What's happening?

Today was the vote for electing commissioners for Imphal Municipal Council. Local body elections are always somewhat low key. But it was so low key today that I suspect that there is something very wrong. For the ward(11) I’m living in, I even don’t know how many candidates are in the fray. Not a single candidate came to my house(also, to my neighbourhood) for seeking votes. Not even by using public address system. I heard only one candidate using the public address system only once or twice on the road. That’s the only candidate I came to know of his candidature!

In the past elections, all the candidates made it a point to come to every house in my neighbourhood and shake hands with all the male members of the households. And for every election I did know how many candidates were there in the fray and who was most likely to be elected.

Do we see some kind of an emerging trend here? Do we see the first glimpse of an undercurrent trying to emerge into the centre stage of our society?

You know, most of the time I’m in state of a pretty conspiracy theory. But this kept me thinking all day long.

You may also think that people are bored of local bodies elections as there is no funds for them and the ministers are not in moods to hand over the key for State funds to anyone elected to the local bodies.

Wrong.

Ward no 24 is always on the focus for Imphal Municipal Council election because it is the place for Moirangjao Kabui. He is some kind of permanent chairman of the Council. For many younger commissioners it has been a one point agenda to dethrone him but all they accomplished was to drag him from the chairmanship for one year the most. Then, Moirangjao will slip back into the chairmanship and this, he has doing over and over again. I guess he has gotten some expertise peculiar to the management of the council and when the crunch comes, every commissioner, irrespective of party affiliations, depend on him for problem solving.

There have been no meaningful challengers to Moirangjao at his ward. But this year has been declared a ward reserved for woman. For local bodies election some seats are reserved as ‘only women’ candidates—where the contestants are all female. They identify such seats by draw of lots for every election.

I came to know all of this as I passed through the ward no 24 area daily on my way to a small library.

Last Sunday, there was public meeting in the ward attended by big shots of Congress party for the Kalanchonglu, who I bet is the proxy for Moirangjao. There I heard that Imphal is among 60 cities selected for some centrally sponsored programs to improve city infrastructures in a targeted time frame. The speaker was coaxing all his workers for more attention because Imphal would have a lot of funds for development.

This news must have not escaped all those aspiring commissioners in my (and neighbouring ) wards where the election was so low key that it seems almost bizarre.

As an aside, try to remember the name Kalanchonglu for some days. Some days later you will agree with me that it’s such a beautiful name. Try that.

My broadband news.

My broadband news is actually a bit stale but worth telling afterall.

When I was contacted over the phone and my details noted down, I waited for about 10 days for the registerd lettler to reached me. But it did not come to me. Then, I rushed to the post office and asked the postman of my area if any registered post from the BSNL was there undelivered. He took time to look up all the undelivered letters but the mine was there.

There must be something terribly wrong because BSNL’s office and the postoffice is two neighboring buildings.

So, I again rushed to the BSNL office and met the guy handling the broadband files. After shuffling several files he found out my demand note in a registered post went out of his desk on 12-05-06. He told me to wait for the letter to be delivered to me. But at the last monment he told me to check the matter in the despatch section. I went there and promptly told by man there on the despatch desk that all the letters from 08-05-06 was still in his desk because a machine broke down. I came to know only then that some machines were needed for despatching letters! He told me the machine would be ok in some days and after that, he would begin despatching all the letters.

I returned home—what could do in such a situation?

The demand note, in a registered did arrive on 26-05-06. It was dated 12-05-06—it took 14 days to me, barely 1 km from their office! The note said that I should pay them the amount on or before 27-05-06.

Again, I rushed to the BSNL office with the money but they refused to accept it. They said that I should wait for at least one month. Why?

Because my area is covered by Imphal Exchange and all the 40 connections earmarked for it were snapped up by the consumers. They further informed me that, out of the 40 for Lamphel Exchange more than 10 lines, and out 10 for Khuman Lampak Exchange, were still available. But they said they are adding another 100 lines for the Imphal Exchange and they would do that in a month’s time because they had already started putting in the hardware parts.

They said that I should come around the last week of June and then I would get my broadband.

Again, I returned home—what could I do in such a situation?

Mafyf.org goes live.

www.mafyf.org goes live.

2 days back when I read a news item telling me that mafyf was going to launch a site, my feeling was like this--'hey, is it going to position as some sort of counter point to siphro.org?'.

May be, I was too conspiratorial.

But keeping a site is about keeping it update. Let's see how they do that.

You know,Mafyf is a pretty active civil society organisation ie, a CSO!

What will become of my phone?

There have been incessant rains since 3’4 days back. And the people in a small privately-run library I’m visiting daily, look out in the rain and mutter-‘I know s flood is coming’. It is amusing –people talking about drought and then, flood again!

Now, the rain has stopped.

But in the afternoon, levels of river Nambul kept rising on and it sure must have eroded its banks. Because a big banyan tree fell across the road into a house. It is some 5/6 houses down the road.

My first reaction was what will become of my phone because my phone cables come from that direction. Mercifully, it was working.

By evening, police parties were posted at the road ends and the road was completely closed.

I think it is going to be a major clearing job in the next few days. I only hope that my phone remains as it is now—working!

Just joined the email campaign by Somi Roy.

I joined the email campaign by Somi Roy. My email text is:

__________________________________________
Hello Zakir,

We grew watching you on TV. What impressed me most was that you looked refreshing, modern amidst those traditional musical instruments and the accompanying traditionalist-looking men and women.

Refreshing, modern and a star.

But, lately, you are hurting the feelings of lot of people. That’s very unlike of you.

Everybody is asking for a public apology. I think that gives you an excellent opportunity to introspect. Introspect like this:

“Is this really me, Zakir Hussain? Zakir Hussain, the icon, having such a filthy mouth??”

C’mon, Zakir, filthy mouths suck.
__________________________________________________
I sent that to Somi Roy.

But something is bothering me a lot now. I first heard about the email campaign from Bem cross posting here. That’s about 10 days ago. But that did not move me to do anything. Last night, I heard about it again in E-pao and that prompted me to write to Zakir Hussain.

How is that so? Something you find in a personal blog is less important than those found in a portal? A portal is more imposing but not certainly more trustworthy. So?

I feel really bad about this.

But I had to go back to Bem’s post to get the email id of Somi Roy—E-pao do not have that id!

Thanks Bem.

Meet Suman Negi

Ms Suman Negi is the star of the Manipuri-style digital films of the cow belt. They call it the VCD films because, I guess, they don’t bother to exhibit (by using digital projectors) in the theatres. Instead, they simply sell the CD copies at the price range of Rs 20-40 per copy.

They are made in one of the Bhojpuri style dialects of the cow belt. The beauty od such dialects is that any native Hindi speaker can understand them.

The centre of such films is in Meerut and it employs around 500 people. In Manipur it is employing around 3000 people.

The latest hit, of course, starring Suman Negi, grosses a cool Rs 2 crores. Sure enough, it starts attracting some talents from Mumbai.

But why on earth is this happening in the cow belt? They have Hindi films ( from Mumbai) just made for them. Bollywood films either portray the ethos of the cow belt or the intrigues and high dramas of the wealthy Rajasthani families. For that matter, anything mainstream is for, and about, them.

As the cow belt is apparently in need of a ‘homegrown’ medium of cultural expression like these VCD films, is it to be inferred that Bollywood films are ‘foreign’ to them? Just like the mainstream political parties like Congress and BJP can’t function as the platforms for expressing their political wills, is the cow belt seeking a Mayawati or Mulayam Singh of a film identity?

This is a very interesting question.

Because scratch any politician, industrialist, academician or intellectual of the mainstream India, you will find beneath a irrational bully who firmly believe that Bollywood films are the most effective tool for what they call ‘national integration’---that’s the most effective tool for bringing about cultural homogenization. But if the people of the cow belt who happen to be the model on which the homogenization is to be carried on, starts feeling that Bollywood films are ‘foreign’, what will be fate of that tool of homogenization? Is this tool being challenged from the centre itself?

Very interesting.

But one point is very illuminating.

In the cow belt there is a tradition of filming (by video cameras) the crude theatrical renderings of the mythological stories, mostly on religious functions. And they sell the CD copies of such renderings. Those what they call the VCD films are riding on that tradition.

Manipur’s digital films are also riding on the tradition of Manipuri theatre. May be, it is the point of intersection of that robust tradition of Mnaipuri theatre and the empowering digital technologies.

Perhaps, this explains why we don’t see any emergence of digital cinema in many small ethnic communities which, we suppose, would demand a vibrant such cinemas. Apparently, they don’t have a tradition to fall back upon.

This brings up a very interesting premise:

You need traditions to absorb newer and empowering technologies.

Interesting. Very interesting.

I found the Suman Negi story in yesterday’s Times of India, NE edition. Times of India’s archive is a weird place. I’ve not been able to find anything I searched for—so far! But, I guess, you can still try yourself—you may even be rewarded with a picture of Suman Negi in a choli!

>> To the people of Indonesia: As a simple (and well meaning!) blogger I can be of little material help but my heart goes out to you all. Remember, we’ll be with you all the time<<

8 days in the life of an editor--2

After meeting the chairman—it was the evening of the 12th May—we found that the escort party for the following day’s return journey was already there waiting for us. I struck a conversation with a sergeant major of the escort party—‘Your senior (leaders) tell us that the route for the return journey is comparatively better. Do you know something about it?’

Pat came the reply—‘Better indeed! It will be a survival test! Tomorrow’s route will sure break the back of even Tarzan, the lord of jungle!!’

One among us asked him again—‘What about the leeches in the particular route?’

Quickly came forth the fitting reply—‘No problem. There will be no problem about the availability of leeches—we’ll be literally swarmed by them!’

His good repartee charmed us all and made us laugh a lot.

What heir senior leaders termed as the better and less exhaustive route happened to be just that—survival test. You stopped walking just for a moment then the leeches swarmed you. These we found out early in the morning of the return journey. Most of the time there was no road at all—we were traveling inside deep into gorges after gorges.

I still remembered—that’s when first came into contact with on our onward journey—one cadre speaking into his walky talky. He said—‘Sir, 13 bags of rice just arrived. It’s late now. Readying for drive up tomorrow’.

Instant later, we came to know that 13 bags 13 media men—we were code-worded as 13 bags of rice!’

For Rohit Khanna, who is 113 kgs of bulk, their code word was 2 quintals.

Still another cadre talking into his walky talky apparently to their senior officers—‘Sir, there is one 2-qtl bag. Being driven by 4 units’.

2 qtl bag meant Mr Rohit Khanna and 4 units, their 4 cadres attending him.

The cadres are all youngsters—they are undergoing the very hard life of the jungle leaving behind their sweet and comfortable homes—they are undergoing that hardship voluntarily for fighting the Indian Army. Why?—the question makes my head spin. But the answer seems to be so simple—it’s the motivation.

When on the road, just talking casually with them, another sergeant major said—‘We are undergoing all these hardships not monetary gains nor for the betterment of own families. It is for the supreme cause; we are constantly, incessantly moving towards achieving that cause’.

You cannot just enroll as a cadre of the MPA. First, he is to be tested for his good moral character and for the depth of his ideological moorings. If he passes that test, then he will be recruited—the sergeant major told us. But they are in no way involved in recruiting cadres—recruitment is the job of UNLF—they are serving as the army—he further said.

If a young man can pass that formidable initial test, he is given 12 to 18 months military training. He is to be trained in the use of all the modern and sophisticated arms, including artillery and he is to be hardened for the rough jungle life. If he comes out of the training successful, he can now become a private of the MPA.

What about the undisciplined acts committed by the cadres? A cadre told us like this—for some undisciplined acts committed by him, he was ranked down and finally disarmed. He could more or less tolerate the ranking down punishment but when his weapons were taken away from him, an active army, he felt like that was the end of the world. From day onwards, it had been his supreme effort not to get involved in any undisciplined act.

They had reached the place where they thought we were no longer in need of an escort—they were about to turn back into the jungles. At that moment, I felt that I was departing from something intangible—I was so saddened by those mellow feelings of departing something. I had to fight back my tears. I could not find words. I could not find words which measured up to the hardships they had endured when escorting us to and fro and my words—would they ever be able to bond with vibes of those fighting men? I could only managed to awkwardly hug two of them and mutter under my breath—

“ Be careful”.

When backed at home, one particular thought keeps totally engaging me. Why don’t our political leaders yet come to the term with the fact that they are readying for a fight in the jungle NOT because they are unable to find jobs or, the victims of unemployment. NOT because they belong to a disadvantageous section of the society or the victims of the proverbial third world poverty. The cadres we have met have such dedications to a cause and are so suffused with so a high morale but in total denial of these realities, they are being labeled as ‘misguided youths’ or ‘dissatisfied brothers or youths’ by our political leaders. Such labeling or caricaturing leads inevitably to empty slogans—‘come over ground/ come to the table for pursuing dialogues for peace and prosperity of the society’. Why don’t our political leaders come out of the traps of such slogans and instead initiate the formulation of a political approach for moving towards a settlement?

8 days in the life of an editor--1

I’m translating a write-up by Hijam Rajesh, editor of the Manipuri edition of the Sa-ngai Express. I’m less interested in the subject of the piece than the prose itself. It is one of those you find only occasionally which transports you to the scene the piece is dealing with.

I don’t know if I can keep that touch in tact in my translation. But I’m trying my best.

The piece appeared in the 24th May 26, 2006 edition of the paper.



It was the 12th May. The scene: Tactical headquarters of the 293rd Battalion of MPA, the armed wing of the revolutionary outfit, UNLF inside the verdant jungles of the South East Manipur. My part: Meeting Mr RK Sanayaima, chairman, UNLF. Taken together I’m certain that it’s a milestone in my life as a reporter or a media worker. I guess all other media worker in the team have the feeling as I do.

Meeting chairman SanaYaima there in the middle of the no-roads land but still constantly ‘welcomed’ by the pre-monsoon rains, is, I’m repeating, is a milestone in my life—but meeting those MPA cadres who were escorting us there, to and fro and, spending 8 days amongst them, makes my journey there much more than just a milestone.

My point is not to project the combat fatigue clad MPA cadres there as kind of supermen, nor to extol their lives there as joyous one touching the primal nature perhaps with shades of Shangri-La. But it is to convey my feelings formed during those 8 days.

There were two objectives for our journey that started on 7th of May: One was to directly investigate the conditions of the livelihoods of the villagers along the Indo-Myanmar border and the other was to meet some important leaders of UNLF. I can’t say for other members of the team but for myself I have absolutely no prior knowledge—that’s before we reached the place—that we meeting SanaYaima, the chairman himself.

The members of the team, besides myself, include Irengbam Arun, editor, Ireibak; G. Robindro, jt. Editor, Poknapham; Yumnam Rupachandra, associate editor, Gagan, reporter cum cameraman, ISTV; Shashi, correspondent, Rohit, producer, and Rajesh Bhardwaj, cameraman, CNN-IBN; Snaju, correspondent, Inaomacha and Ingobi, cameramen, NETV; Phanjoubam Santosh, cameraman, PTI and Hemanta, editor, Eikhoigi Panthung.

In the morning (of 7th May) we left Imphal on a Tata Sumo. We spent the night in a place called Hengshi in Chandel district. We of the taste buds for spicy and rich foods had to cook whatever we could lay our hands on and eat that too!

On the 8th May, we came into contact with MPA cadres. That day also saw the start of the journey through the dense and mountainous jungles—escorted by the cadres. We were with the same cadres until 15th of May when they escorted us back to a place where they thought that we would be danger zone.

The scene that descended upon me was the total opposite of the perceived images of them. They were clad in combat fatigue and never lay their hands off the assault rifles for one moment in days and in nights. But they were so respectful towards others and their degree of dedication to a cause really touched me—I was drawn closer to them.

I was drawn even more closely towards them when we reached their tactical headquarters. By then, my admiration for them had also gone several notches up. Those young men almost snatched away my muddied t-shirt and track pant—coz they wanted to wash them for me! I tried resisting that—private laundry is meant to be for myself—but I was disarmed by their hospitality shown to a guest, that is, me. Presto! My t-shirts and track pant were before me all cleaned up white—that is, on the next morning.

On the way to the meeting with the chairman and again, way back after the meeting, their helping hands were there for us—ready for anything, anytime. When climbing down mountainous slopes, there was one cadre was behind me and another in front, literally wedging me to prevent accidental falls. When we happened to confront impassable tracks, they made roads for us. They would not let us touch any heavy objects—they insisted on carrying them themselves though they were already burden by the arms and ammunitions. On the 9th day, constant walking took the toll of us—even our thick jackets became too heavy for us—they even took such jackets from us to become the ‘burden of beasts’ themselves!

Among us there was one who is 5’ 11” in height and 113 kgs in weight. He is none other than Rohit Khanna, producer, CNN-IBN. On one particular day we were climbing down a steep hillside when it suddenly started raining. Besides being supported by a cadre in front of him another was desperately trying to weigh him down to keep the balance. But the sheer steepness and slipperiness of the slope got the better of him—he fell flat on his bottom. The cadre wieighing him down behind him, flew over him, all together with his assault rifle and fell flat on his face!

The very bulk of his heavy body is itself a burden for him already. But four of those cadres were keeping a constant vigil over him to avoid any accident.

One reporter was too tired to use his feet—he sat down, legs in front and just slide down the slippery slopes!

I like this even more!

Well, I like this even more.

I like this

I like the following comment (so long!) from this blog. I’m fairly regular to that blog but it’s the first time that I meet the commentator, JMC. I’m re-producing nearly half of the comment. If you like to read in full, here is the link.

___________________________
"When nativists and racists talk about preserving white american culture, what excatly are they talking about?..what is white culture? If we trace back cultural origins of white americans to their ancestors would they reflect anything of their contemporary decendants? It seems to me that white culture in america is really the shedding of cultural ties and taking new ones."I'm not David, and I'm certain he'll get to you, but, I do have some thoughts that might help as a result of my personal expeience at the center of the cultural hurricane. First some background:My mother was english(anglo-norman) and german(pensulvania dutch). My father was-God knows what, I never knew him-but there is no shortage of ignorant wankers wanting to"tell me what I am":black, hispanic, indian, whatever ancestry triggers anxiety in the observer of light tan skin. Lovely for UV protection, but makes individuality a bit opaque. Ethnicly I am of Eutropean decent, but it wasn't until I embraced my working-class roots and fried my dark brown hair punk blond that people actually see ME most of the time. Really, it's strange. My features-european/mediteranian/hispanic/god-knows are exactly the same, my speaking patterns-mostly coastal with a bit of British working class-though I get a bit toff understress, exactly the same. And my dress-subdued urban punk with a bit of goth, exactly the same, but now I'm blond, and, even though it's obviously fake, people are nicer to me. I'm open to any explainations for that one.Now to Matt O.'s questions about "white culture":Very perceptive. The "culture" specififcally being adopted is usually commerialism or rabid nationalism, both pathetic substitutes for ethnicity. Part of the problem is that, in the States, there seems to be a higher than normal level of confusion between ancestry, ethnicity and nationality- even amoung the "educated liberal" set. Briefly:Ancestry is who your genetic ancestors are. It includes genotype-your actual DNA, and phenotype, the DNA you express, or your appearance.Ethnicity is the cultural group your were raised by/ were influenced by and--most imprtantly--that you identify with.Nationality is the political/ economic govermment entity managing the country were you maintain citizenship. For most of human history people rarely traveled farther than five miles from their place of birth, so they usually married/mated with someone who looked more or less like them. Thus, for most of human history ancestry, ethnicity and nationality were the same thing. This is no longer the case.As to "white culture", I have always maintained there is no such thing. It was an invention of the wealthy landholders in early america who needed an excuse to say they were better than the Indians. Think about it; they came from an aristocratic system where they could always say they were better than the lower classes because of "breeding". And they certainly weren't going to walk their talk on "all men are created equal". What and admit they're better off because they have land and money?

It's unconditional.

Do you know that all the trucks going out from Manipur are all empty? They are fully-loaded only on their return leg. Whether it is from Imphal to Dimapur or Guwahati or Silchar, it is a tremendous waste of resources—like, fuel, the truck itself and the manpower aw well.

But that inefficiency itself throws up a quirky opportunity for consumers of the trucking services. It is far easier to engage a truck for the goods to be transported to Imphal from Dimapur, Silchar or Guwahati. Particularly for Guwahati to Imphal goods it is quite a hassle for finding trucks and the price is also higher.

But in Imphal you can just go any petrol pump on the highway and engage a truck at an attractive price. You go with the truck, load the goods from Guwahati and immediately set out for Imphal. This you can do in 3 days—that is a pretty efficient service.

Several years ago, when I owned (actually co-owned with a partner) a shop I used to go on such trips on countless occasions.

What I’m trying to tell you is about the relationship of the truck drivers with the hills and mountains on which they are traversing back and forth all throughout the year. You know, the highways here are always in state of repairs mostly by Defence Ministry sponsored work forces.

Whenever we came across such work forces using bulldozers or heavy machineries for cutting and repairing, most of the drivers cast a wicked sideway glance towards the direction and hiss under their breaths—

‘Hell! They are all scarring up my hills! To hell with them!!’

Yes, they were all the time using the words ‘my hills’!

My two anecdotes ,of course, are in the domain of personal encounter of a private citizen. I’m not asking anyone to draw any particular conclusion from them.

But, personally, I strongly suspect that I had actually stumbled upon the tip of an iceberg of Meetei’s love for the hills and mountains surrounding them.

Anatomy of this love is like this:

1) Hills and mountains, including those tiny hillocks scattered throughout tour valley should be absolutely owned by the hill men and you are in total agreement with this arrangement.

---The people of the valley reply that the arrangement is just ok for them—‘we only want to just love those blue hills’.

2) All the natural produces from the hills and mountains are absolute properties of the hill men and your only option is to buy them

---ok, ok—‘We love the hills’.

3) More then 33% of the State’s power apparatus should be totally reserved for the hills and you can do nothing about that.

--‘Just allow us to love the hills!’

Is there a term like ‘excessive love’? I’m not sure it is virtue or vanity on the part of the valley men to love the hills on such scale.

Whatever. But they sure get mad whenever someone (like Muivah) tries to act funny with their object of admiration—that object they love so UNCONDITIONALLY.

That I’m from the valley does not mean that I’m shying away from just saying what I feel about this matter—

Why should anybody prevent me from loving the hills—it’s totally unconditional and I’m not asking absolutely anything in return.

On collision course

The banner reads like this:
______________________________________
“WELCOME TO SOUTH NAGALIM”

Mr Ibobi Singh,
Hon’ble CM, Manipur.
_______________________________________
That was how the Chief Minister was welcomed at Senapati district headquarters. He was there to attend a district level Congress party meeting.

This news together with a photograph picturing the banner was headlined in most papers today.

We are back to the square one. Whatever the term they use (like, Nagalim) or whatever the political move (like, those talks in Amsterdam or Bangkok), the underlying idea is the same—tribals’ supposedly absolute (should we call it ‘unique’?) hold over their lands. In other words, whatever that portion of lands that happened to be touched by tribal simply morph into something altogether unique! Well, I’m not trying to be intentionally frivolous but I’m a bit weary—tired of taking sides in the never-ending question of tribal and their lands. May be, it’s our destiny. Or, even a horrible legacy.

I’m implying that people on the hills are being rational whenever the question of their ‘hills’ pops up. They claim ‘absoluteness’ in their possession of the hills. (Well, everybody knows that there is no absolute in our galaxy, at least—everything is relative!)

But what about the people in the valley? What are their gut reactions whenever the question of ‘their’ hills pops up?

I’ll try to take you to the point nearest to the hazy contours of the answer by forcing you to immerse in some of my personal anecdotes! That’s the most a blogger can do, isn’t it? May be, in some creative moments in our lives, we may even try to intellectualize the premise that we are left to confront with only the hazy contours of the answer. I mean, why should we be able to see only the hazy contours?

So, here we go!

My youngest sister did not give a damn about craps like activism and she was not even bothered by what we call the social responsibility of a private citizen. She is perhaps one of those people who think that you should do an honest job in your profession and be a good human being—then you are more than contributing to your society.

At that time, all she bothered was how to get her Ph D degree in the least possible time and then, to get a well-paying job. She has four or five friends just like her.

On that occasion, she and her friends went to the mountains inside Ukhrul district, to collect specimens of plants and herbs, I guess, for their Ph D theses.

When they returned in the evening they all trooped into our house (which was quite normal for them) and plopped into the sofas. The uneasiness in their eyes and clouds in their faces told me immediately that something was terribly wrong.

I was worried. But I waited for them to make the first move.

After several minutes tense silence, one of them blurted out—

“Why. They have cut down all the trees. They have all scared our hills!”

I was really taken aback by the intensity of the voice of that apolitical lot of theses seekers!

Well, I’ve to conclude this tomorrow. I don’t like long post.

Yeah! The Conclusion

Does the state of the economy have a functional relationship with the availability of nutrients to its people? Definitely, it does. Everybody reads about it day in day out—the malnourished children of the poor societies of the world and, on the other hand, the epidemic of obesity in their richer counterparts. It is almost a black and white situation.

Our society is also poor—with a lot of problems in its body. It’s not a wealth-creating society. So, we have unemployment, insurgency etc as symptoms.

But I’m in a twilight zone. My friends and my relatives and my immediate acquaintances are not poor. Most of them have reasonably good house, cars and all those household appliances of a modern home. They are also earning well and are not skimpy, either.

Like my friend whom I was having dinner with. He has several sisters—married and still unmarried. Though they may not be the hippest, they are among the most beautiful faces in the whole of Manipur. They are also very popular faces but I won’t name them. Because I don’t know if they would it or not. My point is when they were growing up, their parents simply stick to our good old tradition—I mean, unthinkingly—and there they are—fair, beautiful and very fashionable.

They are parents now but they are holding on the same tradition minus several of its best features chipped away by the forces of relentless societal changes. They are not in position to just stick to our tradition—unthinking.

They have to make some hard-nosed choices. But they are doing that. On the macro level, our society is not doing it either.

Why? In trying to answer this, I’ve to first remind you this disclaimer—this is not a research paper—I may also be wrong in my conclusion.

Rather this is simply a result of personal interaction with his immediate acquaintances and friends. More like a personal anecdote of a private citizen.

So, I’ll give you a personal anecdote. All of my four sisters have masters degree, one even having a Ph D degree. But when they enter the kitchen, they usually leave behind all their educations at the doorstep. Whenever they boiled something they never lowered the heat when they reached the boiling point. I had occasions I still remember when I said that they would save a lot of cooking gas by lowering the heat once it reached the boiling.

They all said they wanted to ‘boil it hard’. To me, ‘boiling it hard’ is very much symbolic of womenfolk of this society leaving their education at the doorstep of their kitchens.

This is not meant to be a snide remark against the womenfolk of this society. They have much more better track record than their male counterpart—even in sports. And personally also, I grew up firmly believing that man should take up 50% of the burden of the kitchen. As an activist, I even believe in the emancipations of women from the four walls of kitchens!

But approach at random any woman who is nearing 40 years of age. Most probably, she would have problems in raising her arms in full. She would say it aches when trying to raise her arms in full and this is because of age—but she is not even 40!

There is widespread vitamin b-complex deficiency in the womenfolk of this society. That’s why they have such widespread problem in their limb joints. All they are eating is fish—those eating chicken is still small in number and red meats are still a strict no no.But menfolks eat more than enough red meats in picnics, parties etc. Red meat in moderation is very good source of Vitamin b-comlex.

To conclude, I’ll give another personal anecdote. My only aunty, who has crossed 55 year s of her age, belong a rich and very respected family.One fine morning, she simply could not get off her bed—because she could feel her legs. They were paralyzed.

When I reached her bedside she was better—she could move her legs. Looking at the empty vials at the side table revealed that she was given emergency concentrated shots of Vitamin B-complex. Further fiddling inside the boxes containing the vialsbrought out a short printed prescription. It clearly said that the shot must be only on emergency situation. If that emergency situation sets in, there is much likelihood of some mutations having already occurred in the cells because of the prolonged and chronic Vitamin B-complex deficiency. Which may even result in the cells becoming carcinogenic.

When I reached home, I went straight to my sister’s to convey my bewilderment at the gravity of the situation. My idea was that my sister thus informed would in her turn would contact her cousin—my auntie’s daughter—who would try to prepare the groundwork for drastic changes in her diets. That would be gentlest way of implying the c-word, mentioning it being considered a heartless act!

But my sister simply eyed me as if I was a devil and said—‘There you are! Sinking yourself in the cesspool of bullshits! Don’t!!(Tamosima! Adugumba wathi waremdu touranuba!!).

It was one of those rare moments in your life when you feel your steps being frozen in time—you are totally incapable of taking a step forward.

Another point

This ‘another point’ concerns a situation which is truly alarming in its implications. It’s about the school-going kids. Almost all of them (except for some minuscule percentage of kids whose parents have the time to bring them to schools) have to give finishing touches to their home works (which are carried over from the previous night), take a bath, get dressed and stand, with their heavy backpacks, on the roadsides waiting for their car pool. Their car pools, in turn, never have the time to wait for any kids who are not already standing there waiting.

All of these tasks have to be accomplished latest by 7.30-8.00 in the morning. Whatever a little amount of foods they can manage to put into little mouths, I suspect, serve only as the psychological props which are needed by their parents to think that their kids are indeed eating. Nothing more than that.

What about their Tiffin?

In most of the cases, tiffin consist of one boiled egg, an apple and some noodles plus a 10-rupees note which the kids use up buying junk foods in the schools campus.

But, they urgently need all the nutrients for their rapidly growing up muscles, bones and brain cells. Looking from this angle, it is truly an alarming situation—we are indeed witnessing an emergence of a whole new generation which is under nourished in all sense of the term.

Incidentally, in yesterday’s papers, I saw a photograph which show some foods in a tiffin box—it is to be distributed free among school children in the UK as a part of a Government run programme. Much like midday meal in school here. But even a cursory look at the tiffin in the photograph brings out the prominence of fruits.

But here midday meals for the school children means feeding them with boiled rice. From the rice supplied by the government from it’s badly maintained godowns. So badly maintained that anything inside them is in different stages of rot. It’s sheer madness to feed the children with such low quality foods. And I bet it is not the case of UK being a richer country than India. I mean, at the moment, there are a lot of funds from Govt of India for school children—the confusion is most probably in the domain of lack of knowledge of what constitutes a properly nutritious pack for a kid. Lack of actionable knowledge, I mean.

Here, I’ve to remind you again that in our way of life rice occupied (and still does) the centrality of our diets. But—it’s important—rice was supported by fresh fish and vegetables and sprouts and, of course, by fruits, though the last item do not directly enter our kitchens, meaning they are eaten outside our kitchens.

And, what about now? Let me give you a personal anecdote. Recently, I was held up in a friend’s place for some business and, as it was getting late, he insisted on having dinner with him. I was sitting down with whole of his family—his sons, his sister, his nephews (no wife because he was separated from his wife as his sister was from her husband). Discounting that there was lesser amounts of rice because there was a guest (big portion of rice is extremely unfashionable!) their plates contain too little of everything. There is no way that kind of foods should give all the nutrients required by a growing kid. One particular kid, a nephew of my friend’s, took exactly two mouthfuls of rice, pushed away his plate and announced that he was full! I was indeed quick to ask him to eat a little more but his mother intervened saying that it was the trend for the present-day kids. She even said, with a tinge of pride, that she saw documentaries in TV showing the ‘same trend’ even in the kids in UK! All this time, the kid simply sat there watching us and munching his packets of potato chips! I wanted to shout that there were some serious eating disorders in that child. But I was a guest, you know.

My friend, who is educated and smart, is also equally blind to the fact that such kind of foods would not make his sons into full-bodied men. Such magnitude of deficiencies would serious retard them in every wakes of their life. They would not be equal to the tasks that are demanded of them in the more competitive of their times.

Hey, this post is becoming too long. I promise to give you the conclusion tomorrow. Promise!

Hold of tradition over me.

Ideally, the majority opinion of this society should boil down to the idea that we are really in a very peculiar condition.

In itself, it is really peculiar—come to think of this, fruits refuse to cross the doorstep of every Manipuri’s kitchen!

But our society is carrying on with its age-old tradition of making foods as if there is not something amiss.

Obviously, tradition blinds us all.

It is really, really amazing that such hold of the tradition over a group of people would always need shock therapy methods to shake them off their slumber. Even if it is not shock therapist in the usual sense, I’ll support what I’ve just said with a personal anecdote.

Months ago, there was a lively debate about religion in a yahoo group(Majipur-diaspora). I don’t mean to highlight the debate itself but I’ve to tell you about it as backdrop for what I’m going to say right now. There was one Jim Au, who is an American of Chinese extraction, kept insisting that Manipur needs Christianity for its development. He kept comparing us with the Pacific islands people. Of course, he was a born again Christian and I suspect, he is one of those whom Americans term as Christianist. There are a lot of similarities with Christianists and Bin Laden followers—except in that Laden followers are dour and insist on exploding themselves up whereas Christianists are sophisticated and subtle.

Jim Au visited Manipur several times in his mission in spreading the gospel.

I’m taking this liberty to mention his name here because that particular debate took place in a public forum.

In the course of the heated debate he mentioned in passing that most people in Manipur are suffering from acute nutritional deficiencies.

That ignited a vigorous questioning inside myself. And I began to look into the crowds here and there with, let’s be honest, the eyes of Jim Au. Only then, I can see the widespread nutritional deficiencies in Manipuri people. In fact, it’s horrifying to see so many people not getting the minimum nutritional requirements.

You can easily see them in people’s face—those face stains, blemishes and complete lack of glow. But for myself also it needs the eyes of man who has to come from 10,000 kms away and crossing many oceans, to come face to face with those deficiencies that is happening all the time in front of my own eyes.

Such is hold of tradition over a man—it erected a completely opaque wall between me and the happenings around me.

I intended to make a conclusion today itself but I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ve still a point that needs a little elaboration and I want to do that elaboration as separate post to highlight it.

An inconvenient truth. Or, is it?

At Ito’s Joi there was a very lively discussion about climate change. Here is the link.

Another bsnl outrage

Last night, I encountered yet another bsnl's planned outrage.

As I had already typed out the following last night, I'm posting it now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

I bet you still remember that little revolution brewing up in my kitchen!

I’m not saying that Manipur’s tradition of cooking and her dishes are not good enough. Best dishes are also found in her tradition. Regarding nutrition also, we have one of the best traditions. For example, we usually do not consider a meal complete without some sprouts. See now, eating sprouts is just becoming fashionable in other parts of the world.

Our tradition also supported eating a lot of fruits.

When we were in school, we used to eat such copious amounts of pomegranates, mangos, apples. Back then, we did not know about antioxidants. But we sure ate a whole lot of fruits which are good sources of antioxidants. By apple I mean ‘heitup’.

Even in Keisampat area, which is considered to be one of the areas right in the heart of Imphal, we usually could gather enough sprouts of various types of plants and prepare with them various types of ‘singjus’.

A typical day in our childhood unfolds like this:

We were in morning school. We returned home by around 9 am. We had our light meal.

Around 10.30 am it was the lunch time. With that womenfolk of the household packed off their husbands to their workplaces. Only after their husband left did the womenfolk of the household have their lunch followed by scrupulous dish washing.

After this, they usually took a short nap.

The end of such naps usually came around 1 pm. Then the womenfolk of nearby four or five households gathered in a convenient house and then, the time had come for ‘hei and singju party’—

Of course, laced with lots of gossips!

But unfortunately, that ‘hei and singju party’ remained a ‘hei and singju party’—it never morphed itself into something that could be fitted into a private kitchen. So, a typical Manipuri dish nowadays has no fruit component at all.

Now, every woman wants to go out for work even if it is for some nominal salary. And, we are slowly transforming into a gated community.

So, the social conditions for ‘the hei and singju party’ have effectively been killed and with that, come the sad demise of such party.

Now, one of the most common prescriptions of doctors is –‘eat some fruits’.

Most of my friends say they want to include some fruits into their dish but they always ask—‘how?’

We are in a very peculiar condition.

I’ll come again with this topic tomorrow—I’ll try to conclude it then.

Malini as seen from Imphal

At least one Imphal paper (Ireibak) reported today on Malini Bhattacharya’s comments on her just-concluded visit to Parbung and Lungthulien.

It quoted Ms Bhattacharya as saying that she had saw some indirect signs of the mass rapes but it was the task of the court to ascertain if the rapes actually happened or not.

But the reports on Times of India led us to believe that Ms Bhattacharya had more or less committed herself to believing that the mass rapes actually happened.

I read Times of India daily and I trust the brand Times of India.

But why should I get such a totally opposite messages from two reports on the same subject?

This is pretty bad and I’m totally confused.

Fonts and all other thingies

I want to change, at least, the font of my blog name. But I’ve not been able to do that since the 17th of April. As soon as, I saw my blog for the first time I didn’t like the fonts of the blog name, my name and the locations. Even if it takes some time and I’m completely new to it, I can wade through the html codes. The crucial thing is that I could not (still, can’t) find the font I wanted.

I’ve in my mind the font I want but I can’t remember its name. When I bought my first computer, I regularly used that font. But the computer I’m using right now (my second) have enough word processing and publishing software but they have not got that particular font. They have so fewer numbers of fonts now. It’s certainly a letdown that the newer software should have anything less than the older versions.

And, most of my posts are kinda beta! So many errors crept in that I’m fed up of correcting them afterwards.

But I’m so in a hurry. I never can finish eating my dinner and brushing my teeth before 10.30 pm. I’ve been trying to do that by 10 pm but I simply can’t manage that. So, if you bundle the tasks, of thinking out, and, typing, a post and hobby of reading several blogs in a time frame of one and half hours, you simply become sloppy. Well, I’m not saying this for everybody but I’m certainly struggling.

Typically, when I return home it is nearing 7.30 pm. And I can’t eat dinner by 10 pm because I’ve to cook that dinner. Why?

Because I live alone. Is it such a big deal that I should tell you of this? Personally, I don’t think so.

Besides, it’s not my choice. Both of my parents died at the comparatively younger age of 55 when I was still at college. I’m the only son with four sisters. So, with both of my parents gone, I had to step in as the bread earner of the family. Then, I had to marry off my sisters as well.

My youngest sister married off nearly 3 years back. About that time, all my sisters were hell bent on insisting that I should marry first and then, my sister.

But I had relationship problem then.

Again, it’s not so a big deal that I’m living alone. But one interesting (I’m even willing to term it as ‘very interesting) consequence is in the kitchen. That I’m the only son in the family means that I never cook.

So, when I found all by myself in a big house and a deserted kitchen, I was not encumbered by any tradition of cooking. I cook the way whatever the papers, particularly the Times of India, tell me of what they term the newest and healthiest methods of cooking.

So, is it a need to be less encumbered by a tradition to let in newer ideas fast?

Or, is it that you need to be touched by all other traditions to let the newer ideas in?

Or, is it simply tradition vs. newer ideas?

But today it is becoming too long a post. I’ll so it tomorrow, again in a long post.

So, be sure come tomorrow and listen to me telling you about the brewing revolution in a lonely man’s kitchen!!

Some links during the bandh!

Just when we are beginning to relax a bit in reaching the endpoint of a bandh another bandh actually started rolling in. Today’s bandh ended 6 in the evening. But another bandh happened to start from this time till 6 pm tomorrow.

This bandh was called by a handful of people who were not satisfied at the way this government handled the recruitment process of an Indian Reserve Battalion. But why should anybody bother about this handful of people? How can such a small number of people hold hostage an entire population of a State?

The answer lies in the minds of private truck and bus owners. All the time they want to play safe and withdraw their vehicles from service as these are the easiest targets for the arsonist supporting any bandh. So, there is the inevitable disruption in the movements of people and goods. These set off a chain reaction whereby merchants and shopkeepers also down their shutters—they are bored to death keeping their shops open without customers coming in.

And bandh organizers are very much particular in giving threats to cinema owners not to do business on the bandh days. This completes the circle of keeping folks indoors—most probably in front of TVs, in card games and of course, partying.

But all said, today’s bandh seems to be one those rare type in which majority of the public voluntarily choose to stay indoors.

I tried to play catch up with my readings. But I could not touch Lawrence Lessig’s ‘Free Culture’ the ebook I downloaded from here. It has lying there unopened for, how many days?—may be more 50 days. Tomorrow is another day—so I’ll do it tomorrow itself.

What attracted my attention most today is this paragraph—

>>Beijing's harsh treatment of the popular house churches has enhanced their image abroad as bases of political dissent and harbingers of political change. Some scholars, such as David Aikman, author of the new book "Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power," believe that the rise of Christianity might lead average Chinese to accept liberal political values and to demand that their government do the same. Aikman even suggests that, as China becomes more Christian and thus more liberal, it could become more willing to cooperate with the United States on international issues. <<

I’m not very much interested in religion per se nor do I believe that Aikman is correct in his assessment. I may not be even interested in politics as in real politic. What interest me most is the anatomy of the forces that are likely to give new direction to a society, I mean, any society. If religion is one of such forces, then I’m interested in religion.

And another thing is that the above paragraph is from the blogpost of my favorite blogger, Mr Roland Soong. You know, I would not be able to resist shoving some of his blogposts in your face from time to time! You have to bear with me.

May be, you are also interested in reading Mr Soong’s three parts series on ‘Religion in China’. They are here, here, and here.

Imphal is cold!

It is cold here.

The sky is clear--actually starry. Not a cloud to be seen.

But cold--I've to pull out some woollen clothes from my closet!

Actually, a feeling of winter! Not a mosquito here. Where have all thsoe mosquitos gone? Like in Winter!

Wrong again

Malini Bhattacharya actually talked a lot about rape.

She said she had met all the 21 rape victims. They complained of pains in their parts, irregularities in menstruation etc. So, inspite of total lack of primary evidences like medical reports, she was sure that all the 21 girls were actually raped.

But, she also said that the case was not about rapes and rapes only.

She said that it was about cruelty.

Cruelty meted out to innocent women and children.

So, don't be surprised when there happens to be a shift in focus from 'rape' to 'cruelty'.

Cruelty may just be keyword--the new keyword!

I read this in Times of India, 14th May edition, copies of which reached Imphal this afternoon only. So, the fault is not mine.

Just a film--but not for review!

Yesterday, I went to a movie.

I’m actually in a mood to do a good review. But, not for this film. I chose to see it for its director. I want to see at least a film for every director.

This film is the first Moirangthem Inao-directed film I’ve seen. The name of the film is ‘Leihourage’. The lead actors are Sadananda and Binata. Supported by Denny, Manda and Sunila. Kind of a multi-starrer.

I’m not certain about this. But the film was showing in a packed house. Is it because of yesterday being a Sunday? I’m not certain.

The film was so constrained by the use of a single camera in some crucial scenes. Those scenes cry for three or four cameras—well, that’s my opinion. I’m not an expert here. Being a Moirangthem Inao-screen play, the dialogues are very good. But that single camera cannot (how can it?) keep pace with dialogues .So many DV camera are here. Why don’t they three or four cameras for some of the scenes?

Last heard, Manda was about to get married. By now she might already be a married woman. In this film itself, her mind seems to be somewhere else. It’s distressing to see her in that mood.

The leading lady, in some scenes, reminds me of Goldie Hawn. But this film is about romance. Then, you safely say that it will be one hell of a romantic movie!

I’ll see the first films coming my way by the directors Romi Meetei, Chou-en-lai (yes, the spelling is correct! I even saw a movie by Homen D’wai!!), Gyaneshori and another lady director, whose name I can’t remember right now.

That will be three films.

Then, I’ll see the first film coming my way which is a Gung-starrer. He is the hottest hunk right now.

In between these four films I’ll try to give you a good review.

It's malini.

The name is Malini Bhattacharya, not Nalin chatterjee, as I had said earlier. She is the member of National commission for Woman, who had been to Parbung for two days.

Today's Telegraph carried a very brief reported quoting her saying that the army should be kept deployed as long as it is necessary.

Not a word about the rape cases.

Shower, shower!

Today, Imphal got its much needed shower for about 30 minutes, followed by just drizzle all the way.

You know, people are getting nervous. There is even talk of an impending drought.

On so many occasions, there were these developing signs of a good shower. Then the rain came for some minutes—can you believe that? For some minutes there were splatters of rainfall. Then, the sky became clear and even the clouds fled so fast!

Those were quite a spectacle.

Today’s shower even if some 30 minutes only is much better. It even brings the temperature down. Now, I’m even wearing a jacket!

Apple the fruit.

So, the people connected with apple the fruit have not deployed any keyword alerts. May be, they have no online presence (Please see my archived post—‘Himachal apple=health hazard).

That may be the reason why I could find so little when I searched the web for it. All I could find was that its systematic farming was initiated by one American—Stoke is his last name. As usual, I can’t remember his first name. It was back in the 1900s. Even though I can’t remember his first I can still remember one Vidya Stoke, who was a minister in the BJP government in Himchal Pradesh. I think she is a relative of this Stoke. I also found out that there is one Asha Sharma, who is his granddaughter. She wrote a book—‘An American in khadi’—about this Stoke guy.

I thought of searching for Asha Sharma’s email ID and asking her if she knew something about this zinc derivative which is reportedly used extensively in the planting of apple in Himachal Pradesh.

Somehow, I did not proceed further. I keep thinking of the propriety of emailing her, even if I can find her email ID. Ideally, I should email someone who is directly involved in the trade or in the farm. But how do I find them?

Eating an apple, a pomegranate, a tomato and an onion is a good daily plan. Neat and simple. By this plan you can your daily dose of required antioxidant. Now, how will I start assembling a fruit regiment that will adequately supply me the daily dose of antioxidant?

There is a lot of information about calories, vitamins and minerals contents of the fruits available here. But when one comes to antioxidants I can’t any useful informations.

So, I’m off to finding more of antioxidants here.

Tomba and me

What I’m going to say is not against any religion, not about religion at all. Anybody should have the liberty to freely choose his/her religion—I firmly believe in that.

This is about societal changes. Those changes might have been brought about by religion, economy, politics or geopolitics. But it’s about changes in a society.

Like Tomba, we are all born, and brought up, in this particular societal milieu. There must be a story of this society and its changes. Stories about its trials and tribulations. Stories of its defeats and victories.

The story of its journey from its birth.

But so long ago people in this society firmly believed that the story of their society directly flowed out of Mahabharata. In a sense, they believed that the story of Mahabharata was the story of their society. Like, they were directly descended from Arjun, the blue-eyed boy of Mahbharata.

Not just mere workshops but decades of conventions, acrimonious debates, series of books—for and against etc could only bring this consensus that the Mahabharata story is a skewed one.

Some very interested people projected that story for some God knows purposes.

The case of Manipuri cinema is in the same vein as that of Mahbharata story.

Prof Nabakumar talks of ‘line of our living and thriving society’( see yesterday’s post—Tomba, its ilk and workshops). But as we are dealing with cinema here, it’s more appropriate to talk in terms of ‘the line of the imageries thrown up by our living and thriving society’.

As a living and thriving society, it must throw up imageries in its every second of its daily grind. Imageries of its trials and tribulations. Imageries of its defeats and victories. Imageries of its subjects in love and romance, in joys and sorrows, in mourning and celebrations etc. But the present –day filmmakers refuse to find these imageries and hence, they are clueless about the ‘line’ the prof is talking about.

Or, they may be incapable of feeling and touching those imageries precisely because, as the Prof says, as they fail to intellectualize the uniqueness of history, our geography and our culture.

So, they are living in a constructed world of borrowed imageries from Bollywood, Hollywood and many other cinemas.

Workshops, for that matter, any other device, must be fully utilized to act as the catalysts for enabling the filmmakers to begin their personal pursuits to intellectualize the uniqueness of history, geography and culture.

C’mon, Tomba, meet me at future such workshops and try at least to listen well. Be a good listener!

For my part, I’m ever ready to gatecrash any other workshops that may come up in future.

Parbung and National Woman Commission

Yesterday, Sangai Express carried the news as headline—one member of the National Women Commission landed in Parbung for two-day stay there. She arrived there straight from Aizawl. I can’t clearly remember her name. Is it Nalin Chatterjee?

The report also said that Rajkhowa Commission had provided all the facilities for medical check up of the girls in Parbung itself. But nobody came forward.

Now, it said, at least three girls had submitted to the commission medical reports furnished by an Aizawl hospital. Fishy, isn’t it?

I expect the report to be carried by some, if not by all, of the papers today. But none did. Again, a surprise.

Broadband guy

Remember my application for broadband connection?

After submitting the technical feasibility report to the ‘concerned officer’, I met the guy at the desk for the third time today.

At the first meeting he told me to come on Monday.

At the second meeting, he said it was mandatory for him to send me the ‘demand note’ for charges for installation, price of modem etc by registered post. I was surprised and asked him if there was any mix up in the procedure. He said no and it was absolutely mandatory for him to use the registered post.

Today, I went to him to inquire if he had dispatched the demand note by registered post. He said yes and told to wait for the note coming my way by registered post!

But after reaching home, the guy at the desk rang me up and told me that due to some mix ups my demand note was not dispatched yet. He said that my application form itself was somehow misplaced. Surprise!

He calmly proceeded to ask me all the details already furnished in the application form like date of birth, address, type of product etc. He took nearly 15 minutes on the phone to note down all details.

Finally, he told me that he would dispatch the note today itself. He also told me that the initial amount payable to them for the service is Rs 3870/-. No, I didn’t ask him the break ups—I can always wait for the details to arrive by the registered post, can’t I?

After he hung up, I got the feeling that that my application form itself was there in his desk all the while and he was verifying the details over phone.

Why is this verification necessary?

Tomba, his ilk and the workshops.

As Tomba had implied yesterday, is there any further need to inculcate the finer points of our culture to the people who were born and brought up here? After all, the filmmakers directors, actors, screen writers are all born here and, also brought up here. The culture of this land must be ingrained in them and that should be reflected in their creative products like films.

Tomba is raising a very intriguing question here.

I’ll come to this point tomorrow.

In the related topic, isn’t there any fruitful purpose served by the workshops( as tomba and his ilk have implied)?

On the two previous workshops, Film Forum, Manipur asked its affiliate members to suspend all works related to filmmaking (of course,not including exhibition of films in the theatres). The idea was to bring together all those connected with Manipuri films under one roof for two days and discuss things.

Both of the two workshops were very well attended and almost everybody having anything to do with films in Maniipur were in attendance.

You don’t ask me. But I’ll say it anyway. So many beautiful people so tightly stuffed in one room, even if it were for only two days,it let you feel that world is mostly of Technicolor things—let’s say, both animate and inanimate! C’mon, you got that feeling!!

I could feel that most of those present were enthusiastic about finding the identifying characteristics of Mnaipuri films. But HOW?

It is a big question and till now it remains as it is—just the question.

But if that’s the beginning of a quest, we have already made a tremendous stride.

I also went there burdened by this ‘HOW’ and I can assure that I came out a little enlightened. Both the workshops were fruitful. How, you may ask?

Sample this:

---We need to intellectualize the uniqueness of our history, our geography, our culture. The creative people connected with our films should be such a man or woman. If that’s the case, the line of his/her creative products like films must intersect another line of our living and thriving society. At just this point of intersection, we can find the identifying characteristics of Manipuri cinema---.

These are the words of Prof Nabakumar. I don’t know his full name—everybody just call him Prof Nabakumar. He is serving Head, Department of Anthropology, Manipur University.

He was one of the moderators in the workshops.

I think he has given us the staring point.

(Dear Tomba, are you listening? Even in the workshops itself, most of the people did not pay heed to the words of this good professor. Now, dear Tomba, don’t miss this chance!).

Shhhh......Tomba is here!!

As we had anticipated yesterday, there is one longish letter to the editor in Poknapham today. We have to note here that letter to the editor is just below the op-ed and anybody reading Poknapham won’t have any chance to miss the point that there have been continuous three-part articles since R K Bidur’s op-ed.

And the writer of the letter is, who else, one Tomba! Of course, the letter completes the circle that R K Bidur’s op-ed was meant to initiate.

I’ll try to give a separate gist for each of the three articles.

But first let me try to translate—
‘Manipuri filmgi oipham thokpa mashak’.

May I do it like this—
‘The identifying characteristics of Manipuri cinema’?

R K BIDUR
By the very nature of cinema, it is likely to be untenable to seek the identifying characteristics of Manipuri cinema, for that matter, of any other societies as well.

(But we have Hong Kong Cinema exactly because there are some identifying characteristics for them. Likewise, Bollywood, French cinemas etc. There are even some differences between a Hollywood flick and an indie film. Here R K Bidur fails to convince us. Though I’ve to disclose that I’m quite biased here. I’m all for finding those identifying characteristics for Manipuri cinema).

It is wrong on the part of the government of Manipur to give permission to screen the digital films in theatres because they are only meant for video parlour.

(The world is witnessing the slow but sure shift in the distribution of cinema—the shift is towards digital distribution. Some of the Mumbai-based film distribution companies are seeding digital projectors in theatres of the they call the c-class township across West Bengal, parts of Bihar and UP. One Chennai-based start-up is going in for satellite distribution in collaboration of Hughes. So, here we have to say that R K Bidur is not well informed of the technological changes taking placing so rapidly)

The Government of Manipur is shirking off its responsibility to promote Manipuri cinema.

(What we can say about the relation between a government and the cinema of the society? We choose to call R K Bidur part of the old guard for some reasons,isn’t it?).

MEGHACHANDRA KONGBAM
His first point is in the same vein as the second point of R K Bidur.

His second point—now Manipur cinema has absolutely no chance of winning a national award. Because we are going digital which is completely different format from other regional films competing for the national awards.

(Well, everybody knows that national awards for regional films are some kind of quota system—last year Tamil, this Malayalam…like that. Personally, I don’t care for those awards.)

TOMBA(Who are you?!?)
He is very explicit on all the points on which the above two are absolutely diplomatic.

He says we have no equipments for digital film making.

(Is he referring to hardware?).

So, let’s call the present digital film as video films. Video films’ place are in video parlours—not the cinema theatres.

(What can we say about this?).

Anybody born in Manipur should be well aware of its culture. That awareness should, as a matter of fact, be reflected on films. No further efforts required to educate anybody connected with film about Manipuri culture.

(Is he saying there is no further need for workshops?).

Are the Old Guards going public?

Yesterday, it was R K Bidur. Today, it is Meghachandra Kongbam. Writing about Manipuri cinema. Both as op-ed on Poknapham.

I’ve this feeling that it is not just a coincidence that two of the foremost amongst the old guard of Manipuri cinema chose to write on two consecutive days. (Will there another of the old guard on op-ed tomorrow as well?).

The old guards of the Manipuri cinema are up to something mischievous.

Before the birth of this blog, I attended (I gate crashed is more appropriate!) two workshops on the theme ‘Manipuri filmgi oipham thokpa mashak’. Both were held at Knagla Hall, inside the historic Kangla. The first workshop was jointly organized by Hericoun and Upf and the second, jointly by Hericoun, Ipsa and Upf. Both events were made possible, by the active participation of, and, in collaboration with, Film Forum,Manipur.

The three organizers are what you civil society organizations and I think they came into the film scene only after that hue and cry about the banning of films by some rebel groups. Film Forum is the apex body of the film fraternity of Manipur.

The last one was roughly one month ago—and the first, about three months back. I can’t even remember the month.

Kangla Hall is excellent, despite it being of corrogurated sheets roofing and brick walls. It stands amidst the green lawns and trees. A little auditorium surrounded by greens everywhere. But what is most surprising is that there is no traffic noise. Instead there actually is sense serenity there. Imagine that in the very heart of the town. I may be a little awed by all the history behind the place—but it is really good place. I can easily say that it is the best venue for any of the workshop, seminar, discussion etc that I have ever be able to attend—so far.

Both the workshops were scheduled on a 2nd Saturday and the following Sunday. On both the Sundays the organizers even managed to give everybody present a really good lunch. The lunch was provided by a group called ‘Eikhoigi Chakshang’—they hoisted a banner announcing that they are the best caterer in town. They were providing a service which may be easily described as ‘controlled buffet’. They gave free hands for the rice—anybody with a plate can take any-size portion of rice. It’s pretty symbolic of this society, isn’t it? And for the other dishes there is one waiter attending each—they just dropped a measured portion of the dish on your plate with a ladle!

So, the 2nd Saturday and Sunday are on the 13th and 14th. Are we going have another of those workshops on these days?

Are the old guards of the Manipuri Cinema placing their stakes publicly ahead of such anticipated workshop?

Cell phone explosion!

Imphal is seeing an explosion of cell phone usage.

Even yesterday at the hospital my sister announced that she would be buying one.

At around we were all relaxed the my nephew was having only a typhoid fever. Just then her younger son rushed in with one of his uncles. He pouted looking at the busy-looking doctors and anxious-looking patients’ relatives—all talking furiously into their cell phones.

Still pouting, he demanded—‘Mama, why don’t we have one of those?’.

Even his father jumped in to announce that he already have the de-activated sim card of the much sought after bsnl network. Last time I heard such cards are spawning a black market—a simple pre-paid card getting as much as Rs 3000/- at the black market!

Most of the parents of college-going girls are more than happy to give them cell phones. They are convinced giving their daughters cell phones makes them stay at home most of the time. They are delighted to find their daughter cutting down on going outs after getting their cell phones.

Teenaged girls are meeting their friends over the cell phones—like in a chatroom!

So , this explosion is sure to gather further momentum.

He is better.

My nephew is better but is still in hospital.

Yesterday, he was in delirium and lapsed into spells of incoherent talking. And the doctors suspected that might be the loss of memory indicative of encephalitis.

And his mother was weeping. She was also weeping on the phone—it was not yet 5 in the morning when she had called me to her home.

But at around 10 am when he was admitted in the hospital (Imphal Hospital and Research Centre—privately-run one) and was being given a series of medications, I became suspecting something altogether different.

It is indeed a small world—I met so many friends there at the hospital. His father and mother met even more friends there! And every one of those ‘friends’ wanted to his bedside and said—‘Get well soon’.

But just the opposite happened. Every time a man or a woman came to his bedside he became more convinced that there must be something really wrong with him. (That’s why everybody wanted to meet him!). This anxiety apparently translated into the severity of the delirium and talking spells.

So, by around 11 am, I simply put a chair at the door and talked every body into not entering the room!

He is in his pre-teens.

He is obviously growing up a very sensitive young man.

I've a crisis

My nephew was hospitalized.

At some point the doctors suspected him a case of encephalitis infection.

It was a tense moment. Everybody was alarmed.

I myself did not want to leave the hospital until it was confirmed not an encephalitis case.

At around 6 in the evening it was confirmed to be a case typhoid fever.

It was almost 8 at night when I reached home.

Dead tired.

Himachal Apples = Health hazard?

Why is it that Times Group always seems to throw up cool stuffs for me? It was in Economic Times that I found out an Israeli scientist saying if an adult could eat an apple, a pomegranate, a tomato and an onion daily, no disease would come to him.

I immediately like the idea and just started the daily regimen of eating the above four plus a lemon.

With this fruit regimen in place, I also cut down on my rice—almost to 1/3 of what I used to take. Because I substituted rice with four flat breads taken with moong dal cooked with the onion and the tomato.

Cutting down on rice is really good. Now, I’m what you call lean and mean type. No flab—absolutely not!

Then, a month back, I went in for brown rice. Becoming better and better!!

What I eat for the dinner is what you brown bread( that is, made from atta). But, what I eat for my breakfast—the sliced bread is all white bread (made from maida). Imphal has no sliced brown bread.

When everything seems so ideal, something nasty just happened.

A friend of mine told me that what we eat as an apple is in fact full of a zinc derivative. Zinc derivative! He explained that the chemical itself was administered at the final stage of plantation of the apple plants. When such plants bear fruits they have much longer shelf life. That’s how apple grown mainly Himachal Pradesh can be transported all over India without using any cold chain and that too, in the Indian heat.

Come to think of this: From the farms to the wholesalers must be a several-days cycle. Then, several days of train journey. In our case, 2/3 more days of truck ride. Then, several more days in retailers’ shelf.

All these do not pass through a single cold chain. This is possible only because of the Zinc derivative, my friend told me.

What do you think of this?

For my part, I stopped eating apples. Then, pomegranates. (Manipur pomegranates last for some months in a year, that too because of lack of cold chains).

The title of this post—Himachal Apple = Health hazard?—is deliberate. I want to see if someone in business of Apples has, by any chance, some keywords alerts on the web.

2.5 G : By Airtel

Airtel formally launched its mobile service here yesterday.

They said they would, within the next 2 months, be the no 1 player here. Bharti has excellent corporate culture. But, can they do that?

Another thing is that they claimed to have started their service riding on the 2.5 G compliant network. It would result in better voice clarity, they said.

2.5 G means the network can support data transmission. Like EDGE? Or, do they have a product like r-connect of Reliance?

Tomorrow, I’ll be going to BSNL office for my broadband account. I’ll try to meet some Airtel people as well.

But where is their office?

Another Monday

I again went to the Junior Telecom Officer for my broadband account.

Remember that fellow saying that he would submit the technical feasibility report by Monday last? When I got there the report was still in his desk.

He wanted me to photocopy some official papers. I obliged. Went to the room where the photocopying machine was running furiously. But the caretaker said there were no papers and I had to bring papers. I said it was JTO’s official papers. He told me to bring papers from the JTO!

I went out and took the photocopies at my own cost.

He attached the report to the just photocopied documents and said that he would submit them to the concerned officer today!

I asked him if I could carry the sealed envelop to the officer myself.

After some hesitations he agreed and I finally submitted the report to the concerned offcer.

This concerned officer took the enveloped, tore it open, examine papers inside and said—

“Come on Monday”.

Another Monday!

NYT or WaPo!

I nearly posted with these lines—‘ Poknapham said it’s Washington Times. There must be some mixed up in its newsroom. The paper must be either New York Times or Washington Post’.

At the last minute I did a google search for ‘Washington Times’. Only then I came to know of this paper. I have never heard of it before.

I quickly deleted the lines and made the post. Search engines are so helpful.

The only way Poknapham got wind of the paper and publication of the story by it, must be that they might had helped in filing the reports when the reporters from this paper were in Imphal.

All in all, it was a good story.

Today also only Poknapham could a carry a photograph of CO of 57, Mountain Brigade running away, with a ‘surrenderee’ firmly in his grasp, from the court house and from the scores of meira paibis, who were giving him a hot chase. It was funny seeing a so a high ranking military actually running away from some women!

Again, a good photogrtaph. No other papers could capture that moments.

There was real firefight between Burmese and Indian armies.In Moreh.

That was back in January this year.

Today, Poknapham ran a story about this firefight quoting Washington Times.
Back in January it was the most bizarre incident here. I vividly remember posting about this in a Yahoo group(Manipur-diaspora).

Summary of that post (depending on my memory) runs like this:

1) There was a bomb blast in Namphalong, killing a Chinese shopkeeper and injuring many people. Namphalong is across to the Burmese side at a Moreh check post at India-Burma border.
2) There was a second bomb blast, after a gap of some days—I think it’s 2 days—I can’t remember it clearly.
3) Then, the Burmese Army sealed the border and closed down the border trade. I can still remember the subdued moods in the Moreh market in Imphal.
4) The Indian Army shot one Haokip in his both legs and accused him of being an accomplice to the bomb blast. He died on his way to Imphal for hospitalistion due to excessive bleeding.
5) There was a huge protest meira paibis.
6) Around this time, one or two newspapers reported the incursions by Burmese army personnel in Moreh town. It was reported to happen at around midnight and they carried off two men to Burmese side. And there heavy gunshot fires just after they crossed over to their side. The fate of the two men cannot be ascertained.

Today’s story in Poknapham has more details:

1) It was around 10 pm, Jan 14 when 25 personnel of the Burmese Special Action Army crossed over to Indian side in Moreh town. They were guided by 5 Manipuri rebels who were dressed as the Burmese Special Action Army. The identity of the group to which these rebels belong was not disclosed.
2) They went to the office-cum-residential quarter of the Burmese Solidarity Organisation. They are the pro-democracy Suu Kyi supporters.
3) The armed men just grabbed at the three men and forcibly started taking them towards the border.
4) At the border they encountered some Indian Army troopers. One of the three men of the Burmese Solidarity Organisation, Nying U ran off towards the Indian troopers. Then, there ensued an intense firefight between the two armies.
5) Nying U managed to escaped and told this story to the reporter of the Washington Times.

There was also the meeting with Dr Thura, leader of Burmese Solidarity Organisation in Imphal. He accused the Indian Army of its complicity in the kidnap-drama. He said that without the covert support of the Indian Army Burmese Army personnel could not just crossed over to Indian, that too in night time. He also accused the Indian Government of more interested in pleasing the generals in Rangoon.

What is most intriguing to me is the timing of this article. Poknapham said it was published in ‘Washington Times’ in its 29th April 2006 issue. Why dig up a story which was three months old?

The main thrust of the story seems to be that Indian Government is actively hobnobbing with military junta in Rangoon and its support to the pro-democracy movement in that country is just a hollow talk. The message is—the Government of India is not supporting a movement for restoring democracy in its backyard.

Is this story intended for those lobbies in the power corridors of Washington who want to scuttle the ongoing nuclear pact between New Delhi and Washington?

The coming of a new man!!

Rajkhowa Commission has scheduled a 2 days sitting at Churachandpur. ( It is either 15-17 or 25-27 of this month—I can’t remember it).

When we say that Parbung incident is a direct outcome of the insistence of some tribal leaders to maintain the status quo and to safeguard the subsidy, are we being politically correct? Are we repeating the cliché?

After all, from the times of Nehru onward there has been constant harping on this theme. What they have called the ‘ossified society’( ossified in the sense that they are trying hard to maintain the status quo) and the need, to gently nudged them towards change and modernity and hence, of the policies of reservation. (And now the politics of reservation!).

Do these people have the absolute right over the land s they inhibit?

If not absolute, are these people and their lands need some specially designed laws, partially deviating from the established rule of law applicable in the rest of the State?

By the law of this land, they are given just that right. By such law as that one which forbids any people from the valley to own even a square inch of land in the hills.

Then, why these questions need asking anymore?

Because, some agencies which do not accept the laws of the land are becoming very vociferous in the valley.

I’m not saying that rebels are good. But we have to accept that the rebels, however bad they are, are part of our society.

The dynamics of this vociferous rebellion in the valley have their ripple effects in the hills exactly because we are neighbors, living side by side for many centuries.

Can the hills leaders prevent these ripple effects being had their impact on the hills by using man-made device like laws or, for that matter, like a commission headed by a retired high court judge?

Again, we may be altogether wrong, even in our perspectives. See this news from PTI informing us that one Tamir(obviously his adopted jewish name) Baithe, who emigrated from Imphal to Israel is one of the best soldiers in Israel today. He is among the elite 120 hand-picked soldiers of Israel being honored on the 58th birthday of Israel.

Jews, as a people, has the characteristics showing the most vicious tribalism in the world. May be, it’s because they give absolutely no leeway in the correctness in the observance of their ceremonies, customs, conventions emanating from their Book.

They even scattered out their homeland for the sake of their Book.

Now, add a new strain here.

I mean, people like Baithe and David Buhril of the Siphro.org( and, of couse, their kuki-chin-mizo brethren like the Hmars).

They are insisting on absolute rights over lands and they form the Bnei Menashe, the lost of the Jews.

So, what do we see here? Coming together of two people, one insisting on absolute adherence to their Book and, the other, to their lands.

May be, we are witnessing the arrival of an altogether new man! Not seen before in man’s history!!

God bless this bandh!

I’m exhausted much more than I thought I was.

I slept all day today.

I woke up in the morning, ate my breakfast and promptly went to sleep to sleep again.

Woke up again, had my lunch and went to sleep again!

It was 6 in the evening when I finally woke up.

This bandh came from nowhere when I needed to sleep a whole day!

It is good for me.

God bless the bandh!

The news so far

No newspaper today.

In the evening, I went out to buy some eveningers. I’ve known at least 3 of the one-sheet and Re 1-priced eveningers.

I managed to buy a copy of one of them. I tried but could not buy any copy of the other two.

The headline was about a land dispute in which some persons were hurt. Nothing worthwhile there.

Then, I turned on the radio for 7.30 pm news.( I disconnected the cable long time ago and I had not turn on the TV for than 3 years now. It has now become a relic!).

The headline there was about the bandhs. One of them was called off at the minute after a positive intervention by the CM.

One is there for 20 hrs beginning this midnight. It is in protest against what they call the ‘fake surrender’ drama. The story goes on like this. The Assam Rifles invited some youths promising them fast-track recruitments if they could complete a specially designed crashed training there in there camps. Instead of the promised recruitment they were made to cover their faces with cloths and paraded before the media as the cadres of all leading rebel groups who were surrendering to the Army.

I can still clearly remember a beaming Lt Gen Z U Shah, Corp Commander of the 3rd corp headquartered in Dimapur, flanking the youths on the frontpaged photos in all the papers.

The Gauhati High court, acting on the petitions by the parents of the youths, intervened and Assam rifles released 2 youths. The bandh organizers demanded that all the remaining youths should be released by the 2nd.

Another news on the radio was about the press statement by the UNLF regarding the killing of Isaac Hmar. It said just as Indian intelligence cooked up the mass rapes in Parbung to sow the seed of discord between Meeteis and Hmars living in Manipur, the same agencies seemed to be at work in the killing of Isaac for dividing the Meeteis and Hmars living in Mizoram. It appealed to the Hmar community to be aware of such evil designs.

Do you not see Machiavelli writ large in the press statement?

There is also another story I just read in the Telegraph. The news was datelined Aizawl. It said Hmar Nation Army was revived just after the Parbung mass rapes case unfolded. The leader of this newly-revived outfit is a closed cousin of Isaac. Hmar People’s Convention(Democratic) wants to settle score with this cousin of Isaac and so while Isaac was in Aizawl they kidnapped him to get from him the whereabouts of his cousin. Apparently, they did not mean any harm to him but something went wrong and they had to kill him.

To say the least, we are all confused by the turn of the events.

And, my whole body is aching from yesterday’s action in the riverbank! Especially my right arm. I even typed this very slowly!

I uprooted them

I can’t really remember the name. It’s some sort of ‘parthenium something’. It comes all the way from Africa.

Its pollens when inhaled damage human respiratory system.

And it grows so fast also. It’s only some months ago that all the shrubs growing in the riverbank of Nambul were cut down by the members of the club of our leikai.

I planned to uproot those growing in that length of the riverbank which parallels the breadth of my property yesterday. When I was about to go out to the riverbank I could see the motorcade of the Governor coming along the road. Presumably for an official engagement. The motorcade would return along this road. And I should not be uprooting shrubs in the riverbank along the road where the highest dignitary of the State was expected to pass! I had to do the uprooting today, being a holiday for May Day.

The river Nambul is just across the road; and I’m in great unease that the pollens might reach my living rooms.

My god! They are growing so luxuriantly. And I uprooted them—may be, more than a hundred of them. Some of them grow as tall as me.

I simply throw them in the river Nambul. Anything (I mean,ANYTHING!) have nano chance of surviving the blackish smelling water of this river!

I’m totally exhausted tonight.

Planned outrage:bsnl method

BSNL’s idea of planned outrage is to simply to shut down the servers at the Imphal node. And go to bed! And have a nice dream!!

We had to go on living without internet last night (I suspect the servers were shut down all throughout the day also).

We can only hope that it does not become a regular feature for every Sunday!