YMA to Keep a Watch on Repatriation of Bru Refugees

Aizawl, Feb 17 : Young Mizo Association (YMA), the apex Mizo body, today said that the organisation would closely watch the repatriation process of Bru refugees from six relief camps in North Tripura district.

Lalchungnunga, president of the central committee of the YMA, said that appropriate action would be taken if Bru refugees who are not bona fide residents of Mizoram were among those repatriated.

"The YMA would watch and wait till the repatriation process is over," Lalchungnunga said, adding that the YMA has the proof that the Brus left the state in 1997 following orders issued by a Bru organisation.

Meanwhile, Sambhu Singh, joint secretary (NE) of the Union Home Ministry, who visited one of the villages in Mamit where the refugees were resettled, expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the Mizoram government.

Singh said that additional rice allocation for the resettled Bru refugees would be allotted to the state from March.

He added that the repatriation process would be resumed after the fund sanctioned by the Centre for the repatriation expenses is credited in the Mizoram government account.

Delhi Designer's Craft Inspired By Northeast India

By Azera Rahman

New Delhi, Feb 17 : How about a pair of spoons shaped like Naga spears? Designer Ritu Varuni has come up with a range of artefacts that have a touch of traditional northeastern craft and yet are contemporary in design. She hopes to create sustainable livelihoods for craftsmen in the region.

Her brand, E'thaan, is a Naga word meaning new. Although based in Delhi, Varuni's romance with the northeast began when she was very young.

'My love for the northeast began when I was in Class 10 and my father decided to take the whole family for a vacation to Manipur. As I grew, my love for the place grew. I realised that although all the states are often clubbed together as northeast, each is very distinct with its own identity,' Varuni told IANS.

As the years rolled by, she kept going back to the region and in 1991 she did her thesis on Nagaland. 'I feel like my life is intertwined with the Brahmaputra,' she smiled.

After studying architecture, Varuni focussed her work on research and development of bamboo as a material for craft in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland for several years. Finally, in 2004, she launched her own design brand E'thaan.

'At E'thaan, we work with traditional crafts, but give it a contemporary spin so that it is more marketable. Craft was part of daily life in all Indian tribal communities and artisans were patronised by the royalty. But slowly, due to change in lifestyle, craft lost its patronage and with that came the end of livelihood for many,' Varuni said.

'Our attempt is to change the scenario and is based on fair trade principles and natural materials. Here, the artisan's skill and designer's creativity come together. We sit with the craftsmen and discuss the designs. So the craft is protected and the craftsman gets his due,' she added.

Some of the crafts at E'thaan are tableware like cane ice tongs, wooden tortoise coasters, trivet and napkin holders, furniture like beds, side cabinets, chairs and shelves, Naga bamboo lamps, accessories and potteries.

However, E'thaan's crafts have not been limited to the northeast. Sanjhi or the ancient art of cutting paper stencils and wood block carving of Uttar Pradesh, walnut wood carving of Kashmir, wood jaali carving of Delhi, black pottery of Rajasthan and Tankha painting - an old Buddhist art form popular in Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, also form part of the collection.

While the products are displayed at the brand's store in Defence Colony in south Delhi, other brands like Fab India also source some of their products from it. Its designs are also displayed in exhibitions.

'Traditional craft in the northeast is its strength. My aim is to create a sustainable means of livelihood for craftsmen so that their skills will remain alive, forever,' Varuni said.

(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)

Opening Ceremony To Usher in Cricket World Cup

Dhaka, Feb 17 : Cricket World Cup is set to be ushered in with a grand opening ceremony here tomorrow as the game's showpiece event returns to the sub-continent after 15 years, shrugging off the controversy of Eden Gardens being stripped off a marquee match, involving co-hosts India.

The Bangladeshi capital, which has spruced up itself for the biggest event in their cricketing history, will take centrestage of the cricketing world with a two-hour spectacle of song, dance and laser shows at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Internationally-acclaimed rock star Bryan Adams and Indian singing trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will be among the performers to set the stage for the tournament, reflecting the increasing role the entertainment aspect has started to be associated with the game.

Two days later, Bangladesh and co-hosts India clash in the inaugural game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur, on Dhaka's outskirts to herald the beginning of 43 days of action spread across 13 venues in three countries.

The other host country Sri Lanka start off their campaign against lowly Canada in a Group A encounter in Colombo on Sunday.

The sub-continent had its first date with the World Cup when India and Pakistan hosted it in 1987 before Sri Lanka joined them in 1996.

It is befitting that the World Cup will be held in the sub-continent this time when the region establishes itself as the nerve centre of the game, though 1992 champions Pakistan will not be one of the co-hosts and Bangladesh will be in the party in their silver jubilee year of initiation into one-day cricket.

The tenth edition of cricket's quadrennial showpiece, featuring 14 teams and 49 matches -- 29 in India, a dozen in Sri Lanka and eight in Bangladesh -- was not devoid of controversies.

It had a nightmare of an initial road as Pakistan was stripped of its rights to host 14 matches due to the volatile condition in the country, mainly after attack on the Sri Lankan players in Lahore in early 2009 though it will get its share of revenue even without holding matches.

The reasons for stripping Pakistan of the World Cup matches by the ICC had nothing much to do with the country's cricket board but it could not be said in the case of Indian authorities who failed to prepare the iconic Eden Gardens ready for the February 27 match between India and England.

With any marquee match involving India not scheduled in the Eden after the ICC shifted the India-England match to Bangalore, cricket lovers will not see the stadium in its magnificent best with nearly one lakh people turning up for a World Cup game and it is pity for a venue of such a fame.

On current form and considering the conditions, India have been billed as the top favourites by cricket experts and it would be a huge celebration for Indian fans if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men lift the trophy on April 2 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

It would add to India's aura to its already muscle-flexing power as cricket's financial centre.

A World Cup win by India will also ensure the iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar the only success that has eluded him in his illustrious over two decade long international career, besides India bringing home the trophy after 28 years.

Source: PTI

Cricket captains to ride rickshaws to World Cup opening

Dhaka: The rickshaw, the common man's traditional transport in Bangladesh, will occupy the centre stage in Thursday's Cricket World Cup opening ceremony here. The captains of all participating teams will make a grand entry into a packed Bangabandhu Stadium riding these humble vehicles.

"The rickshaw is our traditional transport. It is a part of Bangladesh's heritage. So, we want to present it before the guests. All 14 skippers will enter the stadium in rickshaws," tournament director for Bangladesh Ali Ahsan Babu told IANS.

Babu said the rickshaws will be brightly decorated and colourful.

"Our rickshaws are known for their multi-colours. We will also present before the guests aesthetically designed rickshaws. There will be bright illumination so that the skippers are all visible from even the galleries," said Babu.

He said the rickshaw portion will be the first of the five-part inaugural ceremony that will showcase the culture of the three tournament co-hosts - India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Singers Shankar, Ehsan and Loy will also feature in the Indian part of the programme.

The Bangladesh presentation would include the war of liberation, excerpts from a famous speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's founding father.

Bangladesh's language movement that saw the martyrdom of three students for the sake of their mother tongue would also be depicted besides the tribal dances of Chakmas, Rakaines, Marmas, Shautals and Garos.

The Bengali New year would also be brought alive through song, dance and visual effects, he said.

A saleout crowd of 25,000 will cheer every moment of the 135-minute programme.

"We had printed a total of 10,000 tickets of three denominations - 1,000, 10,000 and 20,000 takas. All the tickets were exhausted within a short time. The rest 15,000 include some complimentaries and some given to the government."

Source: IANS

India's Largest Jail Launches Facebook Page

New Delhi, Feb 17 : The country's biggest jail -- Tihar Prisons -- today joined the IT bandwagon by logging in to social networking site Facebook.

"We have launched our Facebook page today. Our page ID on this website is Central Jail Tihar. Since we wanted to improve our performance and also update the masses about our day-to-day activities, we opted for Facebook as there could be no better medium to interact with the masses then this. It was the idea of DG Prisons, Neeraj Kumar to join Facebook," Sunil Gupta, spokesperson and law officer, Tihar Jail, said.

He said Tihar is the most famous prison in the whole of south-east Asian region.

"It is a role model for prisons in other countries. Through Facebook, we will inform the public about our new plans, initiatives and also make the users aware about the existing activities being undertaken inside the prison premises. We will invite suggestions, reactions and views from people all over the country," he said.

Along with other issues, the problem of over-population inside the prison premises has been brought to the notice of the masses in their Facebook page.

"In Delhi there are nine Central Jails at the Tihar campus and one District Jail at Rohini (North Delhi). These ten jails have a sanctioned capacity to keep 6,250 inmates. However, against this, there remain, on an average, 10500 prisoners lodged at any given time," the Central Jail Tihar page read.

Amongst the government agencies to have joined these social networking sites are the Delhi Traffic Police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Gupta said they will also tweet. He said details on its factory products like namkeen and biscuits which are now very popular among the people in Delhi will also find a mention in this page.

Meanwhile, former cricketer Madan Lal today visited the Tihar Jail prisoners to motivate and cheer them for the inter-jail cricket championship held here.

Gupta said, "A cricket match was held between inmates of Jail two and three. Jail 3 inmates won by three runs. When Madan Lal gave away the trophy to the winner, he insisted that we inculcate the habit of playing cricket amongst our inmates. This information will also be updated soon on the website."

Lights, Camera, Sleaze

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Animal As Football Trophy Hurts Mizo Activists

Aizawl, Feb 17 : The offering of mithun as prize for the state-level football in Mizoram for two consecutive years has deeply hurt animal lovers in the state.

Mithun or 'sial' is being offered as a prize, supplementary to the Rs one lakh cash, in a high-profile Red Ribbon inter-village football tournament for two time in a row, organised by UNODC and Mizoram State AIDS Control Society, as part of multi-media campaign against HIV/AIDS.

''Sial was used as supplementary prize in the same tournament last year despite our strong opposition. We are really pained by the use of animal in this year’s tournament again. We will oppose it to the end,'' said Hmingthansanga, president of Association for Environment Protection (ASEP), in a press conference here today.

Last year, the ASEP backed off after the organisers promised that the animal would not be produced at the venue of the final match before the huge crowd of people and would not be ill-treated.

''Whether or not the animal is produced before the crowd during the final match, the use of animal as a football trophy in itself is highly objectionable,'' the ASEP president said.

''Unless the organisers withdraw their decision to use the animal as a trophy, we will fight it to the end. If necessary we will offer ourselves as the trophy in place of the animal if the organisers go on with its plan,'' he added.

In the last tournament, ASEP wrote to the organisers informing their strong opposition.

''The organisers are well aware of our stand. Therefore, we don’t feel the need for writing to them again,'' ASEP leaders said.

Sial or mithun occupied an important place in the olden Mizo society in festivals and religious rituals, where bride price, penalty and others were paid in the form of sial.

Mizoram Opposes PAP Removal From Northeast

By Rahul Karmakar

Guwahati, Feb 17 : Mizoram has refused to echo Manipur in celebrating the lifting of Protected Area Permit (PAP) from the Northeast India. New Delhi had on December 30 last year lifted PAP after agreeing that the law and order in the region has improved enough for the permit to go. PAP was required for foreign visitors to the region.

At least five NGOs in Mizoram – Central Young Mizo Association (C-YMA), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (students’ body), Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (women’s body), Mizoram Upa Pawl (senior citizen’s association) and Joint Churches Committee – have demanded that PAP be re-imposed.

In a joint meeting held in state capital Aizawl on Tuesday, the five said PAP was lifted without consulting the people of Mizoram. They feared it would eventually lead to the abolition of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) required for Indians to travel to Mizoram.

ILP, under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1873, is also mandatory for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

“We have decided to submit a memorandum to the Centre to demand revocation of the order to lift PAP,” said MZP president VL Krosshnezova, pointing out Mizoram had in 1994 opposed a bid to lift PAP from the state.

PAP was enforced partly in Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Sikkim and wholly in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order of 1958.

Similarly, the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) under Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order of 1963 is in force in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In Sikkim, RAP covers areas not covered by PAP.

Last December, New Delhi had issued an order that stated: “Government has now decided to exclude the entire area of the states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland from the Protected Area regime notified under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958, initially for a period of one year.

However, all foreigners visiting these states will have to register themselves with the Foreigners Registration Officer of the district they visit within 24 hours of their arrival. Citizens of some specified countries would, however, continue to require prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs before their visit to these three states.”

The order also said that Indian missions/posts have been authorized to issue ‘Missionary Visa’ to foreign missionaries visiting these three states as per the extant guidelines of the government. “These changes will ease the difficulties being faced by foreigners to visit these three states. These instructions would come into force with effect from 1st of January, 2011,” the order added.

Finally, Manipur Village May Get Road Link

By Manu Pubby

Imphal, Feb 17 : Almost two decades ago, a young Army Captain, critically injured in a gunfight with ultras, risked his life to get a young girl hit in the crossfire airlifted to safety.

With the nearest road head a six-hour walk away from the Manipur village, the officer insisted that the rescue helicopter take the girl first to the nearest hospital before returning to pick him up.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the village, which has since turned against militancy and relies on orange farming for revenue, visited the capital and met Home Secretary G K Pillai.

When Athanbou Thaimei was promised that a motorable road will finally link his village to the outside world, he broke into tears.

“We have to walk six hours to the nearest road and have been requesting a connecting road for years. It will change our lives. The Home Secretary has promised me that it will now be built soon and all the people in the village are celebrating,” Thaimei told The Indian Express.

Accompanying him was the same officer, D P K Pillay, now a Lt Col, who, despite being hit by a volley of gunfire, ensured that the village girl was rescued after an encounter in January 1994.

The officer had an extraordinary reunion with the village members, including the young girl, Maseliu Thaimei, who is now a mother of two, and the militant who pumped three bullets into him, in March last year, triggering off a renewed interest in the village.

Pillay had refused to take the first chopper out and ensured that his men first airlifted Maseliu to safety along with her brother who was injured in the chest. The chopper had returned after two hours.

The story of the Manipur village is like many others in the insurgency-hit state. Youngsters took up guns after being fed up with lack of development and opportunity.

Things changed after the events of 1994 when a little girl and boy were severely injured in a cross-fire between NSCN militants and the Army.

Seventeen years later, the village hopes that the road will not be needed for such an emergency again but is used for a different reason — to ferry oranges.

After it shunned militancy, the village has taken up orange farming seriously but the lack of a road makes it difficult to compete. “The pucca road will make it easy to get to the market. We have invited the home secretary for the orange festival in our village in October and hope he can use the new road,” Thaimei said.

Sources said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been asked to conduct a survey for the construction of the 15 km road to the village.