Facebook Blocks 'Chutia', is Twitter Next?

New Delhi: If you are a "Chutia", your Facebook account might get blocked! No pun intended. This is what Facebook is doing these days.

Of late, Facebook reportedly blocked accounts of almost all the members of the All Assam Chutia Students' Union (Aacsu), confusing their surname "Chutiya" with Hindi slang. However, Chutiya, pronounced as Sutiya, is the name of a community in Assam.

But "Chutiya, or Chutia" is also a derogatory term in Hindi. And that's what Facebook must have presumed before deleting those accounts.

"Facebook has blocked the accounts of all the subscribers belonging to the Chutia community of Assam thinking the names are false and fabricated. For Chutia being an abusive word in the Hindi language, Facebook authorities thought that the account holders are fake and fabricated. But, they are still unknown to the fact that Chutia is an ethnic tribe of Assam which has a rich historical background in the state history," Firstpost quoted Jyotiprasad Chutia, Aacsu general secretary, as saying.

Facebook always insists that the users register themselves with their real name else the action will be taken against those using a pseudonym. But the latest move by Facebook is nothing but a result of its sheer ignorance. However, Facebook's goal may be to become an international verified identity service, but its desired project to become a network of real-named people is halted when the network spreads into cultures and languages where the company lacks expertise. And that's what has happened in this Chutiya incident!
If Facebook can not bear to have profiles with derogatory words on its site, then what about the pages with such names? There are many pages with lewd names on Facebook like "Ye kya Bakchodi hai?" that has over 94,000 subscribers, "Daaru Pi Daaru Bakchodi mat kar (Drink whiskey & stop being non-sense)", "Jab kismat ho Gaandu, to kya kare Pandu", "ye kya chutiyapa hai" with approx. 60,000 subscribers, and many others. These pages have existence on Facebook for quite long. And practically, most of the content posted on these sites are quite humour-driven, and not libidinous.

However, Google+ recently relaxed its real name policy to pseudonyms. Also, Twitter also does not ban users for having pseudonyms. But if one day, all the social networking giants continue this trend of removing fake names and become stringent with their real name policies, then there are many pages and accounts across these social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, which might get deleted.
These also include the twitter account @BollywoodGaandu, which actually tweets about Hindi film gossips, @GhantaGuy, @SabChutiyapahai, and other such accounts on Twitter.

Besides, one more concern here is that will Facebook also remove the pages of companies and institutes whose acronyms come out to be dirty. One such example is Tamilnadu Advanced Technical Training Institute (TATTI). Though there are many other possibilities.

Thus, it is suggested that the social networking websites should focus more on the content than names. If something is to be removed, it should be based on the content being posted, not on the basis of profile or page names.

42 Children Dead in 2 Months in Assam

Why does rural Assam have one of the highest mortality rates among children? Ratnadip Choudhury looks for answers
Shankar Chanda with one-year-old Priyanka Photo: Partha Seal Shankar Chanda, 35, holds his one-year-old child Priyanka close to his heart as a team from the UNICEF state office inspects the 10-bedded paediatric ward at the Karimganj Civil Hospital in Assam’s Barak Valley. Shankar does not want to let go of his child, who is suffering from acute diarrhoea. “I am very scared to get my child treated here in this hospital, but a poor villager like me cannot afford to go to a private nursing home, and this is the only hospital in the district. But infrastructure here is pathetic, and now it has become a death bed for children,” says a worried Shankar. With as many as 42 children dying in a span of two months, the situation is alarming in this very remote and poor district. The only 100-bedded civil hospital, is witnessing an abnormal increase of deaths; all in the age group of 1 to 12 years. Almost all children referred to the hospital from rural health care centres were in critical conditions.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma has ordered a probe, after UNICEF stepped in and flew in its paediatric expert to the region.

The Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) too sent a notice to the Directorate of Health Services to look into the unfortunate deaths. Preliminary probe points to lack of infrastructure at the Karimganj Civil Hospital, as also the critical stage in which the children were brought to the hospital.

Though Assam boasts of successful implementation of the National Rural Heath Mission (NRHM) scheme, the state has the fourth highest infant mortality rate in the country. The latest records of the Registrar-General of India put it at 61 per 1,000 live births against the national average of 50. It is all the more alarming in rural Assam where the IMR is as high as 64.

“According to child specialists in the hospital, no neo-natal deaths were reported. The children who died were in the age group of 1-12 years and were in a critical condition. Almost all died within a few hours of admission. Our hospital lacks basic infrastructure. We do not even have adequate staff, and at times we also run out of medicines. We have to attend to patients far beyond our capacity because it is the only referral hospital in the district with a population of 12.5 lakh,” says in-charge medical superintendent of the hospital SK Sen.

“We took up the matter with the state government and the issue was raised in the floor of the Assembly on many occasions but nothing has changed. Out of a total of 79 sanctioned posts for medical officers in the hospital, 51 posts are lying vacant,” admits Matiur Rahman, Joint Director of Health Services at Karimganj. He, however, fails to mention the complete absence of rural healthcare infrastructure in the district that is also witness to the large-scale influx of illegal Bangladeshis, many of them cross the border illegally for medical treatment.

The district has five Primary Health Centres (PHC), one Community Health Centre (CHC) and as many as 17 mini PHCs; all of them fall under the NRHM. Locals, however, claim that most of the rural health centres are non-functional in Karimganj. Several PHCs are run by ayurvedic doctors since there is a dearth of MBBS doctors. The Karimganj civil hospital requires 50 doctors, but is now running with only 18. “The problem is not only about infrastructure. The staff on duty does not always work diligently. As always, the Assam government is hardly bothered,” explains Uttam Saha, a senior journalist from the region.

UNICEF feels a proper analysis of the death report chart of children over the last three years, which must feature the cause of death, what medicines were prescribed, time of admission and on top that whether these children were taken to the primary and community level health centers would reveal a lot. “We are not so sure about the working of the PHCs and CHCs here. It is time to re-energise the ASHA workers for better performances along with adequate training stints across the district,” said Sachin Gupte, a UNICEF health expert.

As a face-saver, the Tarun Gogoi government has decided to step up the works for a child care unit to be built at Rs 1.52 lakh for the Karimganj civil hospital, but this would not stop the main opposition party in the state, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), to turn it into a political plank in the minority dominated district.

With additional reporting by Arindom Gupta in Karimganj Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka. ratnadip@tehelka.com

Several Orchids in Mizoram Being Rechristened

Aizawl, Mar 12 : Several orchids found in Mizoram, not having Mizo names, are being rechristened.

Mizoram-grown orchids are being compiled in a book with fine pictures to popularise them across the world. A special programme for rechristening Mizoram's orchids was held today at Hla Kungpui Mual (or poets' square) at Khawbung near Myanmar border in Champhai district where a sanctuary of orchids has been established.

Khawbung-based forests ranger officer (RO) Lalthazuala, who spoke at the ceremony, informed that the sanctuary is now home to 34 different species of orchids.

"It is being developed to house all species of orchids found in Mizoram," he said. Expressing concern over the smuggling of wild orchids into neighboring Myanmar, the forest official said that different species of orchids found in Mizoram were also found in northern Thailand which could mean that orchids smuggled from Mizoram found their way into Thailand.

Mizoram State Planning Board member secretary P L Thanga, who attended the ceremony, also given a Mizo name to a species of orchid Thunia Alba as Zomawi. Mizoram has a wide spectrum of orchids growing from the lower elevations to the high hills. The orchids grown in the high hills fetch a good price in the market at Delhi and Kolkata.

More than 200 varieties of orchids have been identified in Mizoram till now. In view of the right agro-climatic conditions prevailing in Mizoram, there is an immense potential growing Orchids for large scale commercial purposes. However, wild orchids in Mizoram are under threats of Myanmarese smugglers.

"We should take united effort to stop the smuggling of our state's valuable forest resources," C Vanlalena, DFO of Champhai district in eastern Mizoram bordering Myanmar, said.

The DFO said they had recovered a number forest goods being smuggled into Myanmar. However, due to shortage of man power and financial constraints, their capacity to check the smuggling was limited.

Software Technology Park For Mizoram

Aizawl, Mar 12 : The central government will soon set up a software technology park in Mizoram tor boost IT in northeast India and software exports from India, official said Saturday.

"The Mizoram government has provided five acres of land in the Mizoram University campus to set up the park," an official of the state industries and commerce department said.

The land was given to the Software Technological Park of India (STPI) authority on a 66-year lease.

An agreement will be signed soon between the STPI authority, the state government and the Mizoram University, said the official.

The proposed STP in Aizawl would be the fourth center in northeast India after the Guwahati, Imphal and Gangtok STPs.

Why Manipur Voted What It Hated

By Pradip Phanjoubam

CYNICALLY YOURS: The outgoing government evoked only anger and indignation but people voted fot the Congress agains as there was no other choice. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

The Congress' landslide victory of 42 seats in the house of 60 in Manipur was a foregone conclusion although many still think it was a surprise. Most post poll surveys predicted a hung house with the ruling Congress emerging the single largest party. The cynicism in the State being what it is, nobody thought a clear mandate was a possibility. But there is another way of looking at the Congress landslide. It still is an expression of cynicism in the sense that the voters stopped expecting a change for the better but were desperate to have things not slip any further.

The issues

The outgoing Congress-headed government, as many noted, inspired only anger and indignation. There would not be one in the State who has not complained in exasperation about the rampant official corruption, or not thrown up his arms in helpless bewilderment at having to do with two hours of electricity a day, or not cursed the government for the water taps that have run dry, or for the crumbling roads everywhere. There would, likewise, be a few who have not shown a clenched fist at the government for the continued imposition of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act, AFSPA, for the repeal of which Irom Sharmila has been on an epic hunger strike for nearly 12 years now. Further, abject lack of governance has allowed the law and order to slip away almost completely. The periodic prolonged blockades on the State's lifelines with the government looking the other way even as prices of essential commodities rise to the sky, meant untold misery, uncertainty and insecurity for the common man. Yet, Manipur came out and voted resoundingly to bring back the government it hated.

The explanation is, the Manipur results were not so much about the Congress winning. It was more about non-Congress parties losing. In a hypothetical situation, had the people been given another choice of, say, a spell of President's Rule, the landslide verdict of Manipur voters would probably have gone in favour of the latter.

During the last Congress tenure in power with Chief Minister Okram Ibobi at the helm, almost all other political parties in the State were, either voluntarily or else by compulsion, on a path of self destruction. On most of the issues these parties were deafeningly silent. Many of their legislators hung around and nagged ministers for favours. In the run-up to the election, many of them queued up for Congress tickets. In summary, they reduced themselves to subservient allies of the ruling party. At least one party, the Communist Party of India (CPI) remained a formal partner in the State government, even after the party broke alliance with the Congress at the Centre. The opposition space in the Assembly was thus abdicated. This is the vacuum just right for a shrill and pushy party with a charismatic leader like the Trinamool Congress to enter. The party fielded 47 candidates and won seven, commendable for a newcomer. Had it entered the stage earlier, it probably would have done much better. All other parties, depleted in morale and commitment, ended up unable to set up candidates in even half the Assembly constituencies. Many including the CPI and Manipur People's Party (MPP) drew a blank.

Desperately trying to remain relevant, four of these parties urgently formed a pre-poll alliance, the People's Democratic Front (PDF) but this proved too little too late, despite the alliance attracting seven more parties at a later stage. The PDF partners also probably did not consider the thought that the Anti-Defection Law had lowered the ceiling on cabinet size — 12 including the Chief Minister in the case of Manipur, and therefore a coalition of more than two parties is likely to become strained as the only proven incentive of such coalitions is ministerial berths. The PDF hence did not present a picture of stability capable of instilling confidence to the badly fractured and shaken electorate of Manipur. The ruling Congress on the other hand was strong, resourceful, and because of its strength, able to posture as a non-partisan party, reaching out to the valley as well as the hills, and to all ethnic groups, setting up candidates in all the 60 constituencies, campaigning with the confidence of winners. It won seats from among all communities and regions too.

Those who concluded the Congress was not loved in Manipur in predictions before the results were probably correct. What they did not see was the second factor that this was the only party left seen as capable of providing the sinews to hold the badly divided state together. The party's victory was preordained, not by its virtues but by the absence of a credible adversary. Manipur's choice of the Congress was because it had no other choice.

(Pradip Phanjoubam is a senior journalist based in Manipur. Email: phanjoubam@gmail.com)

The Forg Purana

Sathyabhama Das Biju is an unearther of the earth’s forgotten stories. He sniffs out links between the genetic codes from the beginnings of life and the present to give us a picture of the cosmic cycle of evolution, extinction and maybe even rebirth.

When, two years ago, he dug up an earthworm-like legless amphibian of the chikilid family in the deep forests of Meghalaya, he was holding in his hands one of the few living species that shared the earth with the dinosaurs. That discovery, published last fortnight in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London after strenuous scientific scrutiny and recognised protocols, has proven that India’s forests are a treasure trove of evolutionary secrets.


In 2003, Biju and his team had given science another wonderful story of survival from the Jurassic age. The purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), which he discovered in the Western Ghats near Idukki in Kerala, also shared space with dinosaurs and survived through four mass extinctions. Amphibians were the first creatures to venture on land, having evolved from fish. These early amphibians are the progenitors to all contemporary species, including reptiles, mammals and birds. They are the key to unlocking nature’s big secrets, an incredible cache of information and survival skills that puts human achievements to shame. Today, there are three overarching families of amphibians: salamanders, frogs and caecilians.
For 30 years, Biju has been scouring India’s forests, searching for the secrets that lie hidden, for species that could connect us to the advent of life, for a little squeak in time’s silent aeonic theatre. “I go to see the forests. I watch the rains. I wait. I listen. If the frogs don’t croak, that is also a question to be asked. It is not necessary that you will see or find something new. Nature will come to you. For me, spending a night time in a forest listening to the call of the frogs is eternally fascinating,” says Biju, sitting in the systematics lab of the Centre for Environment Studies in Delhi University—flanked on all sides by formaldehyde bottles of creepies and crawlies.

(From top left) Chalazodes bubble-nest frog; chikila egg; polypedates bijui; India’s tiniest frog, the Nightfrog, is 10 mm long

For a man who, as he says, could have easily settled for a life of comfort as a professor with a steady paycheque handing out notes for rote learning, Biju’s has been a refreshingly hands-on career. Over the last two decades, he has discovered and documented more than 150 species of amphibians, one of which, the Biju’s Tree Frog (Polypedates bijui), is named after him. He has been published on 70 (of the 150) species, eight genera and two families. Each (re-)discovery of a species shifts the frontiers of science a wee bit more; Biju trudges along the edges of this betweenspace, where life is born or perishes in a wink of an eye.

Over the last two decades, Biju has discovered more than 150 amphibian species, providing insight into the advent of life.

Bittu Sehgal, editor of Sanctuary magazine says, “Biju’s research and surveys, using students, communities and scientists, prove beyond doubt that half of all frogs face extinction. Apart from pure natural history insights, his team’s consistent discovery of amphibian species suggests that all is not lost in the Indian subcontinent. Our wetlands hold the key to human survival in an era of climate change.” The web of life has a billion unseen bits that keep the macrosystem running, Biju’s colleague Aniruddha Mookherjee says, adding it’s people like Biju who can make the government see how significant their point of view is. For a person who has introduced us to such trans-epochal sagas of evolution and extinction, Biju’s had been a down-to-earth start to life. He received his schooling at a government institution in Kadakkal, located near the Western Ghats in Kerala’s Kollam district. He recalls, “I have no memory of school life at all. For me, school was secondary. Helping my parents milk the cow and taking the cattle to graze is my main memory. There, I sat in the forest wondering at its might and the wonders it hid.” Indeed, one might say that it is to such pastoral ruminations that science today owes so much. Over the decades that followed, Biju would revisit and play out this childhood fascination time and again as he dug out the secrets that the forests once hid from him. He finds the night the most fascinating time of day. In its piercing silence, he can hear the frogs playing out their mating games. It was one such cat-like catcall that allowed him to discover the meowing night frog in the Western Ghats which he named Nyctibatrachus poocha (poocha meaning cat in Malayalam).


Biju’s purple frog and the chikilidae (a variety of caecilian) may have survived over several millennia because they are burrowing amphibians and live underground, cushioned by the soil. The chikilidae of the Garo hills, whose ancestors would have been trampled underfoot by the dinosaurs, can burrow through the toughest soil using their hard skull and can vanish at the slightest vibration, a valuable survival skill. As Biju says, “It’s like a rocket. If you miss it the first try, you will never catch it again.”


The purple frog, the first frog family to be discovered since 1926, also burrows with its snout nose, lives underground and sucks up food. The male only comes overground to mate. This purple frog and the chikilidae both lived in the southern supercontinent Gondwana, of which India formed the eastern end. When tectonic shifts forced the continents to split and drift apart about 120 million years ago, such hitherto proximate species drifted away too.


Safe in their hidden homes, they survived for millennia, staying unseen even to science’s prying eyes. For many years, locals in the Garo hills thought the chikilidae to be small snakes. Today, 32 per cent of amphibians face extinction. Biju and the Lost Amphibians of India initiative are working to conserve them, but the large-scale destruction of forests are driving most to extinction, especially in the Northeast. Amphibians make up the highest number of critically endangered vertebrates in India.


It has been four long months of classwork for Biju. He says, “In two months, I will start again: this time in the forests of Central India. People ask, ‘What will you find there?’ But you have to work against the common thinking. I have to go there and see.” Who knows, somewhere in the darkness of the forest, he might hear another cry, a squeak, or a croak that will get his adrenaline flowing again. Science may have to make room for yet another new species... and then, to pull it back from extinction.

Meet Youngest Female Self-Made Billionaire

The likes of Carlos Slim and Warren Buffett are getting their due attention with the release of latest Forbes list, but Sara Blakely is getting her share as well.

The 41-year-old Florida native is on the cover, in fact, after earning the distinction of being the youngest self-made female billionaire, notes the Tampa Bay Times.

She is the owner and founder of Spanx, which makes "shapewear" slimming undergarments. (For men, too.)

The Forbes profile credits her with "reinventing the girdle." Jezebel has a slightly different take, saying her "ingenious idea" was to "combine insecurity, enormous underpants, and elastic sausage casings."

Still, her net worth of $1 billion isn't bad considering she started the company in her 20s when she had all of $5,000 to her name. "I can't hear that I am on that list without laughing," Blakely tells the Tampa newspaper.

"I can't help but think of the days when my job was to cold call people in Clearwater to try and sell them fax machines and how many of them said, 'No, no, no.'"

Ibobi Heads For Delhi To Meet Congress Leadership

Imphal, Mar 9 : Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh left for New Delhi Thursday to consult Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other party leaders on the formation of the next government in the state.

State party unit chief Gaikhangam accompanied the chief minister.

The election of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader by the party chief would pave way for the formation of the next government in the state.

A meeting of the CLP had already arrived at a consensus that Gandhi would take the final call on the CLP leader, and members have agreed to accept the choice.

Party sources, however, informed that there are three front runners for the top post this time - Ibobi Singh, Gaikhangam and senior party leader Y. Erabot. However, Ibobi Singh is likely to be the choice considering his credentials, the sources said.

Sources further informed that the chief minister had already tendered his resignation to Governor Gurbachan Jagat. The governor accepted the resignation but asked him to continue in the charge till formation of the new government.

The term of the outgoing Manipur assembly will expire on March 15 and it is expected that an official order regarding the formation of the next government will be issued before March 12.