Another Economic Blockade in Manipur. The Government is A Spectator

Loaded trucks stranded since July 31 in between Senapati Hq and Karong due to the economic blockade called by the SHDDC.

LPG, petrol and diesel have run dry, there is an acute scarcity of oxygen cylinders and life saving drugs. Prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing due to the forced closure of NH-39 that links capital Imphal with Dimapur in Nagaland, reports Ratnadip Choudhury

N Ramandra Singh and his wife Savitri Devi live in the Singimei locality of Imphal. They have two LPG connections and Ramandra owns a Royal Enfield motorcycle and a Tata Indica car. Yet, these days Savitri does her cooking on logs and charcoal, while her husband rides around in his old bicycle. Lest one think this couple is practicing a fuel conservation campaign, they are not. They are battling a blockade.

Manipur is smarting from an economic blockade – the latest from what has now become regular annual fare – that started on 31 July 2011 and another counter blockade from 21 August 2011. LPG, petrol and diesel have run dry, there is an acute scarcity of oxygen cylinders and life saving drugs and prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing due to the forced closure of NH-39 that links capital Imphal with Dimapur in Nagaland.

The bone of contention is the possibility of the creation of a new district – the Special Area Demarcated Autonomous Region (SADAR) hills – carving out three sub-divisions of Kangpokpi, Saikul and Saitu Gamphazol from the district of Senapati. The demand for creation of the SADAR hills district has been a long standing one from the Kuki tribe and is spearheaded by the SADAR Hill Districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC). On the other hand, the Nagas living in the four hill districts of Manipur – Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Chandel and Senapati – are vehemently opposed to the idea as they do not want any bifurcation of Naga inhabited areas in the state.

The apex Naga body in Manipur, the United Naga Council (UNC), is adamant that it will not give an inch of land from the Naga villages for the new district. The blockades have made things worse as the Meitieis living in the Imphal valley begrudge the move and might even retaliate. The last nail in the coffin is the failure of the Okram Ibobi Singh government to handle a political demand of creation of a separate district and an administrative problem of forced closure of the national highway differently. It is instead hoping that this too shall pass.

“The least Ibobi should have done is to open the national highway. In the 10 years that he has been CM, Ibobi has taken the state from the frying pan into the fire. Every time a crisis has come, he has waited for it to die down. This might boomerang on him in the ensuing Assembly polls in the state,” observes Rishikanta Sharma, a retired school teacher.

One can sense trouble right from the moment one takes the NH-39 from Imphal. A five kilometre long queue for fuel meets the eye. No other vehicles on the road, hardly any people. In Gamgiphai, scene of the first blockade, roads are dug up, charred vehicles torched by protesters lie at the sides, huge boulders obstruct the stretches – a virtual battle zone. In just a few years, a series of economic blockades has left Manipur’s economy crippled. More than hard reason, it is a politics of emotions and ethnicity that drives the crisis. “Our demand is very much legitimate. Long ago, the Manipur government had cleared the decision of the creation of a separate SADAR Hills district. We just want its implementation. The current government wants political mileage out of the issue, and we will not step back,” reacts Ngamkhohao Haokip, president of SHDDC. In 1982, the Manipur cabinet first decided that the SADAR hills district would be carved out. In 2000, the W Nipamacha Singh cabinet reaffirmed the 1982 decision of the creation of SADAR hills, but subsequent Congress governments have put it in cold storage.

“My firm stand is that it (SADAR Hills) has to be given with some adjustments in the boundary. It was there during the British rule. SADAR Hills was also there during the commissioner’s rule, with some villages from here and there, which disturbed the compactness of the hills. That can still be rectified. If that compact area can be demarcated for them, they can have it,” says former chief minister and Rajya Sabha MP Rishang Keishing. “There is no question of it going against Nagas because we are from the same state. They are no newcomers.” But the Nagas are unrelenting. “The Naga people need to be consulted. The Manipur government cannot go against the MoU and it seems that Ibobi is trying to divide the hill tribes. He will pay for it in the ensuing Assembly polls. He should not dare the Naga unity, we are not against the Kuki but they have to understand that they are playing into Ibobi’s hands,” reacts a top UNC leader from Senapati on condition of anonymity. The MoU he mentions was signed on 10 November 1992, where the Manipur government had committed to promote basic human rights and to assiduously work to ensure the peaceful co-existence of the tribals, particularly the Nagas staying in Manipur. The Nagas feel that bifurcation of Naga-inhabited areas would be a breach of that agreement.

The Kuki’s hit back. “We are not asking for a separate homeland, we are only asking for a new district for better development of the area. The Nagas and the government should not oppose it,” says 57-year-old Phalneiting Sitlhou from Kangpokpi, the proposed headquarters of SADAR hills district.

The buck clearly stops at Ibobi Singh. A high-level committee has been led by Chief Secretary DS Poonia to look into the SADAR Hills district issue and pass a resolution in the Assembly for the creation of a district boundary commission. The high level committee has been given three months to come up with its report but by then Manipur might go for early polls. All this makes it seem as if the CM is trying to buy time. Although the opposition parties in the state are high on rhetoric, Ibobi is actually enjoying the luxury of having no strong alternative in the state. But, there are 20 tribal seats at stake. “If the economic blockade continues for another month, then the people might lose patience,” warns Pradip Phanjoubam, editor of Imphal Free Press. “The state is yet to fully recover from last year’s 68 days blockade and this could have been avoided. Civil society in Imphal will not remain silent, then it will become even more difficult for the state government.”

Although the creation of a district will not put administrative blocks, what could be a problem is that in Manipur all the revenue districts are in the valley and the non-revenue districts are in the hills. SADAR Hills includes some areas of the valley too. Demarcating land in the hills therefore could mean a stiff resistance from the Meitei farmers residing there. Watchers believe the government can handle this prudently but the larger question remains whether the government has any prudence at all.

Perhaps Manipur needs a separate administrative set up to bring back trust among communities, but for now all eyes on Ibobi if he can get the national highway opened.

With inputs from Sharatchandra Sharma in Imphal and Prakhar Jain in New Delhi

Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka. ratnadip@tehelka.com

Five CMs To Accompany PM to Dhaka

New Delhi, Sep 1 : Signaling the growing importance of Bangladesh to India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take along five chief ministers to Dhaka when he travels there next week for one of his biggest foreign policy moves in the region.

The chief ministers of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram will accompany Singh, an event that is extremely rare in Indian politics. It is intended to signal to Bangladesh that India is ready to press the reset button on ties with its eastern neighbor.

The visit is likely to see India and Bangladesh finally working out a comprehensive boundary agreement.

This would be the logical implementation of the Indira-Mujib agreement of 1974, which could not be implemented since Mujib was assassinated in 1975.

While its no secret that India's ties with the Awami League is much more pleasant, Indian sources said they were going the extra mile to keep the opposition BNP on board.

Bangladeshi opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia will meet Singh, which Indians see as the first step in a continued engagement of all sides of political opinion in Bangladesh.

Does Arunachal Pradesh Really Have The Highest Growth Rate?

Their reason for being at the top of the league table is probably the low base for these states

By Manas Chakravarty

Guess which is the fastest growing state in the country. Is it Gujarat, much tom-tommed for its industry-friendly policies? Could it be Maharashtra, where Mumbai remains, despite recent attempts to reduce it to a parochial village, a throbbing cosmopolitan metropolis, home to the country’s entrepreneurial elite? Or is it one of the southern states such as Tamil Nadu, which has attracted so many industries? Or, wait a bit, could it be once-laggard states such as Bihar, which is now purportedly in the process of catching up rapidly with the rest of the country?

A couple of years ago, economists discovered that economic growth had suddenly taken wing in Bihar. Growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008-09 was an astounding 13%. A few months later, Chhattisgarh became the new champion, as economists found that its growth was the highest in 2009-10.

Alas, no longer. Even these new poster boys of growth have bitten the dust. The data provided by the Central Statistics Office shows that the front-runner among high-growth states in 2009-10 was, hold your breath, Arunachal Pradesh, whose GDP grew by a mind-blowing 22.43%. Eat your heart out, mainstream India, the north-eastern star is rising, despite decades of neglect.

There’s more to the story. In second place was another surprise—Mizoram, with a growth rate of 13.95%. Goa came third in 2009-10, growing its GDP by 13.03%. That’s not all. It now turns out that Bihar was not really the fastest growing state in 2008-09—that honour goes to Mizoram, with a growth rate of 13.91%, while Bihar came second. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, growing by 11.17%, came third.

As a matter of fact, 2005-06 was the last year in which the fastest growing states were the conventional champions. In that year, Gujarat was the most rapidly growing state, followed by Maharashtra. Since then, however, the league tables have gone haywire. In 2006-07, the leader was Chhattisgarh, followed by Bihar. Andaman and Nicobar Islands came third. In 2007-08, the top spot was taken by Jharkhand, which grew by a huge 20.52%. Uttarakhand came second. The top ranks for 2008-09 and 2009-10 have already been given above. Mizoram’s average growth rate between 2007 and 2010 has been 12.9%. The average for Arunachal Pradesh in those three years was 13.98%.

Does this mean that these north-eastern states have now become the new growth hubs? That’s unlikely. Their reason for being at the top of the league table is probably the low base for these states. Could the data be wrong? That too would hardly be surprising, considering that the total of the states’ and Union territories’ GDP does not add up to India’s GDP. In 2008-09, the states’ total was lower than the all-India figure by Rs2.18 trillion (at 2004-05 prices), slightly lower than Karnataka’s GDP. In 2009-10, the all-India was higher than the states’ total by Rs2.24 trillion. In short, there’s a huge discrepancy in the data, about 5% of the country’s total GDP.

Let’s look a bit further. If we take the states’ domestic products at 1999-2000 prices, we find that the picture doesn’t really change and the rankings turn out to be equally odd. For instance, in 2000-01, Nagaland recorded the highest rate of growth among states, with a growth rate of 16.6%. Bihar came second, with a growth rate of 16.04%. In 2000-01, Arunachal Pradesh was numero uno, with a growth rate of 15.7% while Tripura came second, growing by 14.07%. In 2002-03, Chandigarh was first, followed by Bihar. Rajasthan and Jharkhand were the leaders in the following years.

But wait a bit. There’s also a huge difference between the growth rates if we take 1999-00 constant prices and 2004-05 constant prices. Arunachal Pradesh’s growth according to the 1999-00 prices for 2006-07 was 13.75%, for 2007-08 6.36%, for 2008-09 5.87%. At 2004-05 constant prices, the growth for 2006-07 is 4.95%, 12.01% for 2007-08 and 7.51% for 2008-09. Why should GDP at 2004-05 prices be so much lower than GDP at 1999-00 prices for 2006-07 and so much higher in 2007-08?

For Bihar, GDP growth at 1999-00 prices for 2008-09 is 16.59% while it is 13.06% at 2004-05 prices. That is fine, perhaps the 2004-05 series lowers growth? But in 2009-10, the state GDP computed according to the 2004-05 prices is 8.56% while it is much lower, at 4.72% at 1999-00 prices. This is absurd.

A friend of mine, who worked in a nationalized bank, told me a story about how, when he was posted in a village branch, he was once asked to respond immediately to a parliamentary question. The question was about how many Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and other minorities he had given advances to. But the bank records did not mention the religion of the borrower. My friend estimated that the village in which he was posted had about 50% Muslims and the rest Hindus. He accordingly took the total number of borrowers, divided it by two and said that was the number of Muslims financed by his branch. All over the country, bank managers adopted similar methods. The upshot was a completely bogus report on minority financing by banks reached Parliament and there must have been impassioned debates on this absolutely useless piece of information. Given the problems with the GDP, Index of Industrial Production and the state GDP numbers, I suspect most macro information in this country might be collected in the innovative manner my friend adopted.

**Manas Chakravarty looks at trends and issues in the financial markets. Comment at capitalaccount@livemint.com

A Tale Of Two Indian Hunger Strikers

By Rupam Jain Nair

Indian authorities force-feed the "Iron Lady of Manipur", as she has been dubbed, through a plastic drip in her nose (AFP/File)

New Delhi: Two Indian hunger strikers, Anna Hazare and Irom Sharmila, both used the same non-violent weapon -- but one amassed nationwide support in days, the other lies on a hospital bed in obscurity.

Arrested and confined to a medical college ward in the remote, revolt-hit northeastern state of Manipur, Sharmila has been on hunger strike for more than 10 years to protest against a controversial anti-insurgency law.

Indian authorities force-feed the "Iron Lady of Manipur", as she has been dubbed, through a plastic drip in her nose to prevent her death.

While nearly a million people thronged the New Delhi venue where social activist Hazare, 74, staged a 12-day anti-corruption fast this month, Sharmila has never experienced such a massive groundswell of support.

"My sister is the world's longest hunger striker but who cares about her and her cause?" Sharmila's brother Irom Singhajit told AFP from Manipur's capital, Imphal, 1,500 miles (2,415 kilometres) from New Delhi.

"Who cares about a faraway state?" he said.

Sharmila, now 39, a poet, launched her fast in November 2000, demanding repeal of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act following the killing of 10 people by troops in retaliation for a militant attack.

"My sister was not fortunate enough to be able to turn her protest into a popular movement as she was arrested immediately on charges of attempted suicide," said Singhajit.

While nearly a million people thronged the New Delhi venue where Hazare staged a 12-day anti-corruption fast (AFP/File, Sajjad Hussain)

Manipur is home to 2.5 million people and around 30 ethnic insurgent groups.

The government has dismissed appeals from Sharmila and others to end the sweeping emergency powers that human rights groups say give security forces a licence to shoot and arrest with impunity in both the northeast and in revolt-racked Indian Kashmir.

Every two weeks jail officials produce Sharmila in court to renew her judicial custody on charges of trying to kill herself. Her family members must seek court permission to visit her.

In contrast Hazare's fast ended last weekend when the national government conceded in principle to the former army truck driver's demands for tougher anti-corruption legislation.

Hazare wrote to Sharmila while he was staging his hunger strike, urging her to join the New Delhi protest.

But Sharmila wrote from her hospital bed: "I am unlucky because I cannot come to New Delhi. I am not a free Indian."

She backed Hazare's movement against graft, but also said she wished people across India would support the fight for repeal of the emergency law.

It is a forlorn hope, according to political analysts.

"Anna's movement targets corruption, an issue spread throughout the Indian system which bothers every Indian," said Ravi Bahl, a sociology professor at Delhi University.

He said Sharmila would have generated much more support if she and her cause had been based in a major city such as New Delhi. "He had the location advantage," he said of Hazare.

Sharmila's fast has never generated much debate in India's national parliament because of New Delhi's indifference towards distant Manipur, which shares a border with Myanmar, said other analysts.

"The Indian government made Anna Hazare a hero but they treat Irom Sharmila like a criminal," said Ranjan Thapa, a political analyst at the Centre for Eastern Political Research in Kolkata.

"This reflects the discrimination against northeastern states," he said. "Irom Sharmila lives in a fringe state and will never get to centre-stage."

Puritan Pundits Should Chill Out -- Here Are 5 Reasons I'm Happy I've Had Lots of Casual Sex

By Greta Christina

Things don't have to be permanent to be valuable. A fleeting moment can have as much value as a stone monument.

The phenomenon of women who have sex for its own sake seems to baffle many people. It's widely believed that women have sex for love, commitment, poor self-control, to manipulate men, to please men, to make babies, to sooth their low self-esteem, and just about any reason at all other than their own pleasure. (While men, of course, are rutting horndogs who just want to stick it in the nearest wet hole available.) Sex, according to this trope, is by its nature a commodity that women possess and men are trying to obtain... and the phenomenon of women who are "giving it away," who are defying these assumptions and treating sex as a pleasurable interaction between equals, is making the media piss all over themselves.

Mark Regnerus, Slate: "If women were more fully in charge of how their relationships transpired, we'd be seeing, on average, more impressive wooing efforts, longer relationships, fewer premarital sexual partners, shorter cohabitations, and more marrying going on."

Rachel Simmons, relationship advice columnist for Teen Vogue: "These letters worry me. They signify a growing trend in girls' sexual lives where they are giving themselves to guys on guys' terms. They hook up first and ask later. "

Bill O'Reilly: "Many women who get pregnant are blasted out of their minds when they have sex."

Susan Walsh, Hooking Up Smart: "They cannot see that as she [self-proclaimed proud-and-happy slut Jaclyn Friedman] proclaims her detachment from sex, she gets emotionally wounded every single time. They take heart from her proclamation that sluthood is a healing thing. Ms. Friedman is a hot mess. Craiglist Casual Encounters was not a miracle, it was a disaster that broke her heart again. I hope she does find Love, the whole enchilada."

Laura Sessions Stepp, author of Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both... oh, just look at the title.

Then there's the piece that got me staying up until four in the morning writing about this in the first place: Christian author Don Miller, who recently asked his female readers (and his male ones, in a separate post) if they've ever had casual sex, and if so, why. Miller doesn't ask this in a neutral way, a way that expresses a genuine desire for an honest answer. He asks in a way that makes it obvious what he thinks the answer will be -- whatever the reason is, it must be bad, bad, bad. In fact, he's asking in a way that totally slants the answers he's likely to get. He's asking "why some girls give up sex easily" (as if sex for women is always a surrender) and "do you use sex for some kind of social power or to make yourself feel good?"

It's like a push-poll -- a political poll designed to elicit a particular response, so you can shape people's opinions and make your position seem more popular than it really is.

And this push-poll tendency is shared by many of those who ask, "Why on earth would women want casual hookups?" They're not asking, "Why do some women have casual sex?" They're asking, "Why on earth would some women have casual sex, when it's so clearly a bad idea that will do them and other women harm and is obviously not in their best interest?" And they're doing this despite research showing that casual sex isn't, in fact psychologically harmful for young adults. They're basing their questions on the common assumption that women's natural state is to keep their legs closed unless they've got their hands on marriage or commitment... and that women who don't are some sort of baffling phenomenon that needs to be explained.

So I thought I'd try to explain it.

I've had a lot of experience with casual sex. It's been a while, and I'm not particularly interested in it anymore. But for many years, pretty much all the sex I had fell somewhere on the "casual" spectrum. Personal ad hookups; occasional sex with friends; sex clubs and sex parties; ongoing sexual friendships... that's what my sex life looked like for a long time.

And needless to say -- but I'm going to say it anyway -- a lot of this casual sex was a good idea. A wonderful idea, in fact. A lot of it was done for excellent, healthy reasons. And the effect it's had on my sex life and my love life has been overwhelmingly positive.

You want to know why I had it? Here's why.

1: Fun. This is first and foremost. In fact, all the other answers I'm about to give ultimately boil down to this one: Sex is fun. Sex feels good. Sex is its own justification. And that was every bit as true when I was single as when I've been coupled. I had sex for the same reason billions of other people have sex: Pleasure. Period.

We evolved to enjoy sex. We are descended from thousands of generations of ancestors who really, really liked to fuck. Asking why people have sex casually is like asking why people eat food casually. Eating feels good. Food is fun. It's often more fun when it's meaningful and done with people we love. But that's not always an option, and it can still be pretty darned fun when it's grabbed on the fly with acquaintances and strangers. We evolved to want to eat food. And we evolved to want to have sex. Like, duh.

2: Experimentation. When I was having casual sex with a lot of different people, I was also having lots of different kinds of sex. There are lots of reasons for that: some obvious, some not so obvious. The most obvious one is that my partners liked different things, so I tried the things they liked, to see if I might like them too. Plus, at the time, I felt more comfortable asking for and trying some of my freakier desires with fuckbuddies and casual hookups than I had with long-term romantic partners. I do wish that hadn't been true -- I wish I'd been less shy about experimenting with my LTR partners in my younger days -- but the whole stupid virgin/whore thing can get pretty deeply embedded, and it took many years of screwing around to get it (mostly) hacked out of my brain.

And that experimenting was awesome. I figured out an immense amount about my sexuality during my casual sex years. I learned a huge amount about which of my fantasies were really things I liked, and which were things I just liked thinking about. I figured out that yes, I really was a dyke, and yes, I really was kinky. And I discovered things about my sexuality that I never would have imagined if I hadn't tried them. My sex life is about a billion times more satisfying now that I know what I do and don't like in bed... and now that I have the courage to ask for it. Like, duh.

I haven't stopped learning and experimenting now that I'm married. And plenty of people do plenty of experimenting with just one partner, and do it entirely happily. But that's not how it played out for me. And when I think about who I was in my twenties, I'm not sure it could have played out that way for me. When I think about who I was in my 20s, I think casual sex with a large-ish number of people was the only way I was going to get those experiments under my belt. As it were.

3: Pleasure without unwanted commitment. As you may have figured out from this piece, I was single for a long time. After my divorce and before I fell in love with Ingrid, I was single for 12 years. And they were good years. Most of them, anyway. Staying single for so long was a conscious decision, and it was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. After my divorce, I was pretty confused, with some seriously messed-up ideas about love and relationships, and I had a strong tendency to be attracted to needy, fucked-up drug addicts. Staying single for 12 years gave me a chance to get my head screwed on straight; to re-train myself to be attracted to people who had their act together; to wait for the right partner instead of jumping into commitment with whoever was available; to learn that I could be happy and fulfilled on my own. In fact, my relationship and marriage with Ingrid wouldn't be nearly as strong if I hadn't been single -- and happily single -- for so long.

But if I'd tried to be celibate during all those years, I would have gone bananas. I never would have stuck it out.

Not everyone wants to be in a relationship. Not everyone should be in a relationship. Some people are better off single: temporarily, or indefinitely. I was one of them, for over a decade. And casual sex let me stay single... while still having the pleasure and confidence and connection and other yummy things that sex provides.

4: Independence and confidence. Catting around made me feel like a million bucks. And not just in the obvious way. It made me feel powerful, self-reliant, curious and playful, free and fun. It taught me the value of adventure. It taught me that awesome surprises can be around any corner if I'm open to them. It taught me that even crummy experiences can make for a really great story. It taught me strength and self-confidence. It taught me that saying "No" didn't make me a selfish jerk. It taught me that being told "No" didn't make me a pathetic loser.

I still feel that way. I haven't forgotten those lessons. And I am deeply grateful for everything in my life that got me there. Including casual sex. Casual sex wasn't the only thing that helped me feel powerful and self-reliant, adventurous and playful, independent and confident... but it was one of the things, one of the most crucial things, and I am profoundly thankful for it.

5: Intimacy and connection. Casual doesn't necessarily mean impersonal. A lot of the casual sex I had was fairly nonchalant. But a lot of it wasn't. A lot of it was very intimate indeed. It came out of a moment of feeling connected with another human being, and wanting to expand that connection. I didn't want romance or marriage with these people. But I cared about them, and I felt close with them, and I wanted to experience that closeness in a sexual way.

Some of those people started out as casual hookups, and became good friends over weeks and months. Some of them started out as friends, and the sex -- whether it happened semi-regularly or was just one many-splendored night -- deepened those friendships, and gave them a little extra sparkle and tingle. But they all have one thing in common... which is that I still feel affection towards them, and still have fond memories of the sex we had, and don't regret it for a minute.

I realize that this is a very atheist/ humanist philosophy of life, and one that a Christian writer like Don Miller is unlikely to respond to. But things don't have to be permanent to be valuable. A fleeting moment can have as much value as a stone monument. And that includes moments of sexual intimacy and connection

It Gets Better

I realize that I'm only one person, telling one person's story. And I realize that the plural of anecdote is not data. My experiences are largely supported by the data, but they aren't universal. I had a lot of things going for me that loaded the "casual sex" dice in my favor -- among other things, I was mostly having all this casual sex with other women, so the gender imbalances and weird sexual/ romantic power dynamics between women and men were a non-issue. And I realize that not everyone shares my experience. Some people go into casual sex for good, healthy reasons, and some people do it for bad, unhealthy reasons, and many people do it for a combination of the two. And some people have good outcomes from it, and some have crummy outcomes, and some have outcomes that are a mixed bag.

You know. Just like people go into marriage and committed relationships for good reasons and bad reasons and combinations of the two... with good, and bad, and mixed results.

And I'm not going to pretend that my casual sex was always perfect and awesome. It wasn't. Some of it was boring and pointless; a little of it was icky and sad. I'm not even going to pretend that my reasons for having it were always entirely healthy. I sometimes had casual sex, in part, to bolster my self-image as a nonconformist, or because that's what everyone else in my social circle was doing (yes, those two things are contradictory -- what's your point?), or as a salve for feeling lonely and unattractive, or because I didn't want to hurt someone's feelings by saying "No." Especially in the earlier days. Like most things in life, I got better at it as I went along.

But you know what? That was true of sex in relationships, too. Especially in my younger days. I didn't always have it for healthy reasons, and it wasn't always that great. But it got better as I went along. Much, much better. Sex at 49 is so much better than sex at 23, I can't even tell you.

And it got better, in large part, because of my years of casual sex. It's better because of the independence and confidence I got from casual sex... independence and confidence that strengthens me to this day. It's better because of the experiments I carried out during casual sex... experiments that helped me map out my sexuality and enjoy it to its fullest. It's better because of the moments of genuine connection I had during casual sex... moments that taught me how to pursue intimacy and make myself open to it. It's better because of all the sheer pleasure I got from casual sex... which helped me to value pleasure, and embrace it, and make it a priority in my marriage. It's better because of the years of being happily single which casual sex made possible... years that enabled me to wait for the right person, and turn myself into the right person, to make our love and our marriage work.

Sex, and marriage, and life, are better because of casual sex. For me, anyway. And no stupid push-poll in the world is going to change that answer.

Read more of Greta Christina at her blog.

Stephanie Smith in MeInMyPlace Photoshoot

As part of an ongoing series, Stephanie Smith shot by MeInMyPlace for Esquire Magazine.

You want to know the secret ingredient? Then it wouldn’t be a secret, would it? Well, fine: Normally you use powdered sugar. But for these, I use granulated sugar. So it’s got a different texture. The icing is more grainy. But in a good way.

 

Usually I wait a couple hours before I put the icing on. It’s a secret family recipe.

 

I would say I feel my sexiest right before we go out on the field. We have our hair and makeup all done, and we’re standing in the tunnel. We can see the crowd, but they can’t see us. And then they announce us and we walk out and the crowd goes crazy. It’s the best. It’s like a drug.

 

They’re real, by the way. God-given. It’s like that Seinfeld episode: They’re real, and they’re spectacular.

 

I do them in my apartment. I’m dancing around, and I’m famous for leaving the blinds open. If anybody saw me, I would look so ridiculous.

 

I always fall for those fitness videos sold on TV. I’ve been doing P90X for a couple of years, and now I’m doing TurboFire. I get so into it. I start talking to the TV. Like they’ll ask me how I’m doing, and I’ll be like, I’m doing great! It’s so corny, but I love it.

 

The cookies don’t melt, but they get soft like cake would. They become the same texture as cake. It’s really good.

 

I put an Oreo inside each one. They’re so good because of it. Some people ground up the Oreo, but I put them in whole. You don’t taste it right away. It’s a surprise.

…but people are usually pretty good. They’ll watch for a few minutes and then move on.

 

We practice at Bally’s. They sponsor us. It’s near the Linc — pretty centrally located. And we practice in a dance room with open windows…

 

The hot-pink outfit comes out from time to time, I’ll say that. Sometimes I just keep it for me. When I want to make myself feel happy.

 

I’ve been baking my whole life. My mother got me started on it. She makes these extravagant cakes and stuff, so I’ve been around it my whole life — it feels natural. I don’t even have to think about it.

 

So when I’m getting ready, sometimes I’ll dance a little, to see how the moves look in the uniform. You want to make sure you’re always looking your best.

 

The only time I wear the uniform around the house is when I’m getting ready for an event. We have a lot of different pieces to the uniform, probably seven or eight — boy shorts, skirt, sweater.

 

After the games you’re tired — you can’t wait to go home and go to bed. I’ve never fallen asleep in my uniform, though. That would be really crazy.

 

It’s a big day, game day. We have to get there four hours before kickoff, so it’s like an eight-hour day at the stadium. We practice for maybe an hour, then we go outside the stadium and meet with fans. And you’re “on” the whole time. It can be exhausting.

 

You thought I’d only have one pair of pom-poms? Girls don’t have one pair of anything. Pom-poms are like shoes.

If the Philadelphia Eagles have a dream team this year, they’ve got the sideline support to match. And we know a thing or two about this stuff — every week on Esquire.com, Monday Morning Cheerleader brings you actually insightful analysis from the only women closer to the action than Bob Costas. So, as a gift to the world of men, and especially to Eagles fans — that was some storm — third-year cheerleader Stephanie Smith invited over our photographer friend to her apartment outside of Philly for a little break from his normally difficult work at MeInMyPlace.com. It was inspirational. —The Editors

In Northeast India, RTI Activists At The Receiving End

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Even as Anna Hazare’s fast caused nationwide awareness about corruption, RTI activists in different states of the Northeastern region continue to face harassment and threats.

Seventeen families from Meghalaya filed an FIR against the village council for denying food grains supplied by the government. An RTI application filed by them revealed that while the government had supplied food grains for BPL families in Dongrum in East Khasi Hills district, the families had not received them for 72 months. An inquiry was instituted after the harassed families lodged a complaint.

This is the second incident of villagers being ostracised in Meghalaya for asking questions through RTI. Last year, three women of Jongksha village were ostracized for bringing to light anomalies in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act through RTI. The State Women’s Commission had to intervene to restore their social rights.

In February, Bobby Basaiawaomoit, a resident of Mairangbah in West Khasi Hills district, had lodged a complaint saying the village council had threatened to impose a fine and ostracize him for ‘creating trouble’ in the village by using RTI.

Sanjit Das and his family were attacked on August 14 for seeking information through RTI about food grain supply under PDS in Sonitpur district. Das was seriously injured and is currently hospitalized. He was also assaulted a few months ago for exposing PDS anomalies, causing arrest of several fair price shop owners.

“Seeking information under the RTI Act has become a risky affair in Assam and other Northeastern states. In most cases, the anomalies are committed by a nexus involving officials and contractors, who engage miscreants to threaten and attack the applicants,” said Saito Basumatary of People’s Rights Forum, a Guwahati-based platform of RTI activists.

In Manipur, people asking questions under the RTI Act formed a platform to put up a united fight against harassment and delays in getting replies from authorities.

“While officials often deny or cause delay in giving information, threats and attacks on applicants have become commonplace,” said W Joykumar, convenor of RTI activist platform Transparency Initiatives, Manipur.

Northeast Law University Enrolls First Batch Of Students

Guwahati, Sep 1 : The first batch of students got enrolled in the first National Law University of the northeast in Guwahati on Tuesday.

The administration and students are hopeful that the new addition to the law universities will open up a new avenue for professional law studies in the northeast and provide scope for students of law to avail a high-quality infrastructure to compete with the best law schools any where on the globe.

Speaking to TOI on Tuesday, vice-chancellor of the National Law University, Assam, Gurjit Singh expressed his willingness to work for taking professionalism in law education to new heights in the northeastern region and especially Assam.

The classes for five-year integrated BA LLB course for the first batch would start on September 1 at the university with 25 per cent seats reserved for students of Assam.

"Undoubtedly, the law university which is the 13{+t} {+h} organization in India, would be able to cater to the needs of law students of the northeast. The Assam government and the University Grants Commission will fund various development projects to be taken up in the coming days. Funds will also be provided from the Annual Central Assistance", Singh added.

He said the world class library and the Centre of excellence is equipped with extensive study on international humanitarian law, comparative law, and consumer protection law, human rights etc.

"We would urge UGC to provide infrastructure to set up an academic staff college for training law faculties. The LLM and PhD programme will also commence from next academic session", he added.

The vice-chancellor said a memorandum of understanding will be signed with foreign universities and government-run national law schools so that students can be sent to other leading law institutes as part of exchange programmes.

Officer on special duty Virendra Mittal said an attempt is being made to shift the National Law University, Assam to permanent campus at Amingaon in North Guwahati. "The total expenditure of the project in North Guwahati is about Rs 350 crores. We have already got 21 acres allotted and more land allotment process of another 26 acres would be completed by November. Order has been made for an online law library at the university," Mittal added.

Dinesh Rajpurohit, who have come all the way from Rajasthan to get enrolled in the law university says the high quality of education in the National Law Universities have brought him to Guwahati.

"To become a successful lawyer is what in my mind today. The National Law Universities are the best", he said.

Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, Madan B Lokur is the Chancellor of National Law University of Assam.

Little Knowledge On Northeast India Hampers Unity: Mizoram Chief Minister

Aizawl, Aug 30 : Little knowledge about the Northeast India hampered the national integration, said Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla today.

''Most of the mainland Indians consider only Assam as the Northeast region, which proves their ignorance about the different tribes living in this region. This (ignorance) has hampered the integration of India as a whole,'' Lal Thanhawla said, while addressing a two-day festival of the Northeast tribes which began here today.

''We, the northeast people also need more exposure so that people in the rest of the country can have better knowledge of us and that will bring about oneness,'' he said.

The chief minister urged the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), who organised the festival, to organise more exposures for the northeast tribes. He thanked the ICCR regional officer, Shillong, Munish Singh for his assurance to include a Mizoram cultural troupe in the next cultural exchange programme with foreign countries.

Fourteen different tribes in the Northeast showcased their cultural dances at the ‘Dance and Music Festival,’ organised by the ICCR, in association with art and culture departments of Mizoram and Meghalaya. The second edition of the festival would be held at Shillong on September 1.

Porn Shutdown Over HIV Case

LOS ANGELES — An adult film performer has tested positive for HIV, causing porn producers to shut down shoots in Southern California as the diagnosis is confirmed through re-testing, according to an industry group.

Free Speech Coalition executive director Diane Duke told The Los Angeles Times () on Monday that her group became aware of the HIV case Saturday. http://lat.ms/mX0vin

A series of tests were being conducted on the performer to confirm the case before anyone the performer might have spread the illness to will be notified to get tested, Duke told The Associated Press.

She didn't know how long that would take.

Duke declined to release the performer's name, age or gender, citing the person's federal right to medical privacy. She also declined to say how her group learned of the case.

The case was found in an out-of-state clinic that doesn't report to California health officials, said Duke.

If the initial case is confirmed, the group will ask two generations of the person's sexual partners to get tested, meaning those who had sex with the performer and the sexual partners of those who had sex with the performer.

The voluntary industry shutdown affects porn producers in the San Fernando Valley, the heart of the multi-billion dollar American porn industry, and includes Hustler and Evil Angel's productions.

The porn industry was shut down similarly in late 2010, after porn actor Derrick Burts was diagnosed HIV positive.

Burts has since gone on to advocate for the mandatory use of condoms in porn with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

The health advocacy group and state workplace safety officials say state law mandates porn performers to use condoms to protect themselves under the same set of rules that require nurses to wear gloves in hospitals when dealing with bodily fluids.

Cal/OSHA is working to clarify the regulation to make it more specific to porn.

Earlier this month, the health advocacy group announced that it will gather 41,138 petition signatures to get the issue of condoms in porn on the June 2012 ballot.

The ballot measure would ask Los Angeles residents whether porn producers must require performers to use condoms on shoots as a condition of getting a filming permit.

"The question remains how many performers must become infected with HIV and other serous STDs before the industry will clean up its act and government will do the right thing?" said Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

The group has unsuccessfully pushed California and Los Angeles County officials to tighten enforcement of condom use on porn sets through legislative attempts, lawsuits and regulatory complaints.

How To Convert Mobile Into A Universal Remote

Your smartphone can do more than you think. With some additional hardware or apps, it can remotely start your car, control various appliances in your home, control A/V equipment like TVs & home theatre systems and even your PC.

Read on to find about the various free apps and systems available today that allow your smartphone to work as a universal remote control.

Remotely control your home

Crestron is one of the leading brands for home automation. Although each installation usually comes with its own universal remote control, Crestron also provides apps for iOS and Android devices.
These apps connect to the Crestron system using Wi-Fi (for seamless access anywhere ) and allow you to remotely control any home appliances or gizmos that are wired into the system. Plus, you need not be at home to control your air conditioning or lighting for instance - you could do it from anywhere you have a data connection . The Android and iPhone/iPod Touch apps are free, but the iPad app costs a hefty $99.

Remotely start your car

Viper SmartStart for your Car enables you to lock, unlock or start your car using an iOS, Android or BlackBerry smartphone. For this to work, you need a Viper security system and smartphone module installed in your car.
The app also remembers where your car was parked and shows directions on your phone using augmented reality. Currently , SmartStart only works with US-based GSM providers, though the company is working on making the app work anywhere. For more information check out www.viper.com

Remote apps for PC/ Mac

Mobile operating systems offer a number of applications to control various aspects of your PC/MAC. You can choose to control just the mouse pointer and input text or you could control various applications such as the audio player, video player, presentations and so on.
Each app requires a small server application installed on your PC/MAC, which is also available for free.

Android

Gmote is a free application that lets you control your PC, MAC or Linux music and video player over Wi-Fi . It shows various controls on screen with the album art in the background and can even be used to browse and select files for playback.
Another free (ad-supported ) app called WIN-Remote offers connections to your Windows PC over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It provides control over almost everything - browser, task manager, video/audio players, image viewers and even presentations.
If you want to control specific media players, the Android Market and Apple App Store have free apps for common ones like VLC, Windows Media Player, Media Player classic, XBMC, iTunes & Foobar.

iPhone/iPod Touch

One of the best free remote apps for the iPhone/iPod Touch is Logitech Touch Mouse. It connects to your machine over Wi-Fi and converts the 3.5-inch display into an input device. You get full control over the mouse pointer with multi-touch gestures thrown in too.
An onscreen keyboard can be used to enter text input when required. Apple's own free app called 'Remote' is perfect when you just want to control iTunes.
Similarly, there are apps like i-Clickr to control presentations , VLC remote for VLC player, PowerDVD remote and a Remote X app that lets you control a variety of media players with a single interface.

BlackBerry

Vectir's Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Remote allows you to launch and control VLC Media Player, iTunes, Windows Media Player and even PowerPoint presentations . It even has a remote desktop feature to view and control the desktop from your BlackBerry or Android device. Like Logitech's offering, mouse and keyboard input can be done using your phone.
The app can be used for free for the first 30 days, after which you will need to purchase a license for the desktop server app (a one-time purchase of $10) from www.vectir.com. Unlike the others, Vectir also supports Java ph

Hotel Romp is Match Of The Day

Into touch ... couple

Footie fans cheer as couple score

A ROMPING couple were seen by thousands of footie fans as they scored in their hotel room overlooking the stadium.

The crowd at the top-flight clash cheered as they watched the off-pitch performance through the window.

The woman was later identified as glamour model Alicia Tenderness, 26. She said: "We thought it was tinted glass and that we could see outside, but not vice-versa.

"When we checked out the next morning the lady on the front desk was very cold, but we did not understand why.

"We only realised on Monday when we read it in the newspaper."

Footie officials blasted the couple. Philippe Bormans of Belgian team Sint-Truiden – who were playing at home to rivals Lokeren – said: "There are children in the crowd. We do not want this repeated."

Hotel boss Luc Withofs vowed to get stewards to monitor the windows.

But Alicia hit back: "He should put tinted glass in the rooms."

Alicia Tenderness

Madras HC Stays Execution Of Rajiv Killers

Chennai, Aug 30 : In a major relief for three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed their hanging which was scheduled on September 9. Hearing their mercy petition the High Court gave interim relief for eight weeks to Murugan alias Sriharan, Santhan and Perarivalan alias Arivu.

The Centre will file a counter affidavit in the case within eight weeks.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Assembly also adopted a resolution moved by the J Jayalalithaa government urging the President to consider the clemency petition and commute their death sentence to life sentence.

The three convicts filed a petition on the grounds that the President of India took 11 years to reject their mercy pleas. Senior Counsel Ram Jethmalani appeared for the convicts in a case that has political overtones especially in Tamil Nadu.

K Perarivalan alias Arivu is the only Indian amongst the three men who are facing the death sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on September 9.

The families of the death row convicts hope political and legal intervention could stop the hanging.

Irom Sharmila Must Reach Out To People: GK Pillai

Shillong, Aug 30 : Irom Sharmila, fasting for the last 11 years for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), must "reach out to people across the country" like anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare to make her cause known, says former union home secretary G.K. Pillai.

AFSPA enables security forces to shoot at sight and arrest anybody without a warrant if an area is declared disturbed. Sharmila is currently in an isolated room of Manipur's Jawarharlal Nehru Hospital.

"It is a question of how you reach out to people. AFSPA is applicable only in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeastern states. Corruption is pricking people everywhere and that's why Anna Hazare had a high moral ground," Pillai told IANS Monday.

"She (Sharmila) has to reach out to the people across the country. She has to say why she is on fast," said Pillai.

"AFSPA should be repealed and the government should have a humane law," Pillai added.

Dubbed the 'Iron Lady of Manipur', Sharmila began her fast Nov 2, 2000, after witnessing the killing of 10 people by the army at a bus stop near her home. Now around 40, Sharmila was arrested shortly after beginning her protest -- on charges of attempted suicide. She was sent to a prison hospital in Imphal where began a daily routine of being force-fed via a nasal drip.

Sharmila is frequently set free by local courts but once outside, she resumes her hunger strike and is rearrested.

AFSPA was passed in 1990 to grant special powers and immunity from prosecution to security forces to deal with raging insurgencies in northeastern states and in Jammu and Kashmir.

The act is a target for local human rights groups and international campaigners such as Amnesty International, which say the law has been an excuse for extrajudicial killings.

Amnesty has campaigned vociferously against the legislation, which it sees as a stain on India's democratic credentials and a violation of international human rights laws.

Anna To Meet Irom Sharmila Soon

Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, social activist

New Delhi, Aug 30 : Social activist Anna Hazare will soon visit Manipur to meet civil rights activist Irom Sharmila, RTI activist and Team Anna member Akhil Gogoi said in Guwahati after his return from Delhi.

Gogoi also said that Anna had extended his moral support to the Iron Lady of Manipur, who has been on hunger strike for over 10 years now, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the state.

After being released from hospital, Anna would return back to his village in Maharashtra and post this he would be visiting Assam and the North East to commence the next round of democratic movement.

On the first day of his visit to Northeast, Hazare will join an anti-dam protest in Assam and would visit Manipur the next day, Gogoi said.

Manipur Sadar Hills Meeting Begin

Decision on agitation only after consultations are over: Committee

A rally at Noney in Manipur on Friday, protesting against the demand for creation of the Sadar Hills district. Picture by UB Photos

Imphal, Aug 30 : The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee has started seeking the opinion of the public on the next course of agitation by holding public meetings from today.

The first meeting was organised at Gangpiphai of Sadar Hills along the Imphal-Senapati highway. A large number people residing in and around the area attended the meeting.

Leaders of the demand committee and an MLA from Sadar Hills, Haoklholet Kipgen, attended the meeting.

A source in the demand committee said more meetings would be held before the committee took a final decision.

“A final decision would be taken on whether the agitation should continue further or be suspended temporarily only after the meetings are over. No decision was taken today,” the source said.

Another public meeting will be held at Kangpokpi, the headquarters of Sadar Hills, tomorrow. The committee also plans to hold meetings at Saikhul and Keithelmanbi to seek peoples’ opinion.

The decision to seek public opinion on the agitation came after the Okram Ibobi Singh government constituted an official-level committee to examine the boundary and police jurisdiction of the proposed boundary.

The official committee was asked to submit its report within three months. President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also assured a delegation which met them in New Delhi that the matter would be looked into.

Sources said Ibobi Singh constituted the committee after the Centre “advised” him to resolve the Sadar Hills issue.

The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee launched its indefinite agitation on the midnight of July 31 to put pressure on Ibobi Singh government to create the district.

As a result of the strike, no vehicles, including trucks carrying essential items, were allowed along the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam roads in Sadar Hills areas.

The situation worsened as the United Naga Council also imposed a blockade along these two highways from August 21 demanding that land belonging to Nagas should not be divided while creating Sadar Hills district.

As people in other areas of Manipur are reeling under the impact of the blockade, people in Sadar Hills are suffering too as all activities have come to a standstill, sources said.

Shops and business establishments have remained closed in the Sadar Hills areas since August 1.

Khasi Villagers Display No Sex Differences in Spatial Ability

Men’s spatial superiority takes cultural cues

Disputed study puts social forces at root of sex disparity

By Bruce Bower

In a new study, Khasi villagers in Northeast India displayed no sex differences in spatial ability. Researchers suspect that Khasi culture, which is organized around females, largely erased men's spatial superiority observed in many other societies.

Culture may hold a spatial place in thought. Social forces profoundly influence people’s ability to think about three-dimensional objects, a new study suggests.

In tests of spatial ability, men traditionally outperform women. But men’s spatial superiority disappears among Northeast India’s Khasi villagers, say economist Moshe Hoffman of the University of California, San Diego and his colleagues. In Khasi society, youngest daughters inherit property, men forward earnings to wives or sisters, and females get as much schooling as males.

Among neighboring Karbi villagers, men display spatial-thinking advantages over women, similar to those in many Western societies, Hoffman’s team reports in an upcoming Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In Karbi society, males inherit and own land and receive more education than females.

“These results show that nurture plays an important role in the gender gap in spatial abilities,” Hoffman says.

But some researchers who study sex differences in thinking view the study skeptically.

PIECES OF MIND Villagers who assembled a four-piece horse puzzle have provided clues to cultural forces at the root of men's and women's spatial skills.M. Hoffman et al/PNAS 2011

It’s not clear that the study in fact measured spatial ability, remarks psychologist Richard Lippa of California State University, Fullerton. Hoffman and colleagues measured spatial ability as the time taken to solve a four-piece jigsaw puzzle. But they didn’t assess volunteers’ accuracy at mentally rotating 3D figures and performing other spatial tasks, Lippa notes.

The villagers’ puzzle-assembly time could reflect cautiousness, impulsiveness or a desire to please the researchers, not spatial ability, Lippa says.

Psychologist Diane Halpern of Claremont McKenna College in California agrees. “This new paper doesn’t tell us much about sex differences in spatial cognition.”

In Hoffman’s study, 1,279 Khasi and Karbi villagers received the equivalent of 25 percent of a day’s wage to solve a jigsaw puzzle of a horse. Standard spatial tests are too abstract for these villagers, but the horse puzzle requires mental rotation of picture fragments, Hoffman says.

Khasi men and women alike took an average of just over 30 seconds to put together the puzzle. Karbi men required an average of 42 seconds, versus 57 seconds for Karbi women.

Although better-educated villagers solved the puzzle faster, schooling leaves much of the group difference unexplained, the researchers say.

Findings from these Indian villagers miss the big picture of how sex differences in spatial thinking vary across nations, Lippa asserts. In a 2010 study, his group examined the scores of more than 200,000 people in 53 countries on tests of mental rotation and line-angle judgments.

Surprisingly, men’s spatial advantage was largest in rich countries with many educational and career opportunities for women. Spatial scores for both sexes declined to roughly equal levels in poor countries, in line with a previous study of poor families (SN: 11/19/05, p. 323).

Lippa’s study compared nations that differ in many respects, including culture, genetics and means of subsistence, Hoffman responds. The new study compares two societies identical on all dimensions except culture, he argues, allowing a conclusion that nurture affects sex differences in spatial ability.

Source: sciencenews.org

OIL Upbeat Over Mizoram Project

Exploratory drilling starts in 2012

Dibrugarh, Aug 29 : Oil India Limited (OIL) is all set to explore and produce oil and natural gas in Mizoram after it received the “clearance to operate” from the state recently.

“We have received tremendous support from the Mizoram government and the people in general. We are hoping to find some significant hydrocarbon reserves in the state, as it falls under the same geological structure as that of Myanmar and Bangladesh, where large hydrocarbon reserves have been found,” OIL spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika said.

He added that the oil major had received support from organisations like the Young Mizo Association during the three public hearings on environmental issues conducted by the Pollution Control Board.

Hazarika said OIL, with 85 per cent participating interest, and Shiv-Vani Oil and Gas Exploration Services, with 15 per cent, has signed a production-sharing contract with the government of India for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the exploration block MZ-ONN-2004/1 falling in the Lunglei, Aizawl, Serchhip and Mamit districts of Mizoram under NELP-VI.

The contract designates OIL as the operator of the block, the total area of which is 3,213 square km. The capital city, Aizawl, lies 5km north of the northern boundary of the block.

“Exploratory drilling has not been carried out at any place in the block so far. Acquisition, processing and interpretation of two-dimensional seismic survey, gravity magnetic survey, geochemical survey has been done for the block MZ-ONN-2004/1 while three-dimensional surveys are in progress,” Hazarika said.

The company’s expectations are quite high given the fact that official data released by the Centre states that the block has huge hydrocarbon reserves of around 170 million tonnes. At present, the company is producing around 4 million tonnes of crude per annum from its Assam operations.

OIL is planning to carry out exploratory drilling and testing at five promising locations within the block areas during phase I (within 2012) and at another location by 2015. This will be done in accordance with the minimum work programme outlined in the production-sharing contract, with an aim to ascertain the techno-economic viability of hydrocarbon production in the block area for an eight-year period (2007-2015).

Hazarika, however, said the drilling of wells in Mizoram would cost almost four times more in comparison with the drilling cost in Assam, basically because of the lack of proper roads and the tough geographical terrain of the state.

According to an estimate, the company is going to spend around Rs 500 crore to drill the first five wells in the state.

“The days of easy oil are over across the globe. One has to be prepared to take very strong measures to strike hydrocarbon reserves today,” Hazarika said.

Paite’s At Home in Delhi

By PATRICIA MUKHIM

Artistes perform during the Paite festival

Those glued to 24x7 television news channels might be forgiven for believing that the entire population of Delhi is dancing to Anna Hazare’s tune. But that is hardly the case. Large swathes of Delhi remain unaffected by the Ram Lila gig. There are people who pursue their duties with a “business as usual” attitude. However, Anna and the Lokpal are definitely topics of avid conversation. Such conversations precede meetings called for other more mundane issues because this is one movement that is so “in your face,” that you can hardly ignore it; or do so at your own peril.

After all corruption is so all pervasive and those entrusted with the public trust are so disdainful of the janata that Anna and his cohorts are the only people who could make them do a reality check.

But let me come back to the point of this article. On Saturday, August 20, the 2,000-strong Paite community working and studying in Delhi held a cultural programme named North East Colours at Siri Fort Auditorium.

The programme was essentially aimed at bringing together the Paite people from all corners of Delhi for what is a celebration of togetherness. I was briefed by a senior at the function that there are today a number of tribes who have come under the larger umbrella of what is called “Zomi”. They include the Paite, Vaiphei, Zou, Simte, Tedimchin and Thangkhal.

The last time I wrote of this peculiar grouping phenomenon, I was greeted by a couple of angry mails. This time I am only quoting an insider and hope to get off without a rap on the knuckles. The same gentleman also proudly informed me that the Paite group is the first to have their own church at Dwarka in Delhi.

I had learnt early in my journalistic sojourns and forays into some of the backwaters of Manipur such as Churachandpur, Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong that the government is an invisible entity.

Political scientists might observe that less government is better than too much government but that is if you are part of a developed nation where people have learnt to govern themselves. In the case of these hills of Manipur, it is a complete absence of government and with it also the absence of the rule of law. But whereas the latter is somehow managed by tribal institutions that adjudicated over local problems, the vacuum of governance was too palpable to be missed. Roads are in a bad shape and villages remain disconnected.

There are no schools and colleges worth their name. Districts continue to remain laggards even as the Manipur government gets away with the alibi that it is fighting insurgency and is, therefore, always on notice.

Green pastures

It is no surprise therefore that those who could somehow afford to escape this vicious trap of under-development, lack of good education, and who were therefore fuelled by the ambition to have exposure to a better life, quickly moved out of their nests and ventured into Shillong or Guwahati. Those who can do better make it to Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai or Chennai.

Most do well in their studies and get absorbed in the IT sector or other multinational companies (MNCs). The Indian corporate sector is growing and MNCs setting up shop in this country offer opportunities that would never have opened up back home in Manipur.

Tomes have already been written about how every mall, every upmarket eating joint and nearly every back office of international firms, including those engaged in public relations and the beauty and cosmetics businesses, have some northeasterners cosily fitting into the ambience.

Either by design or default most of them come from the hills of Manipur.

This is not an assumption but information volunteered by these young people who have no qualms about doing so.

After all, they have a right to work with dignity despite the occasional glitches that all of us from the region are subjected to from ignoramuses who believe we are Southeast Asians or Chinese.

These young men and women are great as salespersons. The American Diner at the India Habitat Centre’s plush pub has a couple of northeasterners working and they do a good job as gracious hostesses.

No wonder they don’t have problems finding a job.

What, however, is also creditable about the tribes of Manipur is their determination to make it in life, come what may. At the Paite function I was introduced to Haulianlal Guite, who cleared his civil services examination in 2010 and was ranked 33rd in the qualifying list.

Raw gut

This is a great achievement. Haulianlal is only 23 years of age and wrote his UPSC exams after graduating from St Stephen’s in Delhi, with honours in philosophy. A beaming and confident Haulianlal said he was grilled for over 15 minutes at the personal interview. One of the commission members asked him whether he believed in reincarnation. Without batting an eyelid his witty reply was that there is a difference between what he believed and what is reality. Apparently the interview panel was impressed. Haulianlal said he knew then that he would get in.

Haulianlal’s parents are both doctors and posted in Delhi; so that perhaps gives him a distinct advantage over his peers who have had lesser exposure. But this is not to say that the others do not strive. Every year there are people from this and other hill tribes of Manipur who make it to the civil services and with good grades. Haulianlal is now awaiting his cadre posting.

At the ministry of home affairs is another Paite IAS officer, V. Vumlunmang, at the director level rank. He was probably handpicked by former Union home secretary G.K. Pillai, whose commitment to the cause of this region is unsurpassed. Pillai, who came as guest of honour at the Paite function, made no bones about the fact that officers from the region are integral to filling up the huge information gap that exists in this ministry about the Northeast.

Vumlunmang, too, studied in Mumbai and that is because his father was also in the civil services. Talk about national integration and you see it among the tribes of Manipur who seem to have blended very well with the Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore or Pune circuit.

Achievers

A young, articulate and good-humoured lady compere for the Paite cultural function kept the audience spellbound with her comments. She works as a public relations person for an international firm and says she prefers to remain in that sector as it is challenging and adventurous.

The Paite community in Delhi has a website called www.paite.org which lists the activities of the group, its achievements and keeps them connected. I wonder how many other groups from the region are as cyber savvy. Organisers of the cultural function, the Delhi Paite Indongta were magnanimous enough to invite cultural performances from all groups in the region. The Meiteis performed their Choubal dance but before the performance the leader of the dance troupe cautioned the audience that the Northeast is not just about song and dance. “We should not be a cultural zoo but move forward in other endeavours,” the dancer wisely proclaimed.

Indeed, the Northeast has come a long way from being an isolated, little known region disparaged and disconnected. People from here have made an impact in the consciousness of the average Indian and continue to seize the opportunity.

(The writer can be contacted at patricia17@rediffmail.com)

Migrants Outnumber Tribals in Manipur: Report

By Sobhapati Samom
 
Imphal, Aug 29 : Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh on Friday said the government will urge the Centre to re-introduce the Inner Line Permit(ILP) system or Inner Line (IL) Regulation in the State once the Cabinet takes a decision in this regard.

“Let the Cabinet first take a decision so that the government can urge the Centre”, said Ibobi while clarifying on a private members’ resolution by N Mangi on the re-introduction of ILP system in the State.

Ibobi also expressed the need to take certain precautionary measures to monitor influx in the State, particularly in the border town of Moreh. Opposition leader Radhabinod Koijam said there will be a demographic and social change if the government fails to regulate the influx in the State.

“Every village in my constituency has a Myanmarese. They settle here after their marriege with the local girls”, Opposition MLA Morung Makunga, who wished to have a regulatory system in the State to monitor entry of migrants, said.

Morung who represents Tengnoupal constituency in Manipur’s Chandel district bordering Myanmar, claimed that the total number of voters in his constituency has been surprisingly risen from 21,000 to 40,000.

According to a report compiled by United Committee Manipur ‘Influx of Migrants into Manipur’, the number of migrants (7,04,488) outnumbered the State’s indigenous tribal population (6,70,782) while the majority indigenous Meetei was just 9,18,626 (2001 census).

Another opposition MLA RK Anand said the situation took a grim turn when the ILP system was removed from the State in November 1950. Since then, the number of migrants has increased at a rapid rate. Presently ILP Regulation was in force in three NE States – Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Blockade: Suspected blockade and bandh supporters set on fire one goods laden vehicle and one school building in two separate incidents late Friday night.

Police said a junior high school at Kangchup Chiru area under Saparmeina police station was burnt down around 9.30 pm while a rice carrying truck was set on fire near Senapati district headquarter around 11.30pm.

Meanwhile, the Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has appealed to both the agitating groups to call off the blockades saying the government will take a decision on the district issue once the State Chief Secretary led Committee on Re-oganisation of Administration and Police District Boundary which was formed after a Cabinet decision on Tuesday, submits a report within three months.

Senior opposition member O Joy of Manipur People’s Party had moved a private member’s resolution for the constitution of a District Re-organisation Commission of Manipur for effective and efficient administration of the State on Friday.

Demanding a separate Sadar Hills district, Sadar Hills District Demand Committee had been imposing economic blockade on the two National Highways-39 and 53, since July 31 while UNC has imposed indefinite bandh on these highways and NH 150 since August 21 to protest the alleged move to bifurcate “Naga areas” in creating the district.