Edinburgh Tattoo to Drum up Viewers with TV Deals

By BRIAN FERGUSON

Organisers of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo aim to increase the global TV audience of the event to more than a billion – with lucrative new agreements in China and India.

Brigadier David Allfrey, chief executive and producer of the event, has unveiled ambitious plans to secure long-running broadcast deals with the two countries. The move – expected to coincide with the appearance of more Indian and Chinese performers in the event – would see the number of viewers rise tenfold from its present level.

Plans to greatly expand the global reach of the event were announced as it emerged the Tattoo is set to sell out in advance for the first time in five years – despite its opening weekend clashing with the Commonwealth Games.

Organisers have revealed sales are running around 8,000 ahead of last year, with 97 per cent of seats already snapped up ahead of yesterday’s official launch, when details of the programme were announced.

Last year’s event did not sell out until around two weeks into the run at the Castle Esplanade.

The Tattoo opens on Thursday night, with its dress rehearsal, with another three performances due to be held before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow draw to a close on Sunday.

The event – which is being held for the 65th year – has sold out for the last 15 years in a row, but is viewed by a further 100 million people in around 45 countries thanks to coverage filmed by the BBC.
Brigadier Allfrey said: “We are one of four really big offerings that BBC Music record every year, along with the Proms season, the Glastonbury Festival and Radio One’s Big Weekend, and our programme is already licensed out to a huge number of territories around the world.

“I have a real interest in the developing markets, particularly in India and China, where there is an enormous number of people who are tremendously interested in our offering.

“We think there is a real opportunity to reach a stronger audience by working with the two state broadcasters in each of these countries.

“The real interest is in the years to come, where Scotland’s relationship with these great economies is set to grow. I want to make sure the Tattoo is presented to both Indian and Chinese audiences in much the same way as it is in Australia, where the Tattoo is shown every year on New Year’s Day.

“We want to ensure that they take the programme every year, and in years to come we are talking about acts from India and China. We are setting the conditions for proper broadcast of those programmes, which we think will capture the public imagination in those countries.”

Acts from South Africa, the Caribbean, New Zealand, India and Singapore appear in this year’s Tattoo, which runs until 23 August.

Highlights are expected to include appearances from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra, the iNgobamakhosi Zulu Dance Troupe, from South Africa, the Nagaland Folkloric Group, from north-east India, and a group of Shetland Fiddlers.

Just 3,000 tickets remain on sale for this year’s event, but Brigadier Allfrey warned these were expected to be quickly snapped up, despite the huge 
interest in the Games.

Now Assam Asks ONGC, Oil India for Higher Royalties

By Siddhartha P Saikia

ONGC and the Gujarat government are embroiled in a legal battle following the latter’s demand for additional royalty.

SummaryState-run hydrocarbon explorers ONGC and Oil India face the grim prospect of having to pay additional royalties to states.

State-run hydrocarbon explorers ONGC and Oil India face the grim prospect of having to pay additional royalties to states. Assam, taking a cue from Gujarat, has sought royalty on the pre-discount price of crude oil produced in the state, rather than the actual price the fuel is sold by the two firms, effective February 1.

ONGC and the Gujarat government are embroiled in a legal battle following the latter’s demand for additional royalty of R10,000 crore from the PSU for crude production in the state since 2003.

Gujarat’s rationale for the move is that royalty needed to be paid not on the subsidised price crude oil is sold by ONGC to oil marketing companies, but the pre-discount price.

Sources said Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to direct the oil PSUs to change the royalty payment mechanism, as demanded by Gujarat.

Thankfully for ONGC and OIL, the northeastern state hasn’t demanded that the new norm be applied from an earlier date. This is despite the fact that Assam had an estimated cumulative loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore since 2008-09 because of the current system of determining royalty.

The apex court had directed ONGC to start paying royalty to the Gujarat government on the pre-discount price from February this year, while the state’s demand for arrears since 2004-05 is yet to be decided on.

Sources added that Gogoi urged Modi to “advise the ministry of petroleum and natural gas to give appropriate instructions to ONGC and OIL to pay royalty, VAT and other state taxes to the government of Assam also at pre-discounted price of crude oil with effect from February 1 2014 as ordered by Supreme Court in case of Gujarat”.

This comes as a dampener for ONGC as its bottom line is expected to be impacted by more than Rs 2,000 crore (for Gujarat and Assam alone) every year (see chart). Gogoi has pointed out that ONGC and OIL are liable to pay royalty on crude oil at 20% of the well-head price, in addition to VAT at 5% and other state taxes.

Other states that could potentially follow suit include Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

I’m ready to Kermit to this relationship: Desperate villagers in Indian region hit by droughts hold wedding ceremony for frogs in bid to appease rain gods

The ritual took place in Dibrugarh in the north eastern Indian state of Assam

Villagers perform the ceremony to try and bring rainfall during dry spells

Ritual began by catching a male and a female frog from two different villages

The two frogs were dressed up and adorned with traditional colour

After ceremony the frogs were taken to a small pond nearby and let go

By Tara Brady

Desperate villagers in an Indian region hit by droughts have held a wedding ceremony for

frogs in a bid to appease rain gods. 

The amphibian ritual took place in the village of Dibrugarh in the north eastern Indian state of Assam.

Villagers perform the ceremony to try and bring rainfall during dry spells.

Villagers perform a wedding ceremony between two frogs to pray for rain and good harvest

Ranjan Das, one of village leaders who attended the wedding, said: 'Our region had not witnessed much rain this year so far. 

'So we arranged the wedding of two frogs to please the rain Gods.' 

The ritual began by catching hold of a male and a female frog from two different villages.

'We have to make sure that the frogs have been brought from two different villages. Only then will the rain Gods accept our plea,' said Das. 

Bizarre: Villagers who took part in a wedding ceremony of frogs in the village of Dibrugarh, India

Villagers said there had not been rain in the area this year so they arranged a wedding ceremony for frogs

Pukka up: The male frog during the wedding ceremony in India where there has not been any rain

The two frogs were dressed up and adorned with traditional colour. The female frog was even gifted a chain

'After that, we sit for the ritual and perform the wedding just like we do our own.'

People from around four villages attended the bizarre marriage ceremony on Sunday, 27 June, which

lasted six hours.

Das said more than thousand people were present at the wedding, which was held in the local park.

The two frogs were dressed up and adorned with traditional colour. The female frog was even gifted a

gold chain by the villagers. 

More than s thousand people were present at the wedding, which was held in the local park

People from around four villages attended the bizarre marriage ceremony yesterday

After the ceremony was over, the frogs were taken to a small pond nearby and let go

'Traditional prayers were recited by the saints who conducted the wedding. It was a joyful affair,' said attendee Paromita Gogoi.

After the ceremony was over, the frogs were taken to a small pond nearby and let go.

Villagers then proceeded to eat dinner, where more than 900 plates of food were served.

'We let the frogs go, so that they can live their life and convey our message to the rain Gods,' added Gogoi

'This ritual is performed as a last resort measure. And thanks to God, our wishes come true,' said Gogoi.

It seems the prayers of the villagers were answered - it began raining across Dibrugarh this morning.

Man from Manipur Beaten Up by Two People in Gurgaon, Admitted to Hospital

Gurgaon, Jul 28 :  Just a few days after a man from Manipur was beaten to death in Delhi, another person from the state has been beaten up in the national capital's suburb Gurgaon.

The 35-year-old victim was reportedly attacked near his house by two men and has been admitted to hospital. The motive of the attack is still not clear.

Last week, Salouni - a former call centre employee from Manipur - was severely beaten up by five men in a road rage case. The police took a badly injured Salouni to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS, where he was declared dead.

Activists from the North East have alleged that his death was a "hate crime" and another in a long list of cases of racial discrimination in the capital.

Earlier this year, Nido Tania, a 20-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh died after being beaten with iron rods and sticks by a group of men in a market in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar, not far from where Shaloni died.

Nido's death had led to street protests and a national debate on discrimination against Indians from the North East.

YMA To Conduct Headcount of Chakmas

Aizawl, Jul 28 : Young Mizo Association (YMA) will soon conduct a census of the Chakma community living in Mizoram.

Vanlalruata, general secretary of the central committee of the YMA, said the census would be conducted in the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) areas and also in other parts of the state.

He said efforts would be made to ensure that Mizos were able to own land inside the CADC. "It is extremely unfair that the sons of the soil are barred from owning land in CADC," the YMA leader said.

Earlier a study on the Chakmas was conducted to find out about the growth of the Chakma population in the state.

Their rise in population in Mizoram has been attributed to the displacement of a large number of people from the community after construction of the Kaptai Dam in Chittagong Hill Tracts in the erstwhile East Pakistan between 1957 and 1962. A large number of Chakma refugees were also sent to Arunachal Pradesh. More Chakmas came to the state after the Centre created the CADC in 1972 without consulting the people or leaders of Mizoram.

Dhaka Lets FCI Ship Food To Northeast Using its Key Port

By Zia Haq

New Delhi, Jul 28 : India has begun using a new trade route via a Bangladeshi port as well as land terrain to ship foodgrains to the Northeast India, as the NDA government steps up ties with the neighbour on the back of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj’s recent successful visit.

In a trial run, the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the country’s main grain agency, has successfully shipped 10,000 tonnes of rice to Tripura from its Vishakhapatnam silo via the Ashuganj port in the neighbouring country under the “Indo-Bangladesh protocol route”.

The new sea route reduces distance between some south Indian states and the Northeast by about 900 km, potentially cutting down transporters’ operating costs and opening up possibilities of greater commercial traffic.

Food minister Ram Vilas Paswan told Hindustan Times that after the trial run, the FCI would now scale up rice quantities transported using this route to the Northeast to 35,000 tonnes. “Since North-East is a rice-consuming region, this new route will help us reach rice from major southern states faster and more economically. Moreover, this route holds a lot of potential for commerce.”

With the India-friendly Awami League Party’s Sheikh Hasina in power in Dhaka, India and Bangladesh have enjoyed closer ties, although trickier issues, such as the Teesta water sharing pact, are stuck.

The route using the Ashuganj port holds strategic importance to India in reaching all kinds of equipment to the Northeast - including heavy equipment needed to construct border infrastructure. The Northeast, where several militant groups are active, is linked to the rest of India by a single highway running through a corridor known as the “Chicken’s Neck”.

For the food ministry, the new route has come in handy, as railways are about to shut down a major rail route used by the FCI in Assam for conversion to broad gauge. This would have sharply increased time and costs for the food agency.

Under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route, inland vessels of one country can transit through the specified routes of the other country.

Delhi is Northeasterners' Favourite Job Destination

By Natalia Ningthoujam

New Delhi, Jul 28 : Abhijit K. Borah moved here from Guwahati in search of a better future. He says Delhi has a lot to offer and he has no plans to leave the capital, despite it being tagged as the country's "most racist city".

"I won't mind shifting base to another city, provided there are good opportunities. But Delhi always offers opportunities; so till now that thought has not crossed my mind," Borah told IANS.

Sagarika Dutta from Tinsukia, Assam, too calls the national capital her dream destination.

"After completing my 12th grade, I knew I would study here as the northeast isn't good for higher education. My cousins are also here, so I was excited," said the 25-year-old.

A study by the North East Support Centre & Helpline (NESCH) has revealed that 78 out of every 100 people from northeastern India living in Delhi face some sort of racial discrimination, with crimes against women, discrimination, verbal slurs and assault against people from the community emerging as major concerns.

Ever since a 30-year-old man from Manipur was thrashed to death during a brawl with a group of locals in the Kotla area of south Delhi, concerns have once again been raised about the safety of people from the region.

But there are always two sides to every story - if on one hand the capital spells fear and unease, on the other it offers hope and prosperity, northeasterners say.

Luckily for Dutta, she hasn't faced "any discrimination" so far and has no plans of turning her back on the city.

"It depends on your friends circle and the environment you are in. I am a career-oriented person and always wanted to settle down outside my hometown as there is less scope in the northeast for public relations professionals," she said.

Borah says the capital has worked as a magnet for people from the northeast as it offers a plethora of options for them.

If in the beginning BPO jobs worked as the biggest draw, now people from the northeast - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim - are getting opportunities in industries like media, hospitality and advertising, among others because of their education, ability to speak in English, smart appearances and willingness to work hard.

"Gone are the days when it was believed that the BPO industry drove northeasterners to the metros. Nowadays, in most of the creative fields like media, advertising, marketing or entertainment, you can see people from the northeast," said Borah.

Over 200,000 people, of whom around 50 percent are females, from the eight northeastern states are in the capital, another NESCH report said.

Worthing Kasar from Nagaland, a partner in a law firm, shifted to the capital to study law. The fact that part of her family was in the city made things smoother for her, but she wouldn't mind living on her own.

"I got through law college and then started working. Even if my family were not here, I would've moved to the city as it has a lot of opportunities," said Kasar.

Kasar added that the preference for people from the northeast is greater in her field.

"I've heard many lawyers saying that they prefer people from the northeast as associates because they feel we are hardworking and honest. In my profession, people run away with clients. So, these qualities are required to avoid this from happening," said the 36-year-old.

Despite disturbing news from the capital, Jenny Thingshung, now a radio jockey and a travel writer, left Manipur and joined a private media institute in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, around five years back.

"Delhi gives great exposure and my sister was already here. But even if I didn't have anyone here, I would've chosen Delhi as it is the best for media," said Thingshung, who worked with a channel as a reporter and then joined a radio station.

For the time being, she wants to earn and build a successful career; so she has no plans of returning to Manipur. But she hasn't completely shut the door.

"There will be a time when I would like to go home, but not right now. When I retire or get settled I would love to go back," she said.

(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)

Northeast Village Buys Burari Plot To House its Own in Comfort, Safety

By Shreya Roy Chowdhury

New Delhi, Jul 28 : The village of Yaikongpao, in Senapati district, Manipur, has acquired 100 square yards at Burari. When the village chief manages to raise enough funds, a hostel-cum-guesthouse will be constructed for students and families coming to Delhi from the state.

Dzukou House too was built this way—villagers on the Manipur-Nagaland border clubbed together to invest in infrastructure here. Villages, communities and groups from the northeast are pooling resources to set up cheap accommodations for students and families coming to the city. Though an unlikely choice, this north Delhi area is perhaps the only one where they can have landlords from their region.

Rocky Angumei, a youth pastor from Yaikongpao, says, "When I learnt about this place in 2007, I convinced the villagers to invest here. The village used its own development funds. The elders are here but they've entrusted me with the project." That land was bought, he says, in 2008-09.

"All educated young people are leaving Manipur and going to other states, mainly Delhi," says Angumei. "They work wherever they can—at beauty parlours or call centres—and pay exorbitant rents. The elders create a sense of security."

A single lane with about a dozen houses owned by people from the northeast offers the comfort of familiarity. Peichun Kadimna's family—her father's a pastor too—was the first to put down roots in 2010. "We were the only ones from the northeast here then," says the Miranda House student. Around that time, Ramo Chothe, a physics teacher at SGTB Khalsa College, was building his home. Chothe is now constructing more floors. "I can accommodate 10-15 students. Two will share a room, there'll be a common room with a television, and I'll serve meals. It'll be like home," he says.

The Kadimnas are ready to open their hostel—for 15—in August. "We're asking our friends to also chip in and set up hostels or guesthouses. Four to five families can together buy a 100 square-yard plot and build on it," says Chothe.

The interiors of Burari hardly inspire the confidence Chothe shows—there are virtually no roads leading to their lane, lanes aren't paved properly, streetlights come on well after it's dark and venturing out of the colony can invite racist comments. When Chothe moved in, "it was like a jungle". But this little throng is trying to make Burari home with a few light touches.

Last year, they had a badminton tournament in an empty parking lot. Angumei started the Church of Hope and is now working on "a barbecue culture". "The dream is there'll be a properly colony here with shopping complex, gymnasium and open area," explains Chothe. He convinced homeowners on his row to contribute "one foot from their plots for a few shops". These are yet to come up.

The community has the option of staying in Dhaka village or Gandhi Vihar in accommodations sublet to them. But, despite the inconvenient location, all the rooms available in Burari are taken. "Students started coming about two years ago," says Chothe, "About 15 came last year. Another 15 joined this time." It takes Kadamlung Gonmei two hours to get from Burari to Dyal Singh College on Lodhi Road but he decided to shift.

"Local landlords charged us more and we'd never get our security deposits back," says DU graduate Joseph Phaomei, who's preparing for competitive exams.

They can eat fermented fish in peace, there's no curfew and the elders to manage the kids. Having other migrant families as immediate neighbours also helps. "It's a mixed group here," says Angumei, "There are several families from Uttarakhand. They are simple. Like us."