Korean Culture 'Invades' Mizoram

Aizawl, Aug 29 : Growing affinity with 'Hallyuwood' movies has been reported in Mizoram among teenagers, who have gradually turned away from Bollywood movies and even the Hollywood flicks in favour of the 'Hallyuwood' movies.

'Hallyu' is a term coined by the Chinese media which literally means 'Korean wave'. It refers to the phenomenal growth of Korean popular culture - from music, movies, drama to online games and the Korean cuisine.

Korean movies like 'Stairway to Heaven', 'Wish Upon A Star', 'Brilliant Legacy', 'Delightful Girl,' 'Greenhouse', to name a few, have already melted the hearts of the teenagers, even grown-up women.

From DVDs to clothes to hairdos, everything about Korea sells like hot cakes in the streets of Aizawl, the state capital of Mizoram, it was learnt.

Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Aishwarya Rai, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo Dicaprio and so on, have ''given way'' to Gweon Sang-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Jeon Ji Hyun, Jung Da Bin and Song Seung Hun in the heart of Mizoram youngsters.

''Korean film DVDs top our sales chart. We hardly sell DVDs of Bollywood and Hollywood films nowadays. Those who buy Korean films are mostly teenage girls,'' said a woman who sells DVD on the street near the Millenium Centre here. ''Housewives, sometimes men, also buy Korean film DVDs,'' she added.

''I love Korean films because they are cool. I have not missed a single playback of Korean films on the local channels. I also buy DVDs and watch them on my PC,'' said Lalrinmawii, a Class X girl in Aizawl.

''Most of Hollywood films are not healthy for children. Old Bollywood films were healthy, but not these days' Bollywood films.

So, I encourage my kids to watch Korean films instead of Hollywood's and Bollywood's,'' said 45-year-old housewife, Diki.

The impact of Korean movies on the youngsters have reflected in language, food habit, dress style, even the body language and some Korean manners.

Imitating the Korean heroes, many youngsters in Mizoram have started donning long hair. Not only youngsters dress like Korean stars, Korean words like anna saiyo (halo), sarange (I love you), watuke (what to do), waju waju (yes) have become common language among them.

''I want to learn Korean language because I want to work in Korea. Korea is my dream country,'' said Jenny Ralte, a Class-12 girl.

Some youths have even started sleeping on the floor of their rooms instead of on the bed. A number of factors have led to Korean cultural 'invasion' on Mizo youngsters.

The advent of cable television has played a significant role in ushering in Korean cultural wave in the Mizo society, with Korean satellite channel Arirang being the harbinger, it was learnt.
The local cable TV networks in Aizawl are regularly showing Korean films dubbed into the local language. This fans the Korean cultural wave to spread like wildfire.

Another key factor is the cultural proximity theory, which implies that media productions from culturally affiliated countries have greater reception than those from more culturally distanced countries.

''When the youngsters watch Korean movies they easily identified themselves with the stars. That phenomenon is not possible with watching Bollywood and Hollywood films,'' said Lalrindiki, a sociologist lecturer.

Some have expressed fear that this Korean cultural wave would eventually dilute Mizo culture among the youngsters.

Water Supply Scheme For 'Dry' Cherrapunjee

Shillong, Aug 29 : With a drinking water crisis plaguing the once the wettest spot on earth, Cherrapunjee, now known by its old name of Sohra, a concerned Meghalaya government has promised to commission a water supply scheme to ease the situation.

With rainfall lessening at Sohra except during the monsoons, 56 km from here, women and children have to trek miles to fetch drinking water.

The perennial springs which once provided water in abundance are now on the verge of drying up due to large-scale destruction of forests.

Public Health Engineering Minister Prestone Tynsong said the project, the Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme, at a cost of Rs 4.13 crore, will provide drinking water to about 25,000 families in Sohra and will be commissioned between October-December this year.

"The department expects to provide 40 litres of water to each individual ever day," Tynsong said after reviewing the performance of his department yesterday

Assam-Arunachal Blockade Temporarily Withdrawn

By Priyanka Kakodkar

Sibsagar (Assam), Aug 29 : The indefinite economic blockade by 12 organisations on roads in upper Assam connecting Arunachal Pradesh was temporarily withdrawn from 5 pm on Saturday.

The blockade at Charaipung, launched to prevent essential goods from reaching Arunachal Pradesh via Assam, was withdrawn in the interest of the general public of both the states, the sponsors said.

A joint appeal to withdraw the blockade had been made by the governments of the two states at a meeting in Guwahati on Friday.

Students body Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), however, threatened to reimpose the blockade if there were attacks in Assam by Arunachali miscreants aided by NSCN-IM militants.

With the withdrawal of the blockade, trucks carrying essential goods began to move towards Arunachal Pradesh. Other vehicles were also seen travelling between the two states.

Sibsagar deputy commissioner N N Hussain said that no fresh incident of violence or arson was reported in the Charaipung area and efforts were on by both states to normalise the situation at the border.

Arunachal Pradesh home and finance ministers visited the border areas in Assam and initiated the process for demolishing the bunkers erected by Arunachal police there.

Assam would launch a similar process, he said. Plucking of leaves in the tea gardens at Charaipung restarted from today, he added.

Chinese Diplomat Stopped From Visiting Manipur

New Delhi, Aug 29 : New Delhi "restricted" a Chinese diplomat from visiting Manipur weeks before the current visa row, upsetting some academics in the troubled state.

In July, Amar Yumnam, dean of social sciences, Manipur University, had invited Kolkata-based Chinese consul general Mao Siwei to deliver a lecture on " China and India: Related yet different civilizations".

Mao "formally informed" R Siva Kumar, director of the MEA's Kolkata branch, that he planned to go on August 9, sources said.

He reportedly declared plans to "see a few tourist destinations" and that his wife would go along. He was reportedly told he did not need a protected area permit.

Manipur University to Open a Branch in Sri Lanka

Colombo, Aug 29 : Sri Lanka Ministry of Higher Education sources say that discussions are underway to set up a branch of India's Manipur University in Sri Lanka.

The Vice Chancellor of Manipur University held talks in this regard with the Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake, sources said.

A large number of Sri Lankan students receive higher education in Manipur University or in its branches either in Bangladesh or Pakistan.

Manipur University was established on June 5, 1980 under the Manipur University Act.1980 as a teaching cum-affiliating University and it was converted into a Central University in 2005.

Mizo NGO Cries Foul on Compensation by ONGC

Aizawl, Aug 28 : Anti-corruption watchdog 'Prism' today claimed to have unearthed a scam in the compensation for landowners displaced due to construction of ONGC-funded Meidum-Hortoki road in Kolasib district.

Talking to reporters after filing an FIR with the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) here, Prism president Vanlalruata said, ''At least 70 per cent of the total amount of compensation has been apparently misappropriated.''

A total of Rs 311,40,920 had been given to 202 landowners, of which 53 were either fictitious persons, he charged.

''We have proof that Rs 107,90,360 have been received under fictitious names or with fake land deeds. We suspect that about the same amount of money have also been suspectedly misappropriated,'' Prism president added.

Seven of 202 compensation claimants, recorded to be residents of Kolasib's Project Veng (who received a total of Rs 21,55,669), were found to be non-existent, while a local forum organized by Mizoram People's Forum also discovered that 19 land deeds (issued by village council of Hortoki) were forged, he said adding Rs 51,36,441 was disbursed under these 19 fake land passes.

Real Land Owners' Association of Meidum-Hortoki also alleged that 32 people received compensation without actually owning a piece of land, while five people were given double compensation for a single land.

The compensation was disbursed recently from the office of Kolasib district Deputy Commissioner.

Initially, the DC had allegedly proposed 277 landowners for the compensation, but later he reduced the number to 201 after objection from the Real Land Owners' Association of Meidum-Hortoki.

Work to Link Myanmarese Port 'On Schedule'

New Delhi, Aug 28 : A multi-modal transit transport facility -- Kaladan project-- linking Mizoram and other Northeastern states with Myanmarese Sittwe port is being implemented on schedule, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Answering questions, Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna said in written replies that the Kaladan project envisaged connectivity with Indian ports on the eastern seaboard and Sittwe port through riverine transport and by road to Mizoram.

The Framework Agreement and Protocols signed in April 2008 envisaged the completion in five years. It will provide a route for transport of goods to north and east India and is not linked to transit facilities provided through Bangladesh, the minister clarified.

Answering questions on the problems of enclaves along Indo-Bangladesh border, the minister said both sides were finalizing the date of the next Joint Boundary Group meeting.

People living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh were excluded from census as no access to these enclaves were provided by the Government of Bangladesh for census operations.

To a question on Chinese objections for construction of civilian roads in the proximity of International Boundary line/Line of Actual Control in Ladakh by the J&K Government, the minister said such works could not be undertaken without the Central government. In the absence of such approvals, NREGA work in Ladakh had been halted.

On setting up of overseas military bases in the neighborhood of India, Mr Krishna said the Government was aware of the media reports and it kept constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India's security and took all measures to safeguard it.

India Assures of Reviewing Gas Price For Northeast

Agartala, Aug 28 : The Centre has assured the Northeastern states of reviewing the latest price hike of natural gas, Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey said today.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Dey said a four-member delegation of Northeastern Regional Power Committee (NERPC), comprising power ministers of Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Assam, met both Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora and Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on August 25 last.

He said almost 48 per cent of power was generated from natural gas in the Northeast, but suddenly the Petroleum Ministry hiked the price of natural gas from Rs 2,112 per cubic metre to Rs 5,152.

The hike in the price adversely affected both power generation and industrial development in the region, he charged.

The delegation had demanded roll back of the hike in prices of natural gas in the region to stabilize the prices of power, Mr Dey said and added that both the Union Ministers were positive to the demand.

''Northeast is sharing its power generation with the rest of the country as per agreement with the Centre, but other parts of the country do not consider to share their power with the Northeastern states and that is why we pressed for the demand of sharing power from upcoming mega-power project of Orissa,'' Mr Dey underlined.

Mr Shinde, however, asserted that the Power Ministry was sincerely trying to bring up four mega-power projects of the Northeast-- gas-based 726 MW plant in Palatana, coal-based 750 MW thermal power plant in Boangaigoan, 600 MW and 2,000 MW hydro-power plants in Subarnasiri and Kameng respectively-- as soon as possible to manage the deficiency in peak hour.

The delegation also demanded the Centre to incorporate Sikkim in the NERPC, timely commissioning of hydro and thermal projects in the region and upgrade transmission infrastructure for economic development.