Fashion From The Northeast

By Sonam Dubal

Fashion identity is more western in most parts of the Northeast—simply because Western music plays an important role in the lives of the youth.

The Jainsem is an integral part of the traditional dress of the female folk of Meghalaya and is worn chiefly by the women of the two communities of Khasi and Khynrium.

The main garment of the Mizo, the puan, which simply means cloth, has always played a central role in the social fabric of the community.

The term Northeast itself is a misnomer. It comes from the larger term: the Northeastern states, which is better known as the Seven Sisters. Besides boasting a multi-ethnic background, each state has its own distinct identity that is dictated by the religion practiced there.

On a broader scale the Christian faith is practiced in Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland; Hindism in Assam and Tripura; and Buddhism in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The Christian faith moulds people naturally to Western styling, so here it has its own identity too–for instance, the church going mid-length dresses, skirts and blouses, hats, bows and gloves. The Jainsem is an integral part of the traditional dress of the female folk of Meghalaya and is worn chiefly by the women of the two communities of Khasi and Khynrium. It is adorned by a big colourful shawl made of wool. The main garment of the Mizo, the puan, which simply means cloth, has always played a central role in the social fabric of the community. It has transcended its mere functional aspect as a garment worn by women– and men too, in earlier days–to play a crucial role in the performance of rites, rituals and other special occasions like births, deaths, and weddings.

Fashion identity is more western in most parts of the Northeast—simply because Western music plays an important role in the lives of the youth here. It is a huge influencer of trends. This is not just with the advent of globalization but was true even decades before. In the 1970s, it was more iconic as popular culture or rock (life and) styles influenced these trends in terms of fashion. It influences trends in terms of a hairstyle or accessory like the leather jacket, shades, shoulder bag or bandana casually strewn over their head. here a natural swagger is a uniqueness of their own which is inherent in their aesthetic.

Shawls here are also important and have a story of their own. The more popular ones are from Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam. The patterns and stripes are different and often reflect the tribe that weaves them. These shawls can be gender specific too: for instance, the Ao Naga red black and white warrior shawl is only to be worn by men.

Craft and textiles also play an important role in the everyday life of the people in this region. For instance, the highly prized thu, a handcrafted bamboo basket, is used for storing clothes. Ecological awareness is a reality among most here, especially with their proximity to nature, and so preserving and recycling craft in their day-to-day life comes naturally here. Textiles from this region are unique too. Every state has its own distinct loom. Among the states, Assam has one of the most beautiful textiles popularly known for its muga and eri silk which has evolved interestingly today.

Dance too has a relationship with textiles. The traditional Manipuri style of dancing embodies delicate, lyrical and graceful movements which enhance the audience in its beautiful and colourful costumes and presentations. The graceful Gandharva Manipuri dance, which is evocative of the Raas Leela, has dancers wearing costumes like the long and flared embroidered skirts from the waist, translucent veils, and long peacock feather crows that add radiant appearance. While the Bihu dance in Assam has boys wearing a churia (dhoti), chapkan (shirt) made of silk, tangali (belt) and gamocha (towel) on the head. The girls wear gitigee (kind of headgear), agoo (mekhala) and Lagu Richa (chaddar). The garia by the Tripura community celebrates the the beauty of vibrant design and drama on textiles. One also sees this in the Chang Lo or Sua Lua dance of Nagaland with their dramatic costumes of the traditional Naga warrior and finery of womenfolk.

Interestingly, the shape or silhouette of traditional wear from Assam like the mekhla chaddar and puan from Mizoram have closer links to the sarong or lungi and blouse or jacket worn in the south East of Asia, though the textile used is more indigenous. One can see the traces of this in the Burmese and Thai traditional wear. This connect to Asia has always fascinated me and so I have always tried to bring this out in my collections that often resonate Pan-Asian influences. Growing up in Sikkim, the Buddhist play of textiles in silks and brocades have always held their fascination for me.

Historically, fashion in the Himalayan belt came from the royal courts and trace back to the kingdoms in Tibet. The bakhu, a loose cloak type garment that is fastened at the neck on one side and near the waist with a silk or cotton belt, and honju (blouse) were first worn in silks and brocades. But now with the times changing is worn in crepe prints and lighter silks and georgettes.

In the Northeast, though cultural identity has changed over time for each of the states, there is a deep-rooted understanding and respect for each other’s differences. Globalization, in one way, has helped in assimilation and acceptance of changes amongst the people of the region. With openings both for studies and professional employment, there has been a movement of the youth working and living in the bigger cities. Even though it seems to have displaced them at first, it has changed the face of urbanscape, thereby reflecting a more diverse India.


Dubal is a Delhi-based fashion designer

Nagaland Students Organize 1st Naga Fest in Delhi

By Shreya Roy Chowdhury

New Delhi, Sep 20 : A batch of students from Nagaland, studying in various Delhi-based universities, decided they wanted to get to know the other Nagas in the city better. And while they were at it, they figured they'd try to help their people back home in Nagaland as well. NagaFest, set to take place at Talkatora Stadium on September 19, was conceived in January.

"Few of us thought, why not?" says Nokho Nekhya, convenor of the organizing committee of the fest which will include music performances, food, clothes and tattoo stalls. "There are 20,000 nagas staying in Delhi. But we never get an opportunity to come together. Also, the ones coming here are the cream of the Naga society.

It is our responsibility to put other before ourselves," says Nekhya, 23, a student till very recently. NagaFest will not end with a fest. The 20-member organizing committee and the 100-odd volunteers it has drawn are going to stay on for other projects. On in the works is a conference on entrepreneurship end of this year or beginning of the next.

Encouraging entrepreneurship among the "indigenous people" of Nagaland is one of the group's long-term plans. "Most people - about 70% of them - in the state depend on the government. We want them to train them to be self-sustained. The conference will be about small-scale industries in rural areas as there are many who have studied by haven't got jobs," says Nekhya.

The group has the support of American organization, Indigenous Foundation. It is paying for the venue of the September fest where about 3,000 people are expected. There are performances by Rewben Mashangva , a folk musician influenced by Bob Dylan and Bob Marley and whose own music is described as "Naga folk blues." Another band playing tradition Naga music with a dash of western elements is Purple Fusion.

The show is being run mainly by students. Volunteers were drawn at smaller functions organized by the Naga Students' Union, Delhi. With the union, explains, Nyekha, there are "tribal unions."

"There are 35 Naga students bodies in the city. We'd go to events organized by them and ask people to contribute. We told them we have to everything without expecting anything in return," she says.

Their efforts have a spiritual aspect to it too. Many responded to the call and the organizers have their programmes and logos designed for free. They met a few days ago and "one gentleman" contributed money so the group could have dinner together.

Nagaland School Wins Under-14 Subroto Cup in Tie-Breaker

Members of the Greenwood Higher Secondary School, Nagaland, with the Subroto Cup on Monday.

Playing with 10 players from the start did not have any negative effect on Greenwood Higher Secondary School, Nagaland. After levelling the game at 1-1 in the 50-minute regulation play, they defeated Kalyangarh Bidyamandir, West Bengal, 3-1 in the tiebreaker of the u-14 final of the Subroto Cup here on Monday.

Last year's runners-up Greenwood, who were penalised because some of their players were found to be overage,never allowed the Bengal team to dominate. Greenwood goalkeeper Neithovilie also played his role to perfection as he made some fine saves in regulation time and was also the hero in the tie-breaker.

Neithovilie stopped the spot-kicks of Sanjib Bhowmick, Sourav Biswas and Sarajit Biswas.

Nyithung, Osen and skipper Lellen converted their spot-kicks for the Nagaland side. But Kalyangarh would rue that they were not able to make optimum use of their numerical advantage. Greenwood could have grabbed the winner in extra time when Nyithung's right-footer from the edge of the box rattled the bar.

The Bengal school tried to press forward but the Greenwood boys defended stoutly and the midfielders often fell back to support the backline.

"This is my first time and it was a fabulous opportunity and I learnt a lot from this experience," said Neithovilie, whose team clinched the title after four years.

Meanwhile, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) shortlisted 25 boys for one-time scholarship of Rs.10,000, and 15 of them will be adopted by the Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society for further training.

In the girls' under-17 quarter-finals, Oriental English School, Manipur, got the better of Government Higher Secondary School, Nagaland, in sudden death.

With both the teams locked at 1-1 after extra time, the penalty shootout was also an even affair with each of them converting all the five shots. Oriental goalkeeper Pinky D then stopped the first shot in sudden death to take her team to the semi-finals.

In the other last-eight match, Government High School, Alkapuri, Haryana, rode on a fourth-minute strike from Sanju to beat the NCC team 1-0.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nagaland-school-wins-under-14-subroto-cup-in-tie-breaker/1/217802.html

Delhi, The Melting Pot Of Flavours

By Tanu Datta


Amenla - One of the joint owners of The Nagaland Kitchen in Green Park and the Nagaland stall in Dilli Haat that serves delicacies like pork curry and Naga thali.

If one wants to savour the varied flavours of the Indian palate, then the obvious way is to take a tour of the country. But, if one is short on time, then just come to Delhi. Here, one can sample the classic dishes of each region, without having to travel every nook and corner of the country and blowing up a hole in the pocket.

What’s more? Such dishes are prepared by none other than people who are natives of these states. Rabi Sen, who calls himself a refugee from Bangladesh, serves up eclectic Bengali snacks at the most nominal prices at his Chittaranjan Park shop. As the sun sets, one can see visitors thronging in couples, groups and loners for a hog. Sen along with his wife Shobha manages the shop. Shobha contributes in overseeing that the recipes are true to Bengali tastes. “We have a lot of Bengali refugees staying nearby who love to eat at our shop. Food enthusiasts come here as CR Park market no. 1 is where you get all sorts of Bengali delicacies under one roof,” Shobha explains. As you walk out of the shop and go about, you find the Puchka vendor (selling the Bengali version of Golgappas), roam around a little more and you bump into a Ghugnee vendor called Shyamal, who sells the Bengali version of dried yellow peas curry spiced up in true Kolkata style. There are at least two Jhal Muri (Bengali version of Bhel Puri made with puffed rice, mustard oil, onions etc) vendors in market no. 1. There is also a shack selling all kinds of Bengali condiments from the quintessential Kasundi to prawn crackers to Badis and almost everything one can imagine.

Maharashtrian snacks are apparently very popular in Delhi and quite easily available. Deepak Wadhwa’s father came from erstwhile Bombay and presented Bhel Puri to Delhi’s tastebuds when he set shop at South Extension I in 1973. He still remains a hot-seller after all these years. His success can be recorded in his own words, “We sell Bhel Puri and Sev Puri. We also added Jhal Muri to the menu as there was a demand for it. The recipe of Bhel and Sev Puri is from Bombay and we learnt Jhal Muri from a Bengali guy,” says Wadhwa.

A slow but steady demand has increased the presence of Kashmiri food outlets in Delhi. The newest kid on the block is Kashmiri Kitchen near Ghitorni metro station. Owner Pearl Khan doles out “Lahradar kababs, Kokur Yakhni, Mutton Yakhni, Veth Chaman, Mutton Pulao besides the more famous Kashmiri delicacies. The spices are sourced from the state too for true authentic flavour.” Khan says, “Delhi becomes home to people from all states who come and settle here. We have Bengalis coming to Kashmiri Kitchen and liking our food as Kasmiris and Bengalis share a likeness for mutton. We also suit the palate of foreigners very well as we make mildly spicy food which they love.”

Move over to Dilli Haat opposite INA market and you don’t need to trod any further. You will find cuisines of many states here including Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and more. The little known cuisine of Uttarakhand is being made famous at Uttarakhand stall. “Chausa rice, Jhangoora ki Kheer (made from a special variety of rice), Til ki Chutney are a few of the many Uttarakhand delicacies we serve here,” says owner of the stall A S Rana. He has also been allotted the Dilli ki Dawat stall at Dilli Haat which rounds up many regional delicacies all of Delhi has to offer. “I thought Delhi is a melting pot of cultures and this is a good place to showcase all of them under one roof. So I have momos and Thukpa from the North-east, Tandoori specialities of Punjab, Chole Kulche of Delhi, Biryani of Hyderabad, Lemon rice of South India and a Sattu drink of Bihar.”

The Nagaland Kitchen in Green Park is owned by Chubamanen Longkumer and his sisters. They churn out smoked pork curry, Naga thali and other authentic Naga dishes. They also run a successful stall at Dilli Haat serving the same cuisine. Shiv, the manager at Nagaland stall at Dilli Haat, says, “People love the Pork ribs and Pork Thali. We have people from Nagaland, Delhi and even foreigners coming here to eat.”

Delhi indeed is the place where spices from all parts of the country come together to create an Indian blend.

Why Are 5 Million Kids On Facebook if it Doesn't Want Them?

Facebook has an ugly little secret, a number disclosed nowhere in its voluminous filings to become a public company and now only vaguely addressed by corporate officials.

An estimated 5.6 million Facebook clients - about 3.5 percent of its U.S. users - are children who the company says are banned from the site.

Facebook and many other web sites bar people under age 13 because the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires web sites to give special treatment to children 12 or younger. The law aims to stop marketers prying personal information from children or using their data to advertise to them. Sites must get parental permission before allowing children to enter, and must take steps to protect privacy.

Facebook declines to acknowledge that many of its efforts to block children are not working.
The issue has taken on new relevance as the Federal Trade Commission finalizes rules to further restrict companies and Web sites that target youths or are geared to young audiences.

Facebook, the world's leading social media company with 955 million users, has said that the law does not apply to it because it explicitly restricts use of its site to people aged 13 and older.

Facebook has made some progress in identifying preteens and excluding them from the site. A June Consumer Reports study showed that Facebook eliminates as many as 800,000 users under age 13 in a year through its tiered screening process, which the company declines to describe.

The study still estimates 5.6 million children are on Facebook, a figure that experts say includes many who create accounts with help from their parents.

The Consumer Reports data comes from a January 2012 survey of 2,002 adults with home Internet. Participants were chosen by TNS, a research firm. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

"It's not surprising to us to see 12-year-olds sneaking onto Facebook," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, saying the situation was "particularly complicated" if parents helped them. "Is it troubling? In some ways it is. Is it a story in black and white? Not really."

A Reuters test of Facebook's signup process shows that a child could bypass the site's screening features with relative ease. The site effectively blocked a fictitious sign-up from an underage prospective user. But after an hour's wait, the site accepted a sign-up using the same name, email, password and birthday but citing a different birth year.

Facebook declined to discuss the data or describe its efforts to outlaw children. Spokesman Frederic Wolens said in an email that Facebook is "committed to improving protections for all young people online".

Larry Magid, who serves on Facebook's advisory board and co-directs the Internet group Connect Safely, said he and others studied the issue for a year and found no way to tell if children were lying online.

"The only solution that I am aware of is to access some sort of national ID or school records," he said. "There are good reasons that we don't do this. ... I'm sure this is really easy to do in totalitarian regimes."

Senator Richard Blumenthal, an outspoken privacy advocate whose youngest child is 18, said children's vulnerability to potential sexual predators and susceptibility to advertising were reasons to keep the 12-and under set off most web sites. "Our children were not on Facebook at that age, and they would not be now," he said.

When gullible preteens or "tweens" go online they often reveal sensitive data, said Kathryn Montgomery, who teaches at American University and was an early advocate of the 1998 COPPA Tlaw.

"What we hoped to do with these kinds of rules is to get companies to act responsibly toward kids. It's not easy to do," said Montgomery.

Facebook now boasts 158 million U.S. users, according to May figures from the data firm comScore. If the site more effectively banned children, it could stand to lose about 3.5 percent of its U.S. market.
Ironically, one reason it's easy to game Facebook's screening process is the law passed to protect children. COPPA bars companies from saving most data on children. The FTC has said it would look skeptically on companies saving childrens' names or email addresses even if the data simply helped them prevent children logging onto their sites.

Children who aren't savvy enough to game Facebook's system often get parental help, according to a 2011 study headed by Danah Boyd, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research. She found that 55 percent of parents of 12-year-olds said that their child was on Facebook and that 76 percent of those had helped the child gain access.

"Many recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to enforce age restrictions on the Internet, especially when parents want their children to access online content and services," said Facebook's Wolens.

On Facebook, children are exposed to advertising for sugary, high-fat foods, the kind increasingly pulled from children's television shows.

"We found lots of food products on Facebook being advertised, including many which are targeted to children," said Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

KRAVE CEREAL IS ONE-THIRD SUGAR
One is Kellogg's new Krave cereal, a product which is roughly one-third sugar. With advertisements featuring an animated, pudgy Krave Krusader, it now counts 456,000 "likes" on Facebook.

Kellogg's said it did not intend to market Krave to tweens and complied with an industry initiative to not market high-fat, high-sugar products to children. "Krave follows Facebook's policy that all fans must be 13 or older," the company said in a statement.

Dr. Victor Strasburger, chief of the division of Adolescent Medicine, University of New Mexico Department of Pediatrics, said the Krave Krusader ads are part of what he called "unethical" appeals by sugary cereal makers. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. children aged 6-17 are obese, according to a 2011 government report.

Child advocates say that even if Facebook is not appealing directly to children, the company needs to realize that ads aimed at teenaged users will also attract tweens, who imitate older peers.

"I don't think Facebook deliberately goes out and gets kids at the moment," said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy. "I think when they target teens the way they do, they know that they'll pull in a lot of younger kids."

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Marilyn W. Thompson and Andrew Hay)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi Meets Obama, Receives Medal From Congress

Washington, Sep 20 (Reuters) : Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met President Barack Obama at the White House and received the highest congressional award on Wednesday.

Suu Kyi, making a coast-to-coast U.S. tour, held private talks with Obama in the Oval Office after being feted by lawmakers in the ornate U.S. Capitol, where she was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal for her long fight for democracy in a country ruled by army generals since 1962.

"This is one of the most moving days of my life, to be here in a house undivided, a house joined together to welcome a stranger from a distant land," she said.

"Among all these faces are some I saw while I was under house arrest, and some I saw after I was released from house arrest," said Suu Kyi, acknowledging strong support from U.S. lawmakers during her 17 years of house arrest.

The Oval Office setting for the first meeting between the two Nobel Peace laureates afforded Suu Kyi's visit some of the trappings normally reserved for visiting foreign presidents and prime ministers.

But the White House, apparently treading carefully lest they allow the Suu Kyi events upstage Myanmar's government, kept the meeting low-key. News photographers were allowed in briefly but not television cameras or print reporters. Obama and Suu Kyi met for about half an hour.

Obama, seeking re-election in November, seized the chance to meet Suu Kyi on the second day of her U.S. tour. The encounter could help him highlight what many see as a foreign policy accomplishment of his administration in helping to push Myanmar's generals onto the path of democratic change.

MYANMAR PRESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGED
At her congressional medal ceremony, both Suu Kyi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged the presence in the audience of a minister representing Myanmar President Thein Sein and the country's new ambassador in Washington.

"This task has been made possible by the reform measures instituted by President Thein Sein," said Suu Kyi in her acceptance speech.

Earlier on Wednesday, the United States removed sanctions that blocked any U.S. assets of Thein Sein and the speaker of Myanmar's lower house of parliament and that generally barred American companies from dealing with them.

Thein Sein and lower house speaker Shwe Mann, once members of the former military junta who have won international praise for driving reforms in the 18 months since the military ceded power to a quasi-civilian government, were both removed from the U.S. Treasury's list of "specially designated nationals."

Thein Sein will visit New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly next week, when he is expected to meet senior U.S. officials.

U.S. lawmakers and officials who turned out to honor Suu Kyi expressed amazement - some tearing up - that she had made the journey from house arrest to Washington.

"I might have hoped, but I'm not sure I expected, that one day I would have the honor of welcoming my personal hero, Aung San Suu Kyi, to the Congress of the United States," said Republican Senator John McCain.

WEST WING LESSONS
Clinton said she expected change to come in the country also known as Burma, but did not know how long it would take.

"It's almost too delicious to believe, my friend, that you are here in the rotunda of our great capitol, the centerpiece of our democracy as an elected member of your parliament," she said.

The solemn ceremony was sprinkled with lighter moments, as Clinton related a trip to Myanmar last year, where she quoted the speaker of the lower house of parliament as saying, "Help us learn how to be a democratic congress, a parliament."

"He went on to tell me that they were trying to teach themselves by watching old segments of The West Wing," Clinton said, referring to the fictional U.S. television series about presidential politics. "I said, 'I think we can do better than that, Mr. Speaker.'"

Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for championing democracy in opposition to the military junta that held her under house arrest for years. Her last stay in the United States was in the 1970s as a United Nations employee.

Suu Kyi's election to parliament in April helped to transform the pariah image of Myanmar and persuade the West to begin rolling back sanctions after a year of dramatic reforms, including the release of about 700 political prisoners in amnesties between May 2011 and July.

Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, early in his term with no concrete foreign policy successes on his record, leading critics to say he was rewarded mostly for eloquent speech-making.

(Additional reporting by Paul Eckert, Arshad Mohammed, Andrew Quinn and Mark Felsenthal; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Northeast Major Source Of Child Trafficking

Guwahati, Sep 20 : Expressing concern that Assam and other North-Eastern States have become a major source of child trafficking to other parts of India, Child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi has urged the State Government to take radical steps to curb child trafficking and child servitude.

Satyarthi, the founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) and president of Global March Against Child Labour, was in Guwahati on Saturday to attend a round-table conference on eradication of child trafficking and child labour.

Pointing out that children from Assam and other North-Eastern States were increasingly being trafficked to Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and other parts of India, Satyarthi said that most of the victims were trafficked from Lakhimpur and Kokrajhar districts besides from the tea gardens of Udalguri, Sonitpur, Bongaigaon and other backward areas of lower Assam through a well-organized criminal racket.

Satyarthi alleged that some dubious people from West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya had also set up so-called placement agencies to supply domestic helps in major metropolitan cities, while other agencies had engaged some local agents from the North-East.

For instance, he said, in Delhi alone, 36 placement agencies have been identified to be involved in trafficking children from Assam — mainly girls — to Haryana, Punjab and several metropolitan cities. The agents are paid Rs. 15,000-Rs. 20,000 per girl by the placement agency, which takes Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 from the family that employs girls as maid.

The girls and their parents are promised a monthly salary of Rs. 3,000-Rs. 6,000 but in most cases some pittance or no wages are paid to those domestic helps.

Satyarthi said that Bachpan Bachao Angolan was flooded with such complaints in Delhi. The BBA office in Tamil Nadu also found that at least half of the child labourers in garment factories belonged to the North-East and particularly from Assam.

“They were all trafficked and bonded. Last year, 76 such malnourished children who belonged to Assam and Manipur were also rescued. I was personally involved in rescue and repatriation of 16 adolescent Assamese girls who were trapped into bondage in various places in Delhi. They were trafficked through the local agents operating from Shakurpur, Delhi. The most shameful part of the story was that one of these girls was hesitant to go back home because she was pregnant due to repeated rape,” Satyarthi said, adding that there was a definite link between the missing children in Assam and those who were trafficked for various objectives to different States.

“We demand that the State Government develop a comprehensive strategy and action plan on prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation of child labour and trafficking,” he said.

Satyarthi suggested that the trafficking nexus in Assam be properly investigated into and broken by taking stringent punitive actions against all those who are involved in this crime.

“The media, civil society, the Government and village institutions should work hand in hand in trafficking-prone areas to educate and empower the local community. Child labourers must be thoroughly identified, rescued and rehabilitated properly. The Government must also ensure free quality meaningful and child-friendly education not only to ensure full enrollment but also to ascertain the retention of children, particularly girls, in schools,” he said.

Further, Satyarthi said, there should be Centrally-sponsored schemes for rehabilitation of trafficking victims, and a special task force should be established to combat trafficking at major railway junctions en-route to the North-East. Besides, CBI and other government agencies should take up the cases of trafficking in Assam on a priority basis to track down missing children effectively.

Mizo School Asks Parents To Pay Salaries Of Teachers

Aizawl, Sep 19 : Mizo Government High School, one of the oldest educational institutions in Mizoram, has been asking students' parents to pay the salaries of six private teachers. Prominent citizens of the state, including chief minister Lal Thanhawla and education minister Lalsawta, studied at the school.

In a letter to parents of students, the principal of the school, Zairemveli, asked them to contribute Rs 500 each for 2012-2013 so that the school can pay the salaries of the six teachers.

Earlier, Zairemveli had asked the parents to contribute Rs 250 each, but later doubled the amount as Rs 250 would not be sufficient to pay the teachers for a year.

She said that the total salary of the six teachers amounted to Rs 56,000 per month, but the contribution by the parents of 1,250 students at the rate of Rs 250 per head would only be Rs 3,12,500, which would cover only for six months' salaries.

The principal explained that the need for contribution from the parents of the students arose due to shortage of teachers for subjects like Mizo, English, history, home science and education, and posts lying vacant due to promotion of three teachers to the post of vice-principal elsewhere.

"The government did not provide teachers to teach Mizo and English during the entire 2011 academic session," she said, adding that the institution has hired seven teachers and has been paying them from the funds allotted to the institution for other purposes. Since the institution could no longer afford to pay them, the school authorities appealed to the parents to contribute for the sake of better education for their children, she said.