Style Comes Naturally to People in Northeast: Nagaland's footwear designer

Luxury footwear designer Filafi Fithu from Nagaland believes that fashion comes naturally to most people in the northeast as it is intrinsic to the culture of the region.

"In northeast, fashion is something that you grow up with. It's like something that is engraved deep within the culture itself. Especially the youth like to stay trendy and love to express themselves through fashion. In the region, you don't necessarily have to be a stylist or a fashion designer to be well dressed... it just comes naturally," Fithu, 30, who launched her label FilaFi Fithu here in October 2013, said in an email interaction.

She believes that the northeastern market has a great potential for luxury products.

"I know many people who personally get their luxury requirements fulfilled through distant cousins staying abroad or from their peers staying in other cities of India," said the designer whose footwear designed for women are priced from Rs.6,000 onwards.

Targeting women with a certain level of spending capacity, she wants to open more stores in the country and abroad.

"Delhi is the perfect platform for anybody planning to go global. I do want to do it in my home state and northeast as well in the future. I feel that people from northeast in general have great taste and aesthetic sense and they can well afford it too. It's just that I need a bigger audience," said Fithu, who also introduced a line called t-r-e-n-d-z available from Rs.3,000 upwards.

Designed by Fithu, the shoes apart from t-r-e-n-d-z line are manufactured at Calzaturificio Taboo Line di Romeo Giuseppina at Vigevano in Italy. The company is known for its impeccable quality Italian leather and workmanship, just what she wanted.

"It will make a great sense to sell it in Europe because my shoes are manufactured there and they can relate with women from any country. We are working on opening store in Romania. Hopefully, it will happen sometime early next year," she said.

The alumnus of Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra has also designed footwear for forthcoming Italian drama fiction "Luomo Volante" starring Adelmo Togliani and Bianca Guaccero.
As her label is just a few months old, her eyes are set now on promotional activities.

"Well, since my brand is comparatively new as of now, I am open to all sorts of opportunities of promoting my brand. I will be starting out with advertising my brand at suitable platforms that will give it the sort of publicity I am looking for. Fashion weeks are also an option," she said.

The designer, who left a stable government job to join the fashion industry, believes her choice of profession has a great scope. The history graduate cleared the Nagaland Public Service Commission Examination and got a government job.

"I worked there for many years, but ultimately decided to quit and pursue my ultimate dream because I prefer being my own person. It has a great scope because the demand for footwear only keeps increasing. The global footwear market was worth $185.2 billion in 2011 and is expected to reach $211.5 billion in 2018," said Fithu.

Mizoram CM urges refugees to return from Tripura

Agartala, Jan 30 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has said his government is keen to take back the Bru refugees sheltering in makeshift camps in Tripura for the past 17 years.

"We are always ready to take back the refugees from Tripura and rehabilitate them in their villages. Those refugees, who have returned to their villages, were rehabilitated and are living peacefully and satisfactorily," Lal Thanhawla told reporters at Jampui in north Tripura Tuesday.

He said: "Some people are impeding the repatriation of refugees. Those refugees who have returned to their homes have got financial assistance under the central government package."

Lal Thanhawla, who came to Jampui, 215 km from here, to attend the silver jubilee function of the NGO, the Young Mizo Association as the chief guest, urged the refugees to return to their homes and lead a normal life.

Addressing the association function, he said that some inimical forces are trying to disturb peace and ethnic harmony in Mizoram. Over 36,000 tribal refugees, locally called 'Bru', have been living in seven makeshift camps in northern Tripura for the past 17 years after fleeing their villages in Mizoram following ethnic trouble with the majority Mizos. The trouble began after a Mizo forest official was killed.

Around 5,000 refugees returned to their homes and villages in the past three years following continued persuasion by Mizoram, Tripura and union home ministry officials.

However, the process got stalled after that. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has told both the prime minister and the union home minister that "continuous presence for over 17 years of refugees from Mizoram has been a matter of concern for Tripura".

The refugees have been insisting that without a formal agreement between the central government, the state governments of Mizoram and Tripura and the tribal leaders, their return to homes and subsequent rehabilitation will remain uncertain.

Assam Wants A New Time Zone

Assam's chief minister argues that time change will save energy and synchronise the eastern state with the rest of the country.

By Julien Bouissou

The chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi. Photograph: Biju Boro/AFP

Every day residents of Assam, a state in north-east India, see the sun rise and set earlier than their compatriots because, in a country that stretches 3,000km from east to west, the clocks are all set at the same time. To correct this injustice Tarun Gogoi, the chief minister of Assam, is demanding the creation of a new time zone. "We want offices to start one hour ahead, so that we increase our overall productivity and save on energy," he said.

Technically speaking, it would make sense to create a second time zone. There are almost 28 degrees of longitude between the country's eastern and western extremities, whereas on average a time zone corresponds to 15 degrees. In 2006 India's planning commission recommended two time zones, explaining that it would provide for substantial energy savings. At peak hours electricity demand currently exceeds supply by 17%.

But on two occasions, in 2002 and 2006, the federal government rejected proposals along these lines, for fear of chaos at the time border and rail accidents. The topic is politically sensitive in a country prone to separatist tension. Delhi is afraid a second time zone may distance north-eastern states. Indeed, it was on the grounds of national unity that India decided, shortly after independence, to abolish Mumbai and Kolkata time.

Two researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore, Dilip Ahuja and Debi Prasad Sengupta, advocate putting clocks back by half an hour all over India to satisfy the demands of north-eastern states and avoid chaos. In a study carried out in 2012 they calculated that with this arrangement India would save from 0.2% to 0.7% in energy, depending on the state.

Daylight has other virtues too. Drawing on research done in Britain suggesting that crimes and accidents happen more at night, the two scientists emphasised the advantages of stopping work an hour earlier.

But as the regional daily Assam Tribune pointed out this month, "a gain of half an hour for the eastern region may lead to loss of equal numbers of hours in the central and western regions".
India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy says it will examine Gogoi's ideas. But with only four months before a general election, it seems unlikely the government will risk upsetting voters giving Assam more sunlight.

This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde

Mizo Students threaten to boycott LS elections

Aizawl, Jan 29 : Mizo Students’ Union (MSU), one of the largest and most active student bodies in Mizoram has threatened to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state if the Election Commission of India (ECI) does not entertain the demand of MSU to disallow Brus camped in Tripura from voting in Mizoram in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll.

In the executive meeting held today under the leadership of its president, Zodinpuia, which was attended by leaders of College Students’ Union (SU) and Hnampual Zirlai Pawl (various students’ organizations), leaders of the student bodies unanimously agreed to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha election if their demand is not met.
On Monday, Mizo Students' Union (MSU) had lodged complaint to Union Home Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, regarding the troubles and obnoxious acts created by Bru community against the Mizos, MSU president Zodinpuia said.

The MSU also urged the Election Commission of Indis (ECI) not to allow the Brus residing outside Mizoram to cast their votes in Mizoram.

Earlier, on January 23, MSU had re-submitted a petition to Chief Election Commissioner, VS Sampath, asking him to take immediate step to disallow Bru voters who continue to live outside Mizoram to cast their votes in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Mizoram. It is worth mentioning here that the relationship between the Mizos and the Brus has not been going well in the past 15 years.

Hundreds of Brus had left Mizoram in 1997 and in 2009. The first case was triggered when Bru militants murdered two Mizos who were forest guards on October 21, 1997. The second case happened after a 17-year-old Mizo boy was killed by the Brus near Bungthuam village on November 13, 2009. When the Brus left Mizoram they had driven out some Mizos in villages of Sakhan Hill Range in Tripura like Sakhan Serhmun, Sakhan Tlangsang, Sakhan Tualsen and Upper Dosda which had kicked up much ruckus in Mizoram then.

Meanwhile, a couple of years ago, head count conducted by the MBDPF found that there had been 31,703 Brus in the relief camps belonging to 5,448 families who were bona fide residents of Mizoram. The repatriation of the 1997 batch of Bru refugees was underway until it stalled by the November 13 killing.

In the year 2011, conglomeration of major NGOs in Mizoram had submitted a joint memorandum to the then Union Home minister P Chidambaram to rehabilitate displaced Mizos in Tripura and stall the ongoing repatriation of Brus from Tripura to Mizoram. The memorandum was signed by representatives of four large NGOs in the state--the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the MZP, the Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP) or elders association and the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or the women's federation and four political parties.

The memorandum had mentioned that more than 80 Mizo families displaced from Tripura's Sakhan Hill range in 1998, after being threatened by Bru militants, should be adequately rehabilitated by the Centre, otherwise, the repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura relief camps should not be allowed.

Reliance Natural Resources Ltd contract terminated for Mizoram

Aizawl, Dec 20 : The contract with the Reliance Natural Resources Ltd (RNRL) for exploration of hydrocarbon deposits in southern parts of Mizoram has been terminated, Director of the state Geology and Mineral Resources H Lallenmawia today said.

The Director General of Hydro and Carbon, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, terminated the contractual agreement with the RNRL due to a number of reasons, Lallenmawia said.

The main reason being failure to initiate any work by the NAFTGAZ (Ukraine), one of the three partners of the RNRL, assigned to explore south Mizoram for hydrocarbon deposits, he said.

"The company, which was awarded the contract in 2007, was yet to begin drilling and prepare estimates," sources in the Geology and Mineral Resources said, adding that the work would soon be globally re-tendered.

Mizoram is estimated to have 100 billion cubic deposits of gas.

Other firms like the ONGC and the OIL have taken up the exploration in earnest in different parts of the state, the sources said.

The OIL had done drilling in Keifang and Maubuang in Aizawl district and Thenzawl in Serchhip district while the ONGC had already discovered gas in Mizoram-Assam border Kolasib district's Meidum area, the sources added.

Mizoram CM Allocates Portfolios To Parliament Secretaries

Aizawl, Dec 20 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Thursday allocated portfolios to the Parliamentary Secretaries who were sworn-in by him yesterday.

KS Thanga would assist H Rohluna who was allocated School Education, Industries and Trade and Commerce, while Lt Col Z S Zuala was would assist Finance Minister Lalsawta who also holds Taxation and Law and Judicial portfolios.

H Zothangliana would assist Higher and Technical Education Minister R Romawia who also holds portfolios like Land Revenue and Settlement, Art and Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, while Joseph Lalhimpuia would help R Lalzirliana in Home, Rural Development, Agriculture and Excise and Narcotics portfolios.

T T Zothansanga would assist Horticulture Minister P C Lalthanliana who also holds Social Welfare and Local Administration departments and K Lalrinthanga would assist Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister John Rotluangliana who also holds other portfolios like Printing and Stationery, Transport and Tourism.

Hmingdailova Khiangte would assist Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Minister Zodintluanga who also holds Sports and Youth Services and Public Health Engineering department.

Meanwhile, R L Pianmawia was appointed as the Government Deputy Chief Whip today. He also held the post in the previous government.

Christmas Spirit Grips Hills

Shillong Turns Festive

ANDREW W. LYNGDOH

Children sing at a prayer meeting in Shillong on Thursday. Picture by UB Photos Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful — Norman Vincent Peale Shillong, Dec 20 : Dipping mercury, chock-a-block roads, festive shoppers and an array of decorative lights across the streets are some of the prominent features in Meghalaya in the run-up to the festival of peace, joy, hope and love — Christmas. Liberated momentarily from the agitation by pro-ILP pressure groups but bracing for the bandh call by rebels, the spirit of merry-making appears to be gripping this hill state notwithstanding the rapid drop in temperature. In the capital city, and even at Tura, the nerve centre of the Garo hills region, people are busy preparing for Christmas with carols, get-togethers, prayer service, and feeding and clothing underprivileged children each passing day. People in Garo hills are particularly enthusiastic during Christmas. One could hear carol-singing late into the night with the advent of Yuletide. At the recently concluded Ahaia festival in Tura, a Christmas carol singing competition was a part of the itinerary. Another significant aspect in the run-up to December 25 is the benevolence of people who came forward to offer a taste of the festive season to streetchildren. Soon after the culmination of the Assembly polls in February, Meghalaya was plunged into a cycle of crises with the ILP agitation dominating the headlines. However, with no fresh agitation until next year barring a bandh on Monday, people are now willing to welcome Christmas with pomp and gaiety, and above all, with peace, joy and hope. This festive season is epitomised by music. The Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum has come forward to organise the Shillong Choir Festival, where renowned groups from the Northeast will sing at the State Central Library here on Monday to ring in the joyful season. The Shillong Chamber Choir, which recently performed at Rashtrapati Bhavan, will be heading the evening musical show. Other groups include Serenity Choir, KERYGMA Choir, Mizo Presbyterian Choir and Ameu Useu and the choir. The last is a renowned group from Nagaland while Serenity and KERYGMA are from Meghalaya. To add to the gaiety, the forum will also put up a 17-foot Christmas tree, forum general secretary Ian Khongmen said. “The Shillong Choir Festival is an effort to enrich and promote some positive effect in the city in this season of peace, joy, hope, brotherhood and reconciliation,” Khongmen said, adding that the forum plans to make the festival an annual affair.

Court issues Production warrant against Irom Sharmila

A Delhi court Thursday issued a production warrant against 'Iron lady' Irom Sharmila to appear January 30, next year in a case of attempted suicide during her fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar here in 2006.

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain issued the production warrant after Sharmila failed to appear before the court. Earlier, the court had issued summons Oct 30 against her after Sharmila's counsel failed to turn up.

The testimony of the prosecution witness in the case is being recorded at present.

Sharmila is being detained in the security ward of a hospital in Imphal, Manipur.

She has been on a fast for about 12 years, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

On March 4, the court had framed charges against 40-year-old Sharmila, popularly known as 'Iron lady', for attempting to commit suicide and put her on trial after she refused to plead guilty.

Sharmila was present in the court in March and had denied that she attempted suicide while fasting at Jantar Mantar here in 2006.

The court had earlier told her that the maximum punishment in the case was a few months to a year, and since she had been in custody for more than six years, if she pleads guilty, the case would be settled.

But Sharmila refused to accept the charges against her.

Sharmila told the court that she has been protesting for the last 12 years in the "most non-violent way, like Mahatma Gandhi".

She said that she is fasting for the people of Manipur, as they are being neglected by the government, and requested the court not to ask her to appear in court because of her medical condition.