Youths Killed in Clash Over Worship in Manipur

By Khelen Thokchom

Imphal, Apr 19 : Two tribal youths were hacked to death and four were wounded in a clash between a batch of devotees of Lord Ibudhou Thangjing and local residents at Golthol in Manipur’s Churachandpur district last night.

Police are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the altercation that led to the clash.

The incident sparked tension between the local residents and the Meiteis residing in Churachandpur and Bishnupur district, bordering Churachandpur. Security has been tightened to prevent further flare-up.

The two youths died on the spot. Their bodies were brought to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here this morning and kept at the RIMS mortuary for identification and post-mortem.

Lancha Haokip, 18, Mamang Haokip, 20, Seimang Kipgen, 52, and his son Khainingthang Kipgen, 18 — the four injured who are from Churachandpur district — have been admitted to RIMS.

Every year, people, particularly the Meiteis, climb the Thangjing Hills to worship Ibudhou Thangjing, a Meitei deity, on the first Saturday after Cheiraoba (New Year of the Hindu Meiteis).

This year, the Cheiraoba festival fell on April 14 and yesterday was the day for worshipping Ibudhou Thangjing.

The tradition is to climb the hill at night in groups and return after worshipping the deity on Sunday morning.

Many devotees had climbed the hill last evening. A preliminary police report said the clash broke out after a group of devotees had an altercation with some local people at Golthol atop the hill around 9.30 last night.

The inspector-general of police range-II, C. Doungel, today rushed to Churachandpur for a spot inquiry and to supervise security measures.

A police team led by the superintendent of police, Churachandpur, Bimolchandra Sharma, was present at the spot to inquire into the incident. “A preliminary report said an altercation between a group of devotees of Thangjing and some locals led to the clash. Two died on the spot and four were wounded. I will be making further inquiries and submit a report to the director-general of police (Yumnam Joykumar Singh),” the IGP said.

The police are yet to question the injured persons.

Doungel has contacted leaders of Kuki Inpi, the apex body of the Kuki community, and the Kuki Students’ Organisation to defuse tension in the district. “We have intensified patrol and security has been beefed up in and around Golthol and surrounding areas which are considered vulnerable, to prevent a backlash,” Doungel said.

He said the situation was fully under control though tension prevailed in Churachandpur district and the neighbouring Bishnupur district.

The superintendent of police, Bishnupur district, K. Jayenta Singh, has also stepped up security.

Hire And Fire Continues in Assam's Media

By D N Singh

The media houses in Assam have got an opportunity to 'hire and fire' the media men, whimsically by taking advantage of easily available mass communication degree holders and serious unemployment problems in the state.

Taking advantage of easily available mass communication degree holders and serious unemployment problems in the state, the media houses in Assam have got an opportunity to ‘hire and fire’ the media men, whimsically.

The fourth estate in Assam is deprived of ‘fair deals’ despite the existing ‘The Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees (Condition of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, enforced. Under this act, the Central government constituted Wage Board for suggesting salary and perks for journalists and other workers in media.

This act is confined and has its jurisdiction up to print media only. In the year 1985, the Bachhawat Wage Board recommended salaries and wages for media persons for the first time and after a lapse of 13 years, Manisana Singh Wage Board revised the earlier recommendations in 1998.

Now the fourth estate is not confined to print media alone. The electronic and web media have made inroads in this field. They have expanded their wings very fast. This act does not have any control over them. This has led the media magnets an opportunity to ‘hire and fire’ the workers and exploiting them at the cheapest cost. The Wage Board’s recommendations have gone in the dust bins of maximum newspapers. Only a few have reputation of adhering the recommendations and paying, that too according to Manisana Singh Wage Board’s recommendations of 1998.

Meanwhile, the Central government constituted another Wage Board on May 24, 2007, the term of which is going to end by May 24 next. The Wage Board was asked to submit its report by this time. But according to available reports, Justice G R Majithia Commission could not do much progress in this case.

Under the circumstances, the press people are still supposed to get the wages according to the recommendations of Manisana Singh Wage Board’s recommendations, which are also not paid by most of the media houses.

It may be noted here, that the Central and state government’s salaries have been revised several times. Emoluments in UGC and the central organizations have also been revised many times. The media people have to bear the brunt of price rise with their limited income to support their families. On the other hand in Assam, most of the media houses do not issue appointment letters to their staff and deprive them of the benefits of provident fund, gratuity, medical benefits, earned leave and bonus etc.

Even state government publicizing too much about various welfare schemes for the people and society does not feel it necessary to check-up the malpractices going on in the local media. The state government is supposed to be duty bound to see whether the recommendations of Wage Board have been applied in the organizations or not.

Since most of the media houses are controlled by politicians and other influential persons, the government seems very much reluctant to look into the welfare of media people. The press people have no security of life even.

A number of journalists have been killed by security personnel, anti-socials and militants during last two decades. But the government remained unmoved and failed to provide any relief to the families of the victims or bringing the culprits to the book.

Assam Hornets’ Nest Stirred

Language appeal to Bengali Muslims draws flak

Of the people

Guwahati, Apr 19 : An appeal by an umbrella organization of religious minorities, asking the linguistic minority to identify themselves as Bengalis instead of Assamese during the ongoing census, has threatened to open old wounds in Assam.

The state has already seen two rounds of language-related agitation in the past.

The Citizens’ Right Preservation Committee (CRPC) has appealed to the Bengali Muslims of Barak Valley to identify themselves as Bengalis instead of Assamese, a move which has not gone down well with several organizations representing the religious and linguistic minorities of Assam.

Secretary of the Cachar unit of CRPC Sadhan Purkayastha said, “It would be sheer blasphemy on the part of the Bengali Muslims of Barak Valley to follow their counterparts in Brahmaputra Valley who are now insisting on identifying themselves as Assamese.”

The CRPC also opposed the two state Jamiat factions, which are in favor of religious and linguistic minorities identifying themselves as Assamese.

The All Assam Bengali Parishad, an organization representing the linguistic minority, on the other hand, has opposed the CRPC’s call and said that the organization “did not represent the 65 lakh Bengali-speaking people of Assam”.

Chitta Pal, the president of the Parishad, told The Telegraph that “a census is supposed to be a neutral exercise to determine the demographic pattern of the country”.

“It is a matter of individual choice how they identify themselves. No one can impose any diktat on anybody,” he said, adding “the timing of the appeal was clearly made with an eye on the Assembly elections next year”.

Pal also pointed out that Assam had already seen two phases of language-related “disturbances” over the Assamese-Bengali issue and there was no need to divide the two communities living as one for centuries.

It was the British rulers who drove the wedge firmly into the Assamese-Bengali divide in Assam, taking advantage of a simmering discontent among the local populace. The British had even imposed Bengali as the official language in Assam from 1836 to 1872. The language-related agitation took place in 1961 and 1972.

A leader of one faction of the state Jamiat and All-India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal has said the minority population in Brahmaputra Valley should adopt Assamese as their language.

AIUDF working president Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, too, said the issue of language was purely individual and a matter of conscience. “No political party or organisation can impose any language as mother tongue on the people,” he added.

While the AASU reserved comment on the issue, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) said that it had made an appeal to all those who had resided in Assam and adopted the local culture and lifestyle to identify themselves as Assamese in the ongoing census.

AJYCP chief adviser Putul Dutta said, “Our stand is clear. All those people — irrespective of their religion, caste or the language they speak — living within the geographical boundaries of Assam are Assamese people”.

The directorate of census operations, Assam, has refused to take a stand on the issue.

A senior official at the directorate office here said the current phase of census was not covering the language and religious aspects. “A census is a neutral exercise meant to determine the demographic pattern of the country,” the official added.

[ via Telegraph India ]

I Wish We Had larger Number of MPs: Lal Thanhawla

When Lal Thanhawla seeks an appointment with an Union minister in New Delhi, no one disappoints him despite the fact that he is the chief minister of one of the small, far-flung Northeast states.

After all, he first became Mizoram’s CM when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. In an interview to Shantanu Nandan Sharma, he lists out some of the handicaps in leading a small state.

Excerpts:

On being a small state with one Lok Sabha MP...

I do not have any problems with the Central government, particularly the UPA government, despite being a small, insignificant state located in a remote part of the country. Instead, there is a tremendous goodwill for us at the Centre. Yet, we have not been able to capitalize on this because of our remote location and other constraints.

On no discussion of Mizoram in Parliament...

I don’t remember when Mizoram was talked about in Parliament last. I wish we had larger number of MPs. But both our MPs (one each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) are very active inside and outside the Parliament. Also, whenever I visit Delhi, I not only meet Union ministers, but even officials to get work done for my state. Our problem is not in receiving fund from the Centre, but in lack of capacity to spend it. So, we have begun to engage professional organizations to prepare project proposals and action plans.

On Look East Policy...

It is rather difficult to woo investors despite Mizoram being very peaceful and having an industry-friendly attitude. However, the Centre’s Look East policy, which engages neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and other South East countries, could make our state a major beneficiary in the years to come.

Tipaimukh Children Fall Sick Due to Mysterious Disease

Hmarkhawlien (Assam), Apr 19 : According to reports, more than 40 children have fallen ill after infected by unidentified diseases in Damdei village under Tipaimukh sub-division of Churachandpur district, Manipur.

The children, in the age group of 12-18 years, reported common cold, stomach problems, high-fever, etc. The children feel weak and cannot go out from their homes. There are no reported deaths so far.

Schools have also been closed for more than two months due to fear of an epidemic. The infected children are given Paracetamol tablets and other common medicines by the villagers without any prescriptions.

The State government is yet to send health authorities to identify the diseases and to prevent further outbreak which can be controlled with proactive intervention.

In 2009 last year, there was an outbreak of an epidemic-like disease that tolled the lives of more than forty (40) infants in the Tipaimukh sub-division. There are no doctors, nurses, health authorities, and public health systems in the area even after repeated appeals by villagers and different organizations to the State authorities.

Mukul Sangma to be Meghalaya's New Chief Minister

Shillong, Apr 18 : In a late night development, Mukul Sangma has been named the new Chief Minister of Meghalaya. He replaces D D Lapang. The decision came after a leadership row in the state Congress.

Sangma is currently the deputy chief minister of the state. Sangma had rushed to Delhi earlier on Saturday, apparently with an eye to the top job claiming the support of majority of the party's legislators.

With Lapang already camping in New Delhi at the summons of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Sangma reached there with 14 Congress MLAs, including 10 dissidents who have sought Lapangs ouster.

The development came after 21 of the 28 Congress MLAs, including some detractors of the chief minister, met at Sangma's residence late on Friday night and were understood to have pledged him 'unconditional support' to him. The dissident MLAs have been pressing the Congress High Command for nearly a month for a change of leadership as well as their inclusion in the ministry. Only six of total 28 Congress MLAs have found berths in Lapang's ministry. The ruling Congress alliance, sworn in last year after the fall of the NCP-led government, enjoys the support of 44 legislators -- 28 from Congress, 9 from UDP, two from Hill State Peoples Democratic Party, one from Khyun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement and four Independents in a House of 60. (With PTI inputs)

Over 200 Trucks Stranded at Manipur-Nagaland Border

Imphal, Apr 18 : More than 240 loaded trucks have been stranded at Manipur-Nagaland border due to economic blockade by a Naga students' organization for the past four days, official sources said today.

The trucks, carrying essential commodities, coming from Dimapur in Nagaland were stranded at Mao in Manipur's Senapati district because of a blockade on NH-39 (Dimapur- Imphal) by All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM).

Passenger vehicle movements, however, were not yet affected, the sources said.

The ANSAM was opposing the government's plan to hold elections to autonomous district councils in hill districts of the state next month demanding more monetary power for the district councils.

A report from Senapati district said the blockade could continue till April 24. The sources said the government had given enough power to the district councils.

Dance of Diversity

By Ranjita Biswas

The colourful dances of the Northeast offer a glimpse of the outstanding diversity of the region’s population and their sense of beauty, writes Ranjita Biswas

The Octave, according to Oxford English Dictionary, is “The day week of a festival, eight days, including festival and its day week.” In music, an Octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. This phenomenon is considered as the “basic miracle of music.”

At a recent festival of dances held at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata, the nomenclature for the event, “Octave”, merged both the elements. If not in the number of days — three days actually — the festival showcased the virtuosity of the folk dances from eight states in the North East, a slight extension of the ‘seven sisters’ group of NE states that is Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura with the addition of Sikkim. These states extending from the foothills of the Himalayas have a certain homogenous quality, though the differences are as great in performing arts. 

Most of the dances on display made it amply clear that the folk dances of the region are basically based on agriculture and celebration of Nature. Spring — a time to plough the field for sowing and harvest are of supreme importance to the farmer community and folk dances and songs are woven around them all across the world. The essentially folk beliefs and elements have now entered into the urban milieu as folk art traditions of a country or region. 

The spring Bihu or Rangali Bihu (Bihu of joy) of the Brahmaputra valley is now firmly ensconced as a symbol of Assamese folk dance. The vibrancy, the nymph-like movements of the women resplendent in Muga mekhela-chadar who whirl to the beat of the dhol, is now pretty familiar to the audience across the country. Why, even abroad! The group that came to perform in Kolkata  has also travelled to New York and other cities.

But less well-known are dances like Eme-Relo dance of Arunachal Pradesh or Hozagiri dance of Tripura. In Eme-Relo dance, women dress in black and white sarong-cum top dress. They belong to the Galo tribe of the Adis living in the West Siang district. The theme of the dance is based on the creation of rivers and animals living in the water.

The Hozagiri dance of Tripura was a discovery of sorts for most city-breds as they are less exposed to this folk dance. It belongs to the Reang community who, next to the Tripuris, constitute the second biggest group among the tribal population of Tripura. It is believed that they migrated to Tripura from somewhere in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the middle of the 15th century. However, some pundits point out that since in older times the boundary extended from Burma (Myanmar) to the Bay of Bengal, including the Lusai Hills (Mizoram), they were the original inhabitants of Tripura and have similarities with some tribes of Burma.

The women dancers dress in black sarongs and striped material tied at the back like a kachuli to cover the upper part (Pachra and Rea); heavy chains made of coins completely cover the upper part. They move to the beat rhythmically creating wonderful waves of lasya while round plates made of metal twirl around their fingers.

Only the lower portion below the waist moves since the dance also involves acrobatic movements. More awe-inspiring is the way they keep on moving even as they prop themselves up on earthen pitchers with a bottle on the head and a lighted lamp on it but never missing a beat. The dancers even form acrobatic formations with one girl standing on the shoulders of another, all the while keeping the lighted bottle intact. Musical instruments like Khamb, flute made of bamboo and bamboo cymbal are used.

From Meghalaya came the dancers of Masieh associated with the Nongkrem dance festival. Nongkrem dance is a part of the original autumn festival of the Khasi people which is held in autumn. The festivities are to celebrate a good harvest and appease Ka Blei Synshar, the ruling goddess of crops.
The Nongkrem dance is actually a part of the pom-blang (goat killing ceremony) performed by the Siem (king) of Khyrim (or Nongkrem). Traditionally, the Siem sends words to all villages to congregate with their offerings for the worship. The dance called Ka Shad Mastieh (dance of men) starts with men with sword and shields and chowries (fly-flaps or whisks) They are dressed in black and white attires of dhotis, full sleeved shirts, embroidered sleeveless coats and turbans which are adorned with cock’s feathers (U thuiyah).

The women, usually unmarried debutants, dance at the centre taking tiny steps, barely lifting their feet from the ground. Their dance is called Ka Shad Kynthei. The women wear rich silk clothes and silver or gold crowns with plates and hold down their arms to the sides and their eyes are demurely cast down.

Tiew Lasubon (a rare sweet scented golden coloured flower found only in the deep jungles), worn on the crown indicates the purity of women. The hair is worn tied in a knot behind the head but with a long tail hanging down and adorned with silver ornaments at the end. They also wear an assortment of silver and gold chains, coral beads, bracelets and earrings.

Meanwhile, to the sound of Tangmuri (pipes) and drums, the men dance round the south side of the circle of women holding their swords on their right hands and whisks in their left. The sword symbolises the man’s defence of himself, his house and his family and his mother, and the whisk signifies his care and sound advice.

The Cheraw dance or bamboo dance of Mizoram which was also on display recently made news by figuring in the Guinness World Records as the largest and the longest dance ensemble in the world. A total number of 10,736 dancers in 671 bu or groups performed this intricate dance. In the dance men sit face to face on the ground and tap long pairs of horizontal and cross bamboo staves opening and closing in rhythmic beats. Girls in colourful Mizo costumes of  Punchei, Vakiri and Yhihna dance in and out between the beats of bamboo to the accompaniment  of gongs and drums.
Cheraw is a very old traditional dance of the Mizos. It is believed that the dance form goes back to the first century AD, while the Mizos were still somewhere in the Yunan province of China, before their migration into the Chin Hills in the 13th century AD to the east of present Manipur-Nagaland border and eventually to the present Mizoram. Some of the tribes living in South East Asia have similar dances in one form or the other with different names.

The performance of other dances from the NE as part of the festival, like Nuknarar Tsungsang dance of Nagaland, the whirling-drum Pung Chalam dance of Manipur in Vaishnavite tradition, vindicated the diversity of North East not only in flora and fauna but also in folk traditions. Not to forget the Buddhist tradition reflected in Singhi Chham dance of Sikkim where dancers are attired as snow lions the guardian deity of the land as decreed by Guru Padamsambhava. He is revered as the teacher who first spread the word of Buddha in  Bhutan, Sikkim, Tibet etc. The dance performed in autumn is also  a tribute to mount Khan-Chen Dzongpa, or the Kanchenjunga, worshipped in the land.
Octave rightly showcased how every corner of India has a unique folk dance tradition to offer.

[ via Deccan Herald ]