It's Already Like Christmas in Twinkling Northeast

Shillong, Dec 13 : The Northeast is already in a mood for Christmas and New Year. Shops here are loaded with Yuletide goodies and the stocky Santa Claus. As a choir group in one of the churches sings the popular carol, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go", people break into a jig.

"Everyone here is drowned in a celebratory mood," said Avner, a college student.

The single symbol of hope, love and divinity that glows throughout the region this time of the year is the Christmas star. Paper stars lit with electric bulbs have already started twinkling at every house, shop, bank and office.

Christmas, in fact, is a month-long affair here. It is said that Christianity, the commonly practised religion here, united the region that was divided because of linguistic, ethnic and geographical reasons in the past. Christmas here is celebrated with family traditions, gifts and greetings.

The NE is also known for its versatile choir groups. They perform in national channels on television during Christmas spreading the message of peace and love. In the picturesque hill station of Shillong, the capital of the predominantly Christian Meghalaya, choir groups belt out carols in churches and public places.

"This is the season of happiness and rejoicing," said a Baptist church pastor and leader of a choir group.

"The flow of shoppers has increased and we are open till late night. People buy gifts for friends and families," said the owner of a leading shopping mall in Shillong, the fashion capital of NE.

With many shopping arcades coming up in the region, shopkeepers also resort to a variety of marketing tricks to woo customers. "You buy goods worth Rs 1,000 and Santa Claus is going to give you a gift amounting to about Rs 500. This new offer has become an instant hit and we are unable to cope with the rush," said the manager of a garment outlet.

The celebration apart, the catchword in the entire region is peace. This is natural for a region where thousands have succumbed to insurgency. "Everybody is impatiently waiting for Christmas. Let us all join together in praying for a new dawn of peace and hope in the region," said Rev. Dominic Jala, archbishop of Shillong.

List of Earthquake Monitoring Centers in Northeast India

New Delhi, Dec 13 : Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Mr.Ashwani Kumar inform in Rajya Sabha today that there, are seven seismic observatories functioning in Assam, located at Dhubri, Jorhat, Silchar, Lekhapani, Tezpur, Guwahati and Dibrugarh under India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Under the national seismological network seismic observatories are located at Lekhapani in Assam, Agartala in Tripura, Shillong and Tura in Meghalaya and Imphal in Manipur and Gangtok in Sikkim.

Recently, all the above mentioned six observatories have been upgraded with state-of-the-art broadband systems with VSAT communication systems.

In addition to the above observatories, 15 more new stations have also been established at Dhubri, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur, Guwahati and Dibrugarh in Assam ; Ziro, Itanagar, Tawang and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh; Kohima and Mokochong in Nagaland; Belonia in Tripura; and Aizawl, Sahia in Mizoram.

Mizoram Presbyterian Church Elects New Leaders For 2012

By KK John

This year's gathering was hosted by the Khatla Presbyterian Church in Aizawl.

Aizawl, Dec 13 : The Synod of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church has elected new leaders for the year 2012.

The 88th Synod Conference which began on December 6 and concluded on Sunday, December 11, elected Rev Thangzauva as the new moderator and Rev PC Pachhunga and Upa DP Biakkhuma as the secretaries.

The Mizoram Presbyterian Church, which is the largest in the northeast state of Mizoram, is one of the main constituent bodies of the Presbyterian Church of India.

The Synod Conference, where major decisions for administrative matters are taken every year, was held on the theme 'Holiness' based on 1 Peter 1:15-16.

This year's gathering was hosted by the Khatla Presbyterian Church in Aizawl.

Along with the new moderator for 2012, this year's Synod also chose the moderator-elect for the year 2013.

Rev Lalramliana Pachuau, who is the Chairperson of the Commission on Tribals & Adivasis, NCCI, was chosen as the moderator-elect. The NCCI on Friday conveyed heartfelt congratulations to Pachuau.

The Mizoram Presbyterian Church was established in the year 1896, and is a member of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).

Meanwhile, it is being reported that the Synod this year has decided not to join the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Some 29 Presbyteries of 43 were against the church joining the ecumenical body.

The Mizoram Presbyterian Church currently has some 1,861 churches and 450 ordained pastors across the state.

Source: christiantoday.com

2012's Hottest Color Is ...

Orange is bold and upbeat—but may not last

Orange is making a comeback in everything from dishware to dresses to eyeliner in 2012, the Wall Street Journal reports. Don't quite believe it? Well, Sephora is designing orange eyelashes from feathers, and Pantone is calling "tangerine tango" the color of the year.

It apparently boosts sales, too: "If you've got a bunch of products on a shelf, it can't hurt to have an orange one," says a color expert who advises retailers on how to make products stand out.

So why orange? A paint manufacturer says it's a "powerful mood modifier, reflecting passion, power, and festivity"—in other words, an antidote to the recession.

But orange was hot in the 1920s, '60s, and '80s, all economically heady times. Perhaps it's part of a renaissance of Asian colors, says one analyst.

Either way, buyer beware: It may be too loud to last. "Our thing is to provide quality fashions that will last a long time," says one California boutique owner. "Orange might not be around" for long.

Lindsay Lohan Edition Playboy 2012 (nsfw)

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Scattered Mizos Must Live in Unity, Lalthanhawla

Imphal, Dec 12 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla Monday stressed that Mizo people living in various regions, including Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and neighboring Myanmar, must live in unity for the harmonized progress of their society.

"The scattered Mizo entities from different regions must come under one umbrella and hopefully in the future under one political unity. To live peacefully with each other and be an example for others to follow, the united existence is vital," he said, addressing a "Mizo Meet" at Churachandpur in southern Manipur.

"For the development of Mizos' traditional life, culture and livelihood, living in unity was indispensable."

The first ever "Mizo Meet" was organized aiming to bring together all Zo tribes to enhance fraternity among themselves as well as to discuss inter-tribe and intra-tribe issues.

After the Nagas, the Mizo tribals in northeast region have been trying to live in unanimity in a region or area specific to them.

Mizos are close-knit society with no class distinction and no discrimination on grounds of sex.

Ninety percent of them are cultivators and the village exists like a big family. Birth of a child, marriage of a couple, and death of a person are important occasions in which the whole village is involved.

The Mizos follow their faith of Christianity with so much dedication and submission that their entire social life and thought process have been altogether transformed and guided by the Christian church organisations directly or indirectly and their sense of values has also undergone drastic change.

Accompanied by several ministers and senior Mizo leaders, Lal Thanhawla, in his speech, reiterated that the main priorities of his goverment were poverty alleviation, fighting against corruption, ushering in all-round development in the state with focus on education and encouraging the youth in pursuing careers in sports and military.

"Besides development of various infrastructure, setting up of power projects, improvement of rail, road and air connectivity with the rest of India and neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh are the other priority sectors of the Congress government," the chief minister added.

Sucker Punch (Manipur)

By Rabi Banerjee

Ethnic conflict traumatises India’s Olympic medal hopefuls from the northeast

Our mummy strongest: Five-time world champion Mary Kom often worries about her family in Manipur; Photo by Salil Bera

Living in war zones can make people battle-ready. Kim Rose, 15, believes she already is. A resident of Manipur's Senapati district, a hotbed of insurgency, she grew up watching gun-battles between security forces and separatist militants.

Kim's generation has been witness to how conflict has bloodied the lush farms and shattered the serene beauty of Manipur. Perhaps because of the aggression instilled in them at a tender age, many children here want to become pugilists.

Kim is no exception. She does not like studying, as she believes being educated does not get one anything in Manipur, and that only sports (boxing in her case) can improve the lives of people here.
But, Kim's father had disagreed. Youngest among his three daughters, Kim was a pampered doll. Jang Khogin would not let her play the “deadly game”.

Six months ago, she fled to her uncle based in a housing village in Imphal, where many shining sports personalities of Manipur stay. “Life in this part of the world is deadlier than boxing,” says Kim. “Some friends told me that they were going to train in the recently-launched boxing academy of the golden daughter of Manipur, M.C. Mary Kom, who made India proud through boxing. So I decided to join them.”

However, today, Kim is disillusioned. Owing to the blockades imposed by two separatist groups for last five months, the friends who inspired her have left the academy, as their families were under severe financial strain.

First, the Kuki tribals imposed a blockade on the state from July 31 to October 31. Their demand: a new district called Sardar Hills to be carved out of Senapati. Then, the United Naga Council, a separatist front of Naga tribes, imposed a blockade from August 21 to November 29. Their demand: no Naga-dominated region (Senapati) should be bifurcated.

The Nagas, who lifted the blockade ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Manipur visit on December 3, have now threatened to resume it from mid-December.

People went through hell, as the separatists blocked all entry points into Manipur, virtually cutting off trade links with the rest of the world. The state, which was left numb after the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was imposed many years ago—thanks to the more than 40 rebel groups active in Manipur—slipped into paralysis. The people were forced to buy essentials at many times the actual price.
The cost of farming skyrocketed, as fertilisers and fuel became costlier. Petrol and diesel are sold in the black market at 1200 per litre, and LPG at 12,000 per cylinder. Consequently, prices of food products leapfrogged five times.

“National food inflation usually does not affect us, as our state produces huge quantities of vegetables and pulses. But because of the blockade, prices of food items in Manipur reached price levels found in metro cities for the first time,” notes Thangjem Kyoun, an NGO worker in Manipur. “The per capita income in Manipur is lower than the national level. How can the people here bear this huge price rise?”

The blockades have left Manipur's jewels—the star pugilists—distressed, too. Mary Kom, Sandhya Rani, Suranjoy Singh and Devendra Singh are toiling to make it big in the London Olympics. The tension at home has made their preparation all the more stressful.

Trouble and the troubled: The five-month economic blocakde imposed by separatists caused acute shortage of essentials such as fuel, food and medicines ; Photo by Salil Bera

“What can I tell you about my problem? Living in Manipur itself is a challenge for anybody. Forget about me, everyone would have to face a lot of problems, socially and financially, if he or she wants to become something here,” says Mary Kom, a five-time world champ.

Even while camping in Delhi, concerns about her family trouble her, says the Khel Ratna awardee. Hailing from conflict-marred Thoubal district, Mary Kom lives in the games village in Imphal with her husband and two kids. But her father and siblings live in the village.

Mary says she gets calls from home even during practice sessions, as her farmer father cannot meet family expenses because of the blockade. “Trust me, I could not concentrate while practising in Delhi after hearing the plight of my parents and siblings,” she says.

Mary shuttles between Delhi and Manipur often, suspending her practice sessions, to look after father and siblings in Thoubal, and her husband and kids in Imphal, who are often hassled by extortionists. Despite the state being under CRPF cover, underground elements often demand money from the relatively affluent people like Mary Kom.

Shanti Singh, brother of boxing hero Dingko Singh ; Photo by Salil Bera

That she is a national star or, even worse, that she is a deputy superintendent of police, do not deter the extortionists. Says Mary Kom: “Their attitude is horrible. They don't even request, they yell at us that money has to be paid. Oh my God, this is my Manipur!”

Mary Kom has got a security guard from Manipur government, but he is unarmed and cannot deal with any “real threat”. However, the four dogs she  bought over the past four years offer a sense of security. “They look after my family when I am away. They are the real security guards for me,” she says with a smile.

Determined to bag a gold medal in London, Mary Kom is so immersed in boxing that she sometimes forgets her husband's profession or the date of birth of her twins. Like her disciple Kim, she had once defied her daddy's diktat not to take up boxing, as it was deemed unsuitable for women. But today the sport has turned out to be a godsend for the entire family.

LPG price zooming up, boxer Suranjoy Singh had to rely on firewood for cooking at his wedding ; Photo by Salil Bera

“Like my case I tell everyone that they should let their sons or daughters to play whatever sport they want. Otherwise, they cannot survive in Manipur,” adds Mary Kom.

Agrees Suranjoy Singh. “To be honest there is hardly anything left for the youth of Manipur other than sports,” says the Bangkok Asian games bronze winner and a London Olympics hopeful. “Can you imagine a situation where you have to buy petrol paying five times more than the actual price? Nobody cares! The nation has allowed this plight to continue for months.”

Though posted in Mumbai, Suranjoy, like Mary Kom, feels the heat whenever his family is in trouble. “Often I would get calls from home explaining how survival is becoming difficult for them. I send them money and essential goods, but the anxiety about their situation remains,” says the Navy officer. “You cannot imagine how hard the last few qualifying rounds have been for me. I lost a couple of times; I could not concentrate.”

Suranjoy, who got married on November 7, says he would settle down in Mumbai, like another boxing hero from Manipur, Dingko Singh. The former Asian Games gold medallist shifted base to Mumbai a few years ago to stay away from the heat of insurgency.

“He told us that he does not want to return, but he regularly helps us financially. My brother's money came as a great relief for us during the blockade,” says Shanti Singh, Dingko's brother, who lives in Manipur.

“Trust me, I love my Manipur, like every son of the soil does. But I am sorry to see the situation there,” says Dingko, a boxing coach now. “We should not blame the insurgent groups alone... the government should have acted sensibly. Which nation allows a blockade for six months? This is amazing!” 

Mizoram Lures Edible Oil Makers

By Roopak Goswami

A palm plantation in Mizoram.

Guwahati, Dec 12 : Mizoram has become a favoured destination for companies engaged in vegetable oil production after the state was identified as a major palm oil producer.

Three leading companies in the vegetable oil sector — Godrej Oil Palm Limited, Ruchi Soya and Food, Fats & Fertilizers Limited — will be setting up processing plants in the state by next year.

Mizoram agriculture department director C. Lalzarliana told this to The Telegraph,

“This will be for the first time that consumers outside the Northeast will get Mizoram palm oil through various companies.”

He said Mizoram had been identified as a major state for oil palm agriculture land and the state had earmarked 1,33,000 hectares of land for the purpose.

Interestingly, Mizoram is the only state in the Northeast where oil palm cultivation is done.

Lalzarliana said Kolasib and Mamit districts had been allotted to Godrej Oil Palm Limited, Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts were allotted to Ruchi Soya Industries Limited while Serchhip, Aizawl, and Saiha districts were bagged by Foods, Fats & Fertilizer Limited.

He said the processing factories would extract oil from fresh fruit bunches which would then be refined and used as edible oil. The kernel extracts would be used for making soaps and cosmetics.

Mizoram has already passed Oil Palm (Regulation of Production and Processing) Act, 2004. He said cabinet approval and Mizoram Public Investment Board (MPIB) clearance had been obtained for Kolasib district where Godrej Oil Palm Limited would be setting up the processing factory.

Godrej representatives said work on the factory would start this month and it was expected to be commissioned by the end of 2012.

As for Serchhip district, which was allotted to the Food, Fats & Fertilizers Limited, the agriculture department has initiated the process.

Rotlang Farm in Lungli district has been selected as the site for the Ruchi Soya factory and MPIB approval is awaited.

“The Centre, under oil palm area expansion scheme, has approved an allocation of subsidy of Rs 2.5 crore for each factory, amounting to Rs 750 lakh for the three factories,” Lalzarliana said.

In addition to the central subsidy, each private company will need to invest about Rs 4 crore in each factory. The estimated cost of one factory is Rs 6.5 crore.

The total number of farmer families engaged in palm cultivation till date is 3322.

Lalzarliana said a memorandum of understanding had been signed with the three companies a few years back.

Godrej Oil Palm Ltd has 5,840.54 hectares of oil palm plantations, Ruchi Soya India Limited has 2,534.71 has hectares, while Food, Fats & Fertilizers Limited has 971.05 hectares.

The official said bumper harvests had reported from farmers of Kolasib district and others and this indicated that oil palm could be grown successfully under the rainfed conditions of Mizoram.

The Centre has identified a total of 10.71 lakh hectares of land in 14 states of the country as being suitable for oil palm cultivation to meet the projected demand of 21.3 million tonnes by 2015.

“Malaysia and Indonesia have been playing a dominant role in the production of palm oil. But now India is preparing itself to compete in the global palm oil market. The directorate of oil palm research has been contributing by understanding the constraints affecting the production of oil palm in India and finding solutions through intrinsic research initiatives,” said S. Aluraj of the directorate of oil palm research.

He said palm was the crop of the present and future vegetable oil economy of the world as well as India. “Palm oil has good consumer acceptance as a cooking medium because of its price advantage. It is also a good raw material for manufacturing daily household articles like soaps and candles,” he added.

Currently the nine edible oilseeds varieties — groundnut, soyabean, rapeseed, mustard, sunflower, sesame, safflower, niger, castor and linseed — which are grown on about 36 million hectares, are unable to meet the demand for edible oil in India.

Consumption of palm oil in India is highest compared to that of other edible oils and the country has been mainly depending on imported oil to meet its requirements.