Golden Temple on the morning of 6th of June, 2014 is an illustration of the persistence of the continued appropriation of events and their memory. The recent controversy around the memorial gurdwara also points to the question of whether the event is remembered or the ‘martyr’. This question becomes pertinent while addressing the discussion around Khongjom day also. The discussion on whether or not it should be the 23rd of April or the 25th of April also seemed centred around the question of whether it is the ‘martyr’ – Paona Brajabashi who is to be remembered or the Anglo Manipuri War of 1891. This question will be brought up regardless of the fact that it was the family of the former who first began the commemoration rituals at Khongjom. The controversy regarding the date of observing Khongjom day could be seen recorded in Manipur Gazette as old as October, 1982.

Both the days are, to this date, used to call for a certain ethnic nationalism. In the case of the former, Simranjit Mann’s supporter had raised pro-Khalistani slogans when on a rampage in the process also injuring temple officials at the same time stating that the military operation –Operation Blue Star had disrupted the sanctity of the Golden Temple. Closer home one can analyse the different speeches and press releases that comes out after the Khongjom Day commemoration wherein the Governor, the Chief Minister as well as various groups come out with statements that attempts to give a certain meaning to the event. Here, state representatives take the opportunity to remind people of the sacrifices made for the nation implying an Indian nation, when the statements from the non-state groups states very much the same, however implying another nation, perhaps an ethnic nation.

This day marked out as a day of commemoration does not designate the day as that of defeat but rather sets forth to celebrate the ‘spirit’, ‘courage’, ‘valour’ of fighting for a sovereign which also necessitates that no one talks of the oppressive nature of the then reigning king. However non state groups and other organisations have been year after year using this day as an opportunity to point to the oppressive nature of the present sovereign (state) comparing the British Imperialist to the Indian nation state and to mobilise and fight with the same ‘spirit’, ‘courage’, ‘valour’, at the same time glorifying the reign of the king and falling back on historical nostalgia. Thus memorials serve as a spatial and verbal part of the commemorative landscape.

We think of forgetting as a gradual process, as an inevitability and the marking of a day of remembrance could be seen as fighting against the overwhelming forces of living that conspires to make us forget events. However there are no true events in the past waiting to be unearthed, we enter the past (event) through the present and therefore the past is always reconstructed through the prism of the present.

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/the-persistence-of-memory/

By Dr Khushboo Shah Sawant

Pregnancy not only brings along with it a time to rejoice and feel good but also heralds the beginning of a phase to maintain a healthy and safe lifestyle in order to ensure the best for the unborn baby as well as for the mother to be. It is essentially very important to go for pre-natal check ups. These visits are to ensure normal development of the baby as well as the overall health of the mother. The mother must get all the necessary blood and urine tests as advised by the doctor for HIV, haemoglobin, blood sugar levels, thyroid function and any other condition that is necessary to check for. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is very important with the onset of pregnancy with the mothers needing to increase their daily calorie intake by about 250-300 calories. The daily calorie intake should come from healthy foods like meats, fruits, dried fruits, vegetables and milk rather than by junk food like fried snacks, biscuits etc which would only add weight but mean of little or no health benefits. Including plenty of fibres and fluids to the daily diet is also very beneficial.

Would-be-moms are encouraged to take prenatal vitamins as they provide all the essential nutrients that mothers might not have in their regular diets. Prenatal vitamins are specially formulated multivitamins that make up for any nutritional deficiencies in the mother’s diet. Nutrients such as folic acid, iron and calcium which are very essential may be included in more concentrated amounts as women who are pregnant require increased amounts of the nutrients.

The recommendations of vitamin intake for pregnant women are:

Folic Acid: is one of the most important vitamins to take before and during pregnancy. Not only is it important for normal DNA formation and growth of the baby, but can reduce the risk of having a baby with a serious birth defect of the brain and spinal cord, called as Spina Bifida. Rich sources of folic acid are Green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, citrus fruits like oranges, papayas, grapes etc. Calcium is needed to maintain strong and healthy bones. It is important to have calcium for the expectant mothers to maintain her bone density especially since she is carrying extra weight during the second and third trimesters. Moreover, calcium is integral to the development of the fetus’ healthy tissues and bones. Milk, cheese, butter, yoghurt and eggs are rich sources of calcium.

Vitamin A, which is the healthiest form of Vitamin which helps fight infections and supports the healthy development of the eyes. It is found in Papaya, carrots, pumpkin, mangoes etc. Iron is also essential for the formation of red blood cells and healthy foetal development and is found in Green leafy vegetables, liver (pork, chicken), nuts, beef etc.

Vitamin C on its part helps absorb iron and is vital to tissue and cellular growth. Vitamin C also plays an important role in fighting infection, tissue repair, and healing. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, guavas, peas and papaya are good sources for Vitamin C while Vitamin B6 and B12 helps tissue and skin development, supports brain function, prevents anemia and supports normal function of enzymes systems. Rich sources are: sunflower seeds, fish, chicken, pork etc.

Vitamin D: Supports development of healthy teeth and bones. Exposure to early morning sunlight and eating nuts aids in Vitamin D intake.

Another important dietary factor to be taken into consideration is Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help promote the baby’s healthy fetal development and increase pregnancy wellness. It has been shown to support the development of a baby’s brain s, eyes and heart, enhance infant cognitive function nad attention span while decreasing odds of premature delivery. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in Fish, fish liver, walnuts etc. Apart from the medication advised by the doctor, a pregnant woman must avoid any other medications as far as possible. However, if the need is pressing then it is important to consult a doctor before taking any medication, as there are many drugs which when passed from the mother to the child, often harm the baby. Alcohol consumption is best avoided, by women during pregnancy and if possible, total abstinence is the best as alcohol intake increases the chances of miscarriages, low birth weight, future learning and speech problems in the child.

Similarly consumption tobacco even in the form of cigarettes or gutkha etc. has harmful effects such as premature delivery, small baby or even still birth i.e. giving birth to a dead baby. In terms of physical activity, moderate form of exercise is permissible, but strenuous exercises, lifting of heavy weight, bending excessively etc must be avoided at all times. Healthy weight gain during pregnancy can be anything around 8-15 kgs. However it may vary from person to person and dieting or any form to weight adjustment is strictly prohibited. Mental well being is another very important aspect of pregnancy, especially for the well being of the child. Expecting mothers must try to be positive and do things that give them peace of mind. Activities like reading a good book, going for a walk, etc should be promoted. Pregnancy should be a journey of physical and mental well being, keeping in mind what is the best for the mother as well as for the child.

(to be contd…)

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/towards-a-healthy-pregnancy/

By Lt. Col. Laishram Lokendra Singh (Retd)

Speaking at the “International Conference on Ethnicity” held at Manipur University on May 8, 2014 Dr. R.K. Nimai said that the religious difference between the hill and valley dwellers of the State is an important factor that disintegrates the people. Perhaps that is a simplistic view of the existing socio-ethnic problem.

Hindus and Christians through out the world live amicably with each other. Back home in India too they co-exist harmoniously as one integrated Indian society. Hindu and Christian religion per se are not a factor today that disintegrates people.

Nagas and Kukis of Manipur profess same religion as Christians but their ethnic divide is there for all to see. Bone of contention is land, each one claiming a particular region as their traditional ancestral land.

Ethnic divide between Meiteis and hill dwellers of Manipur today is the manifestation of modern day ethnic inequality created by Indian Constitution which is having far reaching ramification in socio-economic and political spheres of one’s existence in Manipur.

There is therefore a collective responsibility of revisiting Indian Constitution wherein it has divided the indigenous people of Manipur into two distinct categories as tribal and nontribal people leaving almost no scope for creation of a cohesive and harmonious society based on ethnic equality.

The Constitution has put Meiteis in the category of nontribal people called Mayang in local parlance. Now hill dwelling tribal people and this Mayang (Meitei) community are to close their eyes on this Constitutional divide and live as one just as R.K. Nimai has asserted in the International Conference ibid that creating division among the people along line of ethnicity would never bring any good and all concerned are to strive to live as one.

Paradox is self evident. You create a legal physical division which is palpable at the ground level and then you exhort people not to go by that division. Why have this division at all?

Tribals view Mayang (that includes Meiteis too) collectively as a shrewd race of people, outsiders out to exploit simple tribals. Basic instinct therefore is to distrust Mayangs (Meiteis) and distance themselves from them and interact only when there is dire necessity.

Meiteis on the other hand assume an air of superiority over the tribals in accordance with the age old Indian socio-cultural system wherein tribals are relegated to the lowest social strata of Indian social hierarchical divide.

With these two diametrically opposite social attitudes, it will be near impossible for the two communities to co-exist in harmony as one people in an environment where democratic politics is overshadowed by ethnic politics. Logical and workable way out is to cancel out ethnic inequality created by Indian Constitution.

One option is for hill dwellers to come out of ST cocoon and join mainstream. This argument will seem farfetched, nevertheless deserves a deeper analysis.

Hill dwellers of Manipur have been Christianized for more than a century. Missionary influence has eroded much of tribal cultural heritage, which was inseparably linked with traditional mythology, beliefs, rituals, and wilted when these were abandoned. The world religion they have converted to do not provide room for practicing tribalism and are now shaping a modern culture different from their erstwhile tribal ways. The days of primitive tribal existence, is now history.

The bare truth is that these hill dwellers are no more the head hunting, semi-starved, semi-clothed, food gathering or axe-cultivating primitive people of a bygone era. They have been subjected to missionary influence and have been exposed to influences of economic and socio-cultural forces of western Christian world. They are more or less tribal only in name.

As is evident everywhere during this transitory phase, a small privileged, property owning, educated section has been emerging; on the other hand, a vast bulk of the tribals are being hurled into the ranks of the lowest toiling, exploited class of people. The vocal, richer, privileged minority will inevitably utilize the benefits bestowed on tribal community as a whole in the form of concessions in their game for power. They will launch programmes and movements in the name of entire tribal community, which in reality serve only their vested interests. Such programmes and movements may also prevent unification of tribal people with Meiteis considered to be non-tribal population.

In the epoch of information technology of computers, internet, mobile phones, satellite TV etc. along with modern education and every corner of the land enmeshed into the wave of a more complex civilized network where they live in modern and even European style, a fresh study of ethnography of the hill dwellers will find it difficult to qualify them as tribes as defined or understood in the discipline of anthropology.

Thus, hill dwellers having become avowed Christians and now standing at the threshold of a modern society based on western culture can therefore become non-tribal just as Meiteis became non-tribal in 1950 on the premise of having converted to Hinduism (partially or otherwise). Million dollar question is, who in his right mind would like to give up this modern day god given privilege which is said to have been enjoyed only by the “R.K. Clan” during the reign of various kings of Manipur.

The other option is that Meiteis who were recorded as major tribe of Manipur in the official records of the Govt. of India prior to the issuance of Scheduled Tribe gazette notification in 1950, revert to being recorded as a tribe as heretofore. This means Manipur would become a tribal State as that of Nagaland, Mizoram or Arunachal Pradesh.

At a point of time in history Meiteis took to Hinduism and became partially Hinduised. Those who are familiar with Hindus of mainland India will easily spot the difference between Hindus of India and partially Hinduised people of Manipur. Meitei Hindu converts have not forsaken their erstwhile religion by whatever name it may be called.

Customary practice of “Khoiri naopham phumba (burial of placenta)” at the birth of a child, “Saroi Khangba (propitiation of evil spirits)”, ancestor worship such as “Yumjao Lairembi, Apokpa Khurumba” etc., spiritualistic culture of “Amaiba/Amaibi (Shaman)”, the list can go on…; is certainly not a part of Hindu religion. Meiteis took Hindu religion as an addition to their erstwhile beliefs rather than as a replacement.

Put simply, Meiteis have adopted certain Hindu beliefs and practise forms of worship akin to Hindu ritual, but largely do not subscribe to Hindu social values, their puritanical precepts of Hindu morality. For eons Meiteis have sustained basic social attitudes which are similar to the most progressive sections of the Indian urban society which in essence is the ethos of the Meiteis, other tribes of North-East and some of those of central India.

There is absence of caste distinctions, the question of caste coming up only at the time of taking of certificate for children education, application of government job or such like requirements. There is equality of sexes; in fact women are in the forefront of social happenings, preference for adult marriage, liberty of divorcees and widows to re-marry, and independence of the nuclear family from control on the part of the joint family.

In fact though Meiteis have come in close contact with Hindus of mainland India for centuries and have been partially Hinduised, but over the years have exhibited the greatest power of resistance to the alien Hindu culture that have been pressed upon them, zealously guarding and retaining till date their distinct culture of ancestor worship, animism and shamanic spirituality.

To be precise, Meiteis till date are a semi-tribe or tribe in transition who are in the process of losing their identity and tribal culture but not yet fully assimilated to the mainstream Indians. In elementary terms it means Meiteis are in the process of becoming Mayang but as yet not fully transformed. Mind you to be a tribal you have to be born a tribal, you can not convert to a tribe like you convert to a religion.

Within the problem of nation building in a plural society, the heart of the matter is to create a congenial environment where Meiteis and hill dwellers of Manipur can live as one integrated society sharing a collective destiny sans the feeling of “us and them”.

You can not undo history; however, you can get Indian Constitution amended so that the indigenous people of this land are not divided into tribal and non-tribal people; and each one respect the other as equal human being of the global village of 21st century.

(Views expressed in the write up are those of the writer)

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/why-the-ethnic-divide-between-meiteis-and-other-tribes-of-manipur/