Statesman carried an op-ed on the 27th June by Rajinder Puri. (Do your own search for the op-ed. When I get my broadband I’ll try to link up archived materials—but not while I’m still on my dial up). Although Mr Puri is more known as a cartoonist, I like his piece.
He said China is still helping ‘some of the insurgencies’.
Well, I’m blogging right from the storm centre of the one of the most active insurgencies of the Indian state and nobody is writing about the China factor anymore. There is not even talk about it. The general consensus seems to be that the China bogey is a dead horse.
I must remind you here that even all the battalion of the SSB has already been shifted to India-Nepal border. There have been consistent write ups stating that SSB has been raised for countering the feared Chinese incursion. The main theory is that SSB personnel will stay back immersed themselves among the general public in the advent of a Chinese incursion. Thus stayed immersed, they will form the eyes and ears in organizing the counter attack against the Chinese. It is said they are specially trained for that kind of warfare.
Now, they seem to be battling, not exactly the Chinese but a Chinese inspired ( Imean, ideologically) silent invasion—that of the widespread infiltration of Nepali Maoists along the India-Nepal border towards UP and Bihar.
And another very interesting point is that, despite all the hypes of its gargantuan inflows of FDIs and consistent 9% growth rate, Mr Puri said, Chinese economy is in a big mess. His take is that the inflows of bad loans to the Chinese PSUs now stand at around 700 billion dollars. This amount neatly cancels out nearly 800 billion dollars worth of foreign exchange reserve it has been piling up in dollars and euros. And the Chinese Government cannot stop this inflow of bad loans because the PSUs employ nearly 60% of the Chinese workforce. As we are writing this Chinese Government keeps pumping in money to the PSUs and this money should be considered as some form of grant. If this grant is withdrawn, there will be great social turmoil in China, he said.
Mr Puri wrote that piece to time with the visit of Mr MK Narayanan, National Security Advisor, to Beijing for the talk about the disputed borders along the Northern and Eastern sectors.
His message to Mr Narayanan: In view of this big mess in its economy and resultant preoccupation of its political leadership to tackle it, India should really hard charge and up the ante during the talk in Beijing.
Coincidentally, today’s Times of India ( I could not find today’s Statesman) carried a news item stating that as soon as Mr Narayanan returned from Beijing, the cabinet committee on security approved a programme of constructing a 800 kms long road along the disputed LAC (line of actual control) at the cost of around 1000 crores of Rupees. It mentioned that at some points the road would go as near as 20 kms to the LAC. It specifically mentioned that India has so far avoided doing such thing as it would be construed as an act antagonistic to the Chinese. So, the Government of India has indeed broken new grounds here.
Just as Mr Rajinder Puri had insisted on his op-ed.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
The first baby boy who is being blogged about within 24 hrs of his arrival in this world!
That is, at least, in Imphal or, may be, in the entire Manipur. At the moment, blogs from Manipur are hard to come by and it is reasonably plausible that another of my nephews, who was born at 10.15 this morning, might be the first baby who is being blogged about within 24 hrs of his arrival in this world!
That is kind of a record!!
The announcement came to me this morning by another of my sisters, who was breathless over the phone: “Tamo, Tamo, Memtombi has just given birth to a bay boy. It is the cutest baby---soooo adorable”.
So, young man, you gasped in the first puff of oxygen and you landed right there in the middle of the first record of your life, which is, by the way, is barely 12 hrs old.
What a start of your life!?!
That is kind of a record!!
The announcement came to me this morning by another of my sisters, who was breathless over the phone: “Tamo, Tamo, Memtombi has just given birth to a bay boy. It is the cutest baby---soooo adorable”.
So, young man, you gasped in the first puff of oxygen and you landed right there in the middle of the first record of your life, which is, by the way, is barely 12 hrs old.
What a start of your life!?!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Images
How does a girl come to your life?
By images.
I mean, the images of one girl slowly fading away and the images of another girl slowly coming into focus.
Images of a stolen glance. That whiff of the hair suddenly coming to you in flashes of images. That image of the pout (is that pout means for you—I mean, that cute pout?) coming alive to you.
But where are you when you are being lulled into love by those magic images?
May be, you are lolling in your bed, slowly departing from the realm of sleep. It’s morning—the air is fresh and the birds are singing. And those images contrive to snatch you into their own world.
Thus, most of the time, you start your morning by divinely muttering to yourself—‘Oh! This is a beautiful morning’.
But where are those fading images departing to? They are not merely leaving you behind but put you firmly planted in your feet in the immediacy of the present. They safely bundle you off to this new port of life, giving you the courage to embark on the forward journey—towards a newer port.
Without those fading images you are rudderless—disabling you to find the direction of the new port of life.
Ah! Those fading images.
By images.
I mean, the images of one girl slowly fading away and the images of another girl slowly coming into focus.
Images of a stolen glance. That whiff of the hair suddenly coming to you in flashes of images. That image of the pout (is that pout means for you—I mean, that cute pout?) coming alive to you.
But where are you when you are being lulled into love by those magic images?
May be, you are lolling in your bed, slowly departing from the realm of sleep. It’s morning—the air is fresh and the birds are singing. And those images contrive to snatch you into their own world.
Thus, most of the time, you start your morning by divinely muttering to yourself—‘Oh! This is a beautiful morning’.
But where are those fading images departing to? They are not merely leaving you behind but put you firmly planted in your feet in the immediacy of the present. They safely bundle you off to this new port of life, giving you the courage to embark on the forward journey—towards a newer port.
Without those fading images you are rudderless—disabling you to find the direction of the new port of life.
Ah! Those fading images.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
There is MEELAL again.
Volunteers of the MEELAL are at it again. They carried brushes fixed at the end of long poles and muck up the English or Bengali words in hoardings with black paints.
Something is very wrong here. I think majority of the people of the State supports the introduction of the Manipuri script. Majority of the ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats, people in the academia, students and the general public want it.
But the introduction of the script is not happening. What goes wrong here?
Agitation is ok. We now get the consent of the majority of the people by virtue of such agitations. The credit goes to groups like MEELAL. But they now reach a stage where they themselves should spearhead the introduction.
I think they could start with Monthly publications.
They could initiate a workshop of computer programmers to develop a software which would transcribe a paragraph of a piece in Bengali to Manipuri script. A desk editor should finish the transcription with editing. I think that’s possible.
We can start by producing 10% of every monthly published here.
90% + 10% of a Monthly would be of same contents—the difference would be in the scripts only. So, there should not be any extra cost incurred in regards to contents. The transcription would be done by the software. The only extra effort would lie in the light editing to check the errors likely to be made by the software. The only extra cost would come in the plate making process in the press. But the agitators, like MEELAL could persuade everybody in that particular area to reduce the cost to the minimum so that the final cost burden to the publishers be pulled down to such a low level that they themselves could be coaxed to pitch in their effort for the ‘cause’.
When we achieve 40-50% introduction in Monthlies we can come to the Weeklies and then, to the Dailies. When we achieve 40-50% conversion in dailies, then we would be mustering enough momentum for the introduction process to get its own steam and roll over to the finishing line by itself.
Something is very wrong here. I think majority of the people of the State supports the introduction of the Manipuri script. Majority of the ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats, people in the academia, students and the general public want it.
But the introduction of the script is not happening. What goes wrong here?
Agitation is ok. We now get the consent of the majority of the people by virtue of such agitations. The credit goes to groups like MEELAL. But they now reach a stage where they themselves should spearhead the introduction.
I think they could start with Monthly publications.
They could initiate a workshop of computer programmers to develop a software which would transcribe a paragraph of a piece in Bengali to Manipuri script. A desk editor should finish the transcription with editing. I think that’s possible.
We can start by producing 10% of every monthly published here.
90% + 10% of a Monthly would be of same contents—the difference would be in the scripts only. So, there should not be any extra cost incurred in regards to contents. The transcription would be done by the software. The only extra effort would lie in the light editing to check the errors likely to be made by the software. The only extra cost would come in the plate making process in the press. But the agitators, like MEELAL could persuade everybody in that particular area to reduce the cost to the minimum so that the final cost burden to the publishers be pulled down to such a low level that they themselves could be coaxed to pitch in their effort for the ‘cause’.
When we achieve 40-50% introduction in Monthlies we can come to the Weeklies and then, to the Dailies. When we achieve 40-50% conversion in dailies, then we would be mustering enough momentum for the introduction process to get its own steam and roll over to the finishing line by itself.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Tirelessly yours!
I’m fairly certain that I should tirelessly keep documenting my various forays into the citadel of BSNL for winning that trophy—my goodness, the broadband! Mark my words—I should be tireless. I may be even on the road of profound task of demonstrating how the life juices of Imphal are flowing through its multifarious and life supporting veins! Better still, it may even inspire some writers (let’s say, those extremely politically incorrect ones with matching sarcasm) to write a drama out of it. May be (just may be!), with titles like this—BROADBANDING OF A POOR BLOGGER!
So, thus properly prefaced, I’m coming to today’s, let’s say, ‘tirelessness’!
Dutifully clutching the demand note ( date of receipt—a month back!), I approached the desk clerk and properly introduced myself and duly made it be known to him that what’s in my hand was the same demand note he sent me a month back.
Promptly, he gave me a phone number which belonged to a technical side of the whole drama while he himself was of the commercial section. They should know, he said.
I hurried home, dutifully clutching the demand note, this time properly scribbled with the important phone number.
I rang up the number.
A lady came to the line.
Me: Hello. I’ve a demand note dated a month back. The guy at the commercial section told me a month back to come around 25/26 of June. I went there. He gave me this telephone number.
The lady: But for Imphal all the lines have been snapped up.
Me: I know that. But he said there is expansion going on.
The lady: Yes. There is going to be expansion.
Me: But he said that all the hardware parts had already been installed. Is that right?
The lady: (In a tone not wanting to talk about it) err…yes.
Me: SO? (God, I’ve to be curt).
The lady: ‘Something’ is still not in place (in a tone of ‘don’t-ask-me-further’).
Me: So, what should I do?
The lady: Ring me up after a week.
Me: OK. Thanks.
So, thus properly prefaced, I’m coming to today’s, let’s say, ‘tirelessness’!
Dutifully clutching the demand note ( date of receipt—a month back!), I approached the desk clerk and properly introduced myself and duly made it be known to him that what’s in my hand was the same demand note he sent me a month back.
Promptly, he gave me a phone number which belonged to a technical side of the whole drama while he himself was of the commercial section. They should know, he said.
I hurried home, dutifully clutching the demand note, this time properly scribbled with the important phone number.
I rang up the number.
A lady came to the line.
Me: Hello. I’ve a demand note dated a month back. The guy at the commercial section told me a month back to come around 25/26 of June. I went there. He gave me this telephone number.
The lady: But for Imphal all the lines have been snapped up.
Me: I know that. But he said there is expansion going on.
The lady: Yes. There is going to be expansion.
Me: But he said that all the hardware parts had already been installed. Is that right?
The lady: (In a tone not wanting to talk about it) err…yes.
Me: SO? (God, I’ve to be curt).
The lady: ‘Something’ is still not in place (in a tone of ‘don’t-ask-me-further’).
Me: So, what should I do?
The lady: Ring me up after a week.
Me: OK. Thanks.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
I wonder
Today’s Imphal Free press carried a serialized piece, the first part of which stated with eulogizing Manipuri women. Interestingly, she (a muslim lady and needless to say, I forget her name!—but I’ll come to this after I go through the whole article) started with food—Manipuri food. She said yendem (taro),koukha (arrowroot?), soiboom (bamboo shoots), yongchak (tree nuts or perkia?) are all very rich with iron. So, she said that traditional Manipuri foods are just made for women.
Interesting point. I’ll come back when I read the full text next Sunday.
What caught my attention was that she neatly gave the English names of the food items she mentioned. Suddenly, I found out that I didn’t know the English names of most of our food items. I should really try to find those English names. May be, I should slowly start compiling the list and create a link for those in my blog.
I’ve bought passion fruit, pomegranate and heikha. Heikha must be of berry family and I don’t know its English name. But heikha from Mao is divine in its succulence. Just divine. And it costs you only Rs 30/- a kg.
And Manipur’s pomegranate. They are giving you three pieces for Rs 10/-. Seriously, we should be ready to fork out more rupee notes for such fruits. They are as organic as anything produced anywhere in the world by fancy brand names. In Manipur’s hills they are grown so spaced out along the ridges that there is no need for either fertilizers or insecticides. In most cases they may even be thought of as grown in the wild.
And it is amazing how quickly passion fruit catch the fancy of the citizen of the State. Now it’s almost fashionable to buy some passion fruit and carry them along in the streets in those polythene bags! I’ve heard that it has been heavily promoted in TV (Imphal DDK) but I’ve not seen a single spot of those ads. And apparently words spread out quickly that it is a rare multi-vitamin fruit. And everybody starts going after the fruit—I mean, literally!
We may even call it the receptiveness of this society to new (or, is it fanciful?) ideas. We can also see it in the case of safe sex. People quickly pick up the essentials of safe sex and we may even say there are perceptible changes in the sexual behaviour in the majority of the people.
But what about the ideas of wealth creation and need for team spirit for it? These ideas are the most urgent ones which needs to be percolated down, first to the business leaders and, then to the general public. But this is not happening.
Is this the case of lack of right promotion of the ideas? I wonder.
Interesting point. I’ll come back when I read the full text next Sunday.
What caught my attention was that she neatly gave the English names of the food items she mentioned. Suddenly, I found out that I didn’t know the English names of most of our food items. I should really try to find those English names. May be, I should slowly start compiling the list and create a link for those in my blog.
I’ve bought passion fruit, pomegranate and heikha. Heikha must be of berry family and I don’t know its English name. But heikha from Mao is divine in its succulence. Just divine. And it costs you only Rs 30/- a kg.
And Manipur’s pomegranate. They are giving you three pieces for Rs 10/-. Seriously, we should be ready to fork out more rupee notes for such fruits. They are as organic as anything produced anywhere in the world by fancy brand names. In Manipur’s hills they are grown so spaced out along the ridges that there is no need for either fertilizers or insecticides. In most cases they may even be thought of as grown in the wild.
And it is amazing how quickly passion fruit catch the fancy of the citizen of the State. Now it’s almost fashionable to buy some passion fruit and carry them along in the streets in those polythene bags! I’ve heard that it has been heavily promoted in TV (Imphal DDK) but I’ve not seen a single spot of those ads. And apparently words spread out quickly that it is a rare multi-vitamin fruit. And everybody starts going after the fruit—I mean, literally!
We may even call it the receptiveness of this society to new (or, is it fanciful?) ideas. We can also see it in the case of safe sex. People quickly pick up the essentials of safe sex and we may even say there are perceptible changes in the sexual behaviour in the majority of the people.
But what about the ideas of wealth creation and need for team spirit for it? These ideas are the most urgent ones which needs to be percolated down, first to the business leaders and, then to the general public. But this is not happening.
Is this the case of lack of right promotion of the ideas? I wonder.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Poknapham goes to Silchar
Poknapham have started hiring people for their Silchar edition. I'm doing this as a separate post because it is quite a remarkable development in the otherwise stodgy life of Manipur's media. But I've no details yet.
Can Sa-ngai Express be far behind?
Can Sa-ngai Express be far behind?
Again the lecture
I went again to meet the trustees of the Arambam Somorendra Trust. When I last met them, they were not certain of the hosting service and also asked me for my opinion of how best to put the lecture online. They even asked me if it will be ok to put it in a blog form.
I myself have been a little confused as to what will be the form the lecture should take, given that their trust seems to be not very active and the lecture appears to be a once-in-a –year phenomenon. So, I think blog is not appropriate.
So, I to;d them that it will be more appropriate to use a free hosting service like Geocities.
And I also want to see the uploading through as I’ve already become the initiator of it, albeit unwittingly. As if it is a bread and butter business of mine!
Anyway, I’ll give you the link as soon as it is available online.
But I must not fail to mention this: all the trustees I’ve been meeting are all, nearing their 60s or, crossing that mark. But some of them seem to put in a lot of efforts to get to know the internet and they are actually reading blogs! 60 years olds reading blogs, that too in a place called Imphal which is neatly tucked away in a time warp—it’s a great news!
I'm certainly enthused by it.
I myself have been a little confused as to what will be the form the lecture should take, given that their trust seems to be not very active and the lecture appears to be a once-in-a –year phenomenon. So, I think blog is not appropriate.
So, I to;d them that it will be more appropriate to use a free hosting service like Geocities.
And I also want to see the uploading through as I’ve already become the initiator of it, albeit unwittingly. As if it is a bread and butter business of mine!
Anyway, I’ll give you the link as soon as it is available online.
But I must not fail to mention this: all the trustees I’ve been meeting are all, nearing their 60s or, crossing that mark. But some of them seem to put in a lot of efforts to get to know the internet and they are actually reading blogs! 60 years olds reading blogs, that too in a place called Imphal which is neatly tucked away in a time warp—it’s a great news!
I'm certainly enthused by it.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Water woes
Today, I made arrangements for storing water for 10-15 days.
Because water supply people had issued an ultimatum to the Government of Manipur that they would stop pumping water from 24th of June if their demands are not met by today.
Employees of the Govt of Manipur have been on strike since 70-80 days now. But the Govt has merrily been going on with the charade of civil administration because the employees in the State Secretariat have not yet joined the strike. File movements between the ministers and the top bureaucrats are not hampered as the employees in the State Secretariat are working.
But all the offices which come into direct contact with the citizen of the State have been paralyzed for the last 70-80 days. This means that the ministers and the State Secretariat can function without the common people coming into the loop of the administration. This is real democracy in action!
I normally make it a point to store water for 3 or 4 days only. I clean the containers on the 3rd or 4th day because I’m afraid of the fungus formed in the water containers. You look closely inside the water tanks and you will find the whitish mold formed on the walls. If your tanks are old ones you will not be able to wipe off the molds because they hold on the walls so tenaciously.
And we are living in one of the most humid places of the worlds. To top it, we also use a lot of fermented foods and dried fish. These foods, if not properly stored, are generous host for fungus growth. And most homes have not the appliances to properly store those foods.
All these mean we have the steadiest supply of afflatoxins in our food chain. It’s scary.
Because water supply people had issued an ultimatum to the Government of Manipur that they would stop pumping water from 24th of June if their demands are not met by today.
Employees of the Govt of Manipur have been on strike since 70-80 days now. But the Govt has merrily been going on with the charade of civil administration because the employees in the State Secretariat have not yet joined the strike. File movements between the ministers and the top bureaucrats are not hampered as the employees in the State Secretariat are working.
But all the offices which come into direct contact with the citizen of the State have been paralyzed for the last 70-80 days. This means that the ministers and the State Secretariat can function without the common people coming into the loop of the administration. This is real democracy in action!
I normally make it a point to store water for 3 or 4 days only. I clean the containers on the 3rd or 4th day because I’m afraid of the fungus formed in the water containers. You look closely inside the water tanks and you will find the whitish mold formed on the walls. If your tanks are old ones you will not be able to wipe off the molds because they hold on the walls so tenaciously.
And we are living in one of the most humid places of the worlds. To top it, we also use a lot of fermented foods and dried fish. These foods, if not properly stored, are generous host for fungus growth. And most homes have not the appliances to properly store those foods.
All these mean we have the steadiest supply of afflatoxins in our food chain. It’s scary.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
My recurrent dreams
Last night, I had one of the recurrent dreams of mine.
One is about the scenes of the backyard of my childhood house. That’s the one I saw last night. Most of the time, I would forget something and try to get it by opening a door. Once the door is opened, I would be standing there confronted with the vistas of the backyard of my childhood house. Like you are traveling back in time in one of those sci-fi movies. There would not be any people in the dream—only the scenes.
There were all the elements of the backyard of my childhood house—the guava tree there and the mango there tree nearer to me and that pomegranate tree in between. I could even see the little mounds around the feet of the trees to prevent water logging there—exactly as they were in the real life.
These dreams, invariably, made me awaken in the middle of the night and I always muttered—‘oh! What a beautiful scenes!!’
Now not even a single is there. All were cut down to make way for constructions. Not even a backyard.
And this morning I was flooded with memories, especially of my mother.
I will skip the sad ones and tell you about those which are of lighter veins.
As I remember her, she never did watch a Hollywood picture, though she did have her fair share of Hindi films. So, when she saw a moving blonde in drama series in cable TV, she actually giggled. But she was hooked to a particular drama series which have a blonde character whose antiques she simply loved. We always thought that the blonde reminded her of her eldest daughter. I’m not saying that my eldest sister is the stuff of the stars are made of—but as a person the character actually looked like my sister. And my mother always missed my sister because, after her high school in Imphal, she was in Benares for 7-8 years getting her masters degree there. Just after getting her degree she decided to get married and she spent barely 3-4 months at home readying for her marriage. After the wedding, the couple went off to Delhi and they settled there. And there must be something especial about the first born child—this must be true for every parent, I suspect.
And, can you imagine what’s her comment like when she first saw Tom Cruise on TV? I think it must be a telecast of Oscar night and as soon as, she saw the close up of Tom Cruise, she said—‘Oh! He has such a beautiful mouth!!’
It’s funny I still vividly remember her saying that!
One is about the scenes of the backyard of my childhood house. That’s the one I saw last night. Most of the time, I would forget something and try to get it by opening a door. Once the door is opened, I would be standing there confronted with the vistas of the backyard of my childhood house. Like you are traveling back in time in one of those sci-fi movies. There would not be any people in the dream—only the scenes.
There were all the elements of the backyard of my childhood house—the guava tree there and the mango there tree nearer to me and that pomegranate tree in between. I could even see the little mounds around the feet of the trees to prevent water logging there—exactly as they were in the real life.
These dreams, invariably, made me awaken in the middle of the night and I always muttered—‘oh! What a beautiful scenes!!’
Now not even a single is there. All were cut down to make way for constructions. Not even a backyard.
And this morning I was flooded with memories, especially of my mother.
I will skip the sad ones and tell you about those which are of lighter veins.
As I remember her, she never did watch a Hollywood picture, though she did have her fair share of Hindi films. So, when she saw a moving blonde in drama series in cable TV, she actually giggled. But she was hooked to a particular drama series which have a blonde character whose antiques she simply loved. We always thought that the blonde reminded her of her eldest daughter. I’m not saying that my eldest sister is the stuff of the stars are made of—but as a person the character actually looked like my sister. And my mother always missed my sister because, after her high school in Imphal, she was in Benares for 7-8 years getting her masters degree there. Just after getting her degree she decided to get married and she spent barely 3-4 months at home readying for her marriage. After the wedding, the couple went off to Delhi and they settled there. And there must be something especial about the first born child—this must be true for every parent, I suspect.
And, can you imagine what’s her comment like when she first saw Tom Cruise on TV? I think it must be a telecast of Oscar night and as soon as, she saw the close up of Tom Cruise, she said—‘Oh! He has such a beautiful mouth!!’
It’s funny I still vividly remember her saying that!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Tonight is strange
Tonight is a little strange.
I feel like talking to someone.
Normally, I would be contented talking with myself thru my writing (and thru my blog).
This is the price of my living alone. You know everything has got a price and you got to pay for it for anything you wan.
And I’m determined to at least finish writing this drama while I’m living alone. So, it’s a good to pay for my living alone.
I feel like talking to someone.
Normally, I would be contented talking with myself thru my writing (and thru my blog).
This is the price of my living alone. You know everything has got a price and you got to pay for it for anything you wan.
And I’m determined to at least finish writing this drama while I’m living alone. So, it’s a good to pay for my living alone.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
To the library
Whenever I went to Manipur University library, I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. And I read whatever I liked and fled the scene.
But a week or so ago, the librarian of the MU library was speaking to the media. (I can’t remember what occasion prompted him to meet the media). He told the media that after the burning down of the State Central library (a heinous crime by the supporters of the Meetei script; I won’t be able to find any ground to justify the burning down of any library—ever), a large number of outsiders (meaning, not of the University) started visiting his library. He emphasized that all are welcomed.
So, when I went to the MU library today I strode into it like an honored guest!
During my 1 hr stay at the library, I learnt the following few things:
>>Nowadays, a sure indicator of middle class is the immobility. If you stay put in your town or city, it’s a sure sign that you belong to the middle class or the other classes below the middle one.
>>In an interview, the Nobel winning Iranian lady (damned name! I always fail to note down the name!!) said that it’s patriarchal society, not Islam, which leads to the conditions of women in a Muslim society. Do you not want to retort that mix the patriarchal society and Islam and then you get hell for women? She also noted that 60% of the college going students in present day Iran is girls. She did not elaborate what happened to the boys.
>>She also asked the West, especially, the Americans to remember that Iran has 2500 years old history. If the great Persian history is a little more than 2000 years, then Manipur having a 2000 years old history might have some surprises for the rest of the world. I may sound like a hard core nationalist but what I’m doing here is a little old induction!
In the University campus a lot of constructions are going on. It’s a good feeling seeing all those works going on in the campus.
And in Singjamei bazaar, all the buildings near the street were all knocked down and constructions for the two drainages along the sides of the widened streets are going on. The pace seems to be too tardy.
But a week or so ago, the librarian of the MU library was speaking to the media. (I can’t remember what occasion prompted him to meet the media). He told the media that after the burning down of the State Central library (a heinous crime by the supporters of the Meetei script; I won’t be able to find any ground to justify the burning down of any library—ever), a large number of outsiders (meaning, not of the University) started visiting his library. He emphasized that all are welcomed.
So, when I went to the MU library today I strode into it like an honored guest!
During my 1 hr stay at the library, I learnt the following few things:
>>Nowadays, a sure indicator of middle class is the immobility. If you stay put in your town or city, it’s a sure sign that you belong to the middle class or the other classes below the middle one.
>>In an interview, the Nobel winning Iranian lady (damned name! I always fail to note down the name!!) said that it’s patriarchal society, not Islam, which leads to the conditions of women in a Muslim society. Do you not want to retort that mix the patriarchal society and Islam and then you get hell for women? She also noted that 60% of the college going students in present day Iran is girls. She did not elaborate what happened to the boys.
>>She also asked the West, especially, the Americans to remember that Iran has 2500 years old history. If the great Persian history is a little more than 2000 years, then Manipur having a 2000 years old history might have some surprises for the rest of the world. I may sound like a hard core nationalist but what I’m doing here is a little old induction!
In the University campus a lot of constructions are going on. It’s a good feeling seeing all those works going on in the campus.
And in Singjamei bazaar, all the buildings near the street were all knocked down and constructions for the two drainages along the sides of the widened streets are going on. The pace seems to be too tardy.
Monday, June 19, 2006
The lecture and the Forum
I went to meet some trustees of ‘Arambam Somorendra Trust’. All of them want to make the lecture available online but they have no website. They will discuss the matter.
One of the trustees is Mr Thounaojam Tarunkumar, who is also the editor-in-chief of Eastern Quarterly published by Manipur research Forum, Delhi. I did not know then that he was in any way connected with the research forum. As we were talking, I casually broached up about the non-availability of Eastern Quarterly online. He was surprised hearing that and said it is already available at the research forum’s site.
Well, I kept searching for Eastern Quarterly and that produced no results. But I have not the cool head for seeking another parameter for the search. Like Manipur Research Forum. I seemed to be in a perennial state of haste and this is starting to bother really badly. I’m in a totally bad mood.
Here is the link for the Forum where you can get the articles of Eastern Quarterly.
One of the trustees is Mr Thounaojam Tarunkumar, who is also the editor-in-chief of Eastern Quarterly published by Manipur research Forum, Delhi. I did not know then that he was in any way connected with the research forum. As we were talking, I casually broached up about the non-availability of Eastern Quarterly online. He was surprised hearing that and said it is already available at the research forum’s site.
Well, I kept searching for Eastern Quarterly and that produced no results. But I have not the cool head for seeking another parameter for the search. Like Manipur Research Forum. I seemed to be in a perennial state of haste and this is starting to bother really badly. I’m in a totally bad mood.
Here is the link for the Forum where you can get the articles of Eastern Quarterly.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Final words
I made some muddled descriptions in my previous posts.
Two huge welcome arches(not gates, as I had mentioned earlier) spanning the whole street, one at the entrance of the North AOC-Minuthong street(just near the Southern Kangla gate) and another, at Minuthong brigde, were erected.
I did not go up to Khuman Lampak Stadium but apparently, they let all the vehicles parked there. And from there people came on foot towards the memorial site.
Kekru Pat is a part of Kangla but fenced off as a sub-section. So there still the Kangla moat bordering Kekrupat in the South. My guess is that as Kekrupat is a part of Kangla, it is being developed by Kangla Fort Board, which has substantial annual budget. I now remember the debate in the media when the Board evicted the office of the Construction committee, UCM from Kekrupat because they reasoned that there should not be any office of any entity besides that of the Board inside Kangla.
The development works around, and inside, Kekrupat are first rate jobs. And I should add that Kangla Fort Board is doing a commendable job there.
Another highlight of the day should be the meeting held on the lawn just beside the memorial gravestones in which representatives of the communities of Manipur, including those of Tangkhul, were in attendance. I learnt this from a friend on the way home. I should have spent some there in the meeting.
(And you are wondering why should I take a nap in the morning when everybody was queuing up to give floral tributes on this important day. Because when I went to bed last night it was 2 in the morning and I jumped out of bed at 6. So I slept only 4 hrs. But I’m determined to get at least 7 hrs of sleep)
Two huge welcome arches(not gates, as I had mentioned earlier) spanning the whole street, one at the entrance of the North AOC-Minuthong street(just near the Southern Kangla gate) and another, at Minuthong brigde, were erected.
I did not go up to Khuman Lampak Stadium but apparently, they let all the vehicles parked there. And from there people came on foot towards the memorial site.
Kekru Pat is a part of Kangla but fenced off as a sub-section. So there still the Kangla moat bordering Kekrupat in the South. My guess is that as Kekrupat is a part of Kangla, it is being developed by Kangla Fort Board, which has substantial annual budget. I now remember the debate in the media when the Board evicted the office of the Construction committee, UCM from Kekrupat because they reasoned that there should not be any office of any entity besides that of the Board inside Kangla.
The development works around, and inside, Kekrupat are first rate jobs. And I should add that Kangla Fort Board is doing a commendable job there.
Another highlight of the day should be the meeting held on the lawn just beside the memorial gravestones in which representatives of the communities of Manipur, including those of Tangkhul, were in attendance. I learnt this from a friend on the way home. I should have spent some there in the meeting.
(And you are wondering why should I take a nap in the morning when everybody was queuing up to give floral tributes on this important day. Because when I went to bed last night it was 2 in the morning and I jumped out of bed at 6. So I slept only 4 hrs. But I’m determined to get at least 7 hrs of sleep)
1 pm.
The streams of men and women coming for giving floral tributes started petering off at around 2 pm.
I reached there at around 1 pm. (I took a short nap and I woke up at around noon.)
They erected a gate at the North A O C point from where you enter Kekru Pat and another one at Minuthong. And here I’m correcting myself. At the previous post I said that only road to the memorial site is from Minuthong—it was not. The roads leading to Minuthong from Hatta and khurai are also blocked to traffic. The road opened is the one coning from the Khuman Lampat Stadium.
Imphal is shut down. And so many policemen are posted all over the place.
This time I cycle my way to the site because cycles are not blocked! So I went there from North AOC side and parked my cycle just near police party posting there and walked upto Minuthing. From the bridge you can watch the perennial streams men and women, all clad in whites, literally flowing towards the memorial site.
Then I searched for a place to eat my lunch. Actually, I was lucky to find a hotel because they were not open for business but they gave me something from what they were cooking for themselves. Well, they cooked beef really well! All shops are closed for business today.
Then, I went inside the memorial site. I just crossed the North AOC-Minuthong Street from the hotel I was eating and you got there.
This is the first time I really stepped inside the site. It is well developed and the work seems to be still going on. A fresh brick wall is erected to separate the site from the AOC-Minuthong Street giving way inside the site from two freshly installed gates. Once inside, you find that there are newly erected wire-netting fences all around—separating the site from Imphal river in the East and, from Kangla in the South. From the entrance you are led straight to the small bundh where there are the 18 memorial gravestones. To the North of the bundh there is the portion of the Kangla moat, also freshly developed and to its South you get a moderately-sized lawn where they are organizing a function.
There is huge number of people. They erect three barricades at three different places to control the crowd. They let in a group of people only after another has finished offering their floral tributes. All in all, they manage the event well enough.
So, what’s the highlight? Anything off beat??
Well, it may in the negative sense but I wonder what are the troopers of the Assam Rifles, with their assault are doing there? So many CRPF personnel are in duty besides the Manipur police but that’s ok. But the troopers?
There was one apparently high ranking officer who stationed himself inside a ‘shamiana’ along the higher ground leading Minuthong and coolly went on to eye the whole proceeding with curiosity and interest written all over his face.
He was still there under the ‘shamiana’ when I left the place at around 3 pm.
I reached there at around 1 pm. (I took a short nap and I woke up at around noon.)
They erected a gate at the North A O C point from where you enter Kekru Pat and another one at Minuthong. And here I’m correcting myself. At the previous post I said that only road to the memorial site is from Minuthong—it was not. The roads leading to Minuthong from Hatta and khurai are also blocked to traffic. The road opened is the one coning from the Khuman Lampat Stadium.
Imphal is shut down. And so many policemen are posted all over the place.
This time I cycle my way to the site because cycles are not blocked! So I went there from North AOC side and parked my cycle just near police party posting there and walked upto Minuthing. From the bridge you can watch the perennial streams men and women, all clad in whites, literally flowing towards the memorial site.
Then I searched for a place to eat my lunch. Actually, I was lucky to find a hotel because they were not open for business but they gave me something from what they were cooking for themselves. Well, they cooked beef really well! All shops are closed for business today.
Then, I went inside the memorial site. I just crossed the North AOC-Minuthong Street from the hotel I was eating and you got there.
This is the first time I really stepped inside the site. It is well developed and the work seems to be still going on. A fresh brick wall is erected to separate the site from the AOC-Minuthong Street giving way inside the site from two freshly installed gates. Once inside, you find that there are newly erected wire-netting fences all around—separating the site from Imphal river in the East and, from Kangla in the South. From the entrance you are led straight to the small bundh where there are the 18 memorial gravestones. To the North of the bundh there is the portion of the Kangla moat, also freshly developed and to its South you get a moderately-sized lawn where they are organizing a function.
There is huge number of people. They erect three barricades at three different places to control the crowd. They let in a group of people only after another has finished offering their floral tributes. All in all, they manage the event well enough.
So, what’s the highlight? Anything off beat??
Well, it may in the negative sense but I wonder what are the troopers of the Assam Rifles, with their assault are doing there? So many CRPF personnel are in duty besides the Manipur police but that’s ok. But the troopers?
There was one apparently high ranking officer who stationed himself inside a ‘shamiana’ along the higher ground leading Minuthong and coolly went on to eye the whole proceeding with curiosity and interest written all over his face.
He was still there under the ‘shamiana’ when I left the place at around 3 pm.
8 am
I reached Kekru Pat around 8 am and spent nearly one hour there.
People were already queuing up there for giving floral tributes to the brave men and women who laid down their lives on this day 5 years back.
Thoudam Dvevendra, a minister and elected representative of Jiribam and the speaker, Maniurddin Sheikh arrived at around the time I reached there. Then they went away after giving floral tributes at around 8.30 am. That means it takes at least 30 minutes to get through the queue even for a VIP.
Another luminary who arrived just after Thoudan Devendra walked past the entrance is Ratan Thiyam. And he left at least 10 minutes later than the minister. I like the way Ratan came there—he arrived there quietly, like just another private citizen with two companions and left the place without any fuss. So, for an ordinary private citizen it will take at least 40 minutes to pass through the queue.
The government has gone out of its way to tightly control the crowd. All the roads towards Kekru Pat are blocked except from Minuthong, which you have to approach either from Hatta or Khurai. By their very act Imphal is almost shut down to traffic. And there is hardly any passenger bus on the road. I guess is that they are employed in ferrying people from around Mnaipur. So, the action will pick after some hours from now.
I’ll come again.
I’ll go there again and this time I’ll take some flowers with me.
People were already queuing up there for giving floral tributes to the brave men and women who laid down their lives on this day 5 years back.
Thoudam Dvevendra, a minister and elected representative of Jiribam and the speaker, Maniurddin Sheikh arrived at around the time I reached there. Then they went away after giving floral tributes at around 8.30 am. That means it takes at least 30 minutes to get through the queue even for a VIP.
Another luminary who arrived just after Thoudan Devendra walked past the entrance is Ratan Thiyam. And he left at least 10 minutes later than the minister. I like the way Ratan came there—he arrived there quietly, like just another private citizen with two companions and left the place without any fuss. So, for an ordinary private citizen it will take at least 40 minutes to pass through the queue.
The government has gone out of its way to tightly control the crowd. All the roads towards Kekru Pat are blocked except from Minuthong, which you have to approach either from Hatta or Khurai. By their very act Imphal is almost shut down to traffic. And there is hardly any passenger bus on the road. I guess is that they are employed in ferrying people from around Mnaipur. So, the action will pick after some hours from now.
I’ll come again.
I’ll go there again and this time I’ll take some flowers with me.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
From OFC to the Puya!
As we were talking (as you know, rather enthusiastically) about the OFC network of PowerGrid across Imphal, at least some portion along Kangla Park(along T G higher Secondary School) had already been uprooted! Uprooted by the pipe laying works undertaken by the Water Supply Deptt, Govt of Manipur. They had dug up, laid down the pipes and already started covering them up for some days now. Today, I saw portion of the OFC actually cut off and thrown aside the street while they were covering up the pipes. I swear it is the OFC of the PwerGrid network.
It has been for some weeks now that they are digging up and laying pipes with such urgency and efficiency that is most unlike the normal working of a Manipur Govt Deptt. They started from around Imphal Talkies, cut through the one of the busiest streets, came along the walls of the Johnstone Hr Sec School, again cut through a busy street and the entrance of the tactical headquarter of the 57th Mountain Division and came along the walls of the Governor’s compound, again cutting through the entrance and exit points of the Governor’s Residence. Again it cut through the two of the busiest streets in Nityapat chuthek and came along the North side of T G higher Sec School towards the Post Office and again cut through the busy street just in front of the Chief Minister’s residence.
So they are undertaking a major and a rather complicated developments work upsetting traffic and movement of people at some of the busiest streets. They are most probable trying to connect two newly constructed water reservoirs, one at just behind the Assembly Secretariat and the other, at Yaiskul.
Now, it is getting interesting—I mean, at the mention of Yaiskul. People at Yaiskul have been coping without tap water since 4 or 5 years. Can you believe it? It is the one most urbanized localities of Imphal. They have been buying water for toilets, washing, cooking—I mean, for everything—for such a long years! They have been doing this silently, without any protest whatsoever. I have friends in Yaiskul and they don’t want to talk about it—as if dry taps for so many years is a fault of their own making!
Why should I talk about this thing? Consider the scenario—in the next few months they will have their taps with actual running water—people say the election for the assembly will around November—Chief Minister coming to Yaiskul and saying to the people it is his government giving water to them after so many years. In that scenario all the Yaiskulites will silently cast their votes to the Chief Minister’s party—I mean, they won’t be swayed by anybody from casting their votes that way.
I mean, anybody, including R K Dorendra. If the Chief Minister can carry majority of the voters in Yaiskul, he is within the striking distance of unseating R K Dorendra. And that will be history.
I must also mention here that Imphal is agog with stories of how L Chandramani, Radahbinod Koijam and Thounaojam chaoba wanting to return to Congress Party fold. But the Chief Minister has put his foot down and can carry ‘the high command’ of the party in not letting the chief Minister aspirants. It seems the race for the Chief Minister’s post has already started in earnest.
Tomorrow is 18th of June. I can distinctly remember those days in 2001. Some weeks before the day, I can remember one fine morning reading Poknapham. Poknapham is a very conservative paper but that day it was headlined with a quotation from a Puya. We were all amused and read the quotation—when the two representatives of Thangmeiband and Wangkhei(Yaiskul is in Wangkhei assembly constituency)contest for the top post, there will a great tumult in the land and ‘kokkan pambis’ will be planted in Kekru Pat. That was how it exactly happened.
I mentioned all these because people say the quotation does not end at the ‘kokkan pambis’ line and there are at least two sentences in the couplet. These remaining two sentences are said to mention the same Wangkheis’s representative.
Does it mean that R K Drorendra will return? Despite the ‘water politics’ of the Chief Minister??
It will be a very interesting contest in the coming Wangkhei assembly constituency seat election.
It has been for some weeks now that they are digging up and laying pipes with such urgency and efficiency that is most unlike the normal working of a Manipur Govt Deptt. They started from around Imphal Talkies, cut through the one of the busiest streets, came along the walls of the Johnstone Hr Sec School, again cut through a busy street and the entrance of the tactical headquarter of the 57th Mountain Division and came along the walls of the Governor’s compound, again cutting through the entrance and exit points of the Governor’s Residence. Again it cut through the two of the busiest streets in Nityapat chuthek and came along the North side of T G higher Sec School towards the Post Office and again cut through the busy street just in front of the Chief Minister’s residence.
So they are undertaking a major and a rather complicated developments work upsetting traffic and movement of people at some of the busiest streets. They are most probable trying to connect two newly constructed water reservoirs, one at just behind the Assembly Secretariat and the other, at Yaiskul.
Now, it is getting interesting—I mean, at the mention of Yaiskul. People at Yaiskul have been coping without tap water since 4 or 5 years. Can you believe it? It is the one most urbanized localities of Imphal. They have been buying water for toilets, washing, cooking—I mean, for everything—for such a long years! They have been doing this silently, without any protest whatsoever. I have friends in Yaiskul and they don’t want to talk about it—as if dry taps for so many years is a fault of their own making!
Why should I talk about this thing? Consider the scenario—in the next few months they will have their taps with actual running water—people say the election for the assembly will around November—Chief Minister coming to Yaiskul and saying to the people it is his government giving water to them after so many years. In that scenario all the Yaiskulites will silently cast their votes to the Chief Minister’s party—I mean, they won’t be swayed by anybody from casting their votes that way.
I mean, anybody, including R K Dorendra. If the Chief Minister can carry majority of the voters in Yaiskul, he is within the striking distance of unseating R K Dorendra. And that will be history.
I must also mention here that Imphal is agog with stories of how L Chandramani, Radahbinod Koijam and Thounaojam chaoba wanting to return to Congress Party fold. But the Chief Minister has put his foot down and can carry ‘the high command’ of the party in not letting the chief Minister aspirants. It seems the race for the Chief Minister’s post has already started in earnest.
Tomorrow is 18th of June. I can distinctly remember those days in 2001. Some weeks before the day, I can remember one fine morning reading Poknapham. Poknapham is a very conservative paper but that day it was headlined with a quotation from a Puya. We were all amused and read the quotation—when the two representatives of Thangmeiband and Wangkhei(Yaiskul is in Wangkhei assembly constituency)contest for the top post, there will a great tumult in the land and ‘kokkan pambis’ will be planted in Kekru Pat. That was how it exactly happened.
I mentioned all these because people say the quotation does not end at the ‘kokkan pambis’ line and there are at least two sentences in the couplet. These remaining two sentences are said to mention the same Wangkheis’s representative.
Does it mean that R K Drorendra will return? Despite the ‘water politics’ of the Chief Minister??
It will be a very interesting contest in the coming Wangkhei assembly constituency seat election.
My plan for the 18th June celebration
I’m thinking of trying to live blog the 18th June celebration at Kekru Pat if any internet café around it opens for business on that day. That will be extremely interesting if I can find an internet café overlooking the celebration site. But I also think that all the business establishments will be closed on that day.
Then, I’ll shuttle back and forth between the celebration site and my house and try to give you as many updates as possible as the celebrations proceed.
As the day is also a Sunday I’ll take a complete break from my normal routine and concentrate on blogging the celebration. I must inform you that it will be my first visit to a 18th June celebration so far.
In the morning I’ll take a bath and a quick breakfast and head for Kekru Pat. For lunch I’ll sample how they cook beef around that part of Imphal.
Eating out and blogging!
Then, I’ll shuttle back and forth between the celebration site and my house and try to give you as many updates as possible as the celebrations proceed.
As the day is also a Sunday I’ll take a complete break from my normal routine and concentrate on blogging the celebration. I must inform you that it will be my first visit to a 18th June celebration so far.
In the morning I’ll take a bath and a quick breakfast and head for Kekru Pat. For lunch I’ll sample how they cook beef around that part of Imphal.
Eating out and blogging!
Friday, June 16, 2006
I didn't say that!
Re-reading some of my posts about cable TV I find myself sounding like, to portray myself to be above TV or, to project myself to belong to that tribe who think that TV is for the dumb.
I do not say that, nor do I like to belong to that tribe.
The main thrust for not wanting TV right now is that I may end up spending too much time before TV. And I have little time for everything.
Also I want to say that you can learn a lot from TV, particularly cable TV.
I’m taking all these time for talking about TV right now is that I want to tell you of what I learnt from cable TV which, please note, I do not, so far, find in any of the raging debate for and against cable TV.
I learnt a lot about male grooming from cable TV.
May be, it’s not a big surprise for anybody but I found that you can have a very good lesson on male grooming right there on your living room via cable TV.
Mind you, male grooming is incredibly hard lesson for any male to learn. Every male wants to be an understatement but at the same wants to send out the clearest message—‘here I am—the most desirable alpha male here!’. So you want to achieve two things poles apart at the same time. And that’s incredibly hard to achieve.
There are beautiful people, well groomed male in the movies also but there it is mainly in the outdoors and the camera mostly on the long or medium shots. So you lose the details. But in the drama series, for instance, it is mostly indoors and with close shots of the camera. So they have no choice but to fine tune the details. Like a different hair cut for every male character there and again matching apparels for those hair cuts, for those finely calibrated male characters. And within the same haircut there is that subtle fine tuning to go with the different moods of the character for different situations.
If you have the eyes for those things you can easily note that there are incredibly creative minds are working for you—for you to learn those things in the comfort of the living rooms!
I bet that’s the godsend opportunity for any male who matters!!
To be fair, I had also thought that in an environment of broad band there is a little overlapping of the two services. So, when I get that broadband connection I will search for videos and will post about the quality of those videos vis-a- vis the cable TV. Until then, I’ll not torture you with my ‘thoughts’ about TV, cable and all!
I do not say that, nor do I like to belong to that tribe.
The main thrust for not wanting TV right now is that I may end up spending too much time before TV. And I have little time for everything.
Also I want to say that you can learn a lot from TV, particularly cable TV.
I’m taking all these time for talking about TV right now is that I want to tell you of what I learnt from cable TV which, please note, I do not, so far, find in any of the raging debate for and against cable TV.
I learnt a lot about male grooming from cable TV.
May be, it’s not a big surprise for anybody but I found that you can have a very good lesson on male grooming right there on your living room via cable TV.
Mind you, male grooming is incredibly hard lesson for any male to learn. Every male wants to be an understatement but at the same wants to send out the clearest message—‘here I am—the most desirable alpha male here!’. So you want to achieve two things poles apart at the same time. And that’s incredibly hard to achieve.
There are beautiful people, well groomed male in the movies also but there it is mainly in the outdoors and the camera mostly on the long or medium shots. So you lose the details. But in the drama series, for instance, it is mostly indoors and with close shots of the camera. So they have no choice but to fine tune the details. Like a different hair cut for every male character there and again matching apparels for those hair cuts, for those finely calibrated male characters. And within the same haircut there is that subtle fine tuning to go with the different moods of the character for different situations.
If you have the eyes for those things you can easily note that there are incredibly creative minds are working for you—for you to learn those things in the comfort of the living rooms!
I bet that’s the godsend opportunity for any male who matters!!
To be fair, I had also thought that in an environment of broad band there is a little overlapping of the two services. So, when I get that broadband connection I will search for videos and will post about the quality of those videos vis-a- vis the cable TV. Until then, I’ll not torture you with my ‘thoughts’ about TV, cable and all!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Governance by Army men??
The name was Mr. Colin Gonsalves. He was speaking in some 2-day seminar. I can’t remember who organized that seminar but the news report told us that it was attended by the who’s who of Manipur’s human rights activists and representatives of Apunba Lup.
It was 7—may be, 10 days back.
There in the seminar, Mr colin Gonsalves, who was said to be an imminent Supreme Court lawyer, presented his viewpoint like this—
“What’s happening in Manipur is reality an experiment testing the feasibility of the governance of the land by Indian troopers”.
That’s a totally new view of what’s happening in Manipur right now. But somebody can also term it as indulging in the sensationalism of the particular situation.
For me, it was the first time I ever heard of Mr. Colin Gonsalves and the news report did not give the argument in arriving at his observation. Of course, I was intrigued but really did not know how to rate his observation.
But today’s papers carried the report of Brig Kochekkan meeting the media in his tactical headquarters situated in Kangla Park.
What strikes me most is when he said that they are going to develop Henglep (remember mass rape—its locale is around there) into a model village and they will be spending Rs 3 crores for the purpose!
Rs 3 crores for developing a village! That’s a lot of money, Brigadier!!
Everybody knows that there is no civil administration down there. And I like the idea of the villagers benefiting no matter where the money comes from and the Government of Manipur is not the sole agency for initiating development there. That initiative may come from the NGOs, private parties etc. I’ve no objection to that.
But the army men spending Rs3 crores for developing a village sound pretty like they are stepping into the shoes of politicians or civil administrators. C’mon, army men trying their hands at the governance of the land! That’s pretty ominous.
Do you think Mr. Colin Gonsalves have a point when he pointed that there is ongoing experiment in Manipur to test the feasibility of governance of the land by the army men? Again, that sounds pretty ominous to me.
And, today I find out that Mr. Colin Gonsalves is the founder director of Human Rights Law Networks.
It was 7—may be, 10 days back.
There in the seminar, Mr colin Gonsalves, who was said to be an imminent Supreme Court lawyer, presented his viewpoint like this—
“What’s happening in Manipur is reality an experiment testing the feasibility of the governance of the land by Indian troopers”.
That’s a totally new view of what’s happening in Manipur right now. But somebody can also term it as indulging in the sensationalism of the particular situation.
For me, it was the first time I ever heard of Mr. Colin Gonsalves and the news report did not give the argument in arriving at his observation. Of course, I was intrigued but really did not know how to rate his observation.
But today’s papers carried the report of Brig Kochekkan meeting the media in his tactical headquarters situated in Kangla Park.
What strikes me most is when he said that they are going to develop Henglep (remember mass rape—its locale is around there) into a model village and they will be spending Rs 3 crores for the purpose!
Rs 3 crores for developing a village! That’s a lot of money, Brigadier!!
Everybody knows that there is no civil administration down there. And I like the idea of the villagers benefiting no matter where the money comes from and the Government of Manipur is not the sole agency for initiating development there. That initiative may come from the NGOs, private parties etc. I’ve no objection to that.
But the army men spending Rs3 crores for developing a village sound pretty like they are stepping into the shoes of politicians or civil administrators. C’mon, army men trying their hands at the governance of the land! That’s pretty ominous.
Do you think Mr. Colin Gonsalves have a point when he pointed that there is ongoing experiment in Manipur to test the feasibility of governance of the land by the army men? Again, that sounds pretty ominous to me.
And, today I find out that Mr. Colin Gonsalves is the founder director of Human Rights Law Networks.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Come PowerGrid
I thought they would not get into retail portion of the business. But, going by the newspaper reports, Powergrid (together with Railtel) have managed to get their application for the STD license cleared by the concerned ministry. I thought they would only go as far as leasing out their networks to other parties having established retail business.
Powergrid has considerable presence in Manipur. Power produced from Loktak by NHPC Ltd is fed into the national grid through the networks of powergrid. I think their existing power networks would need only technical up gradation to enable it carry voice and data.
You go to Yurembam, hardly 7/8 kms and you will find their impressive campus. Well run.
And Powergrid had already laid OFC in Imphal targeting to cover 6 kms across it. I saw them laying OFC in the street just in front of my house and in Kangla Partk area also. Very impressive job. They laid the cables 4/5 ft below the ground level (as compared to 1/2 ft of BSNL) and any service carried over it would be of truly quality stuff.
I even managed to talk with some of them while they were laying the cables and they said they would give broadband to the residents of Imphal who lives within its 6 kms radius when the service commences but later on, expand its coverage.
I’m personally least interested with voice but I strongly feel that, at least, one carrier of data should compete with BSNL. That will be the only cure for the shoddy services being shoved into their customers by the monopolistic BSNL.
They have their offices and staffs and their networks ready. Now, they have got their license. So, it seems something will surely come out of this.
Powergrid has considerable presence in Manipur. Power produced from Loktak by NHPC Ltd is fed into the national grid through the networks of powergrid. I think their existing power networks would need only technical up gradation to enable it carry voice and data.
You go to Yurembam, hardly 7/8 kms and you will find their impressive campus. Well run.
And Powergrid had already laid OFC in Imphal targeting to cover 6 kms across it. I saw them laying OFC in the street just in front of my house and in Kangla Partk area also. Very impressive job. They laid the cables 4/5 ft below the ground level (as compared to 1/2 ft of BSNL) and any service carried over it would be of truly quality stuff.
I even managed to talk with some of them while they were laying the cables and they said they would give broadband to the residents of Imphal who lives within its 6 kms radius when the service commences but later on, expand its coverage.
I’m personally least interested with voice but I strongly feel that, at least, one carrier of data should compete with BSNL. That will be the only cure for the shoddy services being shoved into their customers by the monopolistic BSNL.
They have their offices and staffs and their networks ready. Now, they have got their license. So, it seems something will surely come out of this.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Defending it again
The cable guy came to my house this morning but I informed him of my decision of not getting a re-connection. Apparently someone in their office knows me because I did not leave either my name or address to them.
So, I should again defend my decision. I really think that I should not be distracted by the world of TV. Because I know I sure will be distracted by good BBC documentaries and the drama series of Hollywood.
Hollywood has all the technical and special effects wizards of the world. But their real backbone is formed by the hordes of creative writers. They are very good at dialogue also. The last drama series I loved was the ‘picket fences’. How many years back? I’ve been without TV since that long. Only interruption were some episodes of ‘sex and the city’ via CDs I rented.
I’m taking the trouble of saying all these things because I would like to emphasize that I should not be distracted by anything at this particular point of time when I’m about to begin writing. Cute, isn’t it? You should wish me luck. And that’s more than anything compelling enough to forego the world of cable TV.
I’m sure of this.
So, I should again defend my decision. I really think that I should not be distracted by the world of TV. Because I know I sure will be distracted by good BBC documentaries and the drama series of Hollywood.
Hollywood has all the technical and special effects wizards of the world. But their real backbone is formed by the hordes of creative writers. They are very good at dialogue also. The last drama series I loved was the ‘picket fences’. How many years back? I’ve been without TV since that long. Only interruption were some episodes of ‘sex and the city’ via CDs I rented.
I’m taking the trouble of saying all these things because I would like to emphasize that I should not be distracted by anything at this particular point of time when I’m about to begin writing. Cute, isn’t it? You should wish me luck. And that’s more than anything compelling enough to forego the world of cable TV.
I’m sure of this.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Re-reading
Re-reading Bimol Akoijam’s lecture, I’m becoming more and more convinced that it should be put online. It is one of those which lets you think and let’s you look inwards re-examining yourself and your take on the conditions surrounding you.
It’s indeed refreshing to be able to find such a piece of writing. In fact, I’ve been starved of such refreshing piece of works for a long time now. For many other societies, I can still find such refreshing pieces of works online and in books. But when it comes to the society I’m living in, you are confronted with a vacuum!
I’ll wait for 7 days i.e, up to 17th of this month for an online version of the lecture to appear on the web. If it does not come up by then, I’ll find out who are the trustees of the trust sponsoring the lecture and ask them about their policy regarding making an online version of the lecture.
In meeting the trustees I’ll try to find some ways to contact Bimol Akoijam and I would like to ask him how to get regular copies of ‘Eastern Chronicle’. I would also ask him about their policy regarding online version of the Chronicle.
I’ll come again regarding these things on the 18th of this month.
This afternoon I hauled back my old TV set after a check up in a nearby repair shop. Then, I went to the office of the cable guys for asking for a connection. The technical guy was not there and they asked me either to wait for some minutes or leave my name and address so that he would come to my place. But I said that I would come again.
But after reaching home I began questioning the purpose of seeking a cable re-connection. For the world cup I desperately need a cable line but when it was over who would use the service. I won’t get any time for TV. For some moments I thought of asking a connection for a month only! My idea was to get the connection before the Brazil-Croatia match as I think it would be one of the best matches of the entire tournament.
So, I did not go to the cable guys again and I decided against getting a re-connection.
At least one terrestrial network is offering daily highlights and going live from semi-finals onwards. But you know in opting for the highlights I’m actually practicing an act of repression—repression of all my emotions!
It’s indeed refreshing to be able to find such a piece of writing. In fact, I’ve been starved of such refreshing piece of works for a long time now. For many other societies, I can still find such refreshing pieces of works online and in books. But when it comes to the society I’m living in, you are confronted with a vacuum!
I’ll wait for 7 days i.e, up to 17th of this month for an online version of the lecture to appear on the web. If it does not come up by then, I’ll find out who are the trustees of the trust sponsoring the lecture and ask them about their policy regarding making an online version of the lecture.
In meeting the trustees I’ll try to find some ways to contact Bimol Akoijam and I would like to ask him how to get regular copies of ‘Eastern Chronicle’. I would also ask him about their policy regarding online version of the Chronicle.
I’ll come again regarding these things on the 18th of this month.
This afternoon I hauled back my old TV set after a check up in a nearby repair shop. Then, I went to the office of the cable guys for asking for a connection. The technical guy was not there and they asked me either to wait for some minutes or leave my name and address so that he would come to my place. But I said that I would come again.
But after reaching home I began questioning the purpose of seeking a cable re-connection. For the world cup I desperately need a cable line but when it was over who would use the service. I won’t get any time for TV. For some moments I thought of asking a connection for a month only! My idea was to get the connection before the Brazil-Croatia match as I think it would be one of the best matches of the entire tournament.
So, I did not go to the cable guys again and I decided against getting a re-connection.
At least one terrestrial network is offering daily highlights and going live from semi-finals onwards. But you know in opting for the highlights I’m actually practicing an act of repression—repression of all my emotions!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
The lecture itself
In my computer screen my blog was all disfigured for some days. Was it something to do with the cookies of Blogger there in my computer? In that case, you didn’t see the disfigured blog and could not make head or tail of what I was saying for some days. I’m sorry I made you all confused.
Coming to the lecture of Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, it is again an incisive and brutally honest take on the present day Manipuri society.
The lecture is titled ‘Towards a wholesome holistic self—On silence, identity and coloniality of the postcolonial’.
I’m quoting some parts which interest me very much but, I think, the lecture should be read whole. But I’m dismayed that nobody seems to be thinking of putting it online. I think they really should do that.
Again, in the introduction of Dr Akoijam, it is mentioned that he is an associate fellow in Centre for the Study of Developing Societies(CSDS), New Delhi and is closely associated with the formation of Manipur Research Forum Delhi(MRFD) and with the publication of MRFD Bulletin, which later was renamed as Eastern Quarterly. Is the Quarterly available online?
Anyway, I’m quoting:
“One of the most popular articulations that has caught the imagination of the people is that Manipur is a ‘nation-state’ with 2000 years old ‘history’. And this history of Manipur as a ‘nation-state’ usually begins, following the records of the Royal Chronicles such as the Cheitharol Kumpapa, with the story of the accession of Meiding-u Pakhangba in 33 AD. The expansion and the growth of the reign of this dynasty forms the main, if not the, axis of this popular history of Manipur as a ‘nation-state’. This articulation of self is problematic in many ways. Let me mention two crucial aspects of the problem.
First, the above history is undoubtedly a product of a ‘state-centric’ historiography, and if some historians are to be believed, ‘state-centric’ historiography often takes the form of a majoritarian articulation. This view is not an unwarranted position. A history that fortms its axis around the expansion of political authority of the Ningthouja dynasty, with the concomitant stories of defeats and subjugations of various peoples along the way, understandably becomes the history of the Meiteis. And to articulate a collective self through such history obviously excludes others(other than those under the rubric of Meitei), on the one hand and, ironically, on the other, makes subjugated selves out of the fellow citizens in the present.”
.. .. ..
“ Mr Chairperson, if such history is problematic, what is the alternative? The answer is perhaps producing alterantive histories, to use the expression popular amongst the subaltern historians. …… ……… Let us think of writing a history on the evolution or nature of YU Shungba(brewing of local liquor) in Manipur. In terms of its production and consumption, and cultural meanings and economy, one is likely to come across shared spaces as well as markers of specific enclaves amongst different communities. I believe that the identities we might see through such hsitroy would be different from the hsitroy that produces identities for the modern ‘nation-states’. While the former is likely to reveal ‘fuzzy’ identities, that is, identities that are codified and performed differently in temporally specific spaces for specific purposes, the latter is likely to register and justify reified, bounded, and enumerated identities. A work of this kind shall not be a rare specimen, as I have indicated, amongst the contemporary historians”.
I think this will make you want to read the lecture in full!
Coming to the lecture of Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, it is again an incisive and brutally honest take on the present day Manipuri society.
The lecture is titled ‘Towards a wholesome holistic self—On silence, identity and coloniality of the postcolonial’.
I’m quoting some parts which interest me very much but, I think, the lecture should be read whole. But I’m dismayed that nobody seems to be thinking of putting it online. I think they really should do that.
Again, in the introduction of Dr Akoijam, it is mentioned that he is an associate fellow in Centre for the Study of Developing Societies(CSDS), New Delhi and is closely associated with the formation of Manipur Research Forum Delhi(MRFD) and with the publication of MRFD Bulletin, which later was renamed as Eastern Quarterly. Is the Quarterly available online?
Anyway, I’m quoting:
“One of the most popular articulations that has caught the imagination of the people is that Manipur is a ‘nation-state’ with 2000 years old ‘history’. And this history of Manipur as a ‘nation-state’ usually begins, following the records of the Royal Chronicles such as the Cheitharol Kumpapa, with the story of the accession of Meiding-u Pakhangba in 33 AD. The expansion and the growth of the reign of this dynasty forms the main, if not the, axis of this popular history of Manipur as a ‘nation-state’. This articulation of self is problematic in many ways. Let me mention two crucial aspects of the problem.
First, the above history is undoubtedly a product of a ‘state-centric’ historiography, and if some historians are to be believed, ‘state-centric’ historiography often takes the form of a majoritarian articulation. This view is not an unwarranted position. A history that fortms its axis around the expansion of political authority of the Ningthouja dynasty, with the concomitant stories of defeats and subjugations of various peoples along the way, understandably becomes the history of the Meiteis. And to articulate a collective self through such history obviously excludes others(other than those under the rubric of Meitei), on the one hand and, ironically, on the other, makes subjugated selves out of the fellow citizens in the present.”
.. .. ..
“ Mr Chairperson, if such history is problematic, what is the alternative? The answer is perhaps producing alterantive histories, to use the expression popular amongst the subaltern historians. …… ……… Let us think of writing a history on the evolution or nature of YU Shungba(brewing of local liquor) in Manipur. In terms of its production and consumption, and cultural meanings and economy, one is likely to come across shared spaces as well as markers of specific enclaves amongst different communities. I believe that the identities we might see through such hsitroy would be different from the hsitroy that produces identities for the modern ‘nation-states’. While the former is likely to reveal ‘fuzzy’ identities, that is, identities that are codified and performed differently in temporally specific spaces for specific purposes, the latter is likely to register and justify reified, bounded, and enumerated identities. A work of this kind shall not be a rare specimen, as I have indicated, amongst the contemporary historians”.
I think this will make you want to read the lecture in full!
Saturday, June 10, 2006
I was late
I was late returning home from ‘1st Arambam Somorendro Memorial Lecture’ held at JN Dance Academy. Returning home, as I was sitting sipping my green tea, it was already 8.30 pm. And I had a dinner to cook!
I’m not being any particular about this lecture. I found about it on yesterday’s paper. And I had no plan to blog about it either. It was just another lecture and I was planning to reach the hall by 4pm(the ad said that it start on 3pm) but when I reached the hall, it was already 5 pm and the lecture was over, wit only the question and answer session about to begin.
But, what surprised me most when I reached there was that the lecture was to be delivered by Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam. I read many of his articles and found all od then incisive. Why didn’t they put the name of the speaker on the ad? If I knew Dr Bimol was the speaker, I should had been there in time.
But I managed to grab a printed copy of the lecture and I’ll come with tomorrow.
I cannot be late tonight because all my sisters are coming tomorrow for lunch. I got to be up and going by at least 7 in the morning.
One of my sisters is expecting and it is our custom to invite the expectant sister or daughter for lunch for the well being of both the baby and the mother.
So, meet me tomorrow.
But, I should add that I’m sad having to burden my already disfigured blog by adding yet another post. I’m sad.
I’m not being any particular about this lecture. I found about it on yesterday’s paper. And I had no plan to blog about it either. It was just another lecture and I was planning to reach the hall by 4pm(the ad said that it start on 3pm) but when I reached the hall, it was already 5 pm and the lecture was over, wit only the question and answer session about to begin.
But, what surprised me most when I reached there was that the lecture was to be delivered by Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam. I read many of his articles and found all od then incisive. Why didn’t they put the name of the speaker on the ad? If I knew Dr Bimol was the speaker, I should had been there in time.
But I managed to grab a printed copy of the lecture and I’ll come with tomorrow.
I cannot be late tonight because all my sisters are coming tomorrow for lunch. I got to be up and going by at least 7 in the morning.
One of my sisters is expecting and it is our custom to invite the expectant sister or daughter for lunch for the well being of both the baby and the mother.
So, meet me tomorrow.
But, I should add that I’m sad having to burden my already disfigured blog by adding yet another post. I’m sad.
Friday, June 09, 2006
I can't do this
I can't get into html codes for changing back to original look of my blog. Guess I'm going to make further postings in the blog appearnace as it stands now. In the meantime, I've to come up with a way--an idea!
I'm a complete novice at html codes.
I'm a complete novice at html codes.
My poor blog
So, what has happened to my blog?
It looks like somebody tried to mess up with the appearance of my poor blog. And, that’s possible only after logging into my account at Blogger. Is there also a phenomenon called ‘hacking into blog’?
Between the post of the 7th and last night’s 16 minutes of internet, I had no chance of going online and making changes in my blog. So, what’s happening here?
Or, is it that my repeated attempts to publish the post last night somehow resulted in the altered settings of my blog? I don’t know but if that’s a possibility it sounds very weird to me.
This afternoon itself I knew something had gone wrong with my blog. But my first reaction was ‘how’ to undo the error. Should I click on the ‘return to default’ button?
I’ve been trying to think a way out of the mess since this afternoon.
Most of the time, before I started keeping this blog, error 691 came up flashing on the screen, when attempting to log onto the network, only once or twice a month. In my experience, it seemed to happen on the night of the last Saturday of every month. That is understandable as some of way of undertaking maintenance of their network, their servers etc.
But, now it seems to be happening on every alternate day. It is truly alarming because I’m planning a lot of works which will need going online most of the time. And, Imphal has no other ISP!
Now, I’m going into my blogger account and to click on the ‘return to default’ button.
It looks like somebody tried to mess up with the appearance of my poor blog. And, that’s possible only after logging into my account at Blogger. Is there also a phenomenon called ‘hacking into blog’?
Between the post of the 7th and last night’s 16 minutes of internet, I had no chance of going online and making changes in my blog. So, what’s happening here?
Or, is it that my repeated attempts to publish the post last night somehow resulted in the altered settings of my blog? I don’t know but if that’s a possibility it sounds very weird to me.
This afternoon itself I knew something had gone wrong with my blog. But my first reaction was ‘how’ to undo the error. Should I click on the ‘return to default’ button?
I’ve been trying to think a way out of the mess since this afternoon.
Most of the time, before I started keeping this blog, error 691 came up flashing on the screen, when attempting to log onto the network, only once or twice a month. In my experience, it seemed to happen on the night of the last Saturday of every month. That is understandable as some of way of undertaking maintenance of their network, their servers etc.
But, now it seems to be happening on every alternate day. It is truly alarming because I’m planning a lot of works which will need going online most of the time. And, Imphal has no other ISP!
Now, I’m going into my blogger account and to click on the ‘return to default’ button.
It's irritating
It is becoming increasingly irritating to use a BSNL service. Last night I could log on their network exactly for 16 minutes and after that, as I tried to log on again, it was error 691 for every attempt. During those 16 minutes I tried to post the following piece but blogger just would not load—in 16 minutes I could not manage to execute a single post.
I became truly suspicious that something was happening to my IP number. I’m trying to find out.
_____________________________________________________________
Is this a dereliction of duty?
Consider this scene:
They have just demolished the shops along the Northern walls of Mapal Kangjeibung. After they pulled down the building with bulldozers, they simply let loose the crowd atr the demolished structure. Anybody can carry off whatever parts of the wreck provided they can tear them up.
So, it was like an army of ants attacking the demolished structure. They simply chipped at the demolished structure by any piece of tools or whatever they can lay their hands on.
It was quite a spectacle looking at the crowd attacking the wreck and carrying off steel rods, bricks on their heads, on bicycles, on rickshaws, on jeeps. In no time, they wept the demolished structure clean, literally moving out the whole building by the power of bare hands!
To their credit, they condoned off the whole area and police pickets placed around it when it was being pulled down by the bulldozers. Only when they pulled the building fairly apart so that there was no chance of any part of it falling on the people did they let loose the crowd on it.
But, isn’t it still a dereliction of duty?
The building providing 40/50 shop spaces was demolished to give way for 40/50 ft on both sides of the flyover which is nearing completion. It was an interesting building in that it was built by the money pooled by the shopkeepers themselves on some understanding with the Imphal Municipality Council, which in turn got the land under lease from the Government of Manipur. So, what has happened to their money?
There was an agreement between the shopkeepers and Government which would give each and every shopkeeper a shop floor space in a shopping mall to be constructed at the site where the old district hospital used to stand just across the street, which in turn is being used as the temporary market shed for the women folks.
I talked with some of the shopkeepers when I passed along their shops and I found most of them eager to move into the future mall.
I repeatedly asked them if a shopping mall was actually going to be built by the government.
They all replied—‘Yes, yes, it is going to be a shopping mall.’
Will they government again make them pool their money for the planned shopping mall?
Well, I actually forgot to ask the question.
Even if, I want to ask them now, where can I find them?
Their shops, built with their own money on a government land, were already demolished.
I became truly suspicious that something was happening to my IP number. I’m trying to find out.
_____________________________________________________________
Is this a dereliction of duty?
Consider this scene:
They have just demolished the shops along the Northern walls of Mapal Kangjeibung. After they pulled down the building with bulldozers, they simply let loose the crowd atr the demolished structure. Anybody can carry off whatever parts of the wreck provided they can tear them up.
So, it was like an army of ants attacking the demolished structure. They simply chipped at the demolished structure by any piece of tools or whatever they can lay their hands on.
It was quite a spectacle looking at the crowd attacking the wreck and carrying off steel rods, bricks on their heads, on bicycles, on rickshaws, on jeeps. In no time, they wept the demolished structure clean, literally moving out the whole building by the power of bare hands!
To their credit, they condoned off the whole area and police pickets placed around it when it was being pulled down by the bulldozers. Only when they pulled the building fairly apart so that there was no chance of any part of it falling on the people did they let loose the crowd on it.
But, isn’t it still a dereliction of duty?
The building providing 40/50 shop spaces was demolished to give way for 40/50 ft on both sides of the flyover which is nearing completion. It was an interesting building in that it was built by the money pooled by the shopkeepers themselves on some understanding with the Imphal Municipality Council, which in turn got the land under lease from the Government of Manipur. So, what has happened to their money?
There was an agreement between the shopkeepers and Government which would give each and every shopkeeper a shop floor space in a shopping mall to be constructed at the site where the old district hospital used to stand just across the street, which in turn is being used as the temporary market shed for the women folks.
I talked with some of the shopkeepers when I passed along their shops and I found most of them eager to move into the future mall.
I repeatedly asked them if a shopping mall was actually going to be built by the government.
They all replied—‘Yes, yes, it is going to be a shopping mall.’
Will they government again make them pool their money for the planned shopping mall?
Well, I actually forgot to ask the question.
Even if, I want to ask them now, where can I find them?
Their shops, built with their own money on a government land, were already demolished.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Intriguing indeed!
You have to excuse me if I sound as if I’m in a perennial ‘conspiracy theorist’ state of mind. But don’t you think that the timing of the recent visit of Ms Malini Bhattacharya, member, National Commission for Woman, is quite intriguing?
About a week back, Justice Rajkhowa announced that all the girls whose statements he had personally recorded at Parbung and Lungthulien, should be ready for cross-examination by other interested counsels. (At that time, I was too harried telling you my personal ‘anecdotes’ to take note of the Justice’s announcement here. But I took a mental note of the announcement so that I could bring it up when the situations presented themselves—like today). In the same announcement, the Justice also noted that all the statements that were recorded in Hmar language were in the process of being translated into English. When completed, they would be made available to all the parties. Note that Mafyf demanded that it be supplied with all the statements.
The reaction was immediate. Hmar Women Association did not like the idea of cross-examination citing that all the girls were in varying stages of trauma and they should not be further forced to re-visit their hellish experiences.
The reply to that reaction came from Human Rights Alert. It is headed by Mr Babloo Loitongbam who, I think, has those impeccable credentials required for a non-controversial human rights activist. He said that he could understand the girls’ plight in having to re-visit their hellish experiences but cross-examination is a must for establishing the truth.
Then, he gave four or five names of women of proven rape cases but I can remember only name of Ahanjaobi, rape victim of an Indian Army soldier, who ultimately was found guilty of his crime and convicted.
Babloo said that all these women had to undergo several layers of cross-examination. He said that a woman is honour-bound to undergo any test imposed by the law of the land which will to the punishment of the perpetrators of rape.
The second point is very significant. Babloo himself was on Aizawl-Parbung circuit when the news of the mass rape just came out in the media in full force. It was before the Rajkhowa Commission was instituted. He personally met the majority of the girls who were alleged to have been raped by the rebels. In all the cases, he tried to go a little deeper into the affair by putting some more questions to the girls—all the girls demurred and said that it was an ‘attempt to rape’.
The words are ‘attempt to rape’.
When he came back to Imphal with his report, the Government of Manipur just announced the institution of a judicial commission to probe the rape cases. So, he decided not to release his report to the public but to submit it to the coming commission.
I remember him telling the media just that at that time.
It was in the middle of such points and counterpoints that Ms Malini Bhattacharya arrived in Imphal and she said:
>> In the absence of primary evidence of rape, what the purported rape victims say should be trusted. (Does she mean to say that if the girls are to be trusted, cross-examination is a waste of time?)
>>Manipur Government does absolutely nothing to alleviate the trauma of the Hmar girls ( Does she mean to say that as the girls are already in the state of traumatic shocks, anybody should not try to intensify the shock by any means—like, cross-examination?)
Well, I may sound liking a good conspiracy theory a little bit but it is still intriguing to me—very intriguing indeed!
About a week back, Justice Rajkhowa announced that all the girls whose statements he had personally recorded at Parbung and Lungthulien, should be ready for cross-examination by other interested counsels. (At that time, I was too harried telling you my personal ‘anecdotes’ to take note of the Justice’s announcement here. But I took a mental note of the announcement so that I could bring it up when the situations presented themselves—like today). In the same announcement, the Justice also noted that all the statements that were recorded in Hmar language were in the process of being translated into English. When completed, they would be made available to all the parties. Note that Mafyf demanded that it be supplied with all the statements.
The reaction was immediate. Hmar Women Association did not like the idea of cross-examination citing that all the girls were in varying stages of trauma and they should not be further forced to re-visit their hellish experiences.
The reply to that reaction came from Human Rights Alert. It is headed by Mr Babloo Loitongbam who, I think, has those impeccable credentials required for a non-controversial human rights activist. He said that he could understand the girls’ plight in having to re-visit their hellish experiences but cross-examination is a must for establishing the truth.
Then, he gave four or five names of women of proven rape cases but I can remember only name of Ahanjaobi, rape victim of an Indian Army soldier, who ultimately was found guilty of his crime and convicted.
Babloo said that all these women had to undergo several layers of cross-examination. He said that a woman is honour-bound to undergo any test imposed by the law of the land which will to the punishment of the perpetrators of rape.
The second point is very significant. Babloo himself was on Aizawl-Parbung circuit when the news of the mass rape just came out in the media in full force. It was before the Rajkhowa Commission was instituted. He personally met the majority of the girls who were alleged to have been raped by the rebels. In all the cases, he tried to go a little deeper into the affair by putting some more questions to the girls—all the girls demurred and said that it was an ‘attempt to rape’.
The words are ‘attempt to rape’.
When he came back to Imphal with his report, the Government of Manipur just announced the institution of a judicial commission to probe the rape cases. So, he decided not to release his report to the public but to submit it to the coming commission.
I remember him telling the media just that at that time.
It was in the middle of such points and counterpoints that Ms Malini Bhattacharya arrived in Imphal and she said:
>> In the absence of primary evidence of rape, what the purported rape victims say should be trusted. (Does she mean to say that if the girls are to be trusted, cross-examination is a waste of time?)
>>Manipur Government does absolutely nothing to alleviate the trauma of the Hmar girls ( Does she mean to say that as the girls are already in the state of traumatic shocks, anybody should not try to intensify the shock by any means—like, cross-examination?)
Well, I may sound liking a good conspiracy theory a little bit but it is still intriguing to me—very intriguing indeed!
BSNL helpdesk
I rang up BSNL helpdesk for internet services. A lady came to the line promptly.
Me: Hello, is it helpdesk for internet?
The lady: Yes
Me: I want to ask something
The lady: OK
Me: Why was that I could not any internet access last night(5ht night)?
The lady: Oh!... (she sounded as if she just heard about it). What type of internet access?
I was foxed momentarily by the question.
Me: Umm..it is Sancharnet.
The lady: There was not any problem in the Imphal last night. It must be in some other nodes, like Shillong or Kolkatta. But the service is ok now. Please try it.
Me: Thank you. But will the service be still ok this night?
The lady: Sure.
That was me in the afternoon.
In the evening, I found a news item in Telegraph:
In the town of Hailakandi in Cachar district of Assam, the internet access is reported to be frequently disrupted. So, the reporter met the BSNL officers in Silchar, from where the service is delivered to Hailakandi. The top official for internet services in Silchar office told the reporter that, as the ‘authenticated servers’ are Delhi, it is upto them in Delhi to ensure steady access of internet in Hailakandi. He pointedly told the reporter that they (in Silchar) could nothing to improve the service.
Well, that’s news to me. Internet access is so tightly controlled from Delhi!
Anyway, as I had already typed it out in Words (for cut and paste!), I’m giving below what I meant as yesterday’s post.
______________________________________________________
Yesterday ‘workshop’ does not leave my mind as yet. I kept thinking about it all the day today.
Normally, a creative person conjures up a story line from his/her life or, from the intricate mesh of relationships with his/her friends, relatives, neighbors, acquaintances etc Can an artist bring forth anything original in the absence of such intimate and scorching moments of his life experiences? Can he do in a social vacuum?
If we focus on cinema, a screen writer should have seen the scenes, the shots in flashes of images, if not in terms of concretely formed bodies of images. These images come out of his life experience. Taking the cues from these glimpses of images, the director and the cinematographer, in turn, try to translate all the written words of the screen writer into images—series of living and entertaining images. The trick is to stand on the essence of the imageries of one’s society and let them blossom into the fictitious and dramatized situations of the story line.
Then, why is this need for ‘guidelines’ for not seeing some particular sets of images and incorporating some particular sets of images in Manipuri cinema? I mean, the imageries sprung out of our society are all there in front of everybody—they are not endowed with different shades of hues for different sets of classes of people in this society. They are there in front of everybody as they are—unchanging.
I guess, it is very tough creative endeavour to come to terms with the intrinsic imageries of one’s society. On individual plane also, coming to peace with oneself is the toughest part of our life. It is tough, agreed but the first condition to go there is to pull down all the barriers, not putting newer ones up. By pulling down all the barricades, one is just taking a huge step in opening up his mind. With the brain not opening up, you are not going anywhere. No newer ideas, no fresh winds will ever com to you.
In my personal experience also, I could not see the stark faces of the majority of the people here which are stained by the chronic deficiency of nutrients. They are all there in front of everybody. But I was not able to see them. I needed the eyes of an American to be able to see them for myself. Here are the details.
So, is it case of Manipuri cinema needing the eyes of some people outside of our society so that the people connected with our cinema begin to have a glimpse of the intrinsic imageries thrown up by our living society?
Me: Hello, is it helpdesk for internet?
The lady: Yes
Me: I want to ask something
The lady: OK
Me: Why was that I could not any internet access last night(5ht night)?
The lady: Oh!... (she sounded as if she just heard about it). What type of internet access?
I was foxed momentarily by the question.
Me: Umm..it is Sancharnet.
The lady: There was not any problem in the Imphal last night. It must be in some other nodes, like Shillong or Kolkatta. But the service is ok now. Please try it.
Me: Thank you. But will the service be still ok this night?
The lady: Sure.
That was me in the afternoon.
In the evening, I found a news item in Telegraph:
In the town of Hailakandi in Cachar district of Assam, the internet access is reported to be frequently disrupted. So, the reporter met the BSNL officers in Silchar, from where the service is delivered to Hailakandi. The top official for internet services in Silchar office told the reporter that, as the ‘authenticated servers’ are Delhi, it is upto them in Delhi to ensure steady access of internet in Hailakandi. He pointedly told the reporter that they (in Silchar) could nothing to improve the service.
Well, that’s news to me. Internet access is so tightly controlled from Delhi!
Anyway, as I had already typed it out in Words (for cut and paste!), I’m giving below what I meant as yesterday’s post.
______________________________________________________
Yesterday ‘workshop’ does not leave my mind as yet. I kept thinking about it all the day today.
Normally, a creative person conjures up a story line from his/her life or, from the intricate mesh of relationships with his/her friends, relatives, neighbors, acquaintances etc Can an artist bring forth anything original in the absence of such intimate and scorching moments of his life experiences? Can he do in a social vacuum?
If we focus on cinema, a screen writer should have seen the scenes, the shots in flashes of images, if not in terms of concretely formed bodies of images. These images come out of his life experience. Taking the cues from these glimpses of images, the director and the cinematographer, in turn, try to translate all the written words of the screen writer into images—series of living and entertaining images. The trick is to stand on the essence of the imageries of one’s society and let them blossom into the fictitious and dramatized situations of the story line.
Then, why is this need for ‘guidelines’ for not seeing some particular sets of images and incorporating some particular sets of images in Manipuri cinema? I mean, the imageries sprung out of our society are all there in front of everybody—they are not endowed with different shades of hues for different sets of classes of people in this society. They are there in front of everybody as they are—unchanging.
I guess, it is very tough creative endeavour to come to terms with the intrinsic imageries of one’s society. On individual plane also, coming to peace with oneself is the toughest part of our life. It is tough, agreed but the first condition to go there is to pull down all the barriers, not putting newer ones up. By pulling down all the barricades, one is just taking a huge step in opening up his mind. With the brain not opening up, you are not going anywhere. No newer ideas, no fresh winds will ever com to you.
In my personal experience also, I could not see the stark faces of the majority of the people here which are stained by the chronic deficiency of nutrients. They are all there in front of everybody. But I was not able to see them. I needed the eyes of an American to be able to see them for myself. Here are the details.
So, is it case of Manipuri cinema needing the eyes of some people outside of our society so that the people connected with our cinema begin to have a glimpse of the intrinsic imageries thrown up by our living society?
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Malini is in Imphal
Malini Bhattacharya, memeber National Commission for Woman, is in Imphal apparently for submitting the report of her recent visit to Parbung and Lungthulien. She also met the media yesterday.
Of all the things, she said, in the event of not getting the primary evidences (which she admitted as lacking in the case of the Hmar women) what the alleged victims said should be trusted. She said it was a Supreme court decision.
If there happen to be a Supreme Court decision like that, we are indeed living in a very dangerous part of the world.
Of all the things, she said, in the event of not getting the primary evidences (which she admitted as lacking in the case of the Hmar women) what the alleged victims said should be trusted. She said it was a Supreme court decision.
If there happen to be a Supreme Court decision like that, we are indeed living in a very dangerous part of the world.
Celebrating its uniqueness
I’m totally disappointed.
They are, in effect, proclaiming themselves as the Culture police and they won’t allow any film to be produced which doesn’t follow some prescribed guidelines. I don’t like it.
I’m not in a mood to talk about today’s worshop(?). In the previous two workshops there were at least some efforts in the direction of introspection—how the artiste would relate to their society, how they would grasped the essence of their society, their life in their creative pursuits. Some people like Prof Nabakumar came up with some striking ideas as well.
I was excited then. But today’s affair is a damp squib.
Read here, here, and here about the previous two workshops.
Do we want Manipuriness in our films?
I think we should not go in that direction. Going that direction somehow sends out a message of erecting walls around us and erecting barriers do not help anybody. See, most of the Muslims immigrants (and even those who are born in the British soil) do not like themselves to be suffused with Englishness. In practice, the Brits are saying that come to us, all right but only after climbing the barrier of Englishness. Same thing is happening to France. We all know how the Indian Muslims (most of them are converts from Hindus and those coming outside India have at least 600/700 years of history behind them) react to the idea of Hindutva, which those in the Sangh peddle as same as Indianess.
I would like going this way:
Suppose the world cinema one big corporate structure. We know ‘same size fits all’ is the thing of the past. With the idea of functioning with bottom up approach every constituent cinemas of the world have to find its voice and creatively contribute to the whole structure.
Looking from this angle, Manipuri cinema should be celebrating its own uniqueness. Focusing on its own ‘identifying characteristics’ it should creatively put together the imageries of its society, stories and technical inputs to bring forth a vibrant and entertaining statement to this hyper-competitive world.
They are, in effect, proclaiming themselves as the Culture police and they won’t allow any film to be produced which doesn’t follow some prescribed guidelines. I don’t like it.
I’m not in a mood to talk about today’s worshop(?). In the previous two workshops there were at least some efforts in the direction of introspection—how the artiste would relate to their society, how they would grasped the essence of their society, their life in their creative pursuits. Some people like Prof Nabakumar came up with some striking ideas as well.
I was excited then. But today’s affair is a damp squib.
Read here, here, and here about the previous two workshops.
Do we want Manipuriness in our films?
I think we should not go in that direction. Going that direction somehow sends out a message of erecting walls around us and erecting barriers do not help anybody. See, most of the Muslims immigrants (and even those who are born in the British soil) do not like themselves to be suffused with Englishness. In practice, the Brits are saying that come to us, all right but only after climbing the barrier of Englishness. Same thing is happening to France. We all know how the Indian Muslims (most of them are converts from Hindus and those coming outside India have at least 600/700 years of history behind them) react to the idea of Hindutva, which those in the Sangh peddle as same as Indianess.
I would like going this way:
Suppose the world cinema one big corporate structure. We know ‘same size fits all’ is the thing of the past. With the idea of functioning with bottom up approach every constituent cinemas of the world have to find its voice and creatively contribute to the whole structure.
Looking from this angle, Manipuri cinema should be celebrating its own uniqueness. Focusing on its own ‘identifying characteristics’ it should creatively put together the imageries of its society, stories and technical inputs to bring forth a vibrant and entertaining statement to this hyper-competitive world.
The first attempt at crossing the Rubicon.
So far, the two peoples of Nagaland and Manipur have seen the talk between Muivah’s ilk and the government in Delhi in its right perspectives—the talk has been discussing the demand of a rebel outfit. Just that.
But the incursion of Nagaland CM, Mr Neiphiu Rio up to Tadubi to tell people there that they should work for what the rebel is putting on the table at the talk was the first attempt to point out to the people of Nagaland that Manipur’s people are standing in the way of their aspiration. It’s Nagaland CM’s attempt at crossing the Rubicon.
First, my disclaimer—this is one of those of numerous viewpoints of private citizens. You are free to draw whatever conclusion as you seem fit after reading this. I mean, I may even be wrong at the conclusion of this write up.
The most glaring point that all the people miss out in discussing the talk in Delhi is the role played by the Left in Manipur. Even a fairly well read person will fail to name any Left leader of Manipur. They have minimum impact in the State politics itself. But they have very good rapport with people like AB Bardhan, D Raja and through such people the ruling class in Delhi has gotten the very authentic ground realities of Manipur—
>>In case of something happening to the boundary of Manipur, the State will be up in flames and the rebels are readying to step into the vacuum thus created and lead the whole people in altogether different direction<<
So, looking at purely from the angle of bare practice of politics, what the political leadership in Delhi is doing regarding the talk can be summarized as:
>>NOT letting the situation in Manipur go out of hand so that the rebels have no chance of stepping in the driving seat, by using WHATEVER MEANS in their disposal<<
>>NOT letting a formidable rebel outfit in the NE go out of the negotiating table, by using WHATEVER MEANS at their disposal<<
So, the least known aspect of the ongoing talk is the spectre the rebels Manipur are casting on it. Actually, the pace of the talk is directly proportionate to the state of the health of the Manipur’s rebels at any point of time.
And this factor is totally out of bounds of Muivah—he has absolutely no control over it.
This brings us to the secondary conclusion—the political leadership in Delhi has no time for either ‘Naga’s unique history’ or ‘Manipur’s 2000 old history’. For them, it is the burden of stark exigencies of running a vast country like India. And the very interesting corollary is that Muivah will find himself with less and less of options as the talk drag on.
If you read this far, you will need only to remember that Muivah was instrumental in dethroning the then CM, Jamir and putting the incumbent, Mr Rio in the throne, to see through the twist and turn of a wicked politics that brings our neighbour’s CM to Tadubi.
To be fair, seeing from the angle of bare practice of politics of a CM named Rio, it is the act of a payback.
But unwittingly, the Nagaland CM has just embarked on an unthinking act which has the exact practical effect of leading his State’s people up to that point from where there will be no turning back.
In effect, crossing the Rubicon.
But the incursion of Nagaland CM, Mr Neiphiu Rio up to Tadubi to tell people there that they should work for what the rebel is putting on the table at the talk was the first attempt to point out to the people of Nagaland that Manipur’s people are standing in the way of their aspiration. It’s Nagaland CM’s attempt at crossing the Rubicon.
First, my disclaimer—this is one of those of numerous viewpoints of private citizens. You are free to draw whatever conclusion as you seem fit after reading this. I mean, I may even be wrong at the conclusion of this write up.
The most glaring point that all the people miss out in discussing the talk in Delhi is the role played by the Left in Manipur. Even a fairly well read person will fail to name any Left leader of Manipur. They have minimum impact in the State politics itself. But they have very good rapport with people like AB Bardhan, D Raja and through such people the ruling class in Delhi has gotten the very authentic ground realities of Manipur—
>>In case of something happening to the boundary of Manipur, the State will be up in flames and the rebels are readying to step into the vacuum thus created and lead the whole people in altogether different direction<<
So, looking at purely from the angle of bare practice of politics, what the political leadership in Delhi is doing regarding the talk can be summarized as:
>>NOT letting the situation in Manipur go out of hand so that the rebels have no chance of stepping in the driving seat, by using WHATEVER MEANS in their disposal<<
>>NOT letting a formidable rebel outfit in the NE go out of the negotiating table, by using WHATEVER MEANS at their disposal<<
So, the least known aspect of the ongoing talk is the spectre the rebels Manipur are casting on it. Actually, the pace of the talk is directly proportionate to the state of the health of the Manipur’s rebels at any point of time.
And this factor is totally out of bounds of Muivah—he has absolutely no control over it.
This brings us to the secondary conclusion—the political leadership in Delhi has no time for either ‘Naga’s unique history’ or ‘Manipur’s 2000 old history’. For them, it is the burden of stark exigencies of running a vast country like India. And the very interesting corollary is that Muivah will find himself with less and less of options as the talk drag on.
If you read this far, you will need only to remember that Muivah was instrumental in dethroning the then CM, Jamir and putting the incumbent, Mr Rio in the throne, to see through the twist and turn of a wicked politics that brings our neighbour’s CM to Tadubi.
To be fair, seeing from the angle of bare practice of politics of a CM named Rio, it is the act of a payback.
But unwittingly, the Nagaland CM has just embarked on an unthinking act which has the exact practical effect of leading his State’s people up to that point from where there will be no turning back.
In effect, crossing the Rubicon.
Friday, June 02, 2006
It's here.
Last night, I should have gone to BOAT( an open air theatre) for the premier screening of the film, ‘Ahing amadi houkhre’. It was an all girl-film—the direction, production and screen writing are all by women. It’s cool and I should be doing a review of that. Just wait for the film to screen at a theatre near me.
The latest fad is to premier screen of films at BOAT.
They announce that latest workshop on ‘Manipuri filmgi oipham thokpa mashak’ on the 4th June. But it’s at State Guest House. I’m a little disappointed at the venue not being at Kangla. I’m readying for the gatecrash. But this time I’m going there with paper and pen and I’ll note down everything. I’ll play the reporter.
As I’m writing this another film, ‘Ahingba Phura’ is holding its premier at BOAT. It’s a Gung-starrer and some parts were shot in Singapore with a Chinese actor named Shrine. An actor named Shrine??
The latest fad is to premier screen of films at BOAT.
They announce that latest workshop on ‘Manipuri filmgi oipham thokpa mashak’ on the 4th June. But it’s at State Guest House. I’m a little disappointed at the venue not being at Kangla. I’m readying for the gatecrash. But this time I’m going there with paper and pen and I’ll note down everything. I’ll play the reporter.
As I’m writing this another film, ‘Ahingba Phura’ is holding its premier at BOAT. It’s a Gung-starrer and some parts were shot in Singapore with a Chinese actor named Shrine. An actor named Shrine??
Last night
Last night, there was power outrage all night long.
I was home at 7 pm and I found all my neighborhood in pitch dark. Immediately, I rushed to 'complaint room' electricity department. The man there at the counter told me that they could not be of any help because they had a major repair at hand and they had no staff for that in alte evening.
He told me that a passenger bus, while reversing, hit a post and got some wires snapped.
I returned home and after dinner, tried to write. But the weather so warm and the kerosine lamp shining in my face, nothing came out of me.
I went to bed early.
I was home at 7 pm and I found all my neighborhood in pitch dark. Immediately, I rushed to 'complaint room' electricity department. The man there at the counter told me that they could not be of any help because they had a major repair at hand and they had no staff for that in alte evening.
He told me that a passenger bus, while reversing, hit a post and got some wires snapped.
I returned home and after dinner, tried to write. But the weather so warm and the kerosine lamp shining in my face, nothing came out of me.
I went to bed early.
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