Meghalaya: Mother Unable to Repay Loan, Children Confiscated

Shillong, Sep 18 : Police today nabbed a woman who confiscated two kids after their parent was unable to repay loan amount. The incident took place at the suburban regions of Shillong in Meghalaya.

Few months ago, the debtor Meryline Gatpoh borrowed over Rs. 3 lacs from Rosa Mawrie, a woman who lives in that area. Rosa asked Meryline to repay the sum along with the interest, the rate of which was set to 20 percent.

Meryline managed to repay Rs 1 lakh but was unable to arrange the remaining sum of money. Rosa first seized Meryline's vehicle in lieu of the sum that was not repaid to her. But this didn't satisfy her demands. On Sep 8, she took away Meryline's minor daughter and later on Sep 15, she confiscated Rosa’s son.

Unable to tolerate any more, Meryline lodged a complaint at the nearest police station on Thursday night against Rosa Mawrie for confiscating her kids along with her vehicle illegally. The kids were rescued by the police today and were handed over to Rosa.

Naga Students Condemn Police Action on AASU

Kohima, Sep 17 : An apex Naga students' body today expressed serious concern over the action of Nagaland police personnel on demonstrators of All Assam Students' Union (AASU) in Golaghat district of the neighboring state.

Outrightly condemning the police brutality, Naga Students' Federation (NSF) asserted that such attitude towards the peaceful demonstrators was totally "an act of disrespect".

"The federation, therefore, invokes the conscious of the authority concerned and the police personnel to restrain from such unwanted situation especially towards our neighbouring state in order to avoid creating any misunderstanding as we are living in peaceful co-existence," a statement issued by NSF said.

While extending its solidarity to the injured protesters and support towards the demand of the AASU, the NSF also urged upon the Nagaland government to seriously examine the incident and take up necessary action.

Twenty people were injured, some of them seriously, when IRB personnel of Nagaland police passing through Golaghat district unleashed baton charge on demonstrators who blocked the NH-39 on Wednesday demanding improvement of a link road near Rangajan Tinali.

Aged 120, Living on Boiled Food, Rice Beer - And Loving it!

Rongmowe (Assam): At 120, she is one of India's oldest women and Kareng Teronpi is still going strong, thanks to a daily diet of bland boiled rice, vegetables, and, of course, a regular bottle of moonshine to keep her spirits high!

She looks frail and emaciated, is weak in the knees and almost bedridden for the past year. But Kareng is very agile - with near perfect eyesight and a voice still chirpy.

"I don't know when I was born... maybe many years ago," Kareng said with a coy smile.

Incidentally, her eldest daughter is around 90 years old and stays nearby.

A resident of village Rongmongwe Sorpokathar in Karbi Anglong district, about 280 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati, Kareng, a tribal Karbi woman, is believed to have completed her 120th birthday.
"Based on details from our uncles and aunts and grandparents we have calculated her age, although we don't have any birth records as such," Docsingh Kathar, one of the many grandsons of Kareng, told IANS.

Kareng loves eating good food - rice, boiled vegetables, soup being her staple menu, besides a passion for rice beer.

"She requires at least two glasses of Hor (fermented rice beer). She relishes the drink. She is a vegetarian and never eats spicy food," Kathar said.

The mother of four children, Kareng has seen four generations and the entire family consists of more than 60 people. Two of her children - a son and a daughter - are alive, while two others expired.

"She can recognise us from a distance as he still has very good eyesight," a grandson said with a cheeky smile.

Kareng's husband died some six decades ago.

Interestingly, the village is home to about a dozen odd people who are in their 90s. Some even claim to have crossed the century mark.

"I am nearing 100 and the key to my longevity is that I never ate tobacco or tobacco products, always ate boiled food with no spices, besides maintaining a disciplined life all along," said Jon Kathar.
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Nagaland to Confer Honorary Naga Citizenship to Hamid Ansari

Kohima, Sep 17 : Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari will be conferred honorary Naga citizenship when he arrives here at Kisama on Sunday to inaugurate the World Bamboo Day.

The choice to confer the honorary citizenship upon Dr Ansari was adopted by the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, about 12 Kms east of capital Kohima, Nagaland Chief Minster Neiphiu Rio announced this to local media recently. He also informed that Dr Ansari will accompanied by wife Salma Ansari.

Dr Ansari, accompanied by Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar and Mr Rio, will also visit Tuensang on September 19th where he will be honoured by a civic reception.

The Vice President will also visit Tuensang village as he wanted to visit some interior villages to acquaint himself about the Naga village life.

New System to Monitor Seismic Activity in Northeast

Agartala, Sep 17 : An ambitious project to modernize the seismic monitoring system in India's northeast -- said to be the sixth most quake-prone belt in the world -- has been taken up by the union ministry of earth sciences (MoES), officials said here Friday.

"A VSAT-based real time seismic monitoring network (RTSMN) over the northeast consisting of two central receiving stations (CRS) -- one in Shillong and the other in New Delhi -- is under commissioning," meteorological department director Dilip Saha told IANS.

He said the RTSMN would be a satellite based system and it would have 21 stations across eight northeastern states. Approximately Rs.25 lakh would be spent on each station for commissioning the equipment and developing necessary infrastructure.

The RTSMN stations are Guwahati, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Silchar, Jorhat and Lekhapani in Assam, Yupia, Tawang, Pashighat and Zero in Arunachal Pradesh, Tura and Shillong in Meghalaya, Mokokchung and Kohima in Nagaland, Agartala and Belonia in Tripura, Aizawl and Saiha in Mizoram, Imphal in Manipur and Tadong in Sikkim.

"After commissioning of the RTSMN, more accurate seismic activities relating to earthquake would be known," Saha stated.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) earlier notified that the mountainous northeast comprising eight states could experience a devastating earthquake as the region is considered by seismologists to be the sixth worst quake-prone belt in the world.

Assam experienced a massive tremor measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale Aug 15, 1950, that claimed some 1,500 lives. The worst quake, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, was felt in the region in 1897. It killed 1,600 people.

Burgeoning Voters List in Assam Evokes Controversy

By Syed Zarir Hussain

Guwahati, Sep 17 : Assam has witnessed an increase of about 600,000 voters in the final electoral rolls 2010 published by the state election commission, triggering doubts that names of illegal Bangladeshis could have entered the rolls.

There has been an increase of 3.29 percent in the number of voters compared to the draft rolls for the 2009 parliamentary elections - the number of voters has swelled to 17,953,112, an increase of about 571,445.

According to commission sources, names of an estimated 315,943 voters were deleted in the final electoral rolls - some of them doubtful citizens and others who might have died or on some technical grounds.

But the publication of the electoral rolls has already triggered a debate with the politics of citizenship taking centre stage ahead of next year’s assembly elections.

“We have to carefully go through the voters list, but prima facie it appears the increase in the number of electors seems very high,” Chandra Mohan Patowary, president of Assam’s main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), told IANS.

The issue of citizenship in Assam has always remained a controversial and sensitive issue with allegations that hordes of illegal migrants enter the state from Bangladesh by crossing over through stretches of the unfenced border.

“The increase in the number of voters by 3.29 percent is quite significant and we really need to analyse the whole issue in depth,” Assam unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Ranjit Dutta said.

But the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF), a minority-based political party, is unfazed by the increase in the number of voters.

“There is nothing abnormal in the figures and we believe it is very much within the national average,” AUDF working president Hafiz Rashid Choudhury said.

There have always been doubts expressed and allegations that the voters list in Assam was never free from names of Bangladeshi nationals.

“The voters list is yet to be made public so far and hence it would be too early to comment. But then we want a voters list that is free from names of any Bangladeshi national,” an All Assam Students Union (AASU) leader said.

The AASU had led a six-year-long agitation against illegal Bangladeshi migrants between 1979 and 1985. The uprising ended with the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985 that fixed March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for detection and expulsion of the illegal aliens.

(Syed Zarir Hussain can be contacted at zarir.h@ians.in

Graft Case Against Former Mizoram CM

Aizawl, Sep 17 : Cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 were today filed against former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga for allegedly possessing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income but the leader termed it as an attempt to malign his image.

A number of bank passbooks, land settlement certificates and periodical pattas for agricultural land were seized during a search of his residence, state Anti-Corruption Bureau officials said.
The raid was made following allegations against him by the Aizawl-based anti-corruption watchdog PRISM, they said.

Cases under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 were registered against the two-term former chief minister for allegedly possessing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to the FIR filed by PRISM, the Mizo National Front (MNF) chief allegedly received fencing material valued around Rs six lakh for his horticulture farm at 'Aiipuk Zau' near here from the agriculture department fraudulently when he was the chief minister.

He was also alleged to have collected three per cent of every government contract from contractors for his MNF party fund, the officials said.

SP of ACB Lalhuliana Fanai, when contacted by PTI, was tight-lipped about the search.
Zoramthanga said the search by the ACB was an attempt to malign him and was a politically motivated move by the Congress government led by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on the eve of the Aizawl Municipal Council polls.

"The PRISM submitted the FIR when I was in power and the vigilance department and the ACB then did not find any prima facie case," he said.

The case was revived recently by the Congress government with 'intention of revenge', he alleged.

Gogoi Orders Inquiry Into Firing by Nagaland Police

Guwahati, Sep 16 : Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered an inquiry into the firing and assault by Nagaland police in upper Assam's Golaghat district on Wednesday in which over 20 people were injured, some of them seriously.

He has also asked the district administration to immediately file a report on the incident, official sources said.

Meanwhile, All Assam Students Union (AASU) today staged a sit-in in front of the district deputy commissioner's office protesting against the incident and demanding action against the erring Nagaland police personnel.

About 1500 protesters belonging to AASU, various local organisations and women units had yesterday staged a road blockade on NH 39 to protest against lack of security in the Assam-Nagaland border areas.

As the protesters were agitating a convoy of five cars belonging to Nagaland police arrived at the spot and opened fire and assaulted them when they were stopped.

In the firing and assault 22 persons were injured and admitted to Golaghat civil hospital while two of them were referred to the Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh, the sources said.

Mary Kom Continues to Shine at World Championships

Bridgetown, Sep 16 : MC Mary Kom (48kg) remained firmly on course for a historic fifth successive gold by advancing to the semifinals along with Kavita (+81kg) to assure India of two medals in the sixth Women's World Championships.

Mary Kom beat Lynsey Holdaway from Wales 9-2 in the quarter-final to set up a clash with Alice Appari of the Philippines, whom she had beaten in their only face off six years ago.

The mother-of-two from Manipur took a narrow 2-1 lead in the opening round and built on it in the next two rounds to be 6-2 ahead by the third round. In the final round, Mary Kom launched an all-out attack to seal the issue in her favour.

"It was not all that tough for me. I had never faced her before but didn't have to slog too much. So far so good," the 27-year-old said after the bout.

"Despite the increased competition, I think I can still dominate my category. I am not bragging but it hasn't been very tough for me despite the fact that I have already played three rounds. My body is also feeling great," she said.

Talking about her next-round opponent, Mary Kom, who was conferred the Khel Ratna award last year, said, "I know this girl. I beat her in 2004 and hopefully even this time I would win. I will try my best. I have my fingers crossed for a fifth consecutive gold."

Dubbed 'Magnificent Mary' by the International Boxing Association, the Indian has the unique feat of having won a medal in each of the previous World Championships. She was silver-medallist in the inaugural edition and has not settled for anything less then a gold after that.
Among other Indians, Kavita too advanced to the semifinals by beating Adriana Hosu of Romania 9-6. She will face Kateryna Kuzhel of the Ukraine in the last-four stage on Friday.

But there was disappointment as well, with Laxmi Padiya (81kg) losing 4-18 to Kazakh Marina Volnova on Wednesday night.

The current edition of the World Championship features 72 countries. The increased competition has hit 2006 overall champions India rather hard with just two medals assured this time.

Suranjoy Aims For CWG Gold And Much More

By Gaurav Kanthwal

Was it a mere coincidence that a rustic lad from Uchiwa, 27km off Imphal, grew up to choose boxing as his vocation?

And was it providence that has made this 24-year-old a sailor by profession?

For Mayengbam Suranjoy Singh, it has to be both: coincidence because in a state where a sizeable population of youngsters still go astray to illiteracy, unemployment or insurgency; and providence, because in a landlocked place like Manipur, very few get to see the crests and troughs of life he has seen in the last six years.

From the height of being a bronze medallist in the 2004 Junior World Championships to the obscurity of a failed athlete in hiding and then again to the acme of being AIBA's Best Boxer of the year 2009, the Navy man has seen it all.

"It was a watershed year in my career. Of the six times I took the ring in an international competition, four times I returned with gold and once a bronze. The most memorable, of course, was the gold in Asian Boxing Championships for India after a gap of 15 years," the 2009 national champion fondly recalled.

What Suranjoy can never ever forget are those excruciating four years (2004 to 2008) when he got stuck in doldrums. The albatross of stagnation hung around his neck and frustration kept hovering around his being. No matter how hard he would try, there seemed no way out.

Niggling injuries, being dropped and at times bad luck - his miseries seemed unending.

But, the gritty sailor kept on charting unknown waters because he knew boxing, as is sailing, is a lonely sport and you cannot afford to lose hope.

Hope came as AIBA changed the format to three rounds of three minutes each and this time Suranjoy found the wind behind his sails. "The change in format turned the tide for me. It suited my aggressive style. I worked on my stamina and strength and remained positive even if I was losing initially. Luckily, by the end of 2008, results started pouring in."

The inherent advantage of being a southpaw and amazing reflexes lend an edge to his attacking and counterattacking game. "Off late, he has worked hard to pack power in his punches and that has made him even better," said Services coach C Kuttapa.

"He is focused and has a good chance of pulling it off in the CWG, if he fights to his potential. He won a gold in Commonwealth Championships in March this year and the competition is going to be more or less the same in Delhi. Still, he has to be cautious against new boxers in the fray," chief national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.

Delhi Games may just be a stop over before Suranjoy moves on to the next and bigger destination in China ( Asian Games). But, Suranjoy's big ambition is to make a mark at the London Olympics two years from now.

X-factor
Don't go by the rankings - Suranjoy has been riding the crest for the past one year and winning medals with consistency. He even got a standing ovation after the final in a competition in Cuba this year for his aggressive skills and was awarded the 'Best Fighter' award. The form he is in, a standout show in Delhi Games is on the cards although he will have to keep a watch on Welsh opponent Daniel Chapman whom he defeated in the Commonwealth Championships semifinals this year.

Trivia
Belonging to Uchiwa village of Imphal district in Manipur, the flyweight boxer is popularly known as 'Chota Tyson' among his mates, after the legendary heavyweight. He has got the same looks, aggro and attitude inside the ring. Sporting tattoos on both shoulders - boxing gloves on his left and a fire-spewing dragon on the right - he says, "Sometimes, I just can't resist going all out after an opponent."

He took up the sport emulating his elder brother M Suranjit Singh, also a former international boxer.

M Suranjoy Singh World rank 13 (in 51kg)

Record:
2010:
- Commonwealth Boxing Championships, New Delhi Gold
- Training-cum-competition in Cuba Silver and 'Best Fighter' award
2009:
- Chemistry Cup Halle/Saale, Germany Bronze
- European GP in Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic Gold
- Asian Boxing Championships in Zhuhai, China Gold
- The President's Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan Gold
- National Championship Winner in flyweight category
2008:
- Chemistry Cup Bronze
- World Military Championship Silver
2004:
- Junior World Championships Bronze.

Yamuna Swells Its Banks

A river in spate, the angry and overflowing Yamuna is now touching the foundation of the Taj Mahal, providing thousands of visitors to the 'Symbol of Love' a rare spectacle — "just the way the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had wanted it to look." Heritage lover Sudhir Gupta said: "If the emperor had been alive and looking at the Taj from his confines in the fort he would have been mighty pleased, for that is how he had wanted it to look."

The river has bridged the gap between the foundation of the Taj and the main stream which had been distanced by an artificial park. "The original conceptual framework of the Taj Mahal considered Yamuna as an integral part and not as a separate entity. Water of the river should flow touching the rear foundation of the monument to keep the structure in good health," said Mughal historian R. Nath. IANS

An exile Buddhist monk walks though a flooded Tibetan market close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. Early Wednesday, the water level in the Yamuna crossed 495 feet, submerging large parts of the controversial Taj Corridor project. AP

People use a boat to move around a flooded area close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. Not just Taj Mahal, other monuments like the Agra Fort, Etmaduddaula, Chini ka Roza and Mehtab Bagh along the banks of the river are drawing huge crowds as well. AP

A Tibetan exile wades through a flooded monastery close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. While most people are happy with the state of the river, those living in low-lying areas are naturally alarmed and praying for an early relief. AP

A man takes photographs outside a monastery at a flooded Tibetan market close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. Swollen river Yamuna has washed away boundary pillars demarcating districts of Uttar Pradesh from Harayana, officials said here. AP

Yamuna river in New Delhi. The boundary pillars and fix points in eleven districts of the two states have been washed away with the river Yamuna flowing above danger mark, they said. AP

A flood-affected resident wades through floodwaters in a slum near the river Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

Civil defense persons sit near the bank of the river Yamuna, in New Delhi. AP

A man watches the rising water level of the River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

Locals looks at the rising water level of the River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

Residents of the inundated Tibetan locality near ISBT carry a pup as they move to safer places after water from the overflowing Yamuna floods the area, in New Delhi on Saturday. AP

A man wades through a flooded lane caused by the rising waters of the Yamuna river at the Tibetan market in New Delhi. The river water level breached the danger mark again this monsoon season due to incessant rains in the capital and surrounding areas. AFP

A flood-affected family camps near the rising River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

A flood-affected woman sits near the rising River Yamuna in New Delhi. The River Yamuna continued to flow above the danger mark in Delhi, affecting normal life. AP

Children from a flood-affected family camping on higher ground walk near the swelling River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

India Bans Pak Channels in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 16 : After banning news and current affairs programmes on local cable TV channels, authorities here on Wednesday directed cable operators in Kashmir Valley to take off air all unregistered channels including those from Pakistan.

The order to implement the directive strictly comes close on the heels of the government banning Iran-based private news channel -- Press TV -- after it aired a report about alleged desecration of a holy book in the United States, that led to violent protests leaving 18 dead.

The District Administration said it was only going by the law of the land and the orders of taking off the channels was passed in 2008.

"The order of banning all unregistered channels has been passed in 2008. We have only implemented it," District Magistrate Srinagar Meraj Ahmad Kakroo said.

A representative of the Cable Operators Association said they received directions from the state administration asking them to take off air Pakistani news and entertainment channels.

"We have also been told to stop airing religious channels, irrespective of the faith," President of the association Mohammad Amjad said.

He said the cable operators have abided by the directions of the administration and so far 19 channels have been taken off air.

Amjad also claimed that the optic fibre cable of the operators and power supply to the transmitters were being snapped off. "We fail to understand who is playing mischief by cutting the cables as a strict curfew is in place in Kashmir," he said.

Kakroo said no channel would be allowed to be aired which is not registered with the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry as required by the law.

"It is not only about Pakistani channels ... any channel not registered with the concerned authorities will not be allowed to be aired," he said.

The state government had on Monday asked the operators to stop airing news and current affairs programmes on local cable channels, which had been curtailed to 15 minutes per day after the present unrest began on June 11.

Meanwhile, newspapers in Kashmir failed to hit the stands for the second consecutive day today due to curfew as the movement of the local scribes and technical staff of the dailies was restricted.

Source: Indian Express

Assam Sound Engineer Excited at Winning Nat Award With Resul

He has been an assistant to Resul Pookutty for eight years and when Amrit Pritam won the National Award along with the Oscar-winning sound artiste for their work in the superhit Malayalam film Keralavarma Pazhassiraja today, his joy knew no bounds.

"He has been my teacher all these years and I learnt the ABC of sound editing and designing from Resul," Pritam said.

He had worked with Resul in the Aamir Khan-starrer Ghajini.

According to the Mumbai-based Pritam who hails from Assam, he worked for nearly five months with Resul for Keralavarma Pazhassiraja.

"For months, I used to stay in the studio from Monday to Friday and went home only on Saturdays and Sundays," he told PTI.

However, there was a small glitch as Pritam's name was not announced in the press conference of the awards today. Meawnhile, Resul has already contacted the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on this.

"I spoke to the ministry and a formal rectification and announcement can be expected in a day or two," Resul said.

Meghalaya Lobby Opposes FDI in Coal Mining

By Supratim Dey

Shillong, Sep 16 : The coal mining lobby in Meghalaya, consisting coal miners and coal mine owners, has opposed foreign investment in coal mining sector in the state.

Voicing concern at a stakeholders’ meet, convened by the state government to formulate a mining policy, the coal miners and owners cautioned the state government that "heavy foreign investment will not be in the interests of local populace".

The state government plans to come up with a mining policy by next month to "systemise" mining activities in the state and to address the health, environment and labour issues. The decision came in the wake of concerns expressed by environmentalists who apprehend land degrade and forest cover depletion owing to the unscientific and indiscriminate mining.

Mining and geology minister of Meghalaya Bindu Lanong said,  "They (local miners) wanted the government to take care of small miners and their suggestions will be considered while preparing the mining policy."

"Amendments will be made in the draft to ensure that the interests of the locals are protected," Lanong said.

According to him, the proposed mining policy will "ensure that the mining mechanism is systematised and inclusive of advanced technology; that is environment and health friendly." The miners’ lobby also suggested the government not to "sidetrack" the land tenure system prevailing in the state where the coal mines are owned by private individuals.

Mining of mineral resources in Meghalaya, which is rich in coal, limestone and uranium, had always hit one or the other roadblock.

Meghalaya has over 600 million tonne of coal reserves, and around 5 million tonne are mined annually.

Meghalaya is the only state in the country where coal miners don’t need any mining lease from the government. Any individual owning coal-bearing land can extract coal and sell it in the market.

The Dubious Korean Connection

By Prasenjit Biswas

The Northeast’s extant form of globalization can be gauged from the forest of antennae and new satellite hook-ups that are exemplified by cable agents who popularize a channel such as Arirang TV.

What sets it apart from, say, Australian TV, Animal Planet or AXN, lies in the “cool” stuff it carries that affects both high and popular cultures in the region, especially Nagaland, Manipur valley and parts of Mizoram.

Even DD-I (the national channel) for the first time aired a Korean drama called Emperor of the Sea and then the MBC hit drama A Jewel in the Palace that had viewers glued to the screen.

DVD and CD shops in Nagaland and Manipur are priding themselves on their collections of Korean films, songs, information about everything Korea, starting from hairdos to Ginseng to cooking styles in mainland Korean households and restaurants.

Often the distinction between North and South is blurred in this craze for everything Korean. At the high table of tribal cultures in the Northeast, some recognize a kind of cultural and racial similarity between Korean and regional lifestyles as projected in some of the TV dramas and serials.

The archetypal Korean film or drama hero, who undergoes emotional ups and downs in the course of life-changing experiences and ends up in severe tragic flaws, fascinates the North-eastern psyche and generates instant identification.

One sees here a distinct and emergent pattern in accepting the Korean life-style which, going by Seoul standards, is in reality far too distant.

Yet in phantasmic and heroic performances, Korean small screen actors, the simplicity and soundness of Korean life, provides a catharsis to the drudgery of existence in the region.

The contrast of worldviews between Hindi pop and Korean sop lies in the latter’s instant appeal in developing experiential connections between producers and audiences across local and diasporic themes.

For example, a theme of the Korean TV show Men of the Bath House, written by Kim Soo Hyun, deals with very ordinary people who struggle in togetherness to keep alive the Confuscian value of sharing both joy and suffering in a common place, a bath house. It also recreates and reproduces the largely Asian cultural symbol of the “bath-house” prevalent from China to Japan that finds its echo in youth dormitories in Nagaland and Mizoram.

The culture of in-group decision-making and reverence for the most intelligent and diligent in a North-eastern tribal village find its more colorful parallel in the work of Lee Joo Hyun, Kim Hee Sun and others in Korean TV drama.

Like the story of how a rich grandmother drives out her granddaughter-in-law and ruins the life of her grandson, who, in turn, wrecks the lives of the women with whom he falls in love with. It evokes empathy for the “victim” as there is a submission of masculinity to the values of fidelity that still rules family life in Korea.

Apart from such TV shows, video parlors in Nagaland and Manipur find many takers for hit Korean films like My Sassy Girl, A Moment to Remember, Windstruck, My Wife is a Gangster, Silmido, Joint Security Area, Sex is Zero (a Korean version of American Pie), etc. Posters of Korean actors and actresses like Gweon Sang-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Jeon Ji Hyun, Jung Da Bin and Song Seung Hun and many others adorn hostel rooms in colleges and universities. Even phraseology determined by Korean dialogue is frequently exchanged on the street and the youth often greet each other with anna saiyo (hello), sarange (I love you), watuke (what to do) and waju waju (yes, yes).

If this symbolizes South Korean up market stuff, North Korean imagery does not lag behind. In Kohima and Imphal, one comes across T-shirts embossed with portraits of President Kim Il Sung underscored by anti-American messages. One even hears talks of the Korean style of baking cakes during Christmas and how mouth-watering Korean bamboo shoots are.

Of course, one also knows the Koreans are not too fond of what the Nagas cherish – red chillis. But however much the Korean kitsch for satisfying a transnational palate is not really included in the North-east context, it has managed to evoke a taste for a decidedly curious reason in the region.

This rapid advance of Korean television might be enough to incense homegrown media circles – after all, how have Korean products acquired such popularity even without any direct cultural, linguistic or ethnic connections – but then there is the undoubted emergence of a “virtual neighborhood” between the Northeast and fellow Asian countries because of spaces having been electronically intervened.

These virtual neighborhoods bring home the taste of other cultures and promote an electronic reproduction of local cultures that purport to make survival possible. They surpass the spatial realm and sustain themselves by flooding the lived-in spaces of North-east tribes to exemplify the concept of connecting “distant shores”.

In analysis, the Koreanisation of the Northeast serves to point a finger at the forces that are at work in Nagaland and Manipur.

**The writer is associate professor, department of philosophy, North East Hill University, Shillong

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Young Mizos Fall in Love With Hindi

Aizawl, Sep 15 : Till a decade ago Mizos were not keen to learn Hindi, but with changing time, the younger generation has become eager to learn the national language, realizing its importance in their day to day lives. Mizoram Governor Lt General (rtd) M M Lakhera today said he was glad to see that during the past few years people of Mizoram, especially the younger generation, have become interested in learning Hindi.

Speaking at the Hindi Diwas celebration function here, Lakhera said, ''People should not have the misconception that by learning Hindi, the cultural heritage and the customs of the people of Mizoram would be harmed.'' The function was organized by Town Official Language Implementation Committee (TOLIC) Aizawl.

Khadi & Village Industries Aizawl director R K Dhamija read out the message of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram during the function.

As a part of the Hindi Diwas celebration and also to popularize the use of Hindi in the Central Government Offices and Corporations, TOLIC will be observing 'Hindi Fortnight' during which competitions - essay, debates, among others would be organized.

People in Mizoram have gradually realized that knowing Hindi could be of great help in the future, including employment and cultural exchange.

''We are the citizens of India. For the integrity of the country, we should learn Hindi. As after crossing Mizoram, we cant even do shopping,'' said C Darlianthanga, the President of the Hindi Teachers Association in Mizoram.

''Till ten years ago, people didn't give importance to Hindi as compared to other subjects and languages. In fact, they regarded the language as irrelevant and of no value since they thought it did not have any prospects,'' Deputy Director of Hindu Education, Mizoram, J H Zoena said.

The government of Mizoram has included Hindi in the school curriculum till standard seven and plans to include it till tenth standard.

Mizoram, presently, has two Hindi training colleges that offer a Bachelor's degree in Education to take up jobs as Hindi teachers to students of standard eleven and twelve.

Tripura Trains Police For Commonwealth Games Security

Agartala, Sep 15 : Tripura is giving special training to its police personnel for Commonwealth Games security.

Personnel of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) have been going through rigorous drills in commando training, hurdle crossing, high wall crossing, climbing and jumping and slithering.

Pranay Sahaya, the Director General of Tripura Police, said TSR troopers were apt for the job because of their training, skills and age profile.

"As far as duties in the Commonwealth (Games) are concerned, I think the level of training, skill, and I believe, general response of the people of this place in terms of my boys, and overall age profile, makes them a very good material for such sort of duties," Sahaya added.

He also informed that following a request from the Home Ministry a battalion(around 1,000 troopers would take up security-related responsibilities at Games venues.

"It is one of the six states from where the forces have been drafted and amongst the northeast, for six companies, it is only Tripura state," he said.

India is expecting about two million visitors in New Delhi for the Games, as well as about 10,000 athletes from 71 teams representing 54 Commonwealth member states, which will be held from October 3 to 14.

The 12-day sporting extravaganza will be India's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.

Mizoram Police to Get Latest Weapons

Aizawl, Sep 15 : The Mizoram state, which has been termed as “Island of peace” is gearing up to procure latest weapons and advanced technology in fighting against criminals and militants.

In this connection the Mizoram police department will soon get ‘bullet proof cars’ by November, a source from Mizoram police department informed Newmai News Network today.

It also said that inspection for the cars and other necessary measures have been taken so that Mizoram police get the bullet proof cars as soon as possible.

It is pertinent to note that Mitshubishi Pajero, Japanese bullet proof cars were brought from Japan and at present they are being maintained by the lone agent, Hindustan Motors at Chandigarh. The cars have been tested by the Defence Research Organisation last week.

It was also approved by the New Delhi to be used by the Indian police.

Meanwhile, the Mizoram Director General of Police informed NNN that once the Mizoram state procures a bullet proof Pajero, it will be used whenever the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Vice President who are categorised as Z+ visit Mizoram.

The expenditures to procure this vehicle will cost around 46.34 lakhs, he said. Besides, in order to equip the state police with modern technology and weapons, 2 companies of Commandos have also been established.

Meanwhile, the police department will also get some of the best weapons.

In this regard, some of the weapons to be delivered to the Mizoram police includes, 90 pieces of Colt M4 carbine manufacture at M/S Colt Defence LCC, 547 New Park Avenue, West Hartfort, Connecticut, USA; 30 numbers of Colt M4 CQB; 116 Berreta 90 two pistol made by M/S Bretta Frebrica d’ Armi, Italy and four Sako TRG 22 (sniper rifle). In fact, Colt M4 is handy and more convenient to carry than a full-length rifle.

Get Rid of illegal Shrines: SC to States

By Bhadra Sinha

New Delhi, Sep 15 : Taking exception to states’ dilly-dallying on the removal of illegal religious structures, the Supreme Court threatened to summon the respective chief secretaries if they failed to comply with directions to remove or relocate places of worship built on public land.

On Tuesday, a bench gave two weeks to the states to file their response, the third instance the SC is giving time to states to comply with its directions.

According to affidavits filed by various states, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of unauthorized places of worship (77,450). Delhi has the least, 52.

The bench lauded Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Mizoram for being “civilized” as there are no unauthorized structures there.

The court is hearing the Centre’s appeal against a 2006 Gujarat HC order for removal of unauthorized structures.

On September 27, 2009, the SC had ordered there should be no unauthorized religious structures on roads, pavements or other public places, as they were inconvenience to people.

In its order, the apex court had put the onus on chief secretaries’ to ensure no further construction took place. The court said the states should deal with existing structures on individual basis after hearing the parties concerned.

From the affidavits, it transpired none of the States have taken effective methods to abide by the Supreme Court order.

Huge numbers

77,450 - Tamil Nadu
58,253 - Rajasthan
51,624 - Madhya Pradesh
45,000 - Uttar Pradesh
17,385 - Maharashtra
15,000 - Gujarat
52 -        Delhi

Municipal Polls: Half of Meghalaya Shutdown

Shillong, Sep 15 : Half of Meghalaya today observed a shutdown following a non-cooperation call by a group of organisations protesting the proposed first ever municipal elections, even as 205 candidates filed nominations in the four municipal boards where elections are slated for September 29.

Educational institutions, business units and government offices were closed and vehicular movement was thin in all the three districts of Garo Hills, officials said adding adequate security personnel were deployed at sensitive places to prevent any untoward incident.

While no picketing activities were observed, West Garo Hills deputy commissioner Sanjay Goyal said the administration has decided salary cut for government officials who did not report for duty.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) had announced a two-day non-cooperation movement in the three districts from today against holding of the elections in the four municipalities of Garo Hills.

The JAC is demanding demarcation of the municipal areas before conducting elections.
Altogether 96 candidates, including 27 women, have filed nominations in the 13 wards of Tura municipality in West Garo Hills district.

55 candidates have filed nominations for the Resubelpara and Williamnagar municipalities and 54 for the Baghmara seat. The last date for filing nominations ended yesterday.

Urban Affairs Principal Secretary Prashant Naik ruled out postponing the municipal elections.
"We don''t understand why they are opposing the elections. They should wait for the court verdict instead of announcing any agitation," he said.

The proscribed Khasi militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) had warned people of dire consequences if they participated in the elections.

Earlier, the Gauhati High Court had issued a notice to the government on a petition by the Garo Students Union which challenged the municipal polls.

Since the Supreme Court notification in 2000, there have been at least two attempts to hold the civic body election in the state but both the times the government could not go ahead due to opposition from certain quarters on the ground that such an attempt will dilute the credibility of traditional institutions in the state.

There nominated administrator of the state government governs the municipality boards.

Meghalaya CM Meets PM For Bangladesh Trade

Shillong, Sep 15 : Meghalaya Chief minister Mukul Sangma on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to facilitate trade with Bangladesh.

"This would be beneficial for both the countries and would help to reduce illegal activities along the international border," Sangma told over phone from New Delhi.

"I told the prime minister that trading activities should be promoted and infrastructure should be improved in the border ares," he said.

Sangma requested the prime minister to take up on a priority basis the proposed railway connectivity between Jogighopa via Tikrikilla, Ampati, Dalu, Baghmara, Dawki and Badarpur through the southern slope of Meghalaya, which would in turn connect the LCSs to Barak Valley and other North Eastern States including Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur in view of huge economic benefit and expected growth of trade and commerce with Bangladesh.

"The alternative railway line is also a shorter option which had taken up with the railway ministry in 2007," Sangma said.Sangma took up issues relating to various pending projects of the Centre including the expansion of airports in Umroi and Baljek on a priority basis to facilitate landing of bigger aircraft.

"I submitted a proposal to Union finance ministry for State Resource Management Programme to be funded by ADB to support health and education in the state," Sangma said.

Northeast Activists Appeal China and India to Stop Constructing Dams

Itanagar, Sep 14 : Various organizations in the Northeast have appealed to both China and India to stop all existing and proposed dam construction activities on Siang River, which is known as Yarlung and Tsangpo in China and Brahmaputra in Assam.

In a joint letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, at least 50 organizations, including the Arunachal Citizens' Right (ACR), have expressed fear that the communities surviving on the river's ecosystem might get destroyed by the politics of water and energy.

China is not only building a series of dams but also diverting water in the upper reaches of the Siang river in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), they claimed.

It would result in massive reduction of water flow that would have irreparable and devastating impact on the ecosystems and the way of life in Tibet, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and in the lower reaches of Bangladesh, they said.

"We also fear that India's effort to build many dams, including the ones in Lohit and Subansiri rivers, is a way to preempt any Chinese dam upstream using the highly illogical view of stopping dams in upstream by building dams in the lower portion of the river," they said.

The activists have urged both the countries to refrain from building any dams on the river.

"This will help build peace and trust between the two countries. Building dams on Siang or in Yarlung and Tsangpo will therefore be considered as seeking conflict," the organisations added.

Some Martyrs From Northeast Ignored by History Books: Handique

New Delhi, Sep 14 : Some martyrs from the northeast who had participated in the freedom struggle against the the British had not found their rightful place in history books and historical writings and this should be corrected, a central minister from the region said Tuesday.
There was considerable resentment against this in the northeast,

Minister for Development of the North East Region (DoNER) Bijoy Krishna Handique said while delivering the keynote address on “History as a window - Understanding North East,” at the Jamia Millia Islamia.

“There should be some recognition of these unsung heroes…The ways of history cannot be corrected but the inadequacy of historical writing can be corrected,” Handique said.

He said the northeast was a “complex region” and made “more complex by lack of understanding of issues”.

The minister said there was need to understand the psyche of the people and respect their sentiments of giving recognition to freedom fighters from the region.

He said the challenge of multi-cultuarlism was not unique to the northeast but it should be studied to understand issues concerning the region and devise a strategy for the future.

Mizoram Chief Minister Pu Lalthanhawla said that the successful Mizo accord can serve as a model peace process for other parts of the country.

The accord was signed in 1986 between the central government and Mizo Nataional Front (MNF). Lalthanhawla had quit as chief minister following the accord to pave way for an interim government headed by MNF leader Laldenga. He had been in and out of office since then and again became the chief minister since Dec 2008.

Lalthanhawla said a spirit of give and take, a willing bureaucracy and total involvement of civil society can make peace accords succeed.

He said the peace process in Mizoram was simpler as there were no multiple ethnic groups in the state.

“Peace, development and governance are closely related. Imbalance in one disturbs the other,” he said, adding that if the mindset of people can be changed, half the battle for peace was won.

Lalthanhawla said the northeast was “least visited and most misunderstood area” of the country, adding there was “a huge communication gap between mainland India and the region” more due to a mental block than geographical factors.

Pointing out that the northeast had a vibrant tradition of local self-government, Lalthanhawla said the region needed more schemes like the national rural employment guarantee scheme to empower the rural masses.

DoNER secretary Jayati Chandra said that bright minds from the northeast who had honed their skills outside the region should also look at the option of returning.

She said that while the government’s per head contribution in the northeast was greater than in any other part of the country, there was virtually no private investment.

She also said that more students from the region should opt for technical courses.

Jamia Millia Islamia vice chanellor Najeeb Jung said that the northeast should be better understood in the rest of the country.

“That is a concern for Jamia. That’s why a centre for northeast studies has been started to focus on the region,” he said.

The vice chancellor said the university was keen that more students from the northeast avail of its courses.

Sanjoy Hazarika of the university’s centre for northeast studies said that development in the region had shown unique flexibility. He said India’s Look East policy should be routed through the northeastern states.

NEEPCO to Upgrade 3 ITI’s in Northeast India

Agartala, Sep 14 : The North Eastern Electric Power Corp (NEEPCO) will take up three more industrial training institutes (ITIs) under the centre’s ‘adopt an ITI’ scheme to meet the growing demand for skilled manpower in the region, officials said here Tuesday.

The state-owned corporation will adopt one ITI each in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.

NEEPCO last year had adopted two ITIs- one at Halflong in southern Assam and another at Dirang valley of West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Under the ‘adopt an ITI’ scheme, a public sector organisation becomes a partner and upgrades an ITI by developing its infrastructure, redesigning the curriculum in consultation with the concerned state government.

‘The main objective of the scheme is to meet the demands of skilled manpower in the developmental projects in the northeastern region,’ a NEEPCO official told IANS.

Brahmaputra Overflows, Assam Flood Situation Critical

Guwahati, Sep 14 : The flood situation in Assam turned critical Tuesday with the main river Brahmaputra crossing the danger level at several places, taking the total number of displaced people to 500,000 in 10 districts, officials said.

A government spokesperson said floods have spread to 10 districts with the worst hit being Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Morigaon, Golaghat and Barpeta. Two people drowned earlier this week in separate incidents while trying to escape the fury of floods in eastern Assam.

‘More than 500 villages have been badly affected by the floods so far in 10 districts,’ the official said. An estimated 100,000 people are now displaced in Lakhimpur district alone, about 400 km east of Assam’s main city Guwahati.

‘Most of the flood-hit people are now taking shelter in raised platforms, on railway tracks, and also in government schools and offices so far untouched by the floods,’ a district official said.

A Central Water Commission bulletin said the Brahmaputra and its tributaries were flowing above the danger mark in at least eight places.

Gushing floodwaters had breached at least four vital mud embankments in the state.

South Asia’s largest river island of Majuli in Jorhat district has also been hit by the floods with a breach in a mud embankment reported Monday night, leaving thousands of people stranded on raised platforms.

Over 50 villages in Dhemaji district have also come under water.

Measures are being taken to plug the breaches in the mud embankments.

‘We have sounded maximum alert and have already kept disaster management teams on standby. We are also taking stock of essentials and other commodities in the district,’ Assam relief and rehabilitation minister Bhumidhar Barman said.

The 2,906-km-long Brahmaputra is one of Asia’s largest rivers and traverses its first stretch of 1,625 km in China’s Tibet region, the next 918 km in India and the remaining 363 km through neighbouring Bangladesh before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.

Call to Develop Infrastructure Along China Border

By R Dutta Choudhury

Guwahati, Sep 14 : Though the decision of the Government of India to deploy two additional battalions of the Army to improve vigil along the border with China is a positive development, there is urgent need for developing the infrastructure along the international border to deal with any eventuality, said former GOC of the 4 Corps of the Army, Lt Gen (Retd) DB Shekhatkar.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, Lt Gen Shekhatkar, who is well versed with the ground situation along the border with China in Arunachal Pradesh, said that the Government of India should have initiated steps to boost security measures along the border long back.

He said that though the Government of India is trying to maintain cordial relation with China, the lessons learnt from the 1962 war should never be forgotten and India should always be ready to face any eventuality.

Lt Gen Shekhatkar said that said that for years, the need for increasing the strength of the Army was felt and only now the Government has decided to deploy two additional divisions. He said that the decision to create a battalion of Arunachal Scouts is also a positive development and hoped that the personnel of the battalion would play a vital role in guarding the country’s borders. He said that there should be at least two more battalions of the Arunachal Scouts to deal with the situation.

The former Army officer pointed out that the Ladakh Scouts are doing a commendable job for years and hoped that the Arunachal Scouts would be able to emulate the achievements of the Ladakh scouts. He pointed out that the personnel of the Arunachal Scouts would be well versed with the ground situation and the stake of the local youths in guarding the frontier would be much higher than anyone coming from other parts of the country. Moreover, the creation of the battalion would provide employment opportunities to the local youths, which is also a positive development, he added.

However, Lt Gen Shekhatkar expressed the view that India is still lagging behind China in infrastructure development along the border and only increasing force deployment would not help in case of any eventuality. He said that priority must be given on construction of new roads leading to the international border to facilitate movement of men and machinery whenever required and there must be multiple entry points to the forward posts along the border. At this moment, only one road connects Tawang near the border with China and if that road is blocked, India would have a tough time, he pointed out.