National Highway 44 Threatened by Erosion of Barak River

May Threaten Lifeline to Barak Valley, Mizoram, Tripura and East Manipur

Silchar, Jun 6 : The stretch of National Highway 44 regarded as the lifeline of supply of Barak Valley, Mizoram, Tripura and East Manipur is now being threatened by slow but steady erosion caused by river Barak near Panchgram where the only industry of this valley, Cachar Paper Mill, is located.

The Border Road Organisation signboard along the highway indicates that the area in question is sinking, most probably due to inside seepage by the river.

However, though vehicles have been cautioned to drive carefully in this stretch, no action plan has been taken up till now to contain the ever-increasing erosion.

Even though the monsoons have set in and the same is likely to continue till August, there is no semblance of seriousness on the part of the BRTF to adopt any preventive measures.

And unless the erosion is checked, water seepage will continue, submerging the highway which will ultimately affect the movement of vehicles adversely. 

Judging from the manner in which erosion has taken in its stride the villages along the highway, it is feared that NH 44 might soon be washed away by the turbulent river in the near future.

Poetry in Pottery

By Brinda Suri

These black beauties made at Nungbi village in Manipur have a simple ethereal aesthetics that is so new-age…

Photo: Brinda Suri
Classical lines: Glistening black Lori Ham...

By itself ‘Lori Ham' seems a rather rhythmic expression. When you learn what it means it acquires a curious edge. It has a harmony about it, connected as it is with the poetry of pottery. Lori means village and Ham stands for pottery, except it's not the regular earthenware made by potters across the country. Lori Ham specifically applies to the black pottery made at Nungbi village in the northern parts of Ukhrul district, Manipur.

Almost all villages of Manipur make their trademark pottery, each determined by its colours and designs. It's Nungbi village though that's taken the lead outside the state frontiers, and made a mark in the big world with its black earthenware crafted by the Tangkhul tribe, attracting eyeballs wherever it's been displayed. As in the other North-eastern states, Lori Ham is not shaped on the potter's wheel, but it is uniquely made with rock powder and not river clay.

Unique material

Nungbi is amongst the oldest settlements of the Tangkhuls and is rich in natural resources as clay, limestone, chromites etc. While these are found in considerable measure in other parts and other lands, Nungbi village is reportedly the only place in the world rich in serpentinite, the dark grayish-black soft rock found deep down in the layers of the earth, which is the prime material used in making its famous pottery. This rock is powdered and mixed with a tempering material called leshonlung, a kind of clay found near the rock deposit. Between September and March the rock is dug out and preserved for the months ahead because once the rains arrive in the region serpentinite cannot be accessed.

The process of Lori Ham is laborious and begins with the mixing of leshonlung and serpentinite, following which it's kneaded with water till the desired consistency is achieved. In absence of the wheel, this dough is pounded until smooth and formed into a block that's further whacked into a long thick strip. A required dimension is cut out of this strip and its edges trimmed, after which begins the procedure to cast it into shape.

The method of giving shape to an item is quite rudimentary and in fact initially appears to be similar to what's done in play-school with a material like plasticine. But that is where the similarity ends as it is only deft hands, used to years of handling the earthenware mixture, who can give it an artistic finish. As an illustration, if it's an item like a tray, the thick strip is cut to dimension and its corners tapered by hand or with a basic implement like a wooden ruler. At times it's given a self-design with something as simple as a chisel. The moulding and enhancement of an item is all in the hands of a potter and creativity is limitless. The potter uses nature around in full measure, so for a cylindrical item like a mug or jug, the sheet of clay is usually wound around a bamboo that's possibly been growing around the house.

Once an item has been given a basic form it is patted further to the required thickness. On getting the final shape, the exterior surface is scraped with a bamboo strip and smoothened. The clay pieces are then left to harden and later fired for five to seven hours. It's on firing that the earthenware acquires a black metallic look.

Touch of magic

But that's not where it all ends as the finale is reserved for a little magic by the dried leaf of the chirona tree that's rubbed on the items shortly after they are out of the kiln and still warm. This process gives the pottery its lovely muted silken luster.

It's generally believed that cooking in this pottery enhances the taste of the food as compared to other pots and pans. In the olden days pottery making was confined to being a household activity with women members being the chief creators, while the men sourced the material. With the passage of time and industrialisation, black pottery gradually got replaced by others utensils. To revive the craft, NGOs like the popular Lori Ham Entrepreneur Foundation of Nungbi Khullen village jumped into the fray and some smart marketing as well as a dash of creativity has provided the products a considerably worthy plank.

Tangkhul potters today mould an attractive range of kitchenware as well as décor items. The all-black Lori Ham, a centuries-old utilitarian craft, appears minimalist, quite in sync with new age urban demands and lends a timeless quality to it. The addition of cane to the earthenware has given it a further designer look.

Plan To Deploy BSF Along Indo-Myanmar Border

Shillong, Jun 6 : A proposal to deploy Border Security Force (BSF) personnel along the Indo-Myanmar border to improve security was under consideration, Union home secretary GK Pillai said.

"A final decision on whether the Indo-Myanmar border will be manned by BSF or Assam Rifles will be taken by the Union cabinet," Pillai told PTI during his three-day visit to Shillong.

India shares a 1640km-long border with Myanmar manned by Assam Rifles and the dense forests in most parts make the border porous and vulnerable.

Most of the posts of Assam Rifles are located well inside Indian territory and only a handful of posts are located near the zero line, which makes it easier for the insurgents camping in Myanmar to sneak into India easily, the sources said.

BSF is currently responsible for guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla border, with some battalions also deployed in Maoist-hit areas in central and eastern India and anti-insurgency operations in the Northeast.

Assam Rifles was entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the border with Myanmar in 2002 and at that time, the strength of the force was 30 battalions.

Gradually, the strength of the force has been increased to 46 battalions. Twenty more battalions are being raised by the force, the country's oldest paramilitary force.

Mizo Students Send Green Signal

Aizawl, Jun 6 : Braving the rains, hundreds of school students in the Mizoram state capital today participated in an awareness rally in the city to mark the World Environment Day.

The rally was organized by Green Mizoram Network, under the sponsorship of the state environment and forests department and public health engineering department.

The rally, which aims to stimulate environment awareness and enhance political attention and public action for environmental conservation, started from Chanmari junction and was crowned with a musical event at the Millennium Centre, in the heart of the city.

Every year the World Environment Day's message in Mizoram puts emphasis on the seriousness of rapid depletion of the green forests in Mizoram mainly due to the age-old jhumming system of cultivation.

''Mizoram, once covered by green forests and watered by several perennial rivers and streams which boasts of such a rich diversity of wildlife and plants, has now deteriorated due to large scale jhumming, reckless exploitation of forests and rivers in the guise of the so called development,'' the MPBC said in its message to the people of Mizoram.

''We have been negligent of the degradation our environment caused by our own hands,'' the message read.

''It is high time we do something to rectify the mistakes we have made in the past and reclaim our green gold,'' the MPCB said.

Mizoram Environment Minister H Rohluna said, ''The theme echoes the urgent call to conserve the diversity of life on our planet. A world without biodiversity is a very bleak prospect. Millions of people and millions of species all share the same planet, and only together can we enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

''On this World Environment Day, let us resolve to do much more and much faster to win the race against extinction,'' the minister said in his message.

In Mizoram, the slash-and-burn method, on which about 80 per cent of the state's farmers still depend, has resulted in vast areas of green forest going up in flames annually.

According to the state environment and forests department, at least 17046.33 hectares of green forest were lost to jhum fires during this year's jhum burning season starting from early February till March end.

According to a recent survey by the Mizoram remote sensing application centre, there are only 3158.57 sq km of dense forests in Mizoram which is not yet touched (cultivated). This accounts for 14.98 per cent of the total Mizoram area. The forest area which is exploited for road constructions, building houses and other sources accounted for 147.85 sq km which is 0.70 per cent of the total land area of the state.

The survey also reported that while there are 2628.08 sq km medium dense forests (12.46 per cent of total land area) and 3738.57 sq km less-dense forest (17.73 per cent of the total land area), 31.81 per cent of the total land area is covered by bamboo which is 6708.37 sq km.
Of the seven states in the NE region, Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya are facing maximum deforestation. A recent survey showed that 6.3 million hectares area in north-eastern region is affected of which four states - Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh - account for about 72 per cent.

Out of the 64 per cent forest cover in the region, 35 per cent cover is good (dense) and the remaining 29 per cent comprises post-jhum open/degraded secondary succession forests which require protection.

Aamir Khan’s 3 IDIOTS Sweeps Bollywood’s Controversial 2010 IIFA Awards

By Irene Young


 
Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan, 3 Idiots (top); Amitabh Bachchan, Paa (bottom)
Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots, an "inspirational" friendship comedy-drama starring Aamir Khan and one of India’s biggest blockbusters, won 16 Indian Film Academy Awards, including best film, best director, and best screenplay. The 2010 IIFA ceremony was held Saturday in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
Veteran Amitabh Bachchan was voted best actor for his performance as a 12-year-old suffering from progeria, a disease that accelerates the aging process, in Paa. For their "aging makeup" job, Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till received the Best Makeup Award.
3 Idiots‘ Kareena Kapoor shared the best actress award with Vidya Balan for Paa, while Sharman Joshi was the Best Supporting Actor for 3 Idiots, and Divya Dutta the Best Supporting Actress for Dilli 6.
Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Preity Zinta were some of the Bollywood stars scheduled to attend the event, but missing in action, among others, were Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Vidya Balan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, and Best Actress nominees Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, and Mahie Gill.
Part of the problem may have merely been scheduling issues. But some Bollywood celebrities opted to skip the IFFA Awards this year for political reasons, as film talent from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu had called for a boycott of Sri Lanka to protest military violence against ethnic Tamils in that country.
Approximately 300,000 Tamils, displaced by the decades-long civil war that came to a close only months ago, have been detained in camps erected by the Sri Lankan government.
According to the CBC, "the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce has even threatened to boycott movies starring or made by those who attend the awards in Colombo."
Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, who was present at the IFAA, was quoted on the BBC as saying: "We are not representing north, east, west or south India, but I am representing the whole of India for that matter as a world citizen… And our only caste, our only religion, is entertainment."
At the ceremony, Sinha remarked, “I want to congratulate everyone who didn’t give in to protests and threats and braved it to Colombo.” But according to a Reuters report, "the empty seats in front of him told a different story."
Next year, the IIFA will be held in Toronto.

[ via altfg ]

Bollywood Gets 'Boot-ilicious'

Sexy stilettos and sleek sandals, it's time to give all these uber chic dainty footies a 'boot'. Our style divas are going for the latest craze, 'boots'. Here's a gander at few of them...

Go all the boot-y way as the Sri Lankan hottie Jacqueline opts. The beauty sizzles in a dazzling pair of silver boots matching with her silver shorts that accentuate her hot bod.

Bipasha Basu has fallen for the boot charm as it is evident as the actresses kicked some serious butt in them. This glam goddess is putting the right 'boot' forward.

If you have a great pair of legs and want to flaunt them, then Rakhi Sawant's style is best to go for. The item queen knows it all, how to make men go week in knees with her oomph factor.

Self-confessed boots-lover, Kareena Kapoor has always made a style-statement with her fav. knee-high boots and to combine it with a pair of shorts is the latest fad this season.

Priyanka Kothari's ankle length pair is perfect for those who want a biker chick look. Grabbing eyeballs these days are stylish boots lurking among the well-heeled stylish brigade and the hot actress is one of these.

For Sherlyn Chopra, boots reflect power and rugged individualism and they definitely give a style edge over others. The ardent boot-lover swears by its rock-star look.

Shruti Hassan agrees that the boots style are definitely here to stay and they are great to try new looks from boho-chic to the rock-goddess look. They provide the rare combination of comfort and style to the actress.

A knee-cut stilleto kind seems to be Jiah Khan's favourites. They make her feel ultra-sexy and reflect her true self, perfectly. They make a style statement like nothing else for the sizzling actress.

The bootilicious babe, Koena Mitra flirts with her wild side and steps out with a new frame of mind, rough, tough and ready to rock in these trendy boots!

Never mind the soaring temperatures, boots in all their avatars are fast becoming a part of every fashionista's wardrobe, from ankle-high ones to the ones that ride well-above the knees all are in style and Kangana's black ones are perfect for a formal evening.

This leggy stunner, Lara Dutta looks good in anything. But these mid-thigh length boots in animal prints take hottie to another level. The printed boots are the best next thing with a LBD (Little Black Dress).

Amrita Arora's pair keeps her warm and makes her look chic, both at the same time. The actress seems to be dressed for a barn dance or a trip to the rodeo. Yeehaw!

Smitten by their cuts and curves, women from the glam brigade have taken to them and Minissha Lamba is one of them. The actress wears her attitude on her sleeve or should we say on her foot?

Dimasa Mothers Try To Justify Renaming NC Hills

Sinlung Says: Dimasas as everyone is aware are trying to re-write History. History contains facts and fiction. But it will be facts that stand the test of time. Hmars, Kukis, Zemes and all other inhabitants of NC Hills cannot be displaced with mere mentioning of Dimasa kings which no one recalls or we may call them myths.

It is for all to see that the new name of North Cachar Hills District of Assam was sold and bought using corruption, which the CBI is still investigating.

This is what Dimasa mouthpiece ‘The Sentinel Assam’ had to say- wondered if this is a News article or a propaganda machine.

Anyway…everyone knows the truth…let NC Hills bifurcation happen before more bloodshed happens…Are you listening Assam Govt?

Silchar, Jun 6 : Dimasa Mothers’ Association (DMA) recollects and recreates historical background to claim that the Dimasas were the earliest settlers of the district. There was no other tribe or community except some short statured Simi people who lived in caves.

Confronted by the soldiers of Dimasa king, they left the forested area. Swaruprani Hagjer, publicity secretary of DMA, added to say that the Kukis and Hmars were the same tribe who came from the neighboring States of Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Hmars, she clarified, came to be known as a separate tribe after 1955-57 with the arrival of the Kukis sometime in the 19th century in the district.

The first chief executive member of the then district council, CH Khotlang, was a Kuki and not Hmar who was elected from the Kuki inhabited constituency of Khunglong in 1952.

He agreed to become chief executive member on the advice of Joybhadra Hagjer, the then MLA, who was later inducted as a Cabinet Minister in Assam. On the other hand, the Zeme Nagas came to the districts after being attacked by the Angamis and they sought shelter of the Dimasa king to which he agreed and they became his subjects.

The Dimasa king even offered them some Dimasa titles in order to maintain cordial relations. According to her, the Dimasas are the earliest settlers and renaming the district as Dima Hasao was done on the basis of historical background.

Why should the minority tribes like Kuki, Hmar and Zeme Naga oppose the changed nomenclature of the district?

Why don’t they want to live in peaceful coexistence with Dimasas?

Why should they feel discriminated and neglected when they are treated equally and on just terms’ Swaruparani Hagjer asked.

The Indigenous People’s Forum and Indigenous Students’ Forum, she pointed out, alleged that the Dimasas are not a hill people. She countered to say that one has to go through historical records in order to find out the fact that the Dimasas have been living in the district much before the arrival of Kukis, Hmars and Zemes.

It is on this count, she reminded, that constitutionally Dimasas living in this district as well as in Karbi Anglong have been recognized as scheduled tribe (hills).

Regarding the percentage of population, she quoted 2001 census to establish that Dimasas constitute 55 per cent of the total tribal population and 43 per cent of the whole population of the district.

Swaruparani Hagjer asserted that except the Zeme Nagas, Hmars and Kukis, other non Dimasa tribes are not against the Dimasa people.

Nor do they are opposed to the naming of the district as Dima Hasao. Besides all other non tribal communities- Bengalees, Assamese, Manipuris, Nepalis, Hindi speaking people and Sikhs are not against the Dimasa community.

It is only a handful of people and their organizations which are misguiding the tribals and non tribals of the district for their narrow and selfish political gains.

Central Team Visits Mizoram Villages Affected by Storms

Aizawl, Jun 6 : The Inter-Ministerial Central Team led by Shri Lokesh Jha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs visited the Mizo villages affected by the cyclonic storms / hailstorms during March to April 2010.

The Team is assisted by Disaster Management & Rehabilitation (DM&R) Director V. Sapchhunga and DM&R Staffs, Aizawl District Horticulture Officers and I&PR Officers.

The Team inspected the Horticulture greenhouses and cultivations destroyed by the hails and storms in Durtlang and Sihphir yesterday and had discussions with the Durtlang Gardeners’ Society and Mizoram Iskut Growers’ Association.

From there, the Team proceeded to Bukpui and North Chaltlang and verified the conditions of damage in the area. The Team was received by C. Khamluaia, S.Dy.M, Kolasib District on behalf of Kolasib DC.

The Inter-Ministerial Team today visited Aibawk and Thenzawl, there they were received by Serchhip DC H. Darzika and District Officers at Thenzawl.

The Team were informed of the damages in Serchhip District and limited funding for the relief work. The Team were also taken to the spots for verification and interaction with the affected persons.