29 June 2012

More Than Half Of Mizoram Families Own TV

Aizawl, Jun 29 : Not only that there is no homeless people in Mizoram, more than half of the families in the state own a television set and other electronic devices.

The Census 2011, which was reviewed at a workshop organised by the directorate of census operation at Aijal Club today, indicated that a whopping 55.1 per cent of the total families in Mizoram own television sets while everyone has a home to live in.

There are 221,077 households in Mizoram of which 145,538 families (65.8 per cent) live in their own houses, and 70,297 families (31.8 per cent) live in rented houses and 5,247 (2.4 per cent) live in other houses, which may include staff quarters.

Of the total 221,077 families, 203,185 have toilet facilities in within the premises of their houses, while 3,342 families (1.5 per cent) use public toilets and 14,550 families (6.6 per cent) go for open defecation. No family in urban area either use public toilet or practise open defecation, the Census revealed.

While 62.3 per cent live in good houses, 34.9 per cent live in livable houses and the remaining 2.8 per cent live in dilapidated houses. There are no homeless people.

While 58.7 per cent use tap water, 26.1 per cent still depend on water collected from rivers and other sources, including well, hand-pump, and lake.

Significantly, 72.7 per cent of households in Mizoram have telephone connectivity, with only 1.7 per cent having landline, 63.9 per cent having mobile phone and 7.2 per cent having both.

While 55.1 per cent of families have televisions, 2.5 per cent have computers with internet facilities and 12.7 per cent own computers without internet.

While 13.8 per cent families own scooters, motorcycles or mopeds, 7.3 per cent own four-wheeler vehicles.

As much as 84.2 per cent of families use electricity as the main source of lighting, 13.5 per cent use kerosene, 1.3 per cent use solar lamps, 0.6 use other source while another 0.3 per cent have no lighting facility in their houses.

While 52.5 per cent of households use LPG/PNG for cooking, 44.5 per cent still use firewood and the remaining households use other fuels, including kerosene, coal, charcoal, biogas, etc.

Of the total 221,077 families in Mizoram, 51.57 per cent are living in urban areas while 47.70 per cent live in rural areas, the Census 2011 data revealed.

Punjab Plans To Send Stray Dogs To Northeast India

Send stray dogs to Northeast states, China: MLAs propose in Assembly

 By Khushboo Sandhu

Chandigarh, Jun 29 : Punjab MLAs have come up with some unique ideas on how to get rid of the state’s stray dog population. From sending the dogs to Northeast states and even China, to formulating laws to kill them, the MLAs had a variety of suggestions to offer during the Assembly session on Thursday.

The discussions were held after a resolution was brought to the House to recommend to the state government that effective steps be taken to control stray dog population in view of the increasing number of dog bite cases.

Congress’ Ajit Inder Singh Mofar, who had mooted the resolution, said that stray dogs could be sent to Nagaland or China. “There is a need to make suitable policy and amend the law to get rid of stray dogs. The dogs can be sent to Nagaland or China, as at these places, dogs are in demand. Laws pertaining to dogs are also different in these states than ours,” Mofar said, adding that there have been many cases of dog bites in the state, with some resulting in death.

The MLAs, however, were careful enough to abstain from mentioning the purpose for which dogs should be sent to north-eastern states.

SAD’s Gurpratap Singh Wadala said that garbage dumps in rural and urban areas are one of the reasons behind the large stray dog population. “In London, New York and other developed countries, there are no stray dogs. This is because there are no garbage dumps where dogs scavenge. Slum dwellers take care of dogs as pets,” he said.

While stressing that there should be laws on dogs, SAD’s Iqbal Singh said that when there can be death penalty for humans, there could be laws to kill dogs as well.

Shiv Ram Kler of the SAD also told the Assembly that more than 15,500 people have been bitten by dogs last year. “There was a need to construct dog pounds on line of cattle pounds where strays will be kept,” he said.

Concern was also expressed over the lack of anti-rabies injections and medicines in the civil hospitals. The MLAs contended that with 10 to 15 cases of dog bites being reported every day at civil hospitals, the supply of medicines should be adequate.

Former health and family welfare minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla said that in February, she had written to Prime Minister’s Office asking for a solution to the problem. “But we never received a reply. It is the duty of the government to get stray dogs off the roads, no matter how they do it. Why are there laws to show mercy to stray dogs when all other animals are butchered?” she asked.

Delhi Police To Give Special IDs To Northeast Students

By Manash Pratim Gohain
New Delhi, Jun 29 : Representatives of students from northeastern states may get quicker access to the city police, to seek redress in cases of harassment and discrimination.

In a meeting between student representatives and special commissioner, law and order, Dharmendra Kumar, it was decided to provide special identity cards to the representatives. Delhi Police will also create a Facebook page for people from the northeast to post their problems on.

The meeting was arranged by Nagaland governor Nikhil Kumar, a former commissioner of Delhi Police. Students spoke about police insensitivity in cases of discrimination and crime against people from the northeastern states.

President of Naga Students' Union, Delhi, Lhusisato Iralu, and founder member of North East helpline Alana Golmei, represented the students.

"We will provide identification cards to five representatives from each state of the region. Each state will have two representatives each in north and south Delhi, and one in east Delhi," said Kumar.

Before meeting the police officers, the student representatives met the Nagaland governor and apprised him of police's indifference towards problems of northeastern students.

They complained that they have to bribe even to get an NOC for sending a corpse home. Kumar promised to take up the issue with the home minister and the Delhi CM. "When people from the northeast accept people from mainland India with their features, and culture, why can't people from mainland India reciprocate? It is basically lack of sensitivity."

The Road Out Of Scarcity

By H.S. Brahma

As a power crisis grips the nation, a look at the long-suffering Northeast

Recently, there was a severe disruption of power supply to the Northeast, especially Assam. This was caused by the sudden collapse of one 400 kV tower in West Bengal supposed to transmit power to the north-eastern region, which was restored immediately. This incident indicates the fragile situation in Northeast India. Added to this, there has been an open admission by both state as well as the Central governments of the growth of Maoists in the Northeast, particularly in upper Assam. This news is important to the people of the region, particularly entrepreneurs and businessmen. However, I would not like to dwell upon this subject for now.

It was reportedly claimed that the agitation against the establishment of a 2,000 MW hydro power station in lower Subansiri along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border was infiltrated by extremists. This recurring issue needs to be immediately resolved so that the power-starved north-eastern states can benefit from this project.

One of the reasons for the poor economic and industrial development in north-eastern India is poor infrastructure and power. All these are severely power-deficit states. Barring Assam and Meghalaya, none can boast of generating significant power either through the hydro or the thermal sector. Even Assam, presently with an installed capacity of about 376 MW, is able to generate only 280 MW, while its demand is more than 1,200 MW. Most of these seven states have a severe power crisis during winter and summer. Therefore, the region’s backwardness could be attributed directly to poor power supply and generation.

The tables indicate the status of all installed capacity (in MW) of power in the Northeast as on March 31, including allocated shares in joint and Central sector utilities.

Even in the agricultural sector, the production of paddy and other products is sub-optimal due to poor infrastructure and lack of power supply during the lean period. Therefore, poor employment opportunities and poor economic status is one of the main reasons for the proliferation of insurgency in these states. A small state like Manipur, with a total population of only 27.21 lakh, has approximately 35 insurgent groups. This could be attributed directly to the lack of infrastructure, failure of rural development agencies, poor connectivity and no employment opportunities for youth. The only source of employment lies in migration.

Therefore, for development, peace and stability in the Northeast, it is imperative that the existing infrastructure and power supply be improved. It is unfortunate that despite the presence of large opportunities in the Northeast (30,000 MW) for small hydro and gas-based thermal power stations, we are yet to tap these resources.

Similar is the case of natural gas, which is flared without usage. Although there is coal in north-eastern India, it is not enough to maintain large thermal power stations. It is fortunate that the NTPC is building one 750 MW coal-based thermal power station near New Bongaigaon with coal imported from central India. This project was taken up when I was working as secretary in the Union power ministry in 2009-10, and it is expected to complete one phase by December 2012 and the remaining in 2013 or early 2014. If this 750 MW power station is completed, there will be some respite, but this is not sufficient to meet the growing demands of the sister states. Hence, there is a need to fast-track power generating stations using natural gas. This warrants immediate stepping up of oil exploration by ONGC in the Northeast.

When one talks about natural gas, one has to look towards Tripura and natural gas-bearing areas on the Assam-Nagaland border. The Central government and state governments of the Northeast should collaborate to explore the possibilities of immediately establishing gas-based power stations. The existing project of Palatana (750 MW) in Tripura, a gas-based power station being built by BHEL, should be expedited. It was reliably learnt that it would be ready for operation by July 2012.

Another area to be pursued vigorously is joint ventures of gas-based power stations in Bangladesh. India will be supplying approximately 200 MW power to Bangladesh. This was agreed upon during 2009, and it was mentioned by Md Abul Kalam Azad, secretary of power division in Bangladesh’s power ministry, last month that Bangladesh will commission the transmission line by 2013. Since India will supply power to Bangladesh, it is desirable to allow NTPC or other PSUs to set up joint venture gas-based power stations in Bangladesh so that India’s expertise and capacity could be beneficial for both countries. The long-pending Tipaimukh hydro power station of 500 MW in Manipur is awaiting implementation due to various issues within government and also certain objections from Bangladesh. This needs to be taken forward.

Similarly, the NEEPCO (North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd), which is based in Shillong and is the sole agency entrusted with developing power generating capacity for the entire Northeast, should be made more accountable for faster development. This is required because small states like Nagaland, Manipur or Arunachal have neither large funds nor the technical knowhow to develop these projects. Hydro power projects and natural gas projects require very heavy initial investment, with a long gestation period, to become commercially viable. It is difficult to expect these small states to invest such amounts.

Hence, the NEEPCO or other national PSUs should be entrusted with the additional responsibility to implement these projects. While implementing them, due care should be taken to ensure that natural resources and people’s livelihood are not disturbed. We should cause minimal damage to the natural habitats of local indigenous peoples in remote hill areas of these states. In fact, some of the major hydro-electric projects in the Northeast, especially in Arunachal, have been stalled due to these issues.

Finally, what we require is our national resolve and fortitude to plan, execute and commission these projects for the larger benefit of the country.

The writer is Election Commissioner of India and former Secretary, Ministry of Power, Views expressed are personal

Airlines May Get Subsidy To Fly To Northeast India

New Delhi, Jun 29 : Government is considering a proposal to provide subsidy to private airlines operating flights on loss-making routes in the north eastern region.

Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) came out with the proposal after a few private airlines, including Jet Airways, sought government clearance to scale down their flights to the region to stem operating losses.

If the proposal is approved, private airlines may get a subsidy of Rs 35 crore annually for operating flights to the routes in the north eastern states, which are economically unviable but socially important, officials said.

DoNER Ministry has been providing Alliance Air, an Air India subsidiary, an annual subsidy of Rs 35 crore for operating flights in the region but as services of the airline were not found "satisfactory", government was rethinking on continuing the assistance.

"We are considering giving the subsidy to those private airlines which operate flights to non-commercial destinations in the region. We will talk to Civil Aviation Ministry before taking a final decision," DoNER Minister Pawan Singh Ghatowar told reporters while briefing on the outcome of 61st Plenary meeting of the North East Council here yesterday.

After posting a loss of Rs 298 crore in the last quarter, Jet Airways sought government clearance to scale down operations to the north eastern region by about half.

Operations in the north east are guided by the government's Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) which entail that all Indian carriers fly to the north east and other remote parts of the country, more so as a social obligation.

Demanding better connectivity, DoNER and NEC have been urging Civil Aviation Ministry to review RGDs as air connectivity has remained neglected in these far-flung areas inspite of them.

According to the guidelines, domestic airlines are required to fly at least 10 per cent of their deployed capacity on metro routes to the north east, Jammu and islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

In the recent NEC meeting, a number of chief ministers and governors of the northeastern states sought better connectivity to the region, saying improving road, rail and air links to the area would help boost economic growth.

They also expressed concern over slow progress of a number of key infrastructure projects and decided to meet the Prime Minister soon to apprise him about their views.

In 2010, government had announced an ambitious project for linking all capital cities in the northeastern states with railway network at an estimated investment of Rs 17,000 crore by 2016.

But, Ghatowar said, most of the railway projects are running behind schedule.

"The law and order situation has improved to a great extent. So, we think the pace of work should go up," he said.

Resolving to encourage the tourism sector, Ghatowar said the NEC meeting decided to develop eight tourist circuits, one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura in a time-bound manner.

"We will spend Rs 30 crore initially to prepare the detailed project report," he said.

Ghatowar said no headway has been made on the proposal to construct an alternative highway to Imphal through Jiribam.

Construction of an alternative road was envisaged last year after life in Manipur was crippled for almost four months following economic blockade of NH 39 by Naga groups. The NH 39, which goes through Nagaland, is lifeline for Manipur.

Floods Kill 27, Displace 900,000 in Northeast India

A mahout moves an elephant to higher ground as villagers padddle with their belongings through flood waters in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, some 55km from Guwahati, the capital city of the north-eastern state of Assam on June 28, 2012. At least 27 people have died and 900,000 others have been forced to leave their homes as monsoon rains swamp wide areas of the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, officials said on Thursday. -- PHOTO: AFP

Guwahati, Jun 29 : At least 27 people have died and 900,000 others have been forced to leave their homes as monsoon rains swamp wide areas of the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, officials said on Thursday.
A state government spokesman said 21 of Assam's 27 districts were hit by flash floods which began last weekend as the rains lashed the tea and oil-rich Indian state.

'So far, 27 people have died in separate incidents including five who were killed when their boat sank,' Assam Agriculture Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka told AFP in Guwahati, the state's largest city.

Flash Flood in Manipur

Imphal, Jun 29 : A flash flood triggered by incessant rains for the past several days has affected thousands of people, inundated several villages and washed away 40 houses in Jiribam sub-division of Manipur's Imphal East district.

Official sources said on Thursday the water level of different rivers in the district have, however, started receding as rains stopped and the weather cleared.

According to Jiribam police, four persons were still missing.

Among them is a 27-year-old man who was swept away by the overflowing Jiri river in Jiribam, which borders Assam after saving his uncle from drowning in the flood waters on Wednesday. The body is yet to be recovered.

The flash flood inundated the Jiribam market and several villages including Sanathong, Ningthembam, Patchao besides washing away 40 houses at Khusoithok nearby Jiribam town.

The flood affected have been provided shelter in different relief camps, the sources said adding more than 1,300 people were kept at the Jiribam Junior High School.

Reports from Jiribam said authorities have started surveying to assess the damage and affected persons to provide government assistance.

Reports from other districts said major rivers including Jiri, Imphal (Imphal district), Iril (in Imphal) have started receding fast as rains stopped on Thursday and the weather brightened in the valley districts.

Imphal river which was flowing near the danger level on Wednesday started receding fast and state Irrigation Minister Ngamthang Haokip ordered the opening of Ithai barrage to allow the water to flow into Loktak lake.

Pic Courtesy: George Vaiphei
28 June 2012

Gas Shortage Pushes Mizoram District Into Darkness

Aizawl, Jun 28 : Kolasib, a northern town in Mizoram, has reeled under power outage since the last five days, severely affecting normal life.

The 33/11 KV power sub-station that supplied power to the entire town broke down five days ago, which power & electricity officials today said was caused by overloading due to misuse of power for cooking meal.

"The department had repeatedly appealed the residents not to use electric heaters through the electronic and print media. Despite this, overloading continued," a statement of P&E said today.

After attempts to restore the transformer failed, the department today decided to replace it with a new 3.5 MVA transformer. Sources said the prevailing cooking gas crisis had forced many residents to use electric heater alternative kitchen fuel. Denying this claim, the Kolasib residents however said that the transformer, installed in 1983, was too old.

Newspapers in the town stopped publication since four days back while power-based commercial establishments had to be temporarily closed down. Telecommunication was badly affected their mobile phones ran out battery.

Landslide Debris Yet To Be Cleared

Silchar, Jun 28 : Southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur remained cut off from rest of the country for the second day on Wednesday as the debris of Tuesday's landslides are yet to be cleared from the Lumding-Silchar Hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and the NH-6 connecting Badarpur in Assam with Shillong in Meghalaya.

Sources said nearly 3,000 train passengers have been left stranded at different places and stations in Dima Hasao district for the past more than 36 hours. While Down Lumding-Agartala Express was stopped at Haflong, Down Cachar Express was stopped at Mahur and Up Cachar Express was stopped at Maibang station due to landslides. There have been big and small landslides at 91 odd places along a 171-km stretch between Mandardisa and Damcherra stations on the Hill section. The landslides occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday and were triggered by torrential downpour in the Barail Hills for the past few days.

Sources said railway authorities are yet to make any arrangements to get the stranded passengers to their destinations. This is because road connectivity has also been disrupted due to landslides. Under such circumstances, the NFR has roped in the Army and the civil administration. But there were no signs of immediate action from any quarters.

Sources said the stranded passengers have been suffering from want of food and drinking water. Some local NGOs have been distributing milk and biscuits among the passengers. Dima Hasao Autonomous Council authorities have also made arrangements for supply of food to the hapless travellers.

Although work for clearing the debris from the railway tracks has been undertaken, it will take some weeks to restore the route, an NFR official said on Wednesday. All the trains on this route have been cancelled for an indefinite period. "We can't say at this juncture when the route can be revived. However, work is going on at a war-footing. On Wednesday, there was no rain. This helped us make some progress in the restoration work," said the spokesman.

The largest landslide is between Dihaku and Mupa stations. The railway line between Harangajao and Mailongdisa was also washed away. A 130-metre stretch of the track was washed away on June 2 after a landslide and the track was repaired after 12 days. The NH 6 remained closed for the second day on Wednesday.

Manipur Rivers Rise, Jiribam Flooded

Imphal, Jun 28 : The water levels of all major rivers in the state are on the rise due to the heavy downpour during the last three days.

Large chunks of areas at Jiribam subdivision bordering Assam have been inundated as the Jiri river overflowed on Tuesday, sources said. The affected people have been shifted to a relief camp. However, one person is still untraceable, the sources added.

Manipur Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFCD) employees have hardened the banks of Imphal river, which is running above the warning level at four points in the capital. IFCD flood fighters have thickened other vulnerable banks too.

"Having noticed the rise of water level at Imphal river, our flood fighters along with machines immediately hardened fragile banks at various points, including Kekrupat , Kangla Villa, Lamlong and Golapati on Wednesday," the IFCD official said.

"The water level of Imphal river recorded in the Minuthong area here at 4 pm on Wednesday evening was 787.625 metres, which is above the warning level but below the danger level," an IFCD official said.

Nambul river, which passes through Imphal city, is also running above the warning level, he said, adding that the water levels of Lilong, Iril and Thoubal rivers are receding gradually.

A large number of people are putting up along the banks of Nambul river in Imphal. However since there was no heavy rain in both the valley as well as the catchment area in the hills on Wednesday, the water level is expected to gradually recede and hence there is no imminent danger of any major flood in the state, he added.

Meanwhile, various low lying areas in Keishamthong and Sagolband in the heart of Imphal have been flooded owing to the bad drainage system throwing life out of gear in the affected areas. On Tuesday, legislator Oinam Lukhoi of Wangoi constituency in Imphal West accompanied by IFCD engineers conducted a field survey of the vulnerable river banks of Imphal river within the constituency.
27 June 2012

Mary Kom World's 38th Most Marketable Athletes

New Delhi: Five-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom have been rated as the 38th most marketable athletes in the world by a monthly British magazine that reports on the business and financial aspects of sport.

SportsPro has ranked athletes from the across the world on the basis of their marketing potential over the next three years and after considering factors like age, home market, charisma, crossover appeal and value for money.

Mary Kom, who is the lone Indian female boxer to qualify for the London Olympics, is the only athlete from the country other than Dhoni to feature in the list that has been topped by Brazilian football sensation Neymar.

"I thank SportsPro for considering me among the top 50 marketable athletes in the world, which is such an illustrious list containing the names of so many of the world's most notable sportspeople," said Mary, who is currently training in Pune for the London Games.

"I am going to continue to focus on the Olympic gold and will wait to see if the potential that SportPro has identified can be made to come to fruition after the Olympics," she added.

The list also includes some of the world's best athletes such as Lionel Messi (3), Usain Bolt (4), Christiano Ronaldo (5), Rory McIlroy (2), Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, Lewis Hamilton and many more.

IOS Sports & Entertainment, a sports management groups, holds the exclusive marketing and management rights for Mary and is responsible for coordinating all of her endorsements and public relations.

Speaking on the article, Managing Director and CEO of IOS Neerav Tomar said: "We are delighted that the world is sitting up to take notice of Mary and her incredible achievements and her ranking in SportsPro will go a long way in catching the attention of brands in India as well.

"She is the perfect brand ambassador and we can only hope that brands will look beyond cricket and Bollywood after the Olympics," he added.

Manipur Girls Ordered: 'Decent' Skirts, No Mobiles

Imphal, Jun 27 : Girls in Manipur have been directed by some student organisations not to wear uniforms above the knee and avoid using mobile phones in schools and colleges.

Six student bodies issued this diktat today that sought to prohibit school and college students from wearing 'indecent
dresses'.

They said girl students should wear the Manipuri ankle length dress 'Phanek' and under no condition uniforms above the knee would be tolerated.

The use of mobile phones during school or college hours would also not be allowed.

The student bodies including All Manipur Students Union, Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur and Manipur Students Federation formed a coordination committee to launch the drive, a joint statement said.

Sale of intoxicating substances at academic institutions would also be banned, the statement said.

In 2001, Manipuri rebel group KYKL, fighting for an independent homeland for the predominantly Hindu Metei community, had warned that women of the state who do not wear the traditional sarongs called 'Phaneks' could face a death penalty.

18 pc Students in Manipur Use Drugs

By Sobhapati Samom

Pallel, Jun 27 : Eighteen per cent of the students in Manipur were found to have used narcotics and psychotropic drugs, claims a senior official of Department of Community Medicine of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal.

Dr AK Brojen of RIMS said this at a seminar to commemorate the ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’, under the theme ‘Think Health – Not Drugs’ here at Pallel, about 45 km south of Imphal today. He said that they have found the development in their recent study.

“This is an alarming issue but we are turning a blind eye to it,” Dr Brojen said and expressed the need to develop a policy on drug users. He urged the concerned authority to develop updated counselling centres at the educational institutions with the involvement of trained hands. Parading of drug users in media is not encouraging, he feels.

Manipur is home to 50,000 drug users including 34,500 intravenous drug users (IDU) while about 14,000 drug users are concentrated in Imphal alone, according to UNODC reports.

“Time has come to carry out awareness programmes in our schools on a war footing”, said M Gandhar, a former drug user turned NGO worker.

Associate Professor Ch Priyoranjan of Manipur University’s Economics department urged the government to step in and control the drug menace.

The State which is one of the largest supplier and consumer of illicit opium products rank third in India based on the percentage of drug users. With 28 per cent of the population under the influence of drug, Manipur boasts one of the highest cases of IDUs in India. The Assam Rifles in cooperation with Narcotics Control Bureau in the recent past has confiscated and destroyed 2,338 kgs of contraband drugs. The seminar was sponsored by the Assam Rifles.
26 June 2012

Has Dr H T Sangliana Been Wronged?

Aizawl, Jun 26 : National Commission for Minorities vice-chairman Dr H T Sangliana has denied Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla's allegations that he was canvassing for himself in the upcoming presidential contest.

Mr Lal Thanhawla seemed to be confused as to whether it was Sangliana or PA Sangma who has been canvassing to be the next president of India, he felt.

Even if his name had come up in the media and on Facebook as a probable candidate from Christian community as a consequence to the opinions expressed by those who had known him well for more than four decades for his distinguished public service, it is the people of the state that considered him fit to be the first president of India from Christian community, Mr Sangliana told UNI.

'What is wrong about it and how fair is Mr Lal Thanhawla to be jealous of the goodwill I received from the people all over India,' he added.

Dr Sangliana maintained that he had never said he was 'favoured by Mrs Sonia Gandhi to head the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee' which reportedly pained the Congress leadership in Mizoram.

"It is obvious that someone fears that Sangliana might enter politics in Mizoram and might overshadow him, and as such is indulging in campaign of misinformation and a game of one upmanship," observed a political analyst. Dr Sangliana said he will never feel jealous if any Mizo was elevated to any high office.

While refusing to deny the fact that his name cropped up as one of the probable presidential candidates among the Christian tribals, the former Karnataka super cop told UNI over phone, "I have never said Mrs Sonia Gandhi proposed my name for the presidential election and it is a baseless rumour." He further said there had been a campaign of sort for him from many parts of India and abroad, and, several organisations had sent their written appeal to the Congress High Command to put him up as Christian candidate.

Love Dogs? This is Not For You

By Rob Cooper

These disturbing images show dogs being cooked and served up as a meal in a grim Chinese tradition.

The animals are chopped up and cooked in front of diners - despite a growing anti-cruelty campaign.

A group of Chinese activists in Yulin City, Guangxi province, descended on the dog meat market campaigning against eating the animals.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Takeaway: A cage full of dogs is lifted like just another type of cargo
Takeaway: A cage full of dogs is lifted like just another type of cargo
Grim: The dogs arrive alive in cages ready to be killed, cut up and cooked at the meat market in Yulin City, Guangxi province, China
Grim: The dogs arrive alive in cages ready to be killed, cut up and cooked at the meat market in Yulin City, Guangxi province, China

Artist Pian Shan Kong knelt down in front of the dead animals confessing for people's sins as he apologised to the dead animals during the demonstration.
China is yet to make animal cruelty illegal and end the grim tradition despite campaigning by animal rights activists.
 
Pet lovers' associations have sprung up in Chinese cities over recent years.
While many Chinese enjoy rich dog meat, especially during cold winters, some object to the practice in some regions of beating dogs to death to release the blood into the meat.

A real dogs dinner: A disturbing picture of a dog dish being prepared in China
A real dogs dinner: A disturbing picture of a dog dish being prepared in China

Dog dinner: Diners tuck into a meal which includes dog in Yulin, Guangxi province, China. The tradition dates back thousands of years
Dog dinner: Diners tuck into a meal which includes dog in Yulin, Guangxi province, China. The tradition dates back thousands of years
When food is scarce, dogs are eaten as an emergency food source around China in a practice which is seen as socially acceptable.
As the country becomes more affluent, a growing number of families are buying dogs as pets fuelling the growing campaign against animal cruelty.
In April, more than 500 dogs set to be slaughtered were saved when the truck they were being carried in to the slaughterhouse was intercepted by activists.
Many of the 505 creatures had barely survived their terrible ordeal, having endured cramped conditions and a lack of water during their near 1,000 mile journey by road.
But rescue came too late for 11 dogs which had succumbed to dehydration and exposure.


Grim: The dead animals lie scattered about ready to be cooked up and eaten in a Chinese restaurant
Grim: The dead animals lie scattered about ready to be cooked up and eaten in a Chinese restaurant

Dog dining: People tuck into dog meals in a restaurant in China in a grim tradition
Dog dining: People tuck into dog meals in a restaurant in China in a grim tradition




Dog meat: The animals being prepared for a meal and a living dog, right
Dog meat: The animals being prepared for a meal and a living dog, right




Chinese meal: Diners tuck into dishes in a restaurant which include dog
Chinese meal: Diners tuck into dishes in a restaurant which include dog

Video: CCN report into Chinese dog markets. WARNING: Contains graphic images

Rocker Girls On A Roll



They came together in 2010 to be a part of the emerging music scene in Delhi. Hailing from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, an all-girl band The Vinyl Records a.k.a TVR will be performing in the city tomorrow at LEMP Kitchen, Gurgaon.

Initially, TVR was a three-member band, with Banu Jini, the guitarist of the band, along with Minam Tekseng and Mithy Tatak, who used to play together in high school. Cherriyan Bank, the keytarist and vocalist from Assam, joined in 2011, and that was when the band started performing actively.

“After coming to Delhi in 2007 from Arunachal Pradesh, (Cherriyan is from Assam), we played at a gig. The response was good. So we continued at different places. That’s how The Vinyl Records was born.” shared Mithy.

The band never looked back since. Describing their sound as indie rock and post punk with a dash of glam rock, the band’s major influences are bands like C.S.S., The B52s, Blondie, The Clash, The Ramones, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys among others.

“Also, all-girl band Afflatus from Shillong inspired us. An all-girl band comes with a lot of ups and downs. There are both praise and criticism and that is what boosts us to keep going. Though we never want a male member, we don’t mind featuring with one in future.” says Mithy, who also shares that the band has a dream of performing with band C.S.S from Brazil in future.

Till now, they have performed in all popular places in Delhi and Mumbai. “In Mumbai, people are familiar with our kind of music, whereas in Delhi, metal, blues, Punjabi and Bollywood music are popular. But with increasing venues for gigs, music festivals, the music scene in Delhi is improving,” says Minam, bassist of the band.

These 22-year-old rocker girls are self-sponsors of their gigs. Whatever little they save from their pocket money, they spend on their practice, travelling charges etc. “Wherever we performed, 85 per cent of them were free gigs. It gets a little tough, but after a power-packed performance when you go back home, the satisfaction is priceless.” TVR is also planning to come out with an album by the end of this year.

Indefinite Blockade Cripples Traffic On Silchar-Aizawl Road

Aizawl, Jun 26 : An indefinite blockade on NH-306 which started at 6am on Monday disrupted traffic on the important national highway connecting Silchar in Assam with Kampai in Mizoram. Sonai Road Unnayan Sanstha (SRUS), a Silchar-based NGO, launched the blockade seeking immediate repair and improvement of the national highway, which is dotted with innumerable large potholes.

Members of the NGO put up blockades at three points along the highway in the Assam area. They didn't allow any vehicles to ply on the road. This led to hundreds of trucks, buses and other vehicles lining up on either side of the blockade points. Mizoram and southern parts of Cachar district continue to remain cut off from the rest of the country due to the blockade.

SRUS convenor Manjur Ahmed Chaudhary said although the agitation continued throughout the day triggering complete disruption of traffic on the national highway, no official from the district administration or Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) personnel turned up to talk to the agitators. This is an instance of sheer negligence on the part of the government towards the poor condition of roads across Barak Valley, Chaudhary said.

He said this time SRUS would not withdraw the stir simply on the basis of promises. "The authorities will have to start work first and only then we will end our blockade," said the functionary. He said the indefinite agitation would continue until work for repair of the highway begins in full swing.

Chaudhary said during rains, the condition of the road worsens and in some places there is virtually no road. Huge potholes and big drains on the road cause frequent accidents. Despite this, neither the district administration nor the BRTF are taking up the job to repair the road, he added.

Silk Route To Northeast India

By Sunanda K. Datta-Ray

Northeast is awash with money. But the money is often treated as Delhi’s bribe to once rebellious tribes to make their peace with Central power.

My Nor-theastern frien-ds must be laughing up their sleeves. Dismissed as “chinks” in Indian universities, beaten up or even murdered in some cities, arrested as Tibetan protesters in Delhi and required to prove their citizenship at airports and hotels (Mumbai’s Taj Mahal once demanded that a former chief minister of Nagaland, Hokishe Sema, produce his passport), they have suddenly become the flavour of the month, thanks to two outstanding women.

The global acclaim for Aung San Suu Kyi has brought home the realisation that the stampede to do business with the new Burma will leave India behind unless connectivity is improved with the three border states, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. Then, there’s American secretary of state Hillary Clinton harping on a New Silk Road linking Central and South Asia with Southeast Asia. It will “connect markets, businesses and consumers from the Caspian to the Ganges and beyond,” she says.

It may be a worthy idea but doesn’t seem relevant in this context. The Silk Road was the route the Italian traveller, Marco Polo, took to (and from) China. Any new variant of it should logically connect that country with Europe. Contemporary US strategic needs in Central and Southeast Asia don’t have to be legitimised by being forced into the straitjacket of alien tradition. The needs are valid in themselves and India has a stake in them.

It’s good, therefore, that the US consul-general in Kolkata, Dean R. Thompson, travelled recently to Aizawl, capital of landlocked Mizoram, to remind listeners that “Northeast India plays an important role as the region connects India with neighbours in the east.” Mr Thompson might have added that only 250 km of the region’s outer perimeter touches India. The remaining 4,750 km borders China, Burma, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, he also organsied the first-ever “Taste of America” festival in Agartala, Tripura’s capital.

Geography alone doesn’t separate the Northeast from the rest of India. Ethnicity is even more divisive. When it comes to language and culture, the descendants of the Aryans who people the Gangetic plain have more in common with Pakistanis than with the Northeast’s Tibeto-Burman tribes. Note that when Dr Manmohan Singh spoke of connectivity in a speech that Ms Clinton invokes to sell her New Silk Road, he mentioned “breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul”, not meals in Kohima, Imphal and Yangon.

Let’s be fair, the government hasn’t totally ignored the Northeast all these years. Jawaharlal Nehru’s concern for minority cultures prompted him to appoint the eminent British anthropologist, Verrier Elwin, anthropological adviser to the government of what is now Arunachal Pradesh. The North-Eastern Council was established in 1971 as to develop the eight Northeastern states. The North-Eastern Development Finance Corporation was incorporated in 1995, and the ministry of development of North-eastern region set up in 2001. Seven years later came the “Peace, Progress and Prosperity in the Northeast Region: Vision 2020” document with the objective of banishing poverty by that year.

Cultural integrity isn’t as much a major concern any longer because many north-easterners seem quite happy to front for businessmen from the plains. Bangladeshi infiltration — a major demographic feature of Assam, Tripura and Manipur — is slowly diluting racial exclusiveness. Money isn’t the problem either. The Northeast is awash with it. But the money is often treated as Delhi’s bribe to once rebellious tribes like the Nagas, Mizos, Meteis and others to make their peace with the Central power. It isn’t used for the development that the Northeast needs so desperately.

Now, Dr Singh’s visit to Yangon has focused attention on the need for improved connectivity to and through Burma. This is certainly necessary but it isn’t a new idea. The far-sighted Lord Dalhousie, India’s governor general from 1848 to 1856, dreamt of a railway line from Singapore to Constantinople and beyond, with a branch track meandering up to Lhasa. The Asian Development Bank has taken up a part of the project.

There was enthusiastic talk at a recent informal meeting on the New Silk Road with Donald Lu, the US charge d’affaires in Delhi, about a $120 million highway to link Mizoram with Burma’s Sittwe port. My mind raced back to the 1950s when Sittwe was Akyab and two boys from there were boarders at my school in Calcutta. I envied them not because they came from a foreign land called Burma (no Myanmar then) but because they flew home even for long weekends. I had never been on an aeroplane then. Union of Burma Airlines ran a regular Calcutta-Akyab service.

What worries me is whether grand new plans to restore connectivity will materialise.

Jaswant Singh’s ambitious Mekong-Ganga project, launched in 2000, hasn’t progressed much. The hopes it aroused of direct flights from Imphal or Guwahati to South-east Asia petered out. The hugely popular 2004 India-Asean car rally (slogan: “Networking People and Economies”) wasn’t repeated. The organisers of two magnificent Singapore exhibitions in 2008 (“KaalaChakra” and “On the Nalanda Trail”) had a terrible time persuading Indian museums to lend them artifacts gathering dust in their warehouses, unseen even by Indians.

Geographical contiguity doesn’t need stressing. As we say in Bengali, you don’t need a mirror to see the bracelet on your wrist. Some of us are also aware of Suvarnabhumi, the Land of Gold, that once encompassed the entire region. But can Suvarnabhumi be regained? That I don’t know.

A terrible lethargy overwhelms foreign policy. Mr Lu didn’t answer my question about whether South Block officials are as keen on the New Silk Road as Ms Clinton. Perhaps, even those who like the idea object to an inaccurate name.

Cash Grows in Assam Wetlands

Money might not grow on trees, but it emerged from water in Assam's capital on Monday - in currency notes of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 denomination.

A group of fishermen was the first to strike it rich at Silsakho, a wetland and popular fishing site close to the office of a central intelligence agency in Sasal area of Guwahati.

They caught money along with a handful of fish around 11am.

News of the floating money triggered a frenzied treasure hunt. At least 500 people dived in to fish cash. While some said they made Rs. 10,000-15,000, a few claimed to have laid their hands of entire bundles totaling Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1 lakh.

"God must have taken pity on us and showered his blessings," said daily wager Rajen Deka, without disclosing his catch.

Locals claimed the notes, estimated to be worth several lakhs, were genuine, but many assumed they were fakes. Police did not rule out the possibility of the cash being connected to a tribal hill council scam that the National Investigation Agency is probing.

City superintendent of police Apurba Jiban Barua said, "We hope investigations will reveal the source of the money. Of course, the Reserve Bank of India would be verifying the genuineness of the notes first.

" Police have seized cash from three treasure hunters for investigation.
25 June 2012

Mizoram To Have World Class Swimming Pool

Aizawl, Jun 25 : Mizoram would soon have an international standard swimming and diving pool to promote aquatic sports in the hilly state, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said today.

Addressing a Olympic Day rally at the Assam Rifles Ground here, the Chief Minister said world class swimming and diving pool, which only neighbouring Manipur and a few other states in India have, would be constructed at the aquatic complex at Lawibual on the eastern fringes of Aizawl.

He attributed the significant development to the initiatives of the energetic sports minister Zodintluanga.

The young Aquatics Association of Mizoram was overjoyed at the news.

"We have not dreamt of having such international standard swimming and diving pool even in our wildest imaginations," said AAM president Dawngzuala.

Saying that Mizoram has huge potential in aquatic sports, the AAM president hoped that the infrastructure would be instrumental in tapping the potential. "Once we have the swimming and diving pool, Mizoram will soon swim past Tripura and Manipur in the aquatic sports," he claimed. Formed in 2009, the AAM is gearing up for Mizoram open swimming championship for the third consecutive year.

Besides this annual championship, the association has regularly conducted talent search and competitions for school students using every convenient river.

As the aquatic complex lies in the same vicinity with the under construction Rajiv Gandhi sports stadium (also world standard) and Hawla indoor stadium, sports officials hoped that Aizawl would soon be able to host mega event like the National Games.

Braving the rains, about 1500 runners took part in the rally. Starting from different points, the runners converged at the AR Ground where they were addressed by the Chief Minister and president of Mizoram Olympic Association Lal Thanhawla.
24 June 2012

Kuki Body Slams Mizoram Govt For Arrest Of Its Leaders

Imphal, Jun 24 : The United People's Front (UPF), one of the two apex bodies of various Kuki militants, which are signatories of the ongoing Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the government, slammed the government for the recent arrest of its leaders by Mizoram Police from Silchar airport.

On June 10, Mizoram Police arrested UPF vice chairman Lalroupuia and deputy commander Viek from Silchar airport on the charge of attempting to carry out subversive activities.

Stating that the arrest would slow down the SoO process, the UPF demanded unconditional release of its leaders.

Since the Kuki underground groups are signatories of the tripartite SoO pact and their families and relatives reside in various parts of the country, UPF's spokesperson Jacob Thadou assumed that they can move freely across the nation.

The tripartite SoO agreement was signed in August 2008.

Presidential Poll: Mizo National Front To Support Sangma

Presidential poll: Mizo National Front to support Sangma Main opposition party in Mizoram, Mizo National Front (MNF) is likely to support the candidature of Purno A Sangma as President of India. 
 
Aizawl, Jun 24
: Main opposition party in Mizoram, Mizo National Front (MNF) is likely to support the candidature of Purno A Sangma as President of India when the polling will be held on July 19.

Former chief minister and MNF chief Zoramthanga said on Sunday that formal announcement would be made during this week after the meeting of the party high command on the issue.

"I think we will support Sangma as he is a tribal from North-East and also a Christian as the country is yet to have a tribal and a Christian in the top post," Zoramthanga said.

MNF has one member of parliament (Rajya Sabha) and four legislators including a member of its junior partner - Mara Democratic Front (MDF).

2500 Participate in Olympic Day Run in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jun 24 :  An "Olympic Day Run" was organised Saturday in Mizoram's capital Aizawl to celebrate the setting up of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on this day in 1894.

Over 2,500 sports persons and runners participated in the colourful run, organised by the Mizoram State Olympic Association (MSOA).

"Through sports, youths of the northeast will show their talents and skill while people of different ethnic groups and castes will come closer," said Mizoram Chief Minister and MSOA president Lal Thanhawla while addressing the gathering at the famous Assam Rifles Ground here.

MSOA senior Vice-President and Mizoram Sports Minister Zodintluanga urged Mizo youths to dedicate themselves to place the mountainous state in the national and international sports arena in a more bigger way.

Olympic Day Run is an international Olympic movement activity promoting mass participation of people in sports.

Nagas Find Identity in Chennai

Vepery Church at Egmore, where Naga Christian Fellowship Chennai (NCFC) conducts its service.   —DCVepery Church at Egmore, where Naga Christian Fellowship Chennai (NCFC) conducts its service.


“Hardwork and simplicity are the identity of Chennai city, which cannot be compared with any other place,” said Wapangtoshi, pastor of Naga Christian Fellowship Chennai (NCFC).

It was not so long ago in the early 1980s that just a few fortunate students got the opportunity through the government entrance exams to come to Chennai for better education and higher technical learning. In 1985 a students’ union was formed.

Today the number of people staying in Chennai is more than 400 and it increases with every passing year as students stay back for better job opportunities.

“I came here 15 years ago to get a job. I found the city and the lifestyle of people much better than in most places I have been to,” said Takameren Longkumer, who is settled in Chennai and is working in a private company.

The Nagas became content with living in Chennai both as students and as workers. “The best thing about being settled in Chennai is that I will see my children get proper education in good schools and that they will have a future full of hope,” said Ramreingam Vashum, a government employee.

“Everything about the city is so good. The people are hard working and generous, there is no class distinction and now I have finally adapted to the weather. However, the only thing that bothers me is the traffic and the speeding of vehicles on highways,” said Takameren.
The first NCFC service was held in the year 1985 at English Wesley Church in St. Thomas Mount. From then till the present day, NCFC has been conducting service at different churches with the guidance and generosity of the local people. Now NCFC service is conducted at Vepery Church Egmore.

“It is only because of the local people that we are able to perform our duties to God as we cannot afford to buy a land as most of the Nagas are students. The Sunday service is held to encourage each other to excel and learn from the Gospel and also to remind ourselves the purpose of coming here,” said Wapangtoshi pastor of NCFC about the Naga service in Chennai.

Going gaga over naga cuisine
Naga reju, a small Naga restaurant with its tagline “A little far away from home” was opened by Maong Jamir six years ago when he realised the need of Naga food for the Nagas residing in Chennai.
“I came to Chennai in 1999 as a management student and during my stay I started missing home food and Naga dishes. Thus, after my studies, I decided to open a Naga restaurant that provided Naga dishes as the Naga population started increasing,” said Maong Jamir.

Naga Reju — ‘Reju’ meaning tribal house — was also opened to make people aware of Naga dishes and its specialities, much like South Hotel in Dimapur, Nagaland, where you get south Indian dishes such as idli and dosa for the south Indians settled in Nagaland.

Bamboo shoot and king chilli are the special ingredients of Naga dishes. King chilli, which is also known as Naga Mircha, is the hottest chilli in the world and is a favoured ingredient for most of the dishes.

“Curiosity about Naga food is always the first thing we hear from people who come to our restaurant for the first time,” said Maong Jamir.

On The Longest Official Train Journey

On the longest official train journeyBy Vaibhav Shastry

A group of software engineers based in Bangalore embark on the longest official train journey, connecting the Northeast to south India, and make friends from different states along the way


In this day and age, where speed is often the key and time is at a premium, most people make whirlwind trips on business to other states or countries, opting for the quickest modes of transport, and opt for sightseeing during the holidays.

One would think that one of the oldest and trusted modes of transport, the railways may be losing favour, especially when it comes to longer distances, due to factors of time and convenience.

However, a team of youngsters, who term themselves ardent fans of the Indian Railways, have embarked on a rather historic journey, 4243 kms long and over 82 hours in duration. It is nothing but their passion for railway journeys that motivated them to make this trip.

"We all are fascinated by the sights we encounter while making train journeys as children.
While many outgrow that fascination over time, my passion for train journeys has only grown over the years. I happened to chance upon this forum on the web which had ardent railway fans discussing their favourite journeys, the technical aspects of each train and everything else related to the Indian Railways, and immediately became a member," says T Sathyanarayanan, an IT analyst.

It is through the forum that Sathyanarayanan got in touch with two other like-minded rail aficionados, and they started making short rail trips to remote locations in the outskirts of Bangalore.

However, the urge to visit totally unexplored locations and witness nature in it's beauty lured them to make longer trips.

They witnessed the River Brahmaputra in full flow, and made it upto Lower Haflong, the only hill in Assam. They slept on the platform in Lumding, as they admittedly felt the safest within the railway confines in the troubled state. "We were surrounded by a swarm of army personnel in Assam, and it is very difficult to find any mode of transport, or life on the streets beyond 6 pm in the evening there. While the people were undoubtedly warm and accommodating, the terrorist attacks in the past have made the region insecure," says an exultant Francis Bosco, a senior aerospace engineer and the youngest member of the team.

While they encountered their fair share of difficulties during the journey, with many unscheduled stops and the food served during the Northeastern leg of the journey leaving much to be desired, the experience was well worth it. "We made several friends from different walks of life, had Indian Railway fan club members from other states coming in at odd hours to meet us, saw nature in it's purest form through the journey, and felt at home once we touched south India," Sathyanarayanan reveals. The team also had a sapling planted as they touched Kanyakumari, marking the significance of this historical journey.

While it will be back to their day jobs, the group has already started planning for their next trip already. "We intend to travel to the peaks of Assam that we couldn't explore due to the recent landslide, and will also be meeting at the next railway convention," Harisharan signs off.
23 June 2012

Remote Indian State Becomes Rock Music Hub

This photograph taken on February 20, 2012, shows members of local rock band This photograph taken on February 20, 2012, shows members of local rock band 'White Fire,' 34-year-old guitarist Kenan Laishram (L), 32-year-old drummer Elangbam Kumar (C), 33-year-old bassist Akoi Konjengbam (2R) and 31-year-old vocalist Alvina Gonson (R), during a musical jam session in a practice room in Imphal, the capital of the north eastern Indian state of Manipur.

In the far north-east of India, cut off from the rest of the country except via a narrow land bridge, perhaps the only way to make yourself heard is loud, really loud, rock music. For White Fire's drummer Elangbam Kumar, that explains why their cover version of the Guns N'Roses song 'Welcome To The Jungle' has become an anthem for the band and a big hit with their fans in the remote state of Manipur. The state, which is 1,000 miles (1,700 kilometers) from the capital New Delhi, borders on Myanmar and has struggled for decades with separatist violence, a society divided among competing tribes and grinding poverty. (AFP Photo/Manjunath Kiran)


In the far north-east of India, cut off from the rest of the country except via a narrow land bridge, perhaps the only way to make yourself heard is loud, really loud, rock music.

For White Fire’s drummer Elangbam Kumar, that explains why their cover version of the Guns N’Roses song “Welcome To The Jungle” has become an anthem for the band and a big hit with their fans in the remote state of Manipur.

The state, which is 1,000 miles (1,700 kilometers) from the capital New Delhi, borders on Myanmar and has struggled for decades with separatist violence, a society divided among competing tribes and grinding poverty.

It is also an unlikely hub for rock and heavy metal music, boasting a burgeoning festival scene and local stars who have defied social and cultural boundaries to pursue their music.

“All my pain and angst found an outlet in this genre of music. It is the attitude and the lyrics which are the biggest draw for us,” 32-year-old Kumar, his tattooed biceps bulging out of a tight T-shirt, told AFP.

Kumar first started playing music at college in the city of Bangalore, where he watched MTV and hung out with students from across India who were into the “head-banging” style of the West.

“There is something raw, rebellious and pure about rock. You can express yourself freely,” he explains, adjusting drums in his makeshift practice room decorated with posters of US heavy metal bands Coal Chamber and Slipknot.

“Life here is so frustrating with all the restrictions on us. The entire system makes me angry. The army can stop you on any pretext, unemployment is so high, and we lag behind other states in every way.”

Kumar’s passion reflects the feelings of many young Manipuris, who often leave to go to bigger cities for higher education and jobs but then tend to drift back to their home state.

For them, rock music is a statement against India’s mainstream culture which seems alien and imposed by national authorities. The backstreets of the state capital Imphal are packed with small recording studios and music shops.

Many Manipuris feel that the concept of being “of India” in any meaningful sense is one they find difficult to entertain with a sense of isolation that is not just geographical, but also ethnic, linguistic, economic and political.

Such alienation is common in a number of the “Seven Sisters” — the group of northeastern states encircled by four other countries and connected to the rest of India by a sliver of land that arches over Bangladesh.

“Music is in our blood”

The earliest rock influences arrived in Manipur via Thailand and the rest of southeast Asia over the border into India from Myanmar, known as Burma before 1989.

“Back in the early 1980s, the gateway to the world lay to the east,” remembers Vivek Konsam, who runs Riverboat, an event-management company in Imphal.

“Second-hand copies of The Rolling Stone magazine, a few tapes of boot-legged concert videos and pirated audio cassettes made their way in through Myanmar,” he says.

Youngsters, often unemployed and idle, easily related to the hard-hitting lyrics and ear-splitting sounds.

“It struck an instant chord with them and that got passed on to the next generation. Music is in our blood now,” says Konsam, who has converted an outhouse of his bungalow into a smart session space available to rent.

Konsam has been organizing rock festivals in Imphal and has seen their popularity grow with each edition.

“When we started out a couple of years ago, there were just two or three local bands. Now that number has swelled to about 20. Attendance at these concerts has also been growing to several hundred,” he says.

But it is not easy in a city like Imphal, which closes down by 7:00 p.m. every evening and has just a handful of cinemas showing old Manipuri films due to threats by separatist rebels to attack screenings of Bollywood movies.

“They danced with guns in their hands”

Alvina Gonson, a tribal Christian and one of the rock pioneers of the state, said she had to fight against officialdom to get her singing career on track.

“There are two parallel governments in Manipur — the Indian government and the rebels. We are caught in between,” said the 30-year-old, whose talent and blonde good looks have made her a local star, defying cultural barriers.

“There are a lot of restrictions on women here. People don’t appreciate women stepping out of their homes and mingling with the opposite sex. Singing rock is not considered lady-like,” she said.

“It is not safe for women to hang around alone after dusk.”

Manipur’s situation is complicated by the fact that myriad rebel groups are largely formed on tribal or ethnic lines with rival agendas that regularly erupt into bloody internecine disputes.

Gonson, who was brought up by her single mother and writes and composes her own songs in English, says she refuses to fear anyone. “I can stop them but they can’t stop me.”

She began by performing for close friends and family. Word soon spread and she was invited by schools and colleges to perform for their functions.

Then, in 2006, she was asked by rebels to give a performance at their jungle hideout.

“I was scared at first but decided to go. I took my mom with me. The rebels loved my performances, they danced with guns in their hands and kept asking for more.

“No rebel group has tried to harm me ever since,” said Gonson, adding that she also performs for soldiers in army barracks.

“I understand the feelings of both sides,” she said. “I pray for eternal peace for my motherland.“

Three Held For Abducting Mizo Woman

By Raj Shekhar

New Delhi, Jun 23
: Three men-two of them students and the other a private company executive- were arrested for the alleged abduction of an 18-year-old Mizo woman from outside a club in south Delhi with the intention to rape.

The men drove her around town for close to two hours before dumping her at Chirag Dilli flyover. They didn't rape her, said cops, because they didn't find an isolated spot.

Cops, however, refused to elaborate on the matter.

The woman said in her statement that she had been to the said club in Vasant Kunj for a party which ran until early Thursday morning.

When she left, the three men, who had probably come to the club, too, followed her. She quickened her pace but the drunk men pounced on her and dragged her to their car.

They tried to rape her in the car, but couldn't as she resisted. They then drove around for two hours in search of an isolated spot.

They even called up one of their friends in Munirka, asking him to join them; but that didn't happen, too. When it became brighter, the men dumped her at the Chirag Dilli flyover and fled. They, however, snatched her cellphone to stop her from calling the cops.

A passerby came to her rescue and helped her reach the cops, who then took her to the hospital. A case was lodged based on the woman's statement and CCTV footage from the club, and the three men were arrested late on Thursday.

They were produced before a magistrate on Friday, who sent them to judicial custody.
22 June 2012

Northeast Students Make A Beeline For Admissions at Delhi University

Phalneilhing Kipgen is from Manipur and has applied for political science honours in different Delhi University colleges. She aims to become a civil servant. She had some reservations about studying far away from home but her friends and family advised her to opt for Delhi.

Most students from the Northeast prefer subjects like Political Science, Botany, English and Mathematics. Various northeastern student organizations are helping the applicants in filling up forms, choosing colleges, finding accommodation and completing other basic formalities.

They also help them connect with the other community members already residing in the national capital.

Mizoram Cutoff: Road Blockade in Silchar

Aizawl, Jun 22 : Mizoram and southern part of Assam's Cachar district was cut off from rest of the country since Thursday morning due to a road blockade on NH-306 in Silchar by an NGO.

Hundreds of members of New Silchar Jana Jagaran Mancha (JJM) put up the blockade at Sonai Road point of the NH 306 (earlier NH-54) in Silchar from the morning, seeking immediate improvement of the inter-state road which is in an extremely dilapidated state for the past few years.

Though the blockade ended in the evening, traffic movement was hit as parts of the national highway from Rangirkhari to Aulia were submerged due to torrential rain. Hundreds of vehicles are stranded on the national highway in Silchar, causing much harassment to commuters.

"We blocked the highway to put pressure on the administration for repairing it. But, no officer from the district administration or BRO took note of it," JJM general secretary Debojit Roy said.

Archery, Gambling, & Betel Nuts in Shillong

Archery lotteryArchery lottery
Archery lottery

Our trip, up to this point, had been concentrated in a pretty small area of the Himalayas in West Bengal and Sikkim. However, we would have kicked ourselves if we had come to this region of the world & failed to visit the Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya.

We leave the Makaibari tea estate in a car driven by a teenage driver acompanied by his friend, loud bengali rock blaring on the CD player. We like it. We leave the mountains, & are soon driving thru a monkey infested military base & then thru Siliguri, the 2nd largest town in west Bengal. Arriving at the New Jalpaiguri train station several hours early for our train, we are quickly overwhelmed by this, our first exposure to Indian train stations. We are soon befrended by our "gardian angel", Theja, from Nagaland. He senses our confusion & stays with us & directs us to our train, arrainging to upgrade our tickets from "sleeper" to "first class" for us. We travel thru the night, & I am disapointed that there are no windows in our train car to see out of, but we get some sleep and arrive in Guwahati, Assam at about
Betel Nut vendorsBetel Nut vendors
Betel Nut vendors
4:30AM. Theja, who has also been on our train, in a different car, meets us after we disembark, to guide us thru the busy train station & secure us on a share jeep bound for Shillong. We bid a grateful farewell. as he is heading back to Nagaland. While waiting to leave Guwahati, Patty spots a "flying fox" bat above us & we wnjoy the dawn of a new day in the Northeast of India.

Shillong looks and feels different from the rest of India. The majority of the people here belong to the Khasi tribe, & belong to their traditional religon or are Christian. They are very hospitible to visitors like us. They love music and Betel nuts. We stay 3 days in Shillong & visit the facinating Don Bosco Museum of Indigenous Cultures, the Huge Bazaar, & the Tir or Teer (archery gambling).

The archery gamlking is a lottery of sorts with the local archery associations shooting at a target. People all over maghalaya place bets on the last 2 digits of the number of arrows sticking to the target. It is rally a facinating mixture of sport, culture & gambling.

In Shillong we also had one of the most amazing meals of our trip (& we had some good ones). It was the "chilli Baby corns" at Bombay Bites!
collecting the arrowscollecting the arrows
collecting the arrows

source: travelblog.org

Panel for safer runway at Lengpui

By Pankaj Sarma

The Cessna aircraft that crashed at Lengpui airport in Mizoram.

Guwahati, June 21: An expert panel has recommended installation of additional safety measures on the runway of Lengpui airport in Mizoram to avert incidents of planes overshooting the strip and crashing like it happened with a Cessna aircraft last year.
The panel, constituted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to probe the Cessna aircraft crash, recommended construction of safety areas at each end of the tabletop runway to help avert future disasters.
The runway-end safety area is a paved zone meant to reduce chances of damage if a plane overshoots the runway.
The panel, headed by former Indian Air Force safety head Air Marshal (retd) P.S. Ahluwalia, said in its report that the Lengpui runway did not have the end areas, which, if available, would increase the level of safety of the airport.
According to DGCA norms, a runway-end safety area should extend from the end of a runway strip to a distance of at least 90 metres and its width should be at least twice that of the runway.
On May 4 last year, the small Cessna Caravan aircraft owned by private airliner North East Shuttles Pvt Ltd had overshot the runway and crashed into a 60-foot-deep ravine, injuring nine passengers. The plane, too, suffered substantial damage.
Lengpui airport is owned by the Mizoram government and is licensed by the DGCA for public use.
The probe panel, with Capt. Sanjay Verma and K.B. Batra as the other two members, found that though the instrument landing system (ILS) was installed at the airport in 2008, it had not been commissioned till the date of the accident.
The report said the present location of air traffic control (ATC) tower did not permit full view of the runway towards the end because of the presence of a high hillock between the tower and the runway.
It added that though the lack of the instrument landing system and part visibility of the runway were not the contributing factors in the crash, corrective action regarding these lacunae would increase the airport’s safety.
According to an official source, the Lengpui airport can be considered critically placed, as its tabletop runway did not have runway-end safety areas and its technical facilities were not enough.
“Without runway-end safety areas, Lengpui offers pilots little room for error. While landing here, the pilot must be fully alert,” the source said.
Tabletop runways are those that are carved out of hilltops, are surrounded by gorges and offer little space for planes to manoeuvre in case it overshoots the runway while landing.
The probe panel has, however, held “inadequate skill level of the pilot” responsible for the last year’s accident.
The inquiry revealed that the pilot was not cleared, in accordance with DGCA regulations, to operate in airports situated on hilly terrain.
The report said the pilot had not completed the regulatory 100 hours of flying mandatory for undertaking solo flights and added the operator, North East Shuttles Pvt Ltd, had also failed to ensure compliance of this norm.
The inquiry committee also recommended upgrade of the Met observatory at Lengpui, as it is not equipped to forecast weather.