Delhi's Ashish Chopra in Love With The Northeast

By Devesh Gupta / Sanjay Kumar

A Punjabi by origin and a foodie by heart, Ashish Chopra has travelled extensively in the northeast and has documented its culture, cuisines and traditions.

Forty four -year-old Chopra has been travelling to the northeast along with his father since the age of three. A food critic and a writer, Ashish is the author of "NE Belly" - a book on the cuisines of the eight Northeastern states with his latest book being "A travel guide to North-East India".

To Chopra North-East India is an obsession that has taught and given him much.

"I thought the best way to reciprocate the love that I received from north-east was to write on people of Northeast and write positively. Because when you go to any place across India, the people of northeast are very sadly branded as chinkis, little realizing their diversity and versatility in their culture. So very few people know what northeast is all about," says Ashish Chopra.

He has made documentaries on Chins of Mizoram, the Nocte tribe of Arunachal and Konyaks of Nagaland.

Having travelled extensively through northeast, Ashish speaks many tribal languages.

He tells that he has studied the culture, food, language and the people of the region. Sharing his travelling experience to interior areas of the north- east region, Ashish says it was simply a great experience.

He says the real North-East is not In Guwahati, it is in the small villages like Jorhat, Mokokchung, Ukhrul, and others. "And being a natural traveller, I loved my adventure so I kept on traveling to newer areas at the grassroots levels, which helped me meet a lot of people," he tells.

Chopra's house in New Delhi reflects the kind of influence the northeast had on him all these years, as inside his house one notices the sofa covers made of fabric from Nagaland and wooden antiques from Manipur.

Talking about his obsession with the North East, Chopra says, "My whole designs are tribal designs from Northeast, they are primarily Naga to a large extent and they are quite colourful. My house is very much designed in Northeast style for a simple reason that at first I liked northeast, and then I started loving it, then became passionate about it and finally obsessed with it."

A former advisor to the Governor of Mizoram, Ashish is presently the Executive Director of the Institute for Environmental Management and Social Development.

He says that the Northeast is so much culturally rich and a vibrant region that there is always so much that remains to be explored.

Assam Police Bust Elephant Smuggling Ring

By Wasbir Hussain

In this Jan. 4, 2007 file photo, elephants come to camp in Kaziranga about 250 kilometers (156 miles) east of Gauhati, India. Indian police busted an elephant smuggling ring in northeastern Assam, arresting five people and seizing three wild elephants, two of them calves, authorities said Monday Nov. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File) (Anupam Nath - AP)

Guwahati, Nov 1 : Indian police busted an elephant smuggling ring in the northeastern state of Assam, arresting five people and seizing three wild elephants, two of them calves, authorities said Monday.

Documents seized during the operation Sunday night showed the gang had been engaged in the illegal elephant trade for years, smuggling at least 92 elephants from the state to other parts of India over the past five years, said P. K. Dutta, superintendent of police in Kokrajhar, a district in the west of Assam.

Selling elephants is barred under Indian law and even getting permission to move domesticated elephants between states is a lengthy and complicated procedure.

Regardless, authorities say there remains a thriving trade in elephants, with many wealthy landowners in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh buying the elephants as status symbols.

Authorities say the elephants are usually transported by truck. The smugglers are suspected of colluding with forestry officials, who have checkpoints along the major roads to prevent this type of smuggling.

The police investigated the ring after a local conservation group, the Green Heart Nature Club, filed a written complaint last week, Dutta said.

After a three-day operation, authorities arrested five people and took custody of the three wild elephants, which did not have the identifying microchip implants required of all domesticated elephants, he said.

The group planned to smuggle as many as 10 elephants out in its latest operation, Dutta said.

The smugglers regularly captured wild elephants from the forests of Assam, trained them for a year or two, and then claimed they were the offspring of the state's many domestic elephants, Dutta said.

Wildlife authorities in Assam, home to more than 5,000 wild Asiatic elephants, denied the existence of the illegal elephant trade.

"We are examining the matter, but I can say there is no smuggling of elephants out of Assam," said Suresh Chand, the state's chief wildlife warden.

Aizawl Locality Bans Zawlaidi

Aizawl, Nov 1 : A few days after it has hit the market, Mizoram-made grape wine branded Zawlaidi (or love potion) has been banned in a locality here by a committee comprising of different NGOs and churches.

The joint action committee has served a diktat to a retail vendor in Bawngkawn locality, one of the ten licensed vendors in Aizawl, to move out of the locality if he wanted to continue his business.

''A joint action committee, comprising all NGOs and church denominations in Bawngkawn locality, has unanimously agreed to ban selling of grape wine. ''We have served an order to a lone vendor in our locality to discontinue his business of selling grape wine or move out of the locality,'' a local leader said. In a 'cleanliness drive', the joint action committee has literally cleansed Bawngkawn, which used to be a hub for drug peddlers and bootleggers in the past, of all such social evils.

Since Zawlaidi contains 14 per cent alcohol, it comes as a perfect substitute to liquor which is totally prohibited in the Christian dominated state since the past 13 years.

''The grapewine, with its high alcohol content, would certainly leave a negative impact on the society. So, we have decided to ban the drinks as preventive measures,'' the local leader said.

The Mizoram government in 2007 made an amendment to the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act, passed in 1997, to enable grape growers in Hnahlan and Champhai in northeastern parts of Mizoram to manufacture wine from their fruits of labour.

Even as the grape growers have heaved a sigh of relief at the governments move, the churches in Mizoram, who were behind the prohibition law, have expressed their resentment on the liberalisation of grape wine.

Hnahlan Grape Growers Society said that it has earned a revenue of Rs 27.82 lakh from selling 20,957 bottles of grapewine to the 14 licensed vendors across the state since October 16. The grape growers are happy as they would soon be able to repay their loan with which they had set up two wineries. In Hnahlan village 80 per cent of the total population of 670 families was engaged in producing grapes and 325 families in Champhai area.

Now, Schools in Tripura to Charge Only Exam Fee

Agartala, Nov 1 : The Tripura government has asked all school authorities in the northeastern state not to charge students  any payment except the examination fee, officials said here Sunday.

"No government, semi-government and government aided schools up to 12th standard are to be allowed to take any kind of fee except the examination charge from the students," an education department official told reporters.

According to the official, a large number of schools have been charging various kinds of fees from the students. These include development fee, library fee, annual cultural and sports fee, computer fee and magazine fee, among others.

This decision will benefit over 812,000 students of 4,400 schools. Since 1978, education in Tripura up to Class 12 has been free.

The examination fee ranges from Rs.20 to Rs.100.

Nagas Should Be Grateful to Bengalis: Rio

Kohima, Oct 31 : Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has said the Nagas should be grateful to Bengalis for the fact that the bengalis was instrumental in establishing the administrative system in the state during the initial period of statehood.

Delivering his inaugural speech at the Nagaland Day celebration at ICCR Auditorium in Kolkata yesterday, Mr Rio made a special mention of the invaluable services rendered to Nagaland by former Governor Shyamal Dutta.

Mr Rio also mentioned the contribution of Mr Dutta towards various developmental initiatives in the state, official sources said today. Mentioning that he was once a student of Sainik School, Purulia, and the college in which he received higher education was in Darjeeling, Mr Rio said he was mentally integrated with Bengalis and their culture.

''I feel at home in their company,'' Mr Rio added. Speaking on the occasion, former governor Shyamal Dutta expressed his fond memories during his stay in Nagaland.

''Nagaland is a lovely state. It is a place known for its people and culture. The diverse culture of Nagaland is not only unique but also bold and beautiful.

Manipur Iron Lady’s Fast to Complete a Decade

No Solution in Sight

By Narendra Ch

Irom Sharmila Chanu is demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 2958 (AFSPA). She is leading an unprecedented and extraordinary struggle, in a true Gandhian (non-violent) way. She started her fast after gruesome Malom massacre.

The indefinite hunger strike by Manipuri poetess Irom Sharmila Chanu will complete a decade on November 2. The entire nation should be ashamed of the unpardonable negligence shown towards the conditions that prevail in the culturally-rich north east, particularly in the tiny state of Manipur.

Chanu is demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 2958 (AFSPA). She is leading an unprecedented and extraordinary struggle, in a true Gandhian (non-violent) way. She started her fast after gruesome Malom massacre, where ten innocent civilians were gunned down by the security forces on 2nd November, 2000.

AFSPA provides special powers to arrest detain and even kill civilians on suspicion. The armed forced are empowered to search and destroy properties on mere suspicion in the ‘disturbed areas’ of the North East and subsequently in Kashmir.

Wherever AFSPA is operational, sudden disappearances of people, extra-judicial killings, tortures, rapes and arbitrary detentions are a routine affair.

The gross human rights violations are even severe in Manipur as compared to the Kashmir valley. But the national media, political parties and intellectuals, including high-profile human rights activists react sharply even if a single incident of police firing or curfew is reported in the Kashmir valley. But, when hundreds of innocent people suffer in north east, not much is said on it.

Even the unwavering courage showed by Chanu for standing up as a voice for thousands of voiceless people demanding to repeal AFSPA is not much known outside the region. Her 10-year fasting symbolises the-as of now unending-journey of the people of Manipur and other areas of North-east for peace, freedom and stability from violence, oppression and fear.
She has taken an indomitable stand that her fast will end only when the Government of India repeals the AFSPA. Ironically, the Government of India responded by arresting her several times on charges of attempted suicide under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. The cycle of arrests of Chanu has continued for the past ten years.

When the Union Home Minister introduced the law in the Parliament in 1958, he assured that the Act will just be a temporary measure. Sadly, it has dragged on for more than 52 years now.

The people of Manipur have done whatever is humanely possible to register their protest against AFSPA. That includes naked protest by mothers, self-immolation by student leaders, mass demonstrations, petition to the Supreme Court, complaints to the United Nation bodies. But the Government of India, in fact the nation as a whole, remains completely indifferent on issues of right to life and dignity.

Today, her persistent protest has become unprecedented in the history of resilience. Her struggle lies not only in defending the most basic and fundamental human rights of her people, but also in questioning the very foundations of Indian democracy, which venerates Mahatma Gandhi and his principles of ahimsa (non-violence).

Irom Sharmila has been recognized internationally for her work on the issues of women’s empowerment, peace and human rights and her non-violent means of fighting for human rights. In 2007, she has been awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights and in 2010 the Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize was bestowed upon her.

As the international community recognizes her work and struggle, the Indian government suffices its duty by keeping her under judicial custody in the Security Ward of the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Imphal and forcibly feeding her through naso-gastric intubations.

On November 2, 2010 Irom Sharmila as well as the people of the North-east India will mark a decade of the hunger strike not only for fundamental human rights, but also for truth in the foundation of Indian Democracy.

We do not want another year of celebration of Irom Sharmila’s hunger strike and we do not want another year of the AFSPA’s enforcement in India. The human rights defenders and women human rights defenders in Asia, stand as one demanding that the AFSPA should be repealed immediately and that the hunger strike of Irom Sharmila must end NOW.

Assam Mobile Theatres Still Popular

Itanagar, Nov 1 : The over 20 mobile theatres in Assam, which begin their peregrinations in August each year holding 50 to 60 shows for a few months are competiting to keep up with satellite channels and films.

"We have to face many challenges while running a mobile theatre unit. The people want a good story with sets like they see in films," Krishno Roy of Awahan Theatre told PTI. The mobile theatre groups in Assam take with them all accessories, including wooden podium, curtains, sets, music and lighting system.

A theatre group charges around Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per show and pitches camp for four to five days. "People are still attracted towards mobile theatres because they find something here which they cannot find in films," Roy said.

From Hengul, Kohinoor, Awahan, Srimanta Sankardeva to their petty counterparts like Bhagyadevi, they account for the over 20 such groups in Assam. "We are getting good response from people throughout the state. It is the high-tech, audio-visual effects used in the plays and scripts depicting the present socio-economic conditions which attract people," said Pankaj Hazarika, owner of Hengul Theatre which is doing good business this year with Assamese heart throb Syamantika Sharma and Prasenjeet.

"We are getting more crowds in Lower Assam especially in rural pockets," he said.
Ratan Lahkar, owner of Kohinoor said that he tried to give money's worth to the people with a full package of entertainment from the script, acting, lighting, music and settings.

"I never solely depend on particular glamorous artistes for success of my plays, but depend on the entire team," Lahkar claimed.

Kohinoor performed in April at New Delhi at the invitation of National School of Drama (NSD) to win accolades. "NSD, of late, is giving due recognition to mobile theatres of Assam and they have invited us again to New Delhi to stage 'Titanic' in Hindi. I am working on it," Lahkar, who is himself a good actor, said.

Script writers, however, said "the present generation prefer fast-paced dramas. They also want scripts to be non-political," said playwright Abhijit Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya has written 18 play and some such as Rumal (staged by Kohinoor), Rudra Sagar (Raj Tilak), Halla and Tumi (Hengul) and Pokhila (Awahan) have become popular.

Prior to the advent of these theatre groups, the Bengali 'yatras' were the prime source of entertainment for the people living in backward pockets of the state. The 'yatras' stopped once the theatre groups started making their presence felt in both urban and rural areas.

No Exams in Meghalaya Schools

Shillong, Nov 1 : Meghalaya will introduce a continuous and comprehensive evaluation system in State schools from the next academic year, freeing students from examinations.

To begin with, the system would be launched in select schools where overall performance of students from Classes I to VIII will be continuously evaluated, replacing traditional written tests and marking systems, Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said here.

Students would be evaluated after completion of every chapter and therefore, they don’t have to study the whole book to pass an examination. This will help in minimising drop out rates, she said.

She said, “The system is being introduced to remove fear of examination from students’ minds, laying emphasis on overall mental development rather than memorisation.

“Under the Centre’s Rastriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan, every year 20 schools will be identified. Since CBSE has already begun the scheme, Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education cannot say they cannot go ahead.

“The process of preparing materials for teachers training has already begun and the teachers training will be conducted for two and half months starting from December next,” Lyngdoh said.

The government has made it mandatory for the teachers who were selected to participate in the training. “If a teacher does not go for the training under any pretext, action will be taken,” Lyngdoh said.