Planning Commission Pins Hope On Mizoram Flagship

Aizawl, Feb 17 : The Planning Commission's adviser (North East) Brahmo Choudhury, now on short visit to Mizoram, today expressed optimism that the state government's flagship programme 'New Land Use Policy' had the potential to revolutionise the state's economy.

The official visited farms in Kolasib district, about 85 kms from Aizawl, where NLUP beneficiaries are undertaking different activities under the state government's ambitious Rs 7873-crore project. Expressing satisfaction over the activities of the beneficiaries, Choudury hoped that the project would go a long way in improving the state's economy to a great extent.

In a meeting with officials of NLUP line departments at Kolasib DC office's conference hall, the Planning Commission's adviser stressed the need for coordination among the line departments to make the project a success.

He also pointed out that all government schemes were for the benefit of the people. Talking about the Centre's Look East Policy, Choudury said that Mizoram would immensely benefit from the LEP because of its strategic location - being sandwiched between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

He also pointed out that the economic development of the entire Northeast largely depended on India's trade with South Asian countries. In his field visit, the central official visited horticulture centre, bamboo and broom grass cultivations, oil palm industries etc.

He was assisted by NLUP apex board's officer-on-special duty L R Laskara, NLUP apex board project coordinator Dr Robert Rualthankhuma and other district officials. In the first five years, the NLUP aims to support 1,20,000 families.

The departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary, Industries, Forest, Fisheries, Sericulture and Soil and Water Conservation would be involved in the scheme. About 80 per cent of farmers in Mizoram still depend on jhum cultivation that involves clearing of forests and burning trees, weeds and bamboos.

The NLUP aims to restore ecological balance by providing the farmers alternative sustainable and permanent land-based means of livelihood.

It also aims to create 21,480 hectares of bamboo plantation to benefit 10,740 families. Despite the slash-and-burn system of cultivation, Mizoram has a large forest cover area of 75.77 per cent of the total land.

The NLUP intends to keep 60 per cent of the State's total geographical area under forest cover and the remaining 40 per cent for land-based development.

Nagaland & Mizoram Still ‘wet’ After Years Of Prohibition

Sinlung Says: Though Nagaland and Mizoram claim to 'WET' states, its just a mockery. Citizens that want to drink, still drink, they pay more but they can still get drunk...

Kohima, Feb 17 : After 23 years of prohibition act, Nagaland has remained a wet state in the country.

The state government passed a Nagaland Liquor Prohibition Act in 1989, but it has become a mockery as flow of India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) has increased manifold through liquor barons and bootleggers.

The IMFLs are easily available even in grocery, confectionery and garment shops, restaurants and hotels. In a place like Kohima, even paan shops are doing brisk business in IMFLs.

Jail Colony and Chandmari in Kohima have become the most sought after joints as liquors of all brands are easily available in almost all the shops which remain open till late at night. The authorities, however, have remained mute spectators.

Several top militants have become bootleggers in Dimapur, the crime hub of the Northeast. There are also thousands of booze joints in Kohima and Dimapur alone where liquors of all brands are sold openly. The state had prohibited sale of IMFL, but local brews like Zutho are exempted from prohibition.

Recently, the state government had moved for partial lifting of the prohibition but it was strongly opposed by the Church and the Naga Mothers’ Association. They have demanded an amendment to the prohibition act.

The state government’s argument was that for tourism industry at least there should be a partial lifting of prohibition which was not accepted by the Church and the mothers.

Nagaland is losing Rs 750 crore annually because of prohibition, but the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) which says it would fight tooth and nail against lifting of prohibition argued that life is more precious than Rs 750 crore. “Life is more important than Rs. 750 crore,” the general secretary of the NBCC, Rev. Anajo Keikung, said.

Places like Lahorijan, Khatkhati and Bakojan have become centres of manufacturing spurious liquors Hundreds of booze joints had flourished in these areas. The state government said there was shortage of staff to impose prohibition act in the state. President of Naga Mothers’ Association, Abeiu-u Meru said it was a shame to talk of prohibition when alcohol was flowing like water in Nagaland and demanded amendment to the act.

The NBCC had criticised state government for encouraging and allowing free flow of liquor particularly during important occasions and festivals. The Church said VIPs’ vehicles and police vehicles were also being used to ferry IMFL. The state government said as of now there was no proposal for lifting of the prohibition act. Excise minister M.C. Konyak said there was opposition from the Church and Naga Mothers’ Association. He said the state was losing huge revenue because of the prohibition act.

Konyak said there was no plan for discussion with the people on the prohibition act in the near future.

Konyak admitted that state loses over Rs 750 crore annually. There were reports of bootleggers in nexus with the police so that truckloads of IMFL could cross all police and excise checkgates.

A bottle of McDowell Rum that costs Rs 130 in Assam costs Rs 200 in Nagaland.

India’s Hottest Chilli Crown Under Threat

By K.P. Nayar

Washington, Feb 17 : Fears of a collective failure are threatening the Northeastern states: the downgrading of their chillies, which not long ago ascended the dizzying heights on the Scoville heat scale, the acknowledged international yardstick for measuring the heat sensation of chillies.

Associated Press reported yesterday from Albuquerque that the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion was on the verge of formally displacing the Bhut Jolokia, grown in the Northeast, primarily in Assam, as the world’s hottest chilli.

The Bhut Jolokia was declared by Guinness World Records as the world’s hottest chilli in 2007, putting the fruit — and another element of the Northeast — on the global map. Other chillies grown in the Northeast, such as the Naga Viper, have ascended and descended on the Scoville heat charts periodically, but India has consistently had a pride of place in growing chillies. At one point, the Naga Viper was credited with having 1,382,118 Scoville heat units but this figure was never conclusively validated.

Bhut Jolokia’s rise to fame came after it was established scientifically to have 1,001,304 Scoville heat units. Its challenger in waiting, from the Caribbean, has been measured to be capable of exuding 1.2 million Scoville heat units.

All may not be lost for the Northeast yet: it may still be possible for the region to protect its standard bearer in agriculture and the culinary world because the Chile Pepper Institute, an international non-profit organisation devoted to “educating the world about the wonders of chile peppers” has not yet formally crowned the chilli from the Caribbean as the lord of heat.

But there may not be much time to be lost. As part of the Chile Pepper Institute’s research, it planted some 125 varieties of chillies — including the Bhut Jolokia — and fruits from each variety were picked, dried and ground into powder.

Their capsaicinoids, which emit the true chilli sensation were then measured on the Scoville heat scale. That was when the Bhut Jolokia was displaced by the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.

Although the Chile Pepper Institute based in Albuquerque has not yet formally announced the findings of their latest research, the Associated Press interviewed researchers at the institute for an exclusive story and it suggests that the displacement of the Northeastern variety of chillies is not far away.

The acknowledgement by Guinness World Records five years ago that the Bhut Jolokia was the world’s hottest chilli was also the result of research at the Chile Pepper Institute. Till then, the Red Savina, grown in California, was considered the world’s hottest chilli.

The Red Savina is not, however, a fruit of natural evolution unlike the ones in the Northeast or in the Caribbean. It was developed by a spice manufacturing company in California and it is protected by the US Plant Variety Protection Act.

As a result, the method by which it was developed is secret. The Red Savina measures merely a quarter of the Bhut Jolokia on the Scoville heat scale, according to the Chile Pepper Institute, although there have been claims that its strength could go up to half a million Scoville heat units.

Like a lot of the research in the US in the 21st century, the latest initiative by the Chile Pepper Institute has also been prodded by industry for commercial reasons. As the market for chilli hot foods grow, commercial firms producing them and the restaurant business worldwide are keen to establish standards for heat levels and put an end to freelance claims about the potency of different varieties of chillies.

AP said the Chile Pepper Institute is funded by industry groups that have a vital interest in the outcomes of its research, in addition to US government grants.There is much that the Northeastern states, which have a stake in growing chillies, could learn from collaboration between the Institute and the industry in America. For example, one Ohio company, CaJohns Fiery Foods, has already teamed up with the Chile Pepper Institute and is using the reputation of Bhut Jolokia to market products called Holy Jolokia Hot Sauce at $14 per bottle and Holy Jolokia Salsa and Barbecue Sauce at $15 per jar.

India’s ministry of development of Northeastern region, set up in 2001, teamed up with the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development on a project to improve the livelihoods of people through capacity building and introduction of new technology and techniques for sustainable growth.

It has a focus on specifically on cultivation of chillies. But at the ministry, the fate of this project after 2008, when it was to expire, was not known, when queries were made yesterday.

Wackiest Things About India

A look at 106 whacky things you will find only in India!

Andhra Pradesh
1. Make a collection out of attars, concentrated naturally perfumed oils with poetic names and a rather lingering fragrance. Tiny glass bottles of these colourful attars can be found in Charkaman and Pathargatti, in the old city of Hyderabad.

2. Apart from a line-up of vintage cars, the Nizam's Museum in Hyderabad has some really weird things such as gold lunch boxes inlaid with diamonds and miniature models of the city's prominent buildings in silver.

3. A traditional steel tiffin box that opens up as a CD rack; a photo frame in the shape of a truck; beer glasses with filmi dialogues... Dcube is a quirky giftshop at Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills. www.dcube.in

Arunachal Pradesh
4. The Tenzing Restaurant at Sela Pass is supposed to be one of the highest restaurants in the world. Sela Pass is the gateway to Tawang.

5. Walk across the suspension bridge over Lohit river to Dong, the tiny place that gets the first rays of sun in India. About 7 km from Walong in Lohit district.

Assam
6. Get your fortune told at Navagraha Mandir, or temple of nine celestial bodies on Chitrasal Hill, Guwahati, known for forecasting future.

7. Watch tea being auctioned at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, the largest auction in India, where the trading gets fairly frenzied, very unlike a soothing cup of tea. E-mail jkakati@assamteaexchange.com for permission to attend.

Chhattisgarh
8. Get a Godna tattoo in Bastar, where you'll notice women wearing bangles, necklaces, waistbands, earrings, nose-pins, anklets made of ink. According to tribal belief, precious metal jewellery was mortal and for a permanent ornament--an essential for the other world-tattoo became the solution.

9. Attend Irpu, in the season of Magh (Jan-Feb), held to mark the flowering of the sacred Mahua tree. It's prohibited to pick Mahua flowers before the festival. On Irpu day, a fowl is sacrificed for a mahua tree in the village headman's fields, followed by song and dance.

10. If you visit Bastar during Baisakh (April-May), you will see Bhima Khuta, a pole representing the rain god Bhima Deo, to which villagers pray for a good monsoon. Women prepare bhojilis, a few seeds sown in a leaf cup, and wait for it to sprout--a sign of a good rainy season.

Delhi
11. Enter the world of mysteries and have some fun while you're at it. A pub crawl in Paharganj will be an experience like none other. You can find the cheapest drinks in Delhi here (20 bucks) but that's not even the point. At places like India Club, where parts of Dev D was shot, and My Bar, atmosphere is the king as you witness the underbelly of Delhi from up close.

12. See how sanitation habits changed over two and a half centuries at Delhi's incredible Sulabh International Museum of Toilets. www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org

13. If you're shoe-crazy, forget brands and get custom-made shoes by Dr Rameshwar Arya. His tiny shop is at A 16, Nizamuddin West Market.

14. Handpainted movie posters at Cinema Posters, 3 Hauz Khas Village.

15. Join a amateur photographers on a 'photo walk'. The themes vary from heritage to environment. www.delhiphotographyclub.com

16. Do Delhi By Cycle, whether it is the bylanes of Chandni Chowk or a Raj tour that traces the imperial heart of the city. Conducted by Dutch cyclist Jack Leenaars. www.delhibycycle.com

17. We love the thought behind Any Surprise Any Place, ASAP, who promise to surprise your loved ones in whichever way you want, anywhere you want. www.asap.co.in

Goa
18. Ponder over the mysterious bubbles at the Bubble Lake at Netravali in South Goa. Legend has it that clapping your hands (or any sudden sounds) make the bubbles rise up.

19. Attend an SEQC quiz, Sunday Evening Quiz Club where the quizzes are free and hosted by different quizmasters each time. www.seqc.blogspot.com

20. Take a train to Goa in the monsoon. Start from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and take the Konkan Railway route into the beach capital. The route takes you through numerous tunnels and past waterfalls along the way. Do make sure you book a window seat.

21. Read or renew your wedding vows on a beach. www.weddingsetcgoa.com

22. Join the Shutterbugs for a photowalk through the hidden bylanes of Goa. Enthusiastic amateur photographers are often accompanied by professionals who are happy to guide and share their inputs. www.goanshutterbugs.com

Haryana
23. The Star Monument in Bhiwani is an inspired contemporary structure. A hexagonal pyramid, it has six star-shaped sides, each a lofty 101ft, three of which are clad in white marble and three in blue Italian glass. Truly odd!

24. Urusvati Museum of Folklore in Shikhopur Village, Gurgaon, is dedicated to love stories and folklore from the subcontinent. The stories of both mythologically and historically famous couples such as Baz Bahadur and Roopmati, Nal and Damyanti, Shakuntala and Dushyant, Heera and Ranjha, and many others, are told through the medium of paintings, miniatures and terracotta tablets. Tel: (0)98111 31266.

Himachal Pradesh
25. Enrol for a cooking class at Lhamo's Kitchen in McLeodganj, and learn how to prepare the delicious Tibetan dishes. On Bhagsu Road.

26. It is an unlikely venue for watching art house cinema or the edgiest foreign films, yet movie screenings in little improvised rooms fitted with a projector are regularly held in McLeodganj. Look around the bus stop area and posters on the wall for show timings.

27. Suketi Fossil Park in Nahan has fibreglass skeletons of animals.

28. The atmospheric The Castle, Naggar, is believed to be haunted. http://hptdc.nic.in

Jammu and Kashmir
29. At Magnetic Hill, you can experience 'magic' of cars being pulled upwards due to the magnetic properties of the hill. In reality though, this seemingly gravity-defying act is nothing but an optical illusion but much fun nonetheless! About 50 km from Leh, in Ladakh.

Jharkhand
30. Taste tribal food at the very quirky Jungli Restaurant that functions out of a garage in Ranchi. www.junglirestaurant.com

31. One of the region's most exotic relics is a pair of drums made of human skin, preserved in a grove in the forests of Chhota Nagra.

32. Visit Jhumri Tilaiya, yes it really exists, situated about an hour north of Hazaribagh and home to the pretty Tilaiya reservoir.

33. Ramgarh, near Rajrappa Temple, has the Liril Waterfall, named after the popular and raunchy Liril commercial in the 1990s.

Karnataka
34. Attend the Kodava Hockey festival, apparently among the world's largest field hockey championships, held in Coorg every year in April-May.

35. Watch the curious sport of buffalo surfing, common along the coastal belt of rural Karnataka.

36. Visit the unique Driftwood Museum in Chakrapadi, Kumarakom, full of gnarled and twisted roots.

37. In the lanes of Avenue Road, is Raju Dosa, the only place in Bangalore with Gujarati innovations such as Sweet Dosa, Saunf Dosa and Kairi Dosa.

38. At Bangalore's Daily Dump, you can buy composting solution apart from a range of flower pots and other garden accessories in curious shapes and vibrant colours. www.dailydump.org

39. Chumbak is where you get funky everything, from fridge magnets to TP covers. Visit the store at A 802, Akme Ballet, Mahadevpura, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore, or check out their stuff online at www.chumbak.in

40. Beat stress with a session of laughter yoga at Bangalore's Laughter Yoga Research Institute. Sessions often include performances by stand-up comedians. www.laughteryoga.org

41. When Raina Sahu moved back to India after nearly two decades in the USA, she shopped for essentials in offbeat places and found others who were interested in the surplus. Thus was born The Tuckshop with all kinds of items from clothing to coffee powder. The barter has found many takers, exchanging services for goods: a music concert in exchange for a fridge, a pair of rabbits for an unused breadmaker, a meal of Kerala-style fish curry and rice for a t-shirt. At The Tuckshop, the customer and the seller just have to agree on what they are willing to swap. http://tuckshop.in

Kerala
42. Forget jeep and elephant, and opt for a bullock cart safari through the villages around Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady. E-mail info@tickkerala.com

43. Learn to climb a coconut tree from natives and take home a certificate when you complete the six-day climbing course at Kozzhikode's Indian Institute of Spices Research. www.spices.res.in

44. See ox race, before the sowing season, through flooded paddy fields. The practice is especially prevalent in Pathanamthitta district in south Kerala.

45. Maria Goretti says that Laze in a jacuzzi on top of a mountain, as it snows, at Rokeby Manor, near Mussoorie.

46. Walk across the longest bridge in Kerala, just a couple of feet wide at Kottapuram near Nileswaram, which connects sparsely populated islands.

47. Visit the world's oldest pepper exchange in Jew Town, Kochi that's the only such exchange in India, and which monitors global and domestic pepper prices. www.ipsta.com

48. Learn to make traditional Kerala delicacies such as beef fry, mutton stew, palappam, meel moilee, with Nimmy and her husband Paul, at their mansion in Fort Kochi. www.nimmyandpaul.com

49. Visit the one-of-its-kind teak museum near Nilambur in Malappuram district where a two-storey building provides information on all aspects of teak.

Lakshadweep
50. For one of the strangest sights, take a midnight stroll on Bangaram beach, and you will be met with an eerie bluish glow, arising out of phosphorescent plankton that has been washed ashore.

Madhya Pradesh
51. The Bhagoria Haat held in Bhil-dominated villages, specifically in Nimar and Jhabua, is a unique haat to choose a life partner. Held in March, around Holi, a boy applies gulal on the face of the girl whom he selects as his wife. If she's willing, the girl reciprocates in similar fashion. Having selected each other as partners the pair is supposed to elope. They return after a few days and are accepted as husband-wife.

52. The Mohan Gallery at Baghela Museum in Rewa is dedicated to the region's famous white tiger and chronicles its life.

Maharashtra
53. Hiro Music Store in Mumbai will delight all music lovers with an envious collection of LPs and CDs. Opposite Punjab National Bank, Sir P.M. Road, Fort.

54. The second lifeline of Mumbai, after the local trains, comes to life at the BEST museum at Wadala's Anik Bus depot. It features amateur mini models of BEST buses and the ancient trams.

55. If you think bhaji with pav is cliche, try Khurshid's anda bhurji with the local bread for a midnight snack. However, Khurshid's opens only after midnight, around 1 a.m. and continues till the crack of dawn. Near Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle West.

56. Merge real life with reel life on a tour of the Goregaon film city in the northern suburbs of Mumbai.

57. Enter the 'Black Box', a small auditorium at the Comedy Store Diner at The Palladium, Phoenix Mall Compound, for dinner in the company of both amateur and pro stand-up comic actors. www.thecomedystore.in

58. Relive the romance of Bollywood by opting for a tonga ride (a bunch of balloons in hand, maybe?) at Mumbai's Apollo Bunder.

59. Visit the weird and wacky Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum, in Kolhapur, and be thoroughly intrigued by its rather unique exhibits, including a fairly disquieting taxidermy collection.

60. Take a leaf out of the Aamir Khan movie and embark on a photo tour of Mumbai's Dhobi Ghat, near Mahalaxmi railway station.

61. Appreciate South Mumbai's gloriously crumbling buildings and leafy avenues on an early morning photo tour of Colaba. End your tour at the Gateway Of India, and follow up with breakfast at the famous Cafe Mondegar.

62. Hinesh Jethwani is the mind behind Indian Hippy, an online store that has brought together painters who specialise in Bollywood posters, a dying art. He can also paint you into a poster of your favourite movie. Check www.hippy.in

63. Spend a few hours soaking up some spirited cricketing action-and watch scores of Sachin Tendulkars in the making-at Mumbai's Shivaji Park.

64. Jawaharlal Nehru, Mother Teresa, Amitabh Bachchan or AR Rahman-all frozen in wax at the Celebrity Wax Museum in Lonavala.

65. Watch the famed wrestling matches of Kolhapur at the Kasbagh Maidan.

Manipur
66. Watch a match of Yubi Lakpi, Manipuri Rugby, at the Bijoy Govinda Temple or Palace grounds, where the humble coconut does duty as a ball.

67. Cheibi is one of Manipur's ancient martial arts, a sort of duel, and a state level competition is now held at the Khuman Lampak stadium in Imphal.

Meghalaya
68. The Wankhar Entomology Museum at Riatsamthiah is a private collection of stick insects and butterflies. Tel: (0364) 254 4473.

69. Gamble at a match of teer, or archery, the thrilling local pastime in Shillong. Three archery clubs gather every afternoon between 3.15 and 4.15 and shoot over a thousand arrows in a matter of few minutes.

70. Stay at treetop at Mawlynnong, Asia's cleanest village, near Shillong.

Mizoram
71. Milu Puk, translating to the skull cave, near Mamte Village, 100 km from Lunglei town is where heaps of human skeletons were found some years ago. Since then many skull caves have been found, such as Lamsial Puk near Falklawn Village.

72. Ride with the Aizawl Thunders, a club of 250-odd bikers who can often to be spotted riding their Enfield Bullets through the city. Started just for fun, The Aizawl Thunders have become pretty iconic and often rally for various social causes. You, can too, join the thunder.

73. Phulpui Grave, in Aizawl, celebrates the Romeo and Juliet of Mizoram. Mizoram is full of love stories and Phulpui, with its twin graves, is a revered site.

74. Laldenga London, a cave on way to Reiek Peak, is named after PU Laldenga, Chief Minister of Mizoram in the 1980s. Laldenga apparently hid in the cave while leading the Mizo Separatist Front, apparently telling the world that he was communing with European leaders in London!

Nagaland
75. Explore the headhunting relics, if you are so inclined, and skull exhibits, or simply the wood carvings in Mon where Chenloisho village has a small museum for the creepy stuff.

Orissa
76. Climb the lighthouse at Gopalpur on Sea on a late afternoon and watch one of the coolest sunsets.

77. Hop on a 'green' rickshaw, driven by men in Green Rider t-shirt through the bylanes of Puri. A Puri Municipality's initiative to keep the city green, this is an eco-friendly way to see the quaint buildings of this town.

Rajasthan
78. Sanjay Omelette, run by, yes, Sanjay, for over 30 years now and has more than 100 types of egg dishes. In Bapunagar, Jaipur.

79. Witness elephant polo at the Polo Grounds in Jaipur and cast aside all your notions of this game being an equestrian preserve.

80. Watch salt being produced at Sambhar Lake, which is India's largest inland salt water lake about 90 odd km from Jaipur. The whole lake is a giant salt factory with dams, evaporation ponds and salt pans constructed on it and is an unusual sight to take in.

81. The spooky old town of Bhangarh is at the edge of the Sariska Tiger Reserve and full of legends and ghost stories. Visit at your own peril though, as an ominous sign by the ASI warns visitors to leave the site post sundown.

82. You can watch exorcism rituals at Mehndipur Balaji Temple, about 3 km inwards from the Jaipur-Agra road, via video-screens outside the temple. You can enter after the ritual is over on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

83. Kuldhara, a 13th-century deserted village on the outskirts of Jaisalmer, is believed by the locals to be cursed and haunted.

84. Pay your respects at Bullet Baba's Temple at Chotila village, 20 km from Pali, on the way to Jodhpur. It's a shrine where, believe it or not, an Enfield Bullet is worshipped along with its owner Om Bana.

85. There is a smell of petrol in the air as the fire eaters eat and breathe fire by the serene ghats of the Pushkar Lake. You can witness this intense performance during internationally renowned Pushkar Mela.

86. At an Opium Ceremony at the Bishnoi village Osian, outside Jodhpur, slurp powdered and diluted opium concoction straight from the palms of the server.

87. Warm and friendly, Shashi runs cooking classes that teach you how to make local delicacies. 18 Gangaur Ghat Road, Udaipur. Tel: (0) 99293 03511

88. Worship rats, if you please, at the Rat Temple at Deshnoke, 30 km from Bikaner.

Sikkim
89. For a unique aspect of the city, get a bird's eye view of Gangtok through a helicopter ride run by Sikkim Tourism Helicopter service. www.sikkimtourism.travel

Tamil Nadu
90. Jallikattu, or bull taming, is played during Pongal near Madurai.

91. Bookworm Prabalan runs Oasis Books from his old Mylapore bungalow. It has the city's best collections of books and magazines on activism, revolutions, environment and related issues. Call him on (044) 2461 3445 and make an appointment to visit.

92. The ubiquitous blue-checked Madras lungi, according to recent newspaper reports, is being turned into jackets, dresses and scarves in faraway Spain. The Co-optex showrooms across the city has dress material in the lungi pattern that you can buy and fashion to your whim.

93. The act of getting oysters from the depth of the sea makes for quite an offbeat pastime. Tuticorin, the country's Pearl City, is where you can still see the nearly obsolete method of pearl hunting. Local fishermen take the plunge with wooden buckets in hand. Nine times out of ten, there are no pearls in the oysters. However, just that one pearl calls for really robust celebrations.

Uttar Pradesh
94. The Ayurveda Jhansi Mahotsav highlights the various herbal and ayurvedic products of Jhansi and is a weeklong healing holiday.

95. Try Thaggu ke Laddu in Kanpur, a popular sweet shop that makes several different kinds.

96. The lovely rooftop Filocafe in Varanasi has, quite oddly, movie screenings at 7 p.m. on Sundays. Join the weekly ritual of the locals. Tel: (0) 98390 66788.

97. Agra's kabootar baz control their flock with a code of high-pitched whistles and calls and wave sticks to keep the pigeons in the air. The expert kabootar baz is called a Khalifa, for his ability to direct the flocks in perfectly choreographed curves. You can witness kabootarbazi on any afternoon at Taj Ganj.

Uttarakhand
98. At Mukeshji's Jungle Vibes in Rishkesh you will meet music aficionados and adventurers from the world.

99. No visit to Rishikesh is complete without a stop at the 'Beatles Ashram', where most of the songs from the White Album were written in 1968.

100. Pratap Music House in Dehradun has an eclectic collection of musical instruments like Turkish Doumbeks, African Djembes, Australian Didjeridoos and many Indian instruments. www.pratapmusic.com/

101. Visit the Landour Language School in Mussoorie, established in 1910 to teach Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu to Britishers. http://landourlanguageschool.com/

102. Visit the spooky Roopkund Lake, in Chamoli district, also called Skeleton Lake because of scores of skeletons found at its edge.

West Bengal
103. Watch burly men grunt and tackle through a rugby match at Calcutta Cricket and Football Club Kolkata.

104. Get horse riding classes around the verdant greens at Tollygunj Club, on Deshapran Sasmal Road.

105. Giving morning walk an edge like never before are the tussles between the seasoned wrestlers from local akharas, below the Howrah Bridge.

106. Prepare yourself for a haunting night with the ghouls of the past. Make your way to Kolkata's spookiest spots such as National Library on Belvedere Road, rumoured to be haunted by Lord Metcalfe's wife. At Hastings House, a ghostly coach entering the compound carrying the ghost of Warren Hastings himself have been reported by many, and the Government Art College has a strange history of suicidal principals.

Concern Over Plan To Cut Down 78 Lakh Trees

Imphal, Feb 17 : Anti-mega dam activists in Manipur expressed serious concern over the proposed plan to cut down 78 lakh trees and 27,000 bamboo groves that can cover half of Delhi, as part of the forest clearance process for the controversial 1500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric project in the State.

“We’re seriously concerned about this as it would seriously undermine the livelihood, culture and tradition of indigenous people,” Aram Pamei, co-chairperson of the Citizens’ Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD) said over phone. “The continued insistence of the government for the dam is clear indication of complete disregard of the human rights of the people.”

On February 11, CCDD, along with representatives of Committee on Land and Natural Resources, Action Committee against Tipaimukh Dam, North East Dialogue Forum, Sinlung Indigenous People’s Human Rights Organisation and North East Dialogue Forum, had a review meeting here on the controversial Tipaimukh dam, planned to be built in southwestern part of Manipur bordering Mizoram.

Demanding the revocation of clearance by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the meet also demanded revocation of the memorandum of understanding between the State, National Hydroelectric Project Corporation (NHPC) and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN) signed “without the consent of the indigenous people”.

The project, which has been in the eye of controversies following opposition from Bangladesh, has received support from the Centre, which has promised not to take any steps that would adversely affect the neighbouring country.

Gorkha Leaders Seek Mizoram CM's Support

Aizawl, Feb 16 : A team of Gorkha leaders has sought the support of Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on the issue of a separate Gorkhaland in West Bengal, an official release said here on Thursday.

Siliguri-based Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (Federation of Indian Gorkha) leaders met the Chief Minister here Wednesday, the statement said.

The five-member team led by Parisangh secretary general Sukhman Moktam urged Lal Thanhawla to support their demand for a separate Gorkhaland in Darjeeling, it said.

"The Gorkha leaders requested the Mizoram Chief Minister to take up the issue with the central government at the earliest to form Gorkhaland."

On July 18 last year, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the West Bengal and central governments to set up a new autonomous, elected Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).

Economic Activity Gains Momentum in Mizoram's Kolasib District

Kolasib, Feb 16 : Mizoram's Kolasib District is in the process of transforming itself into a centre for economic activity through the support of government schemes.ituated about 150 km north of Aizawl, Kolasib was once a safe haven for militants. today, it is witnessing rapid development as trade, and commerce activities have picked up in the region.

Busy roads and bustling markets clearly reflect this fact.

"I earn Rs 25,000 a month and my business is picking up. With rising incomes people are buying more and we are able to get more customers," said Vilkema, a shopkeeper.

"Infrastructure is improving in the area. The government is working well but there is a lot more that has to be done," said Lalsangpuii, a resident, Kolasib District.

Kolasib has an agriculture-dominated economy.

A large number of people here depend on farming and other agricultural practices for their livelihood.

They cultivate Beetle nut, oil palms, rice, wheat and fish, which is both consumed and exported to other districts and cities.

A new trend of entrepreneurship is growing among the farmers in the district.

Asha started here broiler-rearing business a year ago with help from the government.oday she rears 65 broilers and aims to expand her business.

"I am happy with the government help that I have received. I now want to sell fried chicken for which I am planning to buy a fryer. I aim to expand my business and earn more," said Enghluni, a beneficiary of government scheme.

The government has initiated several schemes like Indira Awaas Yojna, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyaan and New Land Use Policy Scheme for the benefit of farmers and local people.

"Mostly people here are tribals so most of the central government sponsored tribal schemes are active here in some form or other," said Niharika Rai, Deputy Commissioner, Kolasib District.

Kolasib is an important location in Mizoram as National Highway No. 54 passes through the district connecting different parts of the state to Assam.

It shares boundary with Assam's Cachar District and Hailakandi District on the north and North West respectively.

Bitter Irony: Meghalaya minerals not helping Locals

Shillong, Feb 16 : The land in Meghalaya is rich - with minerals, flora and fauna in abundance - but the people of the state are still languishing in poverty. This is the irony with Meghalaya, which has large deposits of coal, limestone and even uranium, which, if judiciously exploited, could bring progress to the state and help alleviate poverty.

The fact that mining activities in Meghalaya have not really benefited the masses is perhaps one of the reasons why there has been consistent opposition to the extraction of limestone and proposal to mine uranium from various quarters and pressure groups. "The benefits have not percolated down to the grassroots," said a former legislator on condition of anonymity.

Citing example of the ongoing limestone extraction by a multinational company in Shella in East Khasi Hills for supply to a cement factory in Bangladesh, he rued the fact that raw limestone is being siphoned off without adding value to it. "It is not regenerating the rural economy, which is in a shambles. The limestone should have been taken to the clinker stage at least, if not used here itself to manufacture cement before being exported. This would have provided employment to the local people," he said. "The conveyor belt of the company was burnt down some years back perhaps because the locals were not happy as they did not get a slice of the pie."

On the other hand, the unscientific "rat-hole" coal-mining processes deployed in Jaintia Hills has not only damaged the ecology of the region, but has also failed to uplift the economic condition of the locals. It is the rich coal merchants who have benefited, while those who toil in the mines under life-threatening conditions continue to live in abject poverty.

The case with agro-horticultural produces is not much different either. "Whatever is taken out of the state - broom-sticks or fruits or other agricultural produces and minerals - should be processed here instead of being exported in raw form," said J Lyngdoh, an upcoming entrepreneur. "The income has to spread over a greater number of people and not benefit just a privileged few. Only then can we regenerate the rural economy."

"Bangladesh is importing fruit pulps from Andhra Pradesh. The same could have been done here in Meghalaya and we could be exporting local products to the neighbouring country, which is our natural market and not mainland India. Our fruits are either left to rot or exported in the raw form," he said.