Skill development programmes, fashion shows help in promoting Manipur's handloom sector

Imphal, Jul 11 : The Government in Manipur has been organizing several skill development programmes for artisans to give a boost to handloom production.
Fashion shows also held regularly to promote the handloom sector.

Twenty artisans from Manipur have come to Power Loom and Allied Service Centre at Takyel Industrial Estate in Imphal to receive skill development training.

The centre opened under the Directorate of Commerce and industries with an aim to equip the rural artisans with modern technology.

It expects to enhance the productivity with the use of technology.

The center also plans to provide loom sets, incentives and marketing assistance to those who accomplish the training.

" The artisans are being provided two month training in batches of 20 each. The power loom and allied service center is organizing this 5 year long programme under which every two months 20 artisans will be trained. If this programme is continued, it will give a great boost to the sector," said M Khomeiton DevI, Industry Supervisor, Directorate of Commerce and Industries
Manipur currently occupies the third position in the country in terms of handloom productivity.

The state hopes to reach the top through such skill development programmes and by providing other incentives, including high-quality fabric and weaving tools and machinery to the artisans.

"The power loom is advanced. We can finish a lot of work quickly. This will be very beneficial for us," said Bebika Devi, a trainee.

"This training is very good for us. I have got to learn a lot and have got to know many new techniques. If the government didn't provide such training to us, I wouldn't have been able to learn all these things," added Premabati Devi, another trainee.

Handloom has also become a favorite of many fashion designers.

Recently, a fashion extravaganza was held in Imphal with an aim to promote handloom products.
The models walked down the ramp, displaying the traditional attires of different tribes like Anal, Hmar, Kuki and Zeliangrong.

Ethnic garments like phanek or wrap around and sarees were also showcased. A special fashion show for kids was also organized.

The event provided a great opportunity to the local weavers and designers to present their handloom products before the public.

" Many people don't know about our handloom products and its production technique. So, I want to promote handloom products and want people to know its value. It inspires me to organize this fashion show," said Ruchida Leima, an organiser.

" We want to promote handloom products from Manipur through a fashion show. It will help people from outside to get awareness about the products," said John Singh, a model.

A large number of people in rural Manipur and other northeastern states are engaged in weaving and craftwork.

Promotion of the sector through fashion shows will help to provide exposure to their intricate work.

It Flows Again After 18 Yrs in Mizoram

By Adam Halliday

 

Summary

After 18 years, Mizoram lifts ban on sale and consumption of alcohol in the State.

Aizawl, Jul 11 : Mizoram’s Legislative Assembly Thursday passed a new law to legalize the sale and consumption of alcohol with stringent restrictions after a five-hour debate involving two-thirds of all members to end 18 years of prohibition in the state.

At 5.52 pm, Speaker Hiphei declared the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Bill 2014, or MLPC, passed after all 33 Congress MLAs favored it even as the six opposition MLAs walked out of the house in protest a minute before the announcement.

MLPC will replace the Mizoram Liquor (Total Prohibition) Act of 1995 (implemented two years later) and allow the consumption, sale, retail, manufacture, storage and transport of various kinds of alcohol including country-made ones.

MLPC will however rely heavily on permits, including for buying alcohol, and also provide for fines and jail-terms for a plethora of offences — these jail terms vary from five days to five years, the longest term to include offences such as drunk driving, causing ‘nuisance’ and drinking in public places although magistrates would be allowed amnesty powers to commute both fines and offences to five-days’ community work.

MLPC will also empower any citizen to arrest offenders provided they hand them over to police or Excise and Narcotics officials;

“This is necessary because those who love the land and people and who volunteer and step up to keep vigil are empowered under the law,” said Excise Minister R Lalzirliana, who introduced the bill, perhaps in response to sustained opposition to the lifting of prohibition by influential mass-based voluntary organisations and the Church.

Arun Jaitley proposes Sports University in Manipur, increased aid for sports

By Chander Shekhar Luthra

Arun Jaitley has been a known face for India's cricket fans. Though never been a player himself, his long association of at least one-and-a-half decades with Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) as president and Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) as vice-president ended abruptly only a few months back, but he is still being seen as a sports lover.

So, when he readied to present his first Union budget, there were signs of his eagerness to do something for the development of sports in India. Thankfully, it was not just about cricket.

In the budget he presented on Thursday, Jaitley proposed a Sports University in Manipur and Rs200 crore for the troubled state of Jammu & Kashmir which has 'a lot of sporting talent which was not finding expression due to inadequate facilities'. Not just this, he substantially hiked the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports budget by Rs562 crore.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) grant has also been increased by Rs85 crore with government setting aside Rs405.10 crore, while the National Sports Federations have also got a substantial hike of Rs25 crore in the assistance provided to them with Rs185 crore being allotted to them.

However, the highlight of Jaitley's budget was J&K and Manipur where sports can help bring in youth to the mainstream. Apart from Parvez Rasool, part of the current India 'A' cricket team, there is none coming up from this border state.

But the situation in North Eastern states is different. Though, there are none in the field of cricket, MC Mary Kom of Manipur is a household name in India apart from numerous football talents and clubs. So, a Sports University can actually help the youth here to make a career out of sports.

"It is great news for us and we cannot stop celebrating. This budget helps the northeast to dream of a better future in sports," said Olympic medallist Mary Kom.

Jaitley has also shown interest in inviting neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan to participate in the games of the Sports University.

For J&K, the extra money will help upgrade and develop adequate sports facilities to encourage the youth participation in much better numbers than the present.

In a year of Commonwealth and Asian Games, an additional sum of Rs100 crore for training sportswomen and men has come as a major relief for the sports federations.

"It's heartening to see that sport is being seen as integral for society. The key now will be to utilise the funds in a proper way. For instance, the Asian Games is just a few months away and it will take good governance and quick and efficient utilisation of these funds to benefit the sportspersons participating," said Viren Rasquinha, former Indian hockey captain, on Thursday.

Academies with international level facilities for training of accomplished athletes and for nurturing best talent in the country at junior and sub-junior level will also be set up for shooting, archery, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting and various track and field events.

But there are other voices who feel that this proposed budget is perhaps too low for a country like India. "It is a no-brainer that the budget for sports should be a lot more than what it is. But in a country like India, we must understand that change will come gradually. We thank the government for providing us with the funds we had asked for," said Jiji Thomson, SAI Director General.

Found in Translation

By Suanshu Khurana

 

Still from Songs of the Blue Hills

Summary

Film-maker Utpal Borpujari’s documentary, Songs of the Blue Hills, seeks out lost Naga folk songs and finds their revival among younger musicians

While setting chords to their famous hymn-like 1960 track, Let it be me, the rock ‘n’ roll legend The Everly Brothers, not even in their wildest dreams, thought that a tribal folk song in India’s Nagaland would have the same chord structure. As for the contours and trajectory, they never factored those in either. The song reached the seventh position on Billboard charts as the English duo transformed popular music of the ’50s and ’60s to create a musical legacy with those gorgeous riffs, unique harmonies and “foreverly” arrangements. Even as they were making their way to the Hall of Fame, far away in Nagaland, Hoya He, a song from the Chakhesang tribe, was getting erased from our musical consciousness. So when Nagaland’s classical pianist Nise Meruno plays and croons both the songs in quick succession, highlighting the similarity between the music from two different worlds — one from the American idiom of popular music, and the other which is not so popular in Indian consciousness, one is intrigued to find this folk song’s relevance in today’s time. Thus begins a journey, which is the subject of filmmaker Utpal Borpujari’s documentary, Songs of the Blue Hills.
Delhi-based Borpujari’s feature-length documentary takes one through the music of various Naga tribes. The film by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, which was shot and completed last year, is in the competition sections of international film festivals at Gothenburg and Washington this year and is being screened at Eyes & Lenses: Ethnographic Film Festival, Warsaw and Ladakh International Film Festival. “I have always been interested in tracing the roots of music. This endeavour was to understand and find more and see what it would throw at me,” says Borpujari.

The film seeks out folk songs of the Nagas that are lost or have trickled down to the next generation. The arrival of the British over a century ago was culturally helpful in some parts of the nation (they facilitated many musicians such as Gauhar Jaan find fame by allowing them to record), while they banned folk music of the Naga tribes calling it spirit worship. “I’m a Christian and we were told that we would rot in hell if we would sing our folk songs,” says Guru Sademmeren Longkumer, a veteran Naga folk musician, in the documentary. But he secretly documented some music over a period of time and created collections. However, reading them was not easy since the Ao tribe had their script written on leather strips. “Dogs ate them,” he says.

“The Nagas have faced many socio-political issues. Most tribes would remain within themselves and not have anything to do with other tribes or the rest of the world. Since the songs were orally passed down, many got lost in the process,” says Borpujari, 45, who has included almost 20 songs from the Naga folk culture in the documentary. He met bands such as Purple Fusion and Tetseo Sisters, who are reviving their legacy by combining folk with pop, blues and jazz. “Some veteran folk musicians have a problem with musicians wearing cowboy hats and ‘mixing’ their music, but younger musicians believe that this is one way that their legacy can be revived,” says Borpujari.

Collaborations and fusions aside, some banned folk songs are also finding their way into choral hymns, which were considered sacrosanct once upon a time. One finds various choirs including the one in Nagaland Music Conservatory using lyrics and tunes from their folk songs and singing them in hymn-like structures. “The young generation of musicians are allowing this oral legacy to flourish, even in choral singing, where it was once prohibited,” says Borpujari.

Dry Mizoram To Turn Wet Again

Aizawl, Jul 10 : The Congress government is all set to lift the 17-year-old dry law in the Christian-majority state, despite strong opposition from the influential churches.

Excise and narcotics minister R Lalzirliana, who also holds the home portfolio, will introduce a new bill called Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition & Control) Bill 2014 to replace the controversial Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition (MLTP) Act 1995 at the ongoing assembly session on Thursday.

The 40-member state assembly where the Congress party enjoys comfortable majority with 34 legislators is likely to pass the new bill that will liberate liquor.

Even though the states's largest denomination Mizoram Presbyterian Church, which has a membership of more than 50 percent of the state's population, has vehemently opposed liberating liquor, the Lal Thanhawla-led government looked determined to pass the bill.

The previous Congress government had constituted a study group on total prohibition of liquor which found that it was a total failure.

'After deliberate discussion on the study group's report, it was strongly felt that the total prohibition be made less strict so as to prevent spurious liquor and enable drinkers to drink good quality liquor,' the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Church organised mass prayers in all the member churches across the state on the night of July 5 seeking divine intervention to put the dry law in place. This was the second time that the Presbyterian Church organised mass prayer against lifting the dry law.

The church leaders, who had pressurised then the Congress government to impose the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act in 1997, are still adamant that the dry law is a success.

'Since the implementation of total prohibition, our public areas have become safer and more peaceful, there have been less vehicular accidents caused by drunk driving and alcohol-related violence has decreased visibly,' statement of the church said.

'Given that alcohol harms health, disturbs social relations and even spiritual well-being, we believe allowing alcohol to be more free is not likely to benefit us,' the note added.

The Presbyterian Church believes that 'violent crimes such as murder, rape and accidents are mostly committed under the influence of alcohol.' The second largest denomination Baptist Church of Mizoram also toes the same line with Presbyterian Church.

'The Baptist Church is totally opposed to a government selling liquor,' the church statement said.

CAG Report Slams Mizoram's Home and Social Welfare departments

Aizawl, Jul 10 : Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has slammed Mizoram's Home and Social Welfare departments for parking crores of rupees under civil deposits for months.

The CAG report, tabled in the state legislature today, said that the Home department parked Rs 36.51 crore in civil deposits and retained Rs 13.04 crore in cash.

The report also said that the state Social Welfare department drew Rs 37.21 crore from the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Schemes and parked the same in civil deposits for periods ranging between two and eleven months.

Funds parked in the civil deposits by the home department included earmarked funds under the Modernisation of Police force and Rehabilitation of repatriated Brus, the report said adding that parking funds in civil deposits were done to avoid lapse of budget grants.

Drawing of funds without any requirement for immediate disbursement and retention of the same in civil deposits was irregular and bound to have an adverse effect on the implementation of the scheme, the report said.

Retention of large amount of cash was fraught with the high risk of misappropriation, the report said.

The CAG report also pointed out that under the ICDS scheme implemented by the state Social Welfare department, there was moderate disruption in feeding days in the Anganwadi centres ranging between 15 and 192 days during 2011-12.

"The department failed to distribute most of the items purchased during 2012-13 which resulted in severe disruption in feeding days in the Anaganwadi centres," the report added.

Mizoram Football Eye National Squad

By Zodin sanga

Aizawl, Jul 10 : Mizoram, which has benefited from Fifa’s grassroots football development course in the last two years, has set its sights on the FIFA under-17 World Cup, to be held in India in 2017, to acquire berths for state youngsters in the Indian squad.

The course, inaugurated by Fifa representative Scott O’Donell in October 2012, aims at introducing young aspirants in the age group of six to 12 years to the game of football and is under way across the eight district headquarters.

“Though the programme has taken place in some African countries, this is the first time in India,” said Lalnghinglova Hmar, secretary of Mizoram Football Association.

“The training is crucial in view of the FIFA under-17 football World Cup to be held in India in 2017. We are hoping that Mizo boys will play for India in this event,” he said.

In Aizawl alone, nearly 200 boys are attending the training on the artificial turf at Assam Rifles ground in the afternoons. The programme targets boys and girls aged 6-12 years through school, community and club initiatives. The Mizoram association has been giving them professional training with Indian and foreign coaches and organising tournaments at regular intervals.

The association hopes that the Fifa initiative, along with the state sports department’s Catch Them Young policy, will instil a stronger spirit of football among the young boys and nurture their talents at the right age.

Football has emerged as one of the most promising professions for Mizo boys who are naturally talented footballers. “With already more than 200 Mizo footballers playing in Indian clubs and armed forces, many young kids are now dreaming of becoming professional footballers,” Hmar said.

The state’s apex football association is indebted to the Mizoram government, particularly the sports minister Zodintluanga, who has laid world class artificial turf on four grounds, two in Aizawl, and one each in Lunglei and Champhai.

The state government has spent about Rs 4 crore on every turf.

“If without proper infrastructure and basic training Mizo footballers can reach this level, they are sure to dominate Indian football with the basic requirements coming up,” sports minister Zodintluanga said.

Kamla Sworn-in as new Mizoram Goveror

New Delhi, Jul 10 : Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, who had frosty relations with Narendra Modi when he was Chief Minister of the state, was tonight sent off to Mizoram in a reshuffle of governors carried out by the government.

87-year-old Beniwal, whose tenure ends in November and who had a running battle with the Modi government over the appointment of Lokayukta and some legislations, will take over from Vakkom Purushothaman.

Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva, who will demit office exactly in a month, will shift to Ahmedabad to take additional charge.

Gujarat Governor's transfer is political: Congress

During her confrontation with Modi, Beniwal appointed retired Justice R A Mehta as Lokayukta in Gujarat against which the state went in appeal to the High Court and later the Supreme Court which upheld it last year. However, it was another story that Justice Mehta did not take up the post and Modi's government named a new nominee.

Beniwal also sat over legislations passed by the state Assembly one of which provided for 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies.

Announcing these changes, a Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué said Governor of Gujarat is transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of her term vice Vakkom Purushothaman.

Purushothaman is transferred and appointed as Governor of Nagaland for the remainder of his term, it said adding that he would also hold additional charge of the office of Governor of Tripura.

Alva, the Governor of Rajasthan would discharge the functions of Governor of Gujarat, in addition to her own duties, until regular arrangements for the office of the Governor of Gujarat are made.

Earlier there was speculation that new Governors would be appointed before the budget session of Parliament starting tomorrow in place of those who had quit. Many of them were asked by the new government to put in their papers.

Those who resigned after the government's signals are B L Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), M K Narayanan (West Bengal), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland) and B V Wanchoo (Goa).

Wanchoo's resignation on July 4, the day he was questioned by CBI as a witness in the AgustaWestland helicopter purchase scam. A few days earlier former National Security Advisor M K Narayanan also quit as West Bengal Governor after similar questioning by the CBI.

Two governors - H R Bharadwaj (Karnataka) and Devanand Konwar (Tripura) were allowed to stay in the post till their tenure ended last month. However, a few other Governors appointed by the previous UPA regime continue to remain in office. They include K Sankaranarayanan (Maharashtra), Sheila Dikshit (Kerala), Jaganath Pahadia (Haryana), Shivraj V Patil (Punjab) besides others. Sankaranayanan was among those asked to quit.