I'm sorry.

I've been on a very personal quest which, surprisingly, left me emotionally drained.

I'm taking small but sure steps to come out of the quest emotionally-replenished to the brim and a fulfilled man.

But right now, I'm so emotionally consumed that my rapport with my blog is affected.

I'm sorry for this.

Sleepy, sleepy!

I'm feeling so sleepy right now. I'll have a quick look at my mails and go to sleep.

I won't be able to pull myself up to read anything tonight.

A little good news

It is now reported that Sharmila is a little better.

We definitely rejoice in that news.

We sincerely hope that she continue to tread that path.

You are our precious Nura Temsing-nabi

We all know that you are giving away your precious life—very slowly and very surely.

But if a miracle can bring back your health and a smile in your face, we all go looking for that miracle.

Our hearts fly out to you.

Hang on, Sharmila

Sharmila is reported to have nasal bleeding.

When it was attended to, she is reported to have developed fever.

Something tells me that all is not well with her.

But I’m hoping against hope that she would come out all right.

Dam and politics

Twenty seven Naga organizations have served an ultimatum to the Government of Manipur to suspend the public hearing planned for the construction of the Tipaimukh dam. They say the government has only the time up to the 10th of this month to suspend the hearing. If the government fails to do so by this date, there will be a 24 hours bandh on the next day.

They also have told the government to completely withdraw unilaterally from the MOU signed between it and NEEPCO mandating the latter for the construction of the dam.

They are also telling the government that bandh is only the first step. If this first step does not elicit any positive response from the government they are readying themselves to enforce economic blockades on the national highways.

These 27 organizations met in Senapati and took these decisions. I scanned through all of those 27 organizations and found them all to be Naga organizations.

As someone living in the valley and thus, a sure shot victim of any economic blockade enforced on the highways, I should not say that I would welcome this coming blockade. But I tend to love anybody who, and anything which, will do something to oppose the construction of this dam.
I firmly believe that this proposed will be one of the biggest blunders in the entire history of Manipur. I’m totally against it.

But we must not also fail to see the underlying political meaning of the emergence of the workable conglomeration of these 27 Naga organizations and its subsequent programs of agitations.

The community which will be hardest hit by this dam is Zeliangrong, who predominantly populate the Tamenglong district. Vast tracks of their lands will be inundated. They believe that such inundations will wipe out their heritages sites and so, consequently, their cultures and heritages. So, they are seeking any available help from any quarters to enable them to stand up against the dam. In this process, there already develop a working relationship structure to jointly oppose the dam. This comes in the backdrop of the fierce turf wars between the rival factions of the predominant Naga insurgent group, the NSCN. Besides this turf war, we also see the growing activities of the Meitei insurgents in this district. All these make some Naga leaders extremely nervous. See how it was announced some days back the IM faction oft the NSCN would recruit 2000 cadres from Tamenglong district. They even announced that all these 2000 cadres will be given monthly salary! This sure highlights the level of nervousness of some Naga leaders.

I believe that these extremely nervous Naga leaders ordered the 27 Naga organizations to come together and to announce the program for the agitations. If they intensify economic blockades along the highways in Senapati district, this government will be compelled to take some decisions, however adhoc they might be.

This, in turn, will have the effect of weaning away the Zeliangrong from the Meiteis in the valley. Politics! Politics!!

Despite all these politics, I’ll appreciate everybody who does something to oppose this dam.

Welcome the handheld!

I’ve just bought a CellOne pre-paid simcard for Rs 1500/-. How the hell CellOne card command such a hefty premium! It’s one of the riddles of the life in a place called Imphal!!

I never imagine that I would be buying any other new BSNL products so soon. I’ve all along mentally prepared to migrate to any other network that provides the first competitive broadband service in Imphal.

But all of a sudden I find myself amidst a group of people who are all using CellOne service. I need to be in constant touch with these people. But intra-networks connectivity is hellish in Imphal. I don’t know if it’s also the case in other parts of India. But if you are in Imphal you have to stay satisfied in the island of the network of your service provider. Most of the time, you just cannot connect to any other people who happen to use any other networks of the competing service providers.

So, I ended up buying another product of BSNL!

And, I’m also fully prepared to buy another handset with camera and music. The camera is basically meant for this blog. And, I want to use the phone as some sort of interface between my computer and my music system. I mean, will some of the handsets be dockable to a system like an iPod dock? If I delay buying that handset for some 6 months, will there a product in the market which has the feature I want?

I’m certain that I won’t want music on the go. But I want to play my playlists on my stereo system. At the same time, it really sucks to boot up the computer everytime I want to some music in the room. I want the simplest interface between them. If the handset can store around 50 songs and if it can be docked on the stereo system to play out the palylists, it will really satisfy me.

And, I also want higher resolution for the camera. I want more 3 megapixels. And, I cannot imagine myself to carry around a camera all the time. But a camera inbuilt in the phone is altogether another matter—I’ll have no fuss in carrying it around all the time!

But I also sense that what I like is not a phone. It’s a handheld device. I can feel that the phone has already morphed into an altogether different device.

Welcome the handheld!

Beginning of new era in political development of NE Region?

Imphal is agog with whispered conversation that Manipur Government has already charged Sharmila with sedition. Manipur DGP was summoned to New Delhi and after his return, Manipur Government had taken up a suo moto case against Sharmila on the 17th of October. She was charged under section 124 (a) of the Indian Penal Code, which is related with cases of sedition and carries punishment of non-bail able jail term of 7 years.

Just now, Chief Minister and chief secretary has been summoned to Delhi.

We must remember here that during more than 50 years of insurgency in the N E Region, not a single insurgent, leader or otherwise, has not been charged with sedition. Most of the time, they are charged with Arms Act, which enables the Government to put them under National Security Act.

By not charging them with sedition, it has been argued for so long here, that Indian State has not viewed the insurgency ravaging the region as a political problem.

But all of a sudden, it’s almost certain that they have charged a frail young woman who has been using Gandhian method of non-violence path with sedition.

As I am typing this, we are witnessing a paradigm shift in the political playing field of the entire NE Region. We may as well be witnessing the moments of a major tipping point in the political history of the entire NE Region.

Is it the beginning of a new era in the political development of NE Region?

Need to be near them

A Kanhailal play has been scheduled for the evening of the 5th. Then, suddenly, Apunba Lup announced ‘sintha leppa’ (a pen down type of protest) on the 5th also.

I’m an active supporter of Sharmila. I’m ready to take in any protest program in support of her. But, I’ve also been looking forward to the going to that play of Kanhailal. I like both of them. But with the Apunba Lup protest program means the play might have already been re-scheduled. This pisses me off.

I need some change in pace in my daily routine. I also need some new songs and books. But somehow I’ve not been able to buy them. If books are not available in Imphal, songs can be either purchased or downloaded. I don’t like the idea of downloading songs from a p2p site. It’s like stealing some other’s property. But what choice do we have? Even if we go to a Imphal music store it’s more or less certain that we must be buying pirated songs. It’s also the case when we rent CDs of movies—all of them are pirated copies. I’m living in a society where piracy is pervading.

What’s particularly amazing is that it’s also true in case of local artists. I like to buy songs of Umoni and Eastern Dark. But I’m not certain if some portions of the money I would be forking out to buy them would actually reach the artists. Sometimes, I think of going directly to the artists to buy the songs but it would be a lot of hassle for me to find their places and meeting them.

All these mean that I need some new stimulation. I’m feeling suffocated by the daily doses of mediocrity. Most of the Kanhailal plays are spun with thread bare theatrical devices but they are amazingly beautiful. Let’s say most of them are simple but sublime.

Even if I can’t touch them beautiful things—simple and sublime, I need to feel to be near them. Suffused and stimulated by them.

Zinn and people empowerment

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is not only a history of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasis in this complex history will define our lives. If we can see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however, small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now, as we think human beings should live in defense of all that is good around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

That was Howard Zinn.

On so many occasions, I find so many people recommending Howard Zinn’s history of the United States. They say it is the defining book on the history of US. One of the worst disadvantages of living in a small place like Imphal is the non-availability of books. Even if we are willing to buy books, there simple is no book store. Few online stores which accepts draft payments (because online payment instruments are also not available here) typically has not stocked topical books like that of Zinn’s.

By the way, I find the Howard Zinn quotation from a small booklet of ANHAD (see my last 2 posts). ANHAD also stands for ‘ACT Now for Harmony and Democracy). At the same time, it also means ‘without limit’. Its founder being a Hashmi, the word must be Urdu, isn’t it?

If you empower small people( like tech company like Google is doing?) to live his own life without having to compromise his basic principles, then the conglomerations of such individual citizen must be an essentially good society. But what kind of agencies in a society will have the incentive to empower small people—the individuals?

Corporations are after profits. They have no incentive to empower small people. But tech companies, like Google must have a base of empowered users to get their profits. If it is true, then competitions between tech companies would mean competitions for empowering small people. That must be a paradigm shift in the history of the functioning of corporate across the globe.

The future will be really bright if technology comes around to be truly people-empowering. Can we count on the tech cos to function as the catalysts for such empowerment?

Again face to face with little simmering rebellions

Today, at Manipur University, as a part of the closing day programs of the 3 days solidarity meet for Sharmila, a book, named ‘ Sharmila: A Mission for Peace’ was released. During the short speech, the author of the book, Mr Oinam Kullabidhu, told the gathering that Sharmila started her fast in public on the 4th of Nov 2000. The shooting down of the 10 innocent men and women at Malom took place on the 2nd Nov 2000. He told the gathering this anecdote that Sharmila, shocked at the killing of the 10 people, refused foods on the day of the killing. The following day she also refused food. On the 4th, she took the consent of her mother and continued the fast on a public place.

So, there is a little confusion about the exact date on which she started her fast. Is it the 2nd of Nov, as the organizers of the meet had told us or is it 4th, as the author of the book informed us today?

Some people are also planning a rally in Trafalgar Square in London on the 4th of this month. I guess they are taking 4th as the 6th anniversary of the day on which Sharmila started her fast.

It turned out altogether 91 women from India were nominated for the 1000 peacewomen for the Nobel peace prize. They showed a film detailing the works of 6 women from among the 91 nominations. I don’t know the criteria for choosing only 6 out the 91. It included Sharmila. Most of the footages accompanying her story are from the Manorama uprising. But nobody seems to bother. The other 5 are all to do either with adivasi or religious minorities struggling for their rights. Two stories from Kerala, showing how the adivasi women there clash with the State machineries, shook me. I think it would be very educative to watch all the stories of the 91 women.

Still in the auditorium at M U, it occurred to me that all the stories point to the simmering little rebellions across the Indian Sub-continent.

I tried to form an opinion about these simmering little rebellions here.

I’m still in my learning process and I think it would serve a good start trying to find the DVD containing all the stories of the 91 woemn.

It also turned that the most active organizers at the MU auditorium are not from Human Rights Alert, which is Imphal-based. They happened to be the 3 young girls belonging to North East Network, which is based in Guwahati. All the three look really smart and capable. One is Ms Behal and another, Ms Goswami. Incidentally, I can’t remember their first names and I can remember nothing about the third!

Anyway, they have their web presence here.

But I did manage to note down all the outfits which were jointly organizing the 3 day meet. They are: HRA, NEN, ANHAD, SANGAT, HRNL, PWAG, KRITI, PEACE, INSAF, AMAN TRUST and WISCOMP. Lots of acronyms here. And I’ve no way to find out what these acronyms stand for!

Peacewomen

Several human rights activist organization are organizing a three day solidarity meet for Irom Chanu Sharmila ( aka Nura Temsing-nabi in this blog). Human Rights Alert ( of Babloo Loitongbam ) seems to be the main co-ordinator here. The venue is at the centenary hall of Manipur University. It started on 31st of October and will have the closing day on 2nd of November, which is the 6th anniversary of the day Sharmila started her fast.

Besides, showing solidarity to Sharmila, the organizers want to introduce 1000 peacewomen who were nominated for Nobel Peace prize in 2005. ( They did not get the prize).

When I reached there, a panel discussion was going on. The panel consisted of Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD, Neidunlun of Naga Mothers’ Association ( of Nagaland), Maya Ingti and Biro Bala Rava. They are among the 1000 peacewomen.

ANHAD comes out with a top quality flyer exclusively for Sharmila. It’s entitled 2000-2006: Six Years of Struggle. There are extensive quotes from Sharmila. For the moment I can’t pull myself up to read any of her quotes in the flyer. Seeing the picture of Sharmila in the flyer leads me to think that there is something terribly wrong in this place. I can’t go beyond her photograph there and start reading the quotes inside.

ANHAD is trust mainly doing its activities to confront the flagrant fascism by the Sangh Parivar. Among the six trustees is Harsh Mandar. I like a lot of Mandar’s writings.

They have their web presence here.

Peacewomen across the globe did not get the Nobel in 2005. But their struggle continues with a central secretariat in Bern, Switzerland with small regional secretariats in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific.

They have their web presence here.

Please do not forget that Sharmila is among that 1000 peacewomen.

Please sign the petition

I want everybody to go to this link and spend some minutes there. The link shows a petition and I want everybody to sign it.

The petition is addressed to the President of India imploring him to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.

This Act is out and out law of the jungle. It empowers a non-commission officer in India’s military to order to shoot to kill any people, if he decides that the person is anything to do with insurgencies in India’s North East Region ( which includes my place, Manipur) and Kashmir. His decision is final. No court of the democratic India can question his decision. At present, this Act is enforced only in NE Region and Kashmir. It’s not applicable in any other parts of democratic India.

This Act propels a simple non-commissioned officer in India’s military above the rule of law and courts of the world’s largest democracy.

This Act should not have a place in any organized society.

I myself signed it last night.

Fireworks in the darkness

When we were under the blanket darkness due to the breakdown of the transformer ( see my post dated 29th of this month) in our local grid, there had been constant bursting of crackers and fireworks. In fact, only tonight I’ve not been able to hear any sound of fireworks or crackers. Even, last night I heard several rounds of fireworks late in the night. This has been intermittently continuing since the Durga Puja.

During the week of darkness, I was there trying to cook my dinner by candlelight and there went the eerie sounds of crackers crackling and fireworks going up the night sky. I could not help asking myself—‘ Eh, are we celebrating darkness?’

Normally fireworks are meant for celebrations.

By social acceptance, there are a lot of fireworks during the Durga puja. In my childhood, crackers and fireworks were exclusively for the puja. And lighting of candles for the diwali. But this Diwali there was such a barrage of crackers and fireworks that there were deafening noises late in to the night for several days before and after it.

Whether one likes it or not, Puja and Diwali are celebration times and everybody can understand crackers and fireworks during the periods.

But this season, crackers and fireworks began several days before the Pujah and continued well into the Ningol chakouba! What’s happening here?

I distinctly remembered the evening when Dingkoo got that gold in the Asiad boxing events. Imphal erupted in celebrations with massive bursting of crackers and fireworks. That was totally normal. I mean we can have bursting of crackers and fireworks not during the socially accepted occasions like Pujah and Diwali.

But there must be some celebrations.

Now a days we were thrown into a sea of darkness for a complete week and some people were heard ‘celebrating’ with crackers and fireworks.

Either they were celebrating darkness or we are actually living in an abnormal society.

Or, is it that they wanted to celebrate the Dark Side?

Actually, I flinched whenever I heard one of those crackers and fireworks.