Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/hkZwt805yMM/
Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/_Ar7ij1u9sA/
Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/mM9InmWJwpk/
For whom the bell tolls? It tolls for the. For whom the Meitei insurgents are fighting? They are fighting for us. Or, are they?Since the Vietnam War ended insurgencies have evolved all over the world and become more sophisticated and hard to defeat.In Manipur, Meitei insurgencies have erupted for a noble cause: to fight “the illegal occupation” by India and to restore Manipur’s independence.
By: Dr Irengbam Mohendra Singh
For whom the bell tolls? It tolls for the. For whom the Meitei insurgents are fighting? They are fighting for us. Or, are they?
Since the Vietnam War ended insurgencies have evolved all over the world and become more sophisticated and hard to defeat.
In Manipur, Meitei insurgencies have erupted for a noble cause: to fight “the illegal occupation” by India and to restore Manipur’s independence.
The late Sardar Patel who responded to Governor Prakasa of Assam and his adviser Rustomji: “Isn’t a Brigadier in Shillong?” meaning to put the knife in Manipur, will eat his heart out to find so many Brigadiers, Major Generals and Lieutenant generals in and out of Manipur.
When the Meitei insurgents first began their lese-majesty they warmed the cockles Meitei hearts. Where are they now? Having entrusted them with the stewardship of the nation have they lost their ways in the mist of political time, almost defying belief?
After opening Pandora’s Box they seem to have taken the line of least resistance. Might it be that a raging sixty three year-old obsession with the “Indian occupation” and the factional clutter of the many insurgent groups have blinded revolutionary strategists to the old verities?
Have these revolutionaries who have begun the insurgency following Chairman Mao’s ideology, got no more shots in the locker?
Rather than intimidating New Delhi (GOI) are they pointlessly stirring Indian occupation to life in Manipur with 50,000 Indian solders protected by AFSPA, shooting or arresting various cadres day in and day out?
It is not my intention in this paper to catalogue all the anti-social activities of the various insurgent groups in Manipur by injecting a little political hand-wringing in my writing repertoire.
In the scales of history, the Meitei revolutionary activities would appear to be there to stay until Manipur becomes a sovereign state, as it is the avowed aim of some major Meitei insurgent groups. They may appear to have subjugated all personal desires to the dictates of a cause or ideology.
However, in the sanguinary Meitei liberation movement, judging from the precedents in the short history of Independent India, measured across time and space, the freedom day if there comes a day at all, is over the hills and far away.
The existence of so many insurgent groups is baffling for Joe Public as he/she cannot grasp which one of them will form the government of ‘free’ Manipur and judging from Meitei factionalism, would they end up fighting it out among themselves, for, ‘the winner takes all’?
The scenario can be mimicked from a scientifically studied two-headed snake found in Spain not so long ago (2002). Often the two heads will fight over which head will swallow the prey. They have a good deal of difficulty deciding which direction to go and are highly vulnerable to predators.
The Meitei revolution with low level protracted violence with its ‘ideological’ and ‘commercial’ agenda though an enduring security problem, is becoming vegetated. The various Meitei insurgent groups are now locked into a stalemate with the overwhelming Indian security forces. A revolution especially by a congeries of small armed groups cannot go on forever.
From the tumultuous initial hurly-burly there is hardly any revolutionary activity now except promulgating curfew around school perimeter during examination times with warning to school children of befitting punishment for cheating and to invigilators for conniving. I won’t have thought it to be top priority in a revolution.
The universal thesis of a revolution is that nation-building cannot start until the national security is established by a successful revolution. Mao Zedong began social organisation only in 1949 after he came to power.
The only visible signs of revolution for the grassroots are extortion notes followed by signature tunes of Chinese made hand grenades thrown in unexploded as a warning.
On the ‘constitutional’ side of some Meitei insurgencies there is the plebiscite option for mechanisms of self determination for an independent Manipur. There have recently been a few inchoate whines following RK Meghan’s call for plebiscite on February 7 2011.
The application for a plebiscite is to ascertain under which authority the “Manipuri nation” wishes to live – India or Manipur. But is there a Manipuri nation? A nation is a group of people who have decided to live together. In Manipur there are many ‘ethnic nations’.
A plebiscite in Manipur must necessarily include the majority Meiteis and all the tribes in Manipur as all the tribal people have equal rights and opportunities as the Meiteis.
As Oscar Wilde wrote in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious and studied things of life with sincere and studied triviality.
For a wide range of reasons the Meitei revolutionary march remains a mere fragmentary because of the peculiar concatenation of circumstances. One aspect is Meitei disunity, which is the badge of our tribe. The other is the ‘commercial’ clubs of the sons of anarchy – a hateful and licentious lawlessness.
While pondering how we can architect our way out of the mess, the nonchalant GOI leave us at our own devices as our affliction does not impact on them. In evolutionary terms they cannot feel our angst in their brain, which they would have done if it had happened in Allahabad or Bangalore.
The GOI strategy is straightforward: to tire the insurgents out, sow discord in their ranks, raise public discontent and force them to the negotiating table for a political settlement within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
To put it bluntly, the unwritten message reads: ‘give up violence, give up arms, give up any claim for sovereignty, we are willing to hold talks’. It means in lay man’s words – ‘either you toe the line or you can get lost’.
This is where not only the Meiteis but all the Manipuris want an answer from the Meitei insurgents. Whither goes Meitei insurgency?
There are many imponderables. Though the anatomy of revolution can be deceptive, if it does not go forward, it can go backwards. Every revolution is conditioned by where it starts and
where it is moving.
Equally, what needs to be factored is that the surgical intervention by the Indian security forces is awakening up a veritable reality among the villagers. They are making a massive groundswell of public opinion against the insurgents in these areas, by their social activities.
Indian Army is just following the Article 43 of the 1907 Hague Regulations, which was developed by the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, respected by the US and the UK during their recent occupation of Iraq. It says that an occupying power must restore and maintain public order and civil life, including public welfare, in an occupied territory.
Meanwhile, all the peace loving Manipuris especially the Meiteis are in a state of disquietude and apprehension about future uncertainties, threats and risks.
While the ‘Machiavellian’ leaders of Meitei insurgency, with a mix of cynicism and idealism are lying low, dreaming how to get on the road to power and retain power, Indian Army’s sophistry in controlling insurgency is visible all over Manipur.
In the history of revolutionary warfare, insurgents normally capitalise on societal problems, often called “gaps” inciting sea of discontent of the population they wish to control, against the ruling administration. In Manipur the insurgents themselves are causing the gaps, ignoring Mao Zedong’s aphorism: the guerrilla must swim in the people as the fish swims in water.
Unlike the revolutions experienced by other countries, the Meitei revolt against the GOI was never pulled into an organized assault. In the long run, the lack of centralized leadership will cause the revolution to create more problems for Manipur than there had been under the Delhi administration.
It is however, unfair to blame the insurgents wholly for the political, social and economic chaos in Manipur. Many of them are genuine revolutionary people who have shunned the comforts of life and family. They get killed and leave young widows and children. Where there is a revolution, the people have to share some casualties.
If we tackle the whole raft of past events in the light of modern sensibilities, it is the political leadership in New Delhi, which has forced the revolution in Manipur. They have for over half a century, ignored the Manipuris with no effort for their genuine constitutional integration with their hearts and souls until the explosion of Meitei insurgencies.
In the stand off between GOI and Meitei insurgents my concern is the spontaneous course the ‘revolution’ is taking. It has parallels with the failed Mexican Revolution of 1910, led by Villa and Zapata – a disorganized reform movement that encompassed over 10 years of history.
I can only surmise how historians eventually label Meitei insurgencies will be the entire stock of abysses, maelstroms, meltdowns and apocalypses to describe the horror of the last half of the 20th century in Manipur.
The writer is based in the UK
Email: imsingh@ometel.com
Website: www.drimsingh.co.uk
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In 2006 Literature Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk’s “The Black Book” there is a passage describing the relationship between Turkish Jews and the Turks, dominantly Muslims. Both are the same… Read more »
In 2006 Literature Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk’s “The Black Book” there is a passage describing the relationship between Turkish Jews and the Turks, dominantly Muslims. Both are the same people, yet both are so different in their outlook to life, for reasons unfathomable. Describing the situation he says: “And wasn’t it amazing, just amazing, to watch these two peoples through the twentieth century swaying to the rhythm of the same secret music, never meeting, always at a tangent, forever linked, forever condemned, like a pair of hopeless twins.” The great thing about great quotes is, they seem so uncannily applicable to similar human situations everywhere. Pamuk’s quote hence may just as well have been about Manipur and the relations between different ethnic groups and different geographic regions of the state, in particular the much hyped hill-valley divide.
Yesterday this tangential show of interests was up for show. While in the valley, the June 18 uprising anniversary was being observed, an extraordinary event in which hundreds of thousand people took to the streets of Imphal in 2001 to protest what they believed was a move by the Central government to dismember Manipur’s historical territory, elsewhere the United Naga Council, UNC, dispatched a letter to the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, seeking an administrative arrangement separate from the Manipur government for the Nagas in what they consider as their traditional territorial domain. It may be recalled, the June 18, 2001 incident that followed the Government of India’s unilateral decision to extend the NSCN(IM) ceasefire into Manipur under the blanket clause “without territorial limits”, resulted in the death of 18 protestors and the burning down of several important government infrastructures, including the Manipur State Assembly building. It is pertinent to note here that one of the main demands of the NSCN(IM) is the formation of a Greater Nagaland by merging territories of Manipur and other neighbouring states which it considers as part of a traditional Naga homeland with the state of Nagaland. In 2010 May 6 again there was another confrontation when the Manipur government did not allow the NSCN(IM) chairman, Th. Muivah to enter Manipur to visit his village Somdal in Ukhrul, leading to agitations at Mao gate in which two protestors ended up killed. At the time, the Manipur government was pushing ahead with the election to the autonomous district councils, ADCs, in the hill districts, which for reasons of their own, the UNC and some other Naga organisations objected, and the government was apprehensive Muivah’s visit was timed to coincide with the agitation, among others. It may also be recalled that while sections of the Nagas objected to the ADC elections, other hill communities welcomed it.
What can anybody make of this friction, other than what Pamuk described as “always at a tangent, forever linked, forever condemned, like a pair of hopeless twins”? If the problem seems intractable and irreconcilable, think again. It just requires for all caught in this senseless trap to distance themselves a little from the immediate and from a detached vantage, take a more dispassionate look at these same issues. From such a vantage, these frictions would suddenly begin to appear extremely limited, and this is probably also why so many observers from outside this conflict theatre are unable to comprehend how these conflicts manage to sustain for so long, for the reasons behind them appear to them as easily reconcilable. Those of us immersed in these frictions know very well how very far the truth this observation is. However, the question worth considering is whether it is these observations which are limited in vision, or else it is the inability of parties in these frictions who are incapable of rising above the immediate and mundane, to see and think outside the box. While we have always been of the opinion that there has to be a balance between the objective and subjective visions for a more accurate assessment of any conflict situation, it must also be acknowledged this also implies that either of these visions can come to overbear on the other thus skewing up these assessments. At this moment, it does seem there is an excessive and indeed unhealthy tilt towards a myopic subjectivism dominating the professed logics behind these conflicts.
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By: Dee Abonmai XL The observation of the first Fathers` Day was started by a mother. Her name was Mrs. John Bruce Dodd. She lived in the town of Spokane,… Read more »
By: Dee Abonmai XL
The observation of the first Fathers` Day was started by a mother. Her name was Mrs. John Bruce Dodd. She lived in the town of Spokane, Washington in America. How then did start this Fathers` Day?
It was in the year 1909 when she attended a church on Mothers` Day in the month of May. When she heard her Pastor preaching about the love of mothers, she remembered her father`s love. Her mother died when she was young. Her mother died leaving six children for their father to look after. Even without her mother, her father raised all the six children like a good Christian family. She painfully remembered how her father struggled to feed and raise all the six children. Sitting in the church she decided to give due honour to her father and all the father of the world.
Mrs Dodd went to the president of the Spokane Ministerial Association and said. “Every year we remember our mothers on Mother` Day, therefore, every year you must select a special day for the fathers, and the churches must observe the day of honour and praise for the fathers.”
The Spokane Ministerial Association accepted suggestion and selected the 3rd Sunday of June as the Fathers` Day. It was the day of her father`s Birthday. *;
When the Mayor of Spokane heard about the Fathers` Day, he immediately ordered the proclamation to observe the Fathers` Day, he immediately ordered the proclamation to observe the Fathers` Day. Later on, when the Governor heard that Spokane Church will be observing the Fathers` Day on the 3rd Sunday of June, he too declared in all the States to celebrate Father`s Day.
William Jennings Byrant was an outstanding man in America. He suggested in the Senate that Fathers` Day should be observed as a National Holiday. Therefore, in the year 1924, Fathers` Day was announced as a national holiday in America. President Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. President proclaimed the 3rd Sunday of June as Fathers` Day and said “Every family pays respect and honour to Dad.”
Since then, people all over the world, especially Christians celebrate Fathers` Day with great enthusian. Mrs John Bruce Dodd was delighted when her wishes were fulfilled by all the families in America. After some year when people asked Mrs. Dodd about her feelings she replied, “I think Fathers` Day should include family attendance at church, a small gift for dad, and sharing with him some kind words you have always wanted to tell him.”
This is a great day for all fathers as churches organize special services to honour father. As we celebrate Fathers` Day with special gifts, meals, flowers and prayers, it is a challenge to every father to check their all round contribution to their families and society. Happy Fathers` Day!
A Responsible Father
(1 thess2:8-12)
Vicky Huffman wrote about her childhood relationship with her father in her book, plus living; “My father through no fault of his own, wasn`t there when I was born. He was an Air Force Pilot, away fighting World War II. The war nearly over when I arrived, but he didn`t come home until I was two years old. He had crashed overseas and was hospitalized with burns for many months.
When he did return, we got off to a slow start. I was shy around a man because I had been around so few; he had never been around a baby. I was a little bit spoiled, and he expected his new found daughter to behave like a miniature soldier. Our relationship soon settled into a pattern that lasted for many years; he gave orders, and I took them. I lived in fear of bringing down a cold military style wrath on my head. But I think he was just as fearful. He seemed to believed that showing emotion was a sign of weakness and would cause him to lose control of his family.
After I was married I finally put my fear of my father behind and tried to have a close relationship with him. But by then, thousands of miles kept us from having no more than annual visits. There never seemed to be enough time to demolish the concrete will between us. We chipped away at it up untill the time of his death from cancer a few years ago but it ever really fell.
I know my father loved me my mother told me he did . It would have been wonderful if he had told me himself more often. May be he didn`t understand how much I needed to hear those words.
Studies have been done on people raised in all kinds of environment. Some were abused or physically deprived. Some were emotionally deprived. I was never abused or deprived of any physical comfort, but I was deprived of the love relationship that a child wants and needs from a father.”
Father, can you see the broken relationships here in this story? The work of making a home does not rest upon the mother alone. Fathers have an important part to play.
The father is the head of the household. The wife looks to him for love and sympathy, The children look to the father for support and guidance. The father is to stand as a man with manly character and with his passions spirit in the home . Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discourage”(Col3:21).
The Father`s duty to his children cannot be transferred to the mother because she has enough burden to bear. You as a father should not excuse yourself from your part in the work of education your children for life. You must share in the responsibility. Your kind, cheerful and encouraging words will prove more effective than the most healing medicines. Remember, your personal characteristics are passed down generation after generation.
Two contrastion cases in point are worthy of our attention. “The father of Jonathan Edwards was a minister and his mother was the daughter of a clergyman. Among their descendants were fourteen presidents of college, more than one hundred college professors, more than one hundred clergyman, missionaries and theology professors, and about sixty authors. There is scarcely any great American industry that has not had one of his family among its chief promoters. Such is the product of one American Christian family, reared under the most favourable conditions.
The contrast is presented in the juke`s family. Their entire record is one of pauperism and crime, insanity and imbecility. Among their twelve hundred known descendants three hundred ten were professional paupers, four hundred forty were physically wrecked by their one wickedness, sixty three habitual thieves, one hundred thirty were convicted criminals, fifty five were victims of impurity only twenty learned a trade and ten of these learned it in a state prison, and this notorious family produced seven murderers. Overall their family cost the state of New York millions of dollar.”
What qualities and character traits are you passing down to your children? Are you actively involved in knowing your children, guiding them towards maturity? Father`s spend time with your children! Upon returning home from your business. Work, office you should find it a pleasant change to spend some time with your children.
Ellen G. White says; “The father of boys should come into close contact with his sons, giving them the benefit of his larger experience and talking with them in such simplicity them see that he has their best interest, thier happiness, in view all the time.”
Fathers, spend as much time as possible with your children. You will never know your child unless you take control of your schedule and plan time just to listen and disposition that you may know how to train your children in harmony with the word of God. Never should a word of discouragement pass your lips. Do not bring darkness into the home . Be pleasant, kind and affectionate toward your children; but not foolishly indulgent. In proverbs 13:24 Solomon reminds all the fathers, ” He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him discipline him diligently.”
Too many fathers rely on punishment alone to displine their children.
But by doing that, they`re neglecting to give their kids the assistance they need in understanding and applying God`s word into their lives.
Father, combine affection with authority, kindness and sympathy with firm restraint. Give some of your leisure hours to your children; become acquainted with then associate with them in their work and in their sports and win their confidence. Cultivate friendship with them, especially with your sons. In this way you will be a strong influence for good.
Fathers, how well-prepared are you to shape your children`s wills with the wisdom of God`s word. Are you training them in the way they should go or punishing them for going on the way they should? Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pro 22:6).
How sad it is that many fathers have cast off their God given responsibility to their children, and are willing that strangers should bear it for them!
Fathers, you have your own responsibilities that no one can bear for you. As long as you live, you are accountable to God to keep His way. Fathers, who make the word of God their guide and who realize how much thier children depend upon them for the characters they form, will set an example that it will be safe for their children to follow.
Read through the words of Anne Ortlund which is taken from her book Children are Wet Cement.
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Photography By: Pradip Phanjoubam
The main structure of the Govindaji temple where the images of the deities were once kept. By: Pradip Phanjoubam
Photography By: Pradip Phanjoubam
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Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
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Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
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By Chitra Ahanthem Two Sundays have gone by without this column making it to the pages of Imphal Free Press or on the web page of www.kanglaonline.com, a popular web… Read more »
By Chitra Ahanthem
Two Sundays have gone by without this column making it to the pages of Imphal Free Press or on the web page of www.kanglaonline.com, a popular web site that has for some years been carrying news, features and photos from IFP. Mostly, it is the erratic power supply that makes writing difficult: it is never easy to think at leisure and develop the spontaneity that is required at a stretch when the mind is occupied with lap top battery power that decreases as one types in words and attempts to capture transient feelings. At one point of time, there was such a thing as writing by hand and journalists made do with typewriters. But the winds of change and habits are such that once computers made their presence, it has become difficult for most people to write long notes by hand. It is amusing too, the way we all tend to wail and sigh over “the old times” at one point of time or the other while we subtly get seduced by the technology and fast pace of our lives.
A two-week get together of my siblings who like most other people left home for better avenues of life and careers to leave behind empty beds in the house saw an overkill of nostalgia and musing over “the old times” at home. A home coming of all siblings after 3 years meant revisiting elaborate dishes being prepared instead of the usual fare of Kangshoi and Eromba. Along with the presence of the entire family came delectable dishes and side dishes like chagempomba, utti, nga khabak, paknam, ushoi kangshu etc on the dining table. Though these dishes and items are not fancy stuff, it goes without saying that working mothers prefer not to take time out to prepare them in the kitchen as everyday fare and more so if there are just 2 adults and one kid in the family. One sibling scoured the market to get the typical Meitei thum (salt) plates while another sibling waited at the neighbourhood pan dukan for the ‘king bon’ (the common term for the poorer version of cream buns, a traditional English bakery/confectionary item: on another tangent, is the ‘king bon’ something that came in from outside Manipur or a common and poor legacy of the British Raj in Manipur?). Yet another sibling had to taste “OK chicken” at any cost. And yes, the full fare of keli chana, singju, kabok muri.
With me it is the other way round. I have lived all my life in Manipur except for 3 years of college life and naturally, every annual homecoming saw me gorging on local delicacies then. But because my daily life is rooted in the sights, sounds, feel and taste of home; my trips outside the state comprises of jaunts to coffee cafes for chocolate desserts and gelato ice creams and other items that one does not get to sample here (besides a trip to a movie theatre to catch the latest Hindi movie…just to get back for the ban on Hindi films back home!). A case of “the grass is greener on the other side?” but definitely more than that. My rush for all things that one doesn’t get to see or sample back home reflects me straining against the limitations of my existence back home while the rush for all things familiar by my siblings and the many others who have settled outside of their roots reflect a journey of rediscovery: something more deeper and ephemeral. It is a time of reclaiming their sense of belonging despite having opted for physically cutting themselves off from their homes.
A trip down “the good old days” won’t be complete if we don’t touch upon what has changed and is changing. The children of today are the best mirrors of bringing the marks of change in the ways of our lives. And if at the other end of the prism we pitch the generation of our grand parents, the gap between the two is stark. Extended family get togethers following the return of my siblings brought home my maternal grand mother (in her 80’s perhaps) who recounted for us how she had been carried on the back of a family member during the wake of the Japanese bombings over Imphal. As my younger brother posed for photos with her all the while remarking on the photo display over the best picture captures, I ended up asking her whether she remembered her first ever photograph taken of herself. That one question led to an interesting capture of perceptions: taking photographs was not common then. She said she was at one of the receptions of Jawaharlal Nehru (no, hers was not a political presence there but an event where she and her friends had gone to see the handsome Prime Minister of the country!) where their group had a photo taken with someone in the PM’s entourage who looked sinister (am racking my head over who that could have been).
When we asked whether that photograph was still around, she left us flabbergasted when she replied saying rather off handedly that she burnt the picture after Nehru died. Reason? She feared that his death was an omen to all the people with whom Nehru had been photographed! Another gem of information from my grandmother was that weddings were not supposed to be photographed even though cameras were in existence. She went into a short rant over how weddings at present have become photo opportunities for everyone to the extent of leaving out family members and friends from seeing wedding rites properly despite being part of the ceremony. “Nowadays, those who attend the weddings also miss out on the ceremonies because everyone with their cameras block the view,” she said. And then I see my six year-old son insisting that he wants to check on every picture that I click of him, “so you can delete the ones where I don’t look good (or “yo” enough!)” and I see that the only constant thing about life is change.
End-point:
Seeing two different ends of change is a funny experience and more so because I, and others of my own generation hold the in-between. Even as we grapple over the way life has changed, our children will only know that change but not the life before them. We cannot fault them for being born into a changed world but at best, give them a sense of the journey that their elders ventured. I speak for myself here: for a long time, I would be ashamed whenever my parents tried to speak in Hindi or English with non-Manipuri friends. I cringed every time they mispronounced something or voiced a grammatical error: not anymore. I realize now that because of their own limited exposure to education and social interactions, they have made us more exposed to the world. And I know that what we will give our children today would be the legacy of having the best of what change brings to their lives.
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By Farida Ahmed Haque For the denizens of Guwahati and some other cities where one has to sizzle at the burning charcoal climate a few days’ outing at Mawlynnong in… Read more »
By Farida Ahmed Haque
For the denizens of Guwahati and some other cities where one has to sizzle at the burning charcoal climate a few days’ outing at Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hill district of Meghalaya is like going to the heaven during the lifetime. It is near the Indo Banglaesh border.The professionals who have unavoidable office works have been going there for a few hours on Sundays and holidays. It is about 2 hours’ drive from the Shillong city having a distance of 90 km.
It is located towards Cherapunjee which, till recently, had the maximum rainfall in the world. However midway the hilly serpentine road branches off. But being in the same region, Mawlynnong, the cleanest village in Asia, has rains most times of the year. Being a northeasterner we were not so much interested in the breath taking scenic beauty there. But the torrential rain was the spoilsport since we could not even walk out. We remained huddled in the thatched challet where the backpackers could put up at affordable rents. There are palm leaf covered cottages which are guest houses. One double bedded room with extremely neat and modern bathroom is available between Rs1200 & Rs 2400 per day. But then the rent is negotiable and it will depend on your mastery of haggling. There are some villagers who had separated some rooms for letting out to the tourists. The tourists get home made meals, friendly company, valuable guidance and some garrulous house owners regale the tourists with anecdotes even long after dinners.
Though we felt invigorated by the natural air conditioning we had to do something as we were on holiday. An idea clicked to all of us simultaneously. At one word we rushed out in the blinding rains. Someone blared out Bollywood hits from the car stereos and then all of us danced. Dance we did without caring for anything. Other tourists who were taken aback kept on ogling at us. Had it not been for this deus ex machina our holiday there would have been just like any other rainy day in Guwahati or Agartala.
There are ubiquitous modest, clean and homely restaurants to cater to the tourists of all hues. Various dishes are available at affordable prices. The most delicious one suited for the Indian tourists is the steamy rice, curried mountain bantam meat with thick gravy and vegetables. For the worshippers of Bacchus a wide range of country and IMFL is available there.
On October 12,2010 the villagers of Mawlynnong publicly declared that this village is smoke free. The villagers are all educated and as such this health related public policy was not surprising.
When the drizzle stopped for a few hours the roaring sound of waterfalls reach the bed rooms. There are Elephant and Seven Sisters waterfalls. One could sit near the waterfalls and enjoy the beauties. Such intercourse with Nature is something people in other parts of the country cannot get for love or money. One longs for staying here for ever.
Since it is the cleanest village in Asia it is not surprising that like Paro,Thimpu and other cities in Bhutan a tourist does not see any rubbish scattered here and there. Bamboo baskets are seen at many places. The villagers and tourists alike use them properly. This kind of civic sense is deplorably lacking elsewhere. People in other states are yet to emulate it.
Birds, colourful insects and many rodents have a considerable population here. No doubt, they feast on the left overs of the tourists. Before the rain dance I had left my hand bag containing a ripe mango on the wooden floor. After the dance I scooped it to refesh myself with the ripe mango. I screamed like a banshee bringing down the sky. A big rat was inside the bag relishing the ripe mango. It innocently looked at me, perhaps surprised by the way I had interrupted his lunch.
Though foreigners flock here the domestic tourism is flourishing and it has helped the growth of the local economy. And more and more families from Assam and others including those of Shillong are spending hours and days in this beautiful tourist spot of the region.
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Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
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var addthis_product=’wpp-252′; 18 JUNE 2001
18 JUNE 2001
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/NB0WVgUKdkM/
Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
AIR News 7.30 p.m Source:- AIR Imphal; Recorded by:- KO in public interest.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/elJrDJnraRQ/
Written by: Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, FLS (Founder and Managing Trustee) North East Centre for Environmental Education and Research, Imphal Every year colleges in different Universities across the country are increasing… Read more »
Written by: Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, FLS (Founder and Managing Trustee)
North East Centre for Environmental Education and Research, Imphal
Every year colleges in different Universities across the country are increasing their cut off marks for admission to under graduate courses. Students of states like ours are facing difficulty in getting admissions in good colleges like St. Stephen College, Sri Ram College of Commerce due to low aggregate in their marks in Board Exams. Only a few get admissions in reputed colleges and the remaining had to settle for correspondence courses or had to go for some certificate or diploma courses.
Students of our state are very good in studies, extra –curricular activities and are well aware of the happening across the country or globe. In spite of all the turmoil in the state as the result of the prevailing situation in the state, students are still not losing their hope to achieve their dreams. We need to give them support, encouragements, appreciation and proper guidance. Not only these, our teachers and education system should change their approach in giving marks or grading system. Our students are second to none but are still facing problems in getting admission after XIIth. Manipur Education Board and Council should encourage teachers to give marks according to what the students deserves. Every year thousands of Manipuri students couldn’t get admission due to low grade in Board/Council Exams. However, the situation is different for students studying in other boards like CBSE, ICSE. Does it mean that students studying in CBSE, ICSE are better than students of Manipur Board/Council? Take example of Manipuri students (not only Manipuri students) studying in Assam Valley School (CBSE) in Assam get admission in colleges easily as compare to students studying in schools of Manipur Board. The only difference is marks/percentage.
Every year Manipuri students topped in colleges and university somewhere or the other across the country. We have several Gold medallists and toppers in every field of sciences, arts, engineering, medical and commerce. However, the number could be increased if all the talented students get proper education and this can be achieved if they get admission in good colleges and universities. Manipur Government/Education Departments should hold regular meetings and interaction programmes with teachers, officials of Board/Council and principals to address the situation and problems faced by the students of the state in getting admission for higher education.
Encourage students to pursue higher education for better Manipur. Education will bring peace and development to the state.
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10 Years have elapsed since the uprising on 18 June 2001. Do you feel the memories of the event still linger or they have faded from public memory? Please voice… Read more »
18 June 2001 uprising Martyrs: A tribute by Mahesh Konsam
10 Years have elapsed since the uprising on 18 June 2001. Do you feel the memories of the event still linger or they have faded from public memory? Please voice your opinion.
Picture By : Mahesh Konsam
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By N. Arunkumar A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people. There are few men so foolish, hence… Read more »
By N. Arunkumar
A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people. There are few men so foolish, hence the erratic quality of leadership in the world.
You`re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn`t lose it. DU dictum!
Yes. It is official now. The DU cut off of 100% is downright absurd, ridiculous, insensitive and discriminatory to the rest of the country. Is the DU the preserve of the elite and the favoured who can garner such ridiculous marks that put them right at the apex of the marks tally in the public examinations? How can a student get 100% marks in languages? India or rather Delhi is the only place on the planet perhaps, where students can score a cent percent mark in language, it seems. The government’s assurance of the right to education bill has been scorned at fair and square by this bizarre decision by the DU to peg the ceiling at such a target.
Now, this brings into focus the marking standards in the country’s premier educational board’s right from the CBSE to the State Boards as they stand. If the CBSE students can score such absurd marks in the public examinations, then why lay stringent standards for other state boards to follow and adhere to rigorously? Most state educational boards are still languishing in the age old correction methods, which make it next to impossible for students to get fair marks, other than those who are again at the elite strata of the state’s social ladder. A few rare exceptions are there no doubt, though those cases are few and far between. Most often, it is apparent that the students coming from well – to – do ambience manage to outclass their lesser privileged brethren in the educational race by a distant margin.
This happens due to a number of factors, ranging from nepotism to preferential treatment of certain institutional corruption of the educational field by unscrupulous elements from within the society. When we find a few institutes doing well on a regular basis, we begin to wonder what is going on behind the scenes. There has to be something that is incorrect here, as it is most likely that a few people indulge in malpractices to wrest superiority over others. If the premier institute in the country goes to such extents as to allow only students of cent percent calibre into their corridors of educational merit, it will create another annoyed class of people, and it will plainly further widen the gap between the have and have not’s in this country. Don’t we already have enough of this gap amidst us that is giving us sufficient headaches? These are of course mere speculations that are brought up front by myself as a matter of concern to me and perhaps others like me.
Why is the bureaucracy in the country living in Utopia? What kind of role do they think they are playing in developing the talent pool in the country by resorting to such absurd practices of discrimination among the students who had burned the midnight oil to achieve something of a dignified status in their examinations? Isn’t there something really unnatural about such illogical decisions by the educational bureaucracy to the needs of the students of the country? Or, shall we say that there is a coterie already in place indulging in a new scam to divide and rule and make hay while the going is good for them? Do we need another expose of the murky goings on in the corridors of the universities of the country who are resorting to such practices that are downright unethical to the very noble intentions of education?
I think there is something very fishy about the whole thing at the moment and there is a time bomb ticking, and waiting to be brought out into the open. Not everything looks rosy in the educational field of the country today, folks. The education minister meanwhile is busy fighting the Ramdev’s, Hazare’s etc who are trying to bring the corrupted leaders to book. He is a lawyer first and lawyers are forever, remember that. An erudite spokesman who brings all his years of experience in fighting high profile cases at a hefty fee is now a leader of the downtrodden? The joke of Indian politics and the Indian politicians cannot get eerier than this! It is more than preposterous, and we fade away to the distant horizon, in the haze of scams, scandals and siphoning of money from the common man’s pocket with typical insouciance. The silliness of such inconsistencies is just too comical for us to ignore.
The Robin Hood factor is a reality in our political circles today. People like Digivijay Singh and sometimes even the other voices of the Congress are indulging in mudslinging with those who are uniting together to bring the corrupt politicians to the altar of justice. The language being used by these leaders leave much to be desired and are downright in poor taste. They should realize that they are playing to the media gallery and are under the scrutinising glares of the world when they appear on TV. However, it appears that they have lost all respect for the sentiments of the educated people in this country and indulge in phrases which are of very poor quality. Calling names at such figures like the Baba and even Anna Hazare is not acceptable to the common people, and they seem to overlook this.
So, how can poor students expect justice in such a murky atmosphere? Who will listen to their grievances? Should we have to fight out this stupidity again in the courts? For every simple thing if we are to go to the courts for our rights, then when are we going to go ahead with the business of living in this country? Each passing day is making the situation more and more complicated for us to find our rights in an ordinary way. Our politicians and so called leaders call our civil societies as ‘so called civil society’ and we are merely the ‘so called janta’ of the country. We are as good as cattle for them who are enjoying the heady reins of power over us and allowed to determine our quality of life. The only precondition to it is that it should not interfere with their quality of life…I mean our ‘so called’ leaders’ quality of living that is.
So, poor students of unfortunate states and humble backgrounds can now forget the DU, as it is formally declared accessible only to the real crème – de – la crème of the society in the country. The rest may go pleading to the private colleges who are ever ready to welcome you as long as you pay them the hefty fee that they demand from you anyway. So, is a nexus coming to light here? A faint ray of this nexus is already in the vanguard, don’t you think so? Nonetheless…God help our aspiring students from beyond the NCR.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/65DWaMlJyHk/
Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba Recently a friend came back from abroad, after spending some weeks here. I was given a detail on how things which are supposed to be mandatory… Read more »
Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba
Recently a friend came back from abroad, after spending some weeks here. I was given a detail on how things which are supposed to be mandatory for a civilized society are much at lacking even in the State capital itself.
One at the foremost was the erratic power supply issue, the public is more than aware of the present status, sometimes it becomes a task to charge one’s mobile phone, carrying a mobile charger has become routine and to look at other localities or offices whether if power is there. All these just to charge a phone, the myriad ways that the commercial enterprises must be suffering are left to one’s imagination.
The effectiveness of the Power Department recently concluded drive also fails to address the woes of the public. The drive carried out had disconnected scores of lines of the defaulting consumers and arrested several persons for illegal connections, tariff were collected to the tune of several crores. But ,despite the supposed all out effort of the State Power Department has yielded but naught and the supply remains erratic as ever.
If we dig deeper and the concerned officials are approached for their departments non performance, the reason is always pointed towards one thing only,i.e. the prevailing law and order situation of the state.
It is observed that most of the top executives of the State may ride in fancy cars, have fabulous mansions and have numerous bank accounts with bulging balances, but they lack the air of a contented person. Most have a worn out and apprehensive look, truth be told, they cannot sleep with their gates open nor travel without security escort. And the blame for their condition is still on the law and order, the scare tactics and threats of the UGs.
The blame game is open to both sides, the officials on their part stating that the UG interference and extortion have affected the workings and proper implementation of many schemes aimed at public welfare, whereas the UGs also in their circulars charge the official of high corruption and the blame game continues.
It is pertinent to mention that the factionalism trend of the UG outfits still continues unabated and the extortionist approach sometimes gives the benefit of the doubt to the state officials.
It is heard in many occasions for the insurgent groups need to come under an administrative umbrella as they all have a common objective. A united front if emerged into reality would be beneficial to all. Their struggle for independence would gain momentum and it may be easier for the government to address a political solution which may come in the form of a plebiscite or otherwise. Moreover, public servants cannot blame their shortcomings to a vague splinter organization.
The State government also needs to come clean in addressing the insurgency issues and the recent surrender of PULF cadres which according to Tehelka Magazine was a farce is factually evident by the series of events in itself. If a media house based on its sources announces that a jailbreak will occur and so many prisoners including a high profile convict will escape on a particular date, and later if the jailbreak occurs. It clearly shows that the media house knows about the system working inside the jail and the weaknesses and covert schemes of the concerned jail authorities. Quoting a line from Reggae music legend Bob Marley, “You can fool some people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time” should be acknowledged from all quarters that if the public stands up for their rights, then there will be no stopping them and they are not afraid to lay down their lives for the just cause. A significant example is the observation of the Great June Uprising Day which falls today. The 18 martyrs are the ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice neither for money nor independence but for the real love of the land.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/3amwWWuYIpk/
Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba Recently a friend came back from abroad, after spending some weeks here. I was given a detail on how things which are supposed to be mandatory… Read more »
Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba
Recently a friend came back from abroad, after spending some weeks here. I was given a detail on how things which are supposed to be mandatory for a civilized society are much at lacking even in the State capital itself.
One at the foremost was the erratic power supply issue, the public is more than aware of the present status, sometimes it becomes a task to charge one’s mobile phone, carrying a mobile charger has become routine and to look at other localities or offices whether if power is there. All these just to charge a phone, the myriad ways that the commercial enterprises must be suffering are left to one’s imagination.
The effectiveness of the Power Department recently concluded drive also fails to address the woes of the public. The drive carried out had disconnected scores of lines of the defaulting consumers and arrested several persons for illegal connections, tariff were collected to the tune of several crores. But ,despite the supposed all out effort of the State Power Department has yielded but naught and the supply remains erratic as ever.
If we dig deeper and the concerned officials are approached for their departments non performance, the reason is always pointed towards one thing only,i.e. the prevailing law and order situation of the state.
It is observed that most of the top executives of the State may ride in fancy cars, have fabulous mansions and have numerous bank accounts with bulging balances, but they lack the air of a contented person. Most have a worn out and apprehensive look, truth be told, they cannot sleep with their gates open nor travel without security escort. And the blame for their condition is still on the law and order, the scare tactics and threats of the UGs.
The blame game is open to both sides, the officials on their part stating that the UG interference and extortion have affected the workings and proper implementation of many schemes aimed at public welfare, whereas the UGs also in their circulars charge the official of high corruption and the blame game continues.
It is pertinent to mention that the factionalism trend of the UG outfits still continues unabated and the extortionist approach sometimes gives the benefit of the doubt to the state officials.
It is heard in many occasions for the insurgent groups need to come under an administrative umbrella as they all have a common objective. A united front if emerged into reality would be beneficial to all. Their struggle for independence would gain momentum and it may be easier for the government to address a political solution which may come in the form of a plebiscite or otherwise. Moreover, public servants cannot blame their shortcomings to a vague splinter organization.
The State government also needs to come clean in addressing the insurgency issues and the recent surrender of PULF cadres which according to Tehelka Magazine was a farce is factually evident by the series of events in itself. If a media house based on its sources announces that a jailbreak will occur and so many prisoners including a high profile convict will escape on a particular date, and later if the jailbreak occurs. It clearly shows that the media house knows about the system working inside the jail and the weaknesses and covert schemes of the concerned jail authorities. Quoting a line from Reggae music legend Bob Marley, “You can fool some people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time” should be acknowledged from all quarters that if the public stands up for their rights, then there will be no stopping them and they are not afraid to lay down their lives for the just cause. A significant example is the observation of the Great June Uprising Day which falls today. The 18 martyrs are the ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice neither for money nor independence but for the real love of the land.
Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/3amwWWuYIpk/
