CWG Organisers Insult Indian Legends

Indian athletic legends yet to receive invites

Another mess-up by the CWG organisers.

Athletes who have won laurels for India in the past are being cold-shouldered by the organisers. They have not yet been invited for the Games, which begin in less than 2 days time. And this is not the first time such a thing has been happening in India. When will we learn to respect?

New Delhi: Former star athletes, who have been invited for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, are livid with the Organising Committee (OC) for not sending them the invitation or the accreditation cards with barely three days to go for the opening ceremony.

Earlier this month, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asked the national sports federations to inform Arjuna, Dhyanchand, Dronacharya, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees and the Olympic, Asian Games and Commonwealth gold medallists to send their accreditation forms. Despite submitting all the papers in time, the state associations and the athletes haven't yet heard from the OC.

Jyotirmoyee Sikdar (Khel Ratna and Padma Shri), Soma Biswas (Arjuna Award), Saraswati Saha (Arjuna Award) and Pinki Pramanick (Doha Asian Games gold medallist) are upset with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI)for treating them shabbily.

'I was invited for Melbourne but not for Delhi'

Saraswati, who won the 200 metres gold medal at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, feels it was unfortunate that former athletes are being treated so callously at a time when the Games are held at home.

"We are having a major event here after such a long time and as former athletes we always want to enjoy the occasion. I don't think we will be lucky this time," she said.

Jyotirmoyee, former CPI-M MP from West Bengal, said in India the athletes don't get their due. "This shows how the OC treats the athletes in this country. When I was an MP, I was invited for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, but when the Games are held here, I don't know whether I would be able to witness them," Jyotirmoyee, who won gold in 800m and 1500m at the 1998 Asian Games, told IANS Thursday.

Celebrated athletes from several other states have also not received the invite.

Passing the buck

Soma Biswas and Pinki Pramanik are also Asian Games medallists. Soma won the silver medal at the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games while Pinki gold in Doha and silver in Melbourne in 4x400 metres relay.

West Bengal Athletics Association (WBAA) had sent all particulars about the athletes to the AFI before the Sep 23 deadline. "We had sent everything before deadline, but we are yet to hear anything from AFI. Despite repeated reminders there is no response and do not know whether the athletes can go to Delhi for the Games," a top WBAA official told IANS.

The AFI has passed the buck to the OC, saying it has messed it up. "We can't be blamed. We were just asked to send the accreditation forms by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The OC is handling all the invitations," said AFI's officiating secretary Ravinder Chaudhary.

'I gave them a choice of hotels or Games Village'

Meanwhile, amidst all the brouhaha over participating nations opting to stay in five star hotels rather than the Games Village because of it not being ready and portions of it were unclean, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi Thursday revealed that it was he who gave them the option.

"All the 71 countries have come. I gave them a choice, 'whether you want to stay in hotels or in the Village?' but every team said, 'we want to stay in the Village'," said Kalmadi.

Sporting a confident and relieved attitude, Kalmadi, who was welcoming the arrival of the Queen's Baton Relay, also urged Delhiites to "come out and play".

"You have to be a part of it. You have to participate, come out and play. It is everybody's game. We are going to have a great opening ceremony. If you can't get the tickets, please watch in on TV," he said.

'Kalmadi deserves a pat on the back'

Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit praised Kalmadi and said he deserves a pat on the back for the completion of all preparations for the Commonwealth Games (Oct 3-14).

"Our dear friend Suresh Kalmadi needs a big bump and pat on the back," Dikshit said, while enacting the gesture over the visibly happy chairman's back. "I am on top of the world. Everything is fine, ready and everything is complete," she added during the arrival of the Queen's Baton Relay in the capital Thursday. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna said Delhiites should treat the visitors with two things in mind - the world is one and guest is god.

"When we are asked what does the Commonwealth Games mean to us (Delhiities), I'd say it is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' and 'Atithi Devo Bhava'. Clearly 'the whole world is one' and 'guest is god' - this is what the Games mean to us," Khanna said.

"All participating nations have given us a thumbs up saying that we have given them global level facilities. And now we should make sure that when they go back they should take with them Indian memories of warmth, openness and affection," he added during the same programme.

Kalmadi slams builders for the mess

Kalmadi also laid the blame squarely on the builder and the contractor for the shoddy work at the Games Village, which has come under heavy criticism from some of the participating countries.

Several participating countries had labelled the Village for being filthy and unlivable.
Kalmadi said that there was conflict between nodal agency Delhi Development Authority (DDA) that gave the contract to Emaar-MGF to build the Games Village and the builder.

"Due to the conflict, work was delayed for three months and that was the main problem. We got the Village only a month back and we needed some time to get things in place. But now the Games Village looks beautiful and I can tell you it is the best Commonwealth Games Village," he said.

Kalmadi, however, was happy with the last minute work carried out at the Games Village and said that the foreign athletes and officials are now happy. "Village is one of the finest place. We have given an option to all teams to first go to hotel and then they can shift to the village after inspecting the conditions there. Right now not even a single country is staying in hotel," said Kalmadi.

"International players and team officials are very satisfied with the Village's facilities. All 71 countries are participating in the games and not even a single country has kept itself out of the games. Each delegation is saying that they are liking this place very much and they have no problems. I am sure that nobody has seen such games village before," he said.

'Focus on good aspects of CWG'

Kalmadi said that he was also ready for any kind of probe regarding the alleged disproportionate use of funds.

"The photo that media is showing is over-month old and you cannot conclude anything on the basis of it. I am ready for any kind of inquiry; in fact I personally want that an inquiry must be conducted into all allegations," said Kalmadi.

"We should also focus up on good aspects of these games. Our city (New Delhi) has gone ahead by nearly 10-years. See the airport, metro is running from airport to the games villages and to other venues. Now we only want Indian players to do well and to win maximum medals in the games," he added.

He also thanked Prime Minister for giving a grant of Rs. 1600 crore for the training of athletes. "This has happened for the first time. Money has been spent on the training of athletes, accommodation and on providing them world-class facilities," said Kalmadi.

The Games Village is spread over an area of 63.5 hectares and has a total of 34 residential towers. It has 1,168 apartments comprising 4,008 bedrooms which will house the athletes and team officials.

Source ANI

I Am Being Framed: Former Mizo CM Zoramthanga

Aizawl, Oct 1 : Former chief minister Zoramthanga today maintained his innocence in the corruption charges leveled against him and said, ''I am being framed to spoil my political career.''

Addressing a party rally, held in the aftermath of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)s raids at his residence, the Mizo National Fronts supremo said, ''If I had indulged in any corruption, let them nail me, for no one is above the law. But, they are making false charges against me to politically spoil my image.''

''This is a politically motivated criminal case against me in the eve of the Aizawl Municipal Council elections,'' he reiterated.

He also maintained that any criminal investigation against a former chief minister has to be approved by current Chief Minister, pointing accusing finger to his Congress counterpart and Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla.

Recently, the ACB raided the residence of Zoramthanga, his two brothers and his former political adviser, in connection with corruption case charged against him, following a PIL submitted to Gauhati High Court by anti-corruption organisation Prism.

The civic organisation filed the PIL in 2007 against the then Chief Minister Zoramthanga for possessing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, for allegedly misusing agriculture departments materials for his private firm and for allegedly collecting three per cent from all contractors under PMGSY for party fund.

Gauhati High Court on December 21, 2009, ordered a probe into the allegations to be completed within four months. Prism president Vanlalruata told UNI here today, the inquiry report revealed 30 rolls of wire mesh and 660 of angles iron post were issued by Agriculture Department in favour of Aiipuk Farm which is owned by Zoramthanga, on the request made by his wife Roneihsangi through 50 per cent subsidised payment.

The inquiry revealed that payments were made but backdated through manipulation of official documents. The report also revealed Zoramthanga admitted that three per cent was deducted from PMGSY contractors for his party fund, he said. Mr Zoramthanga possessed disproportionate asset from his known sources of income.

The Report highlighted that Mr Zoramthanga possessed Rs 54,18,061.94 and Rs 1,38,02,241.26 in 2003 and 2008 respectively in his affidavits submitted to the DC, Champhai on the eve of the 2003 and 2008 MLA General Election.

''The difference of his possession between 2003 and 2008 is Rs 83,84,179/-. But he could have had accumulated only Rs 17,84,234/- during these five years from his known sources of income,'' Vanlalruata added.

Women Set The Price Here in Manipur

By Deepti Priya Mehrotra

The women's market in Manipur — a traditional institution spanning generations — now finds itself in danger of being uprooted and displaced..

These stalls are traditionally passed on from mothers to daughters or daughters-in-law.

Her trading space: The all-women market, Khwairamband Nupi Keithel, in Imphal.

Bilasini Devi, 62, has been selling fruit for 40 years, on the roadside at the Khwairamband Nupi Keithel (Women's Market). The market, situated in the heart of Imphal, Manipur, is a unique, age-old institution, run exclusively by women. Today, these women are facing threats. Bilasini explains, “I began selling fruit at the age of 22, and brought up my children on my earnings. But now, the police are chasing us, and we do not know where to sit to sell our goods.”

As a member of the Roadside Vendors Welfare Association, Khwairamband Keithel (RVWAK), Bilasini is struggling to retain a space for herself and for the 5,000 or so vendors who work in and around Khwairamband Bazaar. Kshetri Tama Devi, 30, President of RVWAK, says, “Roadside vendors work in very unhealthy conditions. They have no stalls or places to sit and are used to sitting on the roadside with no objection raised in the past. However, due to the beautification drive launched by Manipur government, they are being harassed.”

Right to trade

Members of RVWAK are mostly working-class women who bring up families with their hard earnings, sometimes spending 12 hours at the market. Bilasini adds, “The authorities collect tax from us — Rs 10 per person every month, yet the police chase us from one place to another like cattle. As a taxpayer, I demand my space and my right to ply my trade.”

Apart from roadside vendors, another 4,000 women traders have held stalls at designated spots within Khwairamband Nupi Keithel. These stalls are traditionally passed on from mothers to daughters or daughters-in-law. The traders deal in textiles, jewellery, food and other items. Trade is brisk, with gorgeous hand-woven garments and cloth produced by women, who work like a cottage industry. This market is the major shopping centre of Manipur, and a must-see for all visitors. Initially, women traders welcomed the drive to modernise the market, which was launched by the Manipur government in 2005, hoping it would improve the ramshackle conditions.

Laishram Mema Devi, 55, has been selling jewellery from her stall in Khwairamband Bazaar since 1980. As President of the Khwairamband Nupi Keithel Vendors Welfare Association, (KNKVWA), Manipur, she says, “All of us — 4,000 women — were licence-holders, with permanent stalls in the market. Modernisation and reconstruction was meant to take two years, and we signed an MoU in 2005, under which the Government agreed to provide space in the new market to old licence-holders. But the reconstruction work has dragged on for over five years and we have worked out of temporary sheds. There is a lot of corruption, mismanagement and bribery. The new market building is nearly complete, but 500 women traders who held permanent licences are being denied stalls. Their licences were taken away and have not been returned.”

KNKVWA members have been petitioning local authorities to hold a dialogue with them, but to no avail. In late August, Mema and Tama Devi and three of their colleagues, came to New Delhi to alert the Central Government about the issue. They submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office alleging “a reign of corruption, bribery, favouritism and mismanagement”, and requesting the Government to intervene.

They point out while licences are issued to non-vendors, hundreds of genuine vendors are denied this right. In other parts of Imphal, some markets that were reserved for women, such as the Heingan Yonfam and the Langthabal Potfam, have been de-reserved. This threatens the future of the Khwairamband Women's Market. The number of women who need to earn their livelihood in the informal sector is swelling by the day, due to rampant unemployment worsened by widespread conflict. Most of these women, including widows, are their family's breadwinner. “Women have traditionally held a high place in Manipur. They have been carrying on trading and business since times immemorial. We are proud of our heritage. But today the Manipur government is threatening the survival of this great heritage,” says Malem Ningthouja, member of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy. He estimates the number of women traders and vendors in Imphal city at 10,000 to 15,000. While Khwairamband is Manipur's biggest market, there are others run by women scattered across the State, at Nambol, Thoubal, Moirang, Moreh, Ningthoukhong, Kakching and several other places.

These stalls are traditionally passed on from mothers to daughters or daughtersin-law.

Injustice in the past

Tama, Bilasini, Mema and their colleagues are living up to Manipur's glorious tradition of women's collective struggles against injustice. In 1904, women traders of Khwairamband Bazaar were among the leaders of the First Nupilan (Women's War) against the British policy of forced labour, and they were also at the forefront of the Second Nupilan in 1939, against the colonial policy of hoarding and exporting rice in times of scarcity.

Such activism paid high dividends for the local community. Women here believe they need to take a page from the book of their grandmothers and great-grandmothers to stem the excesses of the State. Irom Sharmila, a citizen of Imphal, is well known for her unprecedented ten-year-long hunger strike against State violence.

Contents of memorandum

In its memorandum to the Prime Minister, KNKVWA points out that the government of Manipur has not fulfilled its promises made to the vendors and that non-transferable permanent licences have been arbitrarily cancelled. They also mention that the blueprint of the construction project and allocation of seats, amenities and other plans have not been made public and the pleas of women traders for a meaningful dialogue have fallen on deaf ears. There has been no announcement of the list of original licence-holders and the memorandum demands that the economic interests of thousands of women traders be respected and that seats must be allocated to each of the original licence-holders. They also want the temporary sheds to be allotted to roadside vendors, after they are vacated.

Women vendors in Imphal are struggling not only for their survival, but for justice, peace and gender equity. In a country where informal sector workers are being increasingly marginalised, prime land being acquired by big business interests, and women workers rapidly losing their traditional sources of livelihood, such a struggle needs popular support and expressions of solidarity, they point out.

via Women's Feature Service

Report on Northeast Girls Trafficking in CWG Unfounded

By Kalyan Barooah

New Delhi, Oct 1 : Sensational reports of  ‘40,000 girls’ being ‘hired’ from North Eastern Region by escort agencies for the Commonwealth Games has sent NGOs and Central agencies into a tizzy.

While the media including international agencies like BBC have gone to town with reports of 40,000 girls being trafficked to Delhi for escort services by organised cartels, the real story seems quite different.

“Thousands of women from India’s Northeast have been hired by escort agencies for the Commonwealth Games. Nearly 40,000 women from seven North Eastern States had been hired with promises of ‘lucrative pay’, said a BBC report from Kolkata, quoting Impulse NGO Network.

Says Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini, an NGO working on human trafficking, volunteers drawn from NGOs have been deployed in various train stations in Delhi round-the-clock since last two months, monitoring trains particularly originating from Northeast. A similar watch is being kept at Delhi airport by government agencies.

In the last two months, 54 human trafficking cases were detected, out of which only one case was from Assam and that too turned out to be a case of forced marriage, said Rishi Kant.

Most of the trafficking cases detected during the run up to the Games were from Jharkhand, West and North Bengal, Rishi Kant, whose organisation was among the first to expose the human trafficking racket involving girls lured from Assam to Haryana, said.

Divulging that the government agencies and NGOs, working in the field have stepped up vigil after reports of the possibility of escort agencies entering the scene to take advantage of the demand during the Commonwealth Games, Rishi Kant said they have been monitoring advertisements in newspapers and internet to keep track.

A series of meetings were held between officials of Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, Home Ministry and NGOs to work out a coordination mechanism. “It was after this that the NGOs were engaged to monitor the train stations. Since the last two months, we are watching the various train stations 24X7,” he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, as added measures keeping in mind the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, on the recommendation of Ministry of Women and Child Development, issued an advisory to the Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of all the States to take proper action to combat trafficking.

Most of the advertisements by the escort agencies are for foreign girls, mostly Russians, and those belonging to erstwhile Soviet block countries, but there were no specific advertisements for girls from Northeast India, the Shakti Vahini worker said.

Taken aback by reports of 40,000 girls being hired by escort agencies, Rishi Kant argued that had this been the case, the various NGOs and government agencies working in the field should have detected at least one case. Nevertheless, Shakti Vahini has written a letter to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to probe the allegations reported by media.

Describing chairperson of Impulse NGO Network, a rights group that also rescues trafficked women, Hasina Kharbih’s reported statement, as highly irresponsible, Rishi Kant said that if she has any information, she should share the information with the concerned State Governments.

The revised statement issued by the Home Ministry also makes it necessary to inform authorities about such incidents, he added.

Northeast to Showcase its Dance, Music During CWG Games

Agartala/Aizawl, Oct 1 : Northeast India’s cultural prowess will be in full flow during the Commonwealth Games, with artists from Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram set to perform in Delhi.

On show will be a range of traditional dances and songs during the 12-day mega international event.

The lively Mizo bamboo dance, which symbolises excellence and skills, will entertain spectators at the opening ceremony Oct 3.

“The artists and dance performers from Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland would stage their traditional cultural proficiencies in different cultural venues set up for the foreign and domestic spectators across the national capital,” said Kumar Sinha, a senior official at Tripura’s information and cultural affairs department.

“The artists of the northeastern states coordinated by the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) left for New Delhi earlier this week,” Sinha told IANS.

Nagaland’s Dimapur-based NEZCC is one of many regional cultural centres established by the union government to preserve and promote the traditional cultural heritage of India and respective regions.

“Around 80 Mizo dancers, comprising men and women, will perform the bamboo dance, traditionally known as Cheraw dance, at the inaugural function of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi Oct 3,” a Mizoram government official said in Aizawl.

This year the Cheraw dance made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest and longest dance ensemble.

From Tripura, the 10-member Hozagiri dance troupe comprising tribal men and women will mesmerise spectators in New Delhi.

“The Hozagiri dance troupe has earned a huge name for Tripura by showing their skills and competence in many countries, including the US, Russia, Japan and Bangladesh,” Kumar Sinha stated.

While its theme remains almost the same as that of other tribes, the dance form of the Reang tribal community is quite different from others. The movement of hands or even the upper part of the body is somewhat restricted, whereas the movement waist down to their feet creates a wonderful wave.

Sinha explained: “Standing on an earthen pitcher with a bottle on the head and a lighted lamp on it, when the Reang women dance twisting the lower part of the body rhythmically, the dance bewilders onlookers.”

“The Reangs, known as a primitive tribe, also use musical instruments like the Khamb, a flute made of bamboo, and bamboo cymbal. The Reang women prefer to put on the black Pachra and Rea traditional dress.”

Reang tribal women put on coin rings to cover their entire upper body and also big rings made of coins in their ears.

“Wearing colourful costumes and jewellery, Manipuri, Naga dancers and also those doing Assam’s Bihu attract spectators,” Sinha added.

Heidi Klum Quits Victoria's Secret

We never thought we'd see the day, but supermodel Heidi Klum will no longer work for Victoria's Secret after their 13-year collaboration, Page six reports. She told the gossip column, "All good things have to come to an end. I will always love Victoria's Secret. It has been an absolutely amazing time."

We've put together our favorite Heidi as an Angel moments throughout the years. Take a look through and tell us which you'll remember most.

November 13, 2001

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Mizoram Now Hub of Fake Indian Currency Printing

Silchar, Oct 1 : Gangs printing counterfeit currency notes in the Northeast have shifted their base from Bangladesh to Mizoram and the south Assam border district of Karimganj.

A senior BSF official in Cachar district last night confirmed that fake currency notes were recovered from different places in Mizoram and Karimganj districts in eight raids since January this year.

The investigating agencies, including the BSF intelligence, have zeroed in on some printing hubs, which use computers to print fake notes, in Mizoram and Barak valley district of Karimganj.

The BSF official said from January no trace of any Bangladesh connection to this fake currency note printing or circulation was found, which led the security forces and police official to believe that the counterfeit notes were not being printed in the neighboring country.

He said notes with face value of Rs 7,08,510 were recovered from agents or dealers of this illegal trade in such raids.

The official also said though the printing facilities in Bangladesh had wound up, some Bangladeshis were still involved in this trade. This was evident when four Bangladeshis were picked up by police and the BSF in Aizawl and Karimganj districts during the past nine months.

The total arrests since January stand at 11. Along with them three Bangladeshis were also caught.

He said the biggest haul was on April 14 when three Indians with fake notes with a street value of Rs 2,35,510 were arrested from Karimganj district.

City-Dwelling Anthropologist and Naturalist Seeks Arunachal's Wildlife

By Hema Vijay

As she trekked to Taflagam, the last village on the Indo-China border in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, in February 2006, anthropologist Ambika Aiyadurai was in for a shock. This is a terrain probably never visited by a city dweller so far.

Accompanied by her guide and interpreter, Lobinso, a young man from the indigenous Mishmi tribe, she passed by rows of curious, 1.5 metre-tall bamboo huts on stilts (to keep flood waters as well as wild animals out), before climbing up a carved wooden log - that served as steps - leading into one of the homes. The reason for her visit: A local religious ceremony. She recalls, "It took a while for my eyes to get adjusted to the darkness inside the hut. A strong smell of rice beer, meat and opium hung in the air. The walls behind the men had rows of tar-black objects." A villager casually explained to her that they were animal heads.

On display on the walls of the bamboo hut were rows of skulls of serow, barking deer, black bear and takin. The skulls in the other rooms were mostly of cows and 'mithun' (semi-domesticated cattle found in the Northeast). Apparently such displays are normal in Mishmi homes since the tribe has a long hunting tradition.

Aiyadurai explains, "Such displays can be found in every Mishmi hut. Meat eating is virtually mandatory here, and two 'mithuns', eight cows, four pigs, and 24 chickens were sacrificed for this particular puja that I was a guest at - a puja that was being held to ensure that the hut owner Arindo's father's soul reached the heavens." Incidentally, tribal healers advocate animal sacrifices for getting rid of illnesses, too. "Most people, including the educated ones here, do not realise the environmental impact of their hunting, as hunting is part of their daily lives," says the anthropologist, who has been studying the social lives of tribals in the Northeast.

Earlier her research paper on 'Wildlife Hunting by Miju Mishmi' for the University College of London had evoked academic acclaim. "This kind of research is just what we need. Understanding the reasons and realities behind our tribals' instinct for hunting alone can create sustainable campaigns against hunting," remarks R. Venkatraman, Founder Member, Madras Naturalists Society.

Perhaps equally remarkable is the fact that this woman, born and bred in a city, decided to head for the wilds rather than sit inside an air-conditioned lab to pursue her career. "I have always been keen on nature," she says simply.

For the last several years, Aiyadurai - who now splits her time between her hometown Trichy in Tamil Nadu, her brother's home in Gujarat, the wilds of the Northeast, and wherever else her research leads her to - makes time for her research work whenever she can.

As an anthropologist Aiyadurai also studies man-animal conflicts. She was therefore invited to Arunachal Pradesh to observe the attacks on the local cattle by wild dogs. Going into the area, she was at first appalled at the wildlife trophies she found displayed. Every house she visited in the area seemed to have the skins of wild animals. Another startling observation: While cardamom plantations are common in the cultivated niches of these areas, what is really rampant is opium cultivation.
"I wanted to find out why people hunt here. The answer is quite simple - it is not that they don't have alternate means. These regions have a culture of hunting. For them, hunting is not an economic activity. They are nature worshippers. Their animistic philosophy makes them believe in forest spirits, and their belief is that to appease these spirits, they must hunt. And a lavish spread of meat is mandatory at weddings," explains Aiyadurai.

On her way to Taflagam, Aiyadurai had halted at Chipru, a small village, where she noticed a man roasting a wild bird with a bamboo fork to make a quick snack for his young daughter. Besides this, people generally - whether they are young doctors posted in the Northeast or local MLAs - all have a penchant for jungle meat, according to Aiyadurai. The children too have good hunting skills. Even as they play, they often down birds with pebbles using their catapults, and then roast them for a snack. "Weddings without servings of wild meat are unthinkable for the Mishmi tribe, and brothers, uncles and relatives join the groom's hunting party weeks in advance to ensure that there is no shortage of wild meat," she reveals.

Aiyadurai also discovered that each of these tribes have their own hunting agenda. "Some use animal body parts to make mats and bags, others incorporate it in their attire. For instance, the Nyshi men in east Kameng district wear the casque of the great hornbill to symbolise manhood, while the Mishmi men in Lohit district wear black furry bags made from the black bear skin."

Clearly, hunting has been ingrained in this tribe's traditions down the years and such practices would be very difficult to change. "While once people could sustainably hunt bush meat, now it has reached unprecedented levels. From the hoolock gibbons to the musk deer, the role and value of wildlife in local culture has assumed new dimensions," Aiyadurai observes, and points out how villagers are often surprised to know that there is a Wildlife Protection Act in existence.

Everywhere in the world, whether in the Americas, Africa or Asia, tribals have always coexisted with nature, even while surviving on hunting. Living in the wilds, they converse with the elements, know how to read the signs of change and understand both the lurking dangers and the healing power that is inherent in nature. Their entire universe is limited to the boundaries of the forest. Tribals in Northeast India are no different. But now, with forests shrinking and the need for conservation becoming more urgent, the extraordinary hunting ethos of some of these tribes is emerging as a challenge for the country and its environment. "The tussle is between livelihood, traditional practices and agriculture," observes Aiyadurai.

While it is true that rampant hunting has to be controlled in an era where the world stands in danger of losing innumerable animal species, Aiyadurai believes that we first need to comprehend these local cultures. "It is good to have an understanding of the need for hunting in these communities before setting out to address the issue. Mere enforcement won't work. The only fallout of that would be raising the level of the already existing animosity between these tribals and forest officials." For that matter, enforcement hasn't worked well even in other parts of India.

What may work is to get people to understand that if they continue unsustainable hunting their forests will soon be bereft of wildlife. According to Aiyadurai, tribal knowledge of wildlife must be harnessed and converted into livelihoods that can benefit both the people and the wildlife.

"Remember, there is something called social justice. So this process has to be in partnership with the tribals rather than by excluding them and taking them out of their ecosystem," says Aiyadurai.

While modern societies have to conserve their environment, they also need to be aware of the conservation of communities that exist out of the mainstream. At the end of the day, people matter too.

Womens Feature Service covers developmental, political, social and economic issues in India and around the globe. To get these articles for your publication, contact WFS at the www.wfsnews.org website.