Mary Kom Urges Women To Learn Art Of Protecting Themselves To Combat Attackers

2012 Olympic bronze medallist Mary Kom kisses her son in Mumbai on Monday.

In view of the increase in number of rapes being reported in the country, Mary Kom urged women to learn some sort of self-defence to combat attackers.

In the city on Monday to receive an award, the boxer said, “Rapes can be minimised if women learn a thing or two about selfdefence.”

She recalled an incident from her younger days when she fought a rickshaw driver who was passing lewd comments at her.

“I will never forget the incident which happened when I was just learning my trade. I was going alone for mass in a rickshaw, clad in traditional Manipuri attire. On the way, when we reached a relatively lonely road, I realised that the driver was giving me dirty looks and was passing lewd comments. I got down from the rickshaw and punched him in the face, hitting him so badly that he couldn’t even get up.

“Had I not learnt a little bit of boxing then, there might not have been any Mary Kom representing India in the Olympics. God only knows what would’ve happened to me,” she added.

Recovering from a gall bladder operation, Mary, who idolises boxing legend Mohammed Ali for his will power, said she has begun light training for next year’s Commonwealth games in Glasgow.

“My utmost priority now is to qualify for the Commonwealth games, although a medal at Rio is very tempting,” she said.

The five-time world champion is currently dedicating her time to a boxing academy she has opened in Manipur in 2007.

“I started the academy because people came up to me and asked me to teach them the sport, and I couldn’t say no, because I want better boxers to emerge and make this country proud,” she said.

Though the state government has given her land, she is still looking for funds to have a state-of-the-art training facility.

“I want people to support my academy, but I’m not going to go and ask for funds. That should come spontaneously from people,” she added.

Speaking of popularising the sport, Mary Kom says she is excited about a movie being made on her life, starring Bollywood starlet Priyanka Chopra.

“Just like Chak De! India inspired people to take up hockey, I hope people will be inspired to take up boxing by watching the struggles I had to face. Though the movie is bound to have a little masala, like the after-parties, most of it is genuine and the producers are taking a lot of trouble to get everything perfect. Priyanka even came to my small house in Manipur to learn what it’s like to grow up there,” she said.

Asked if it makes sense to have a Punjabi girl playing the role of a boxer from Manipur, Mary Kom said Priyanka was the indeed the right person for the role.

“A superstar is playing my role, it couldn’t get bigger for me.

What more can I ask for? I’m sure she will fit the skin of my character and be able to inspire people,” she added.

Book review: On A Clear Day You Can See India

By KVL Narayan Rao

Chandrasekhar Balagopal (Bala) is a brilliant man. Apart from outstanding academic achievements at school and university, Bala was selected for the IAS in 1977 and was allotted the Manipur cadre. He left the service in 1983 to become a very successful entrepreneur in Kerala. Thirty years later, having hung up his boots, Bala has taken to writing and his first, very impressive offering is his diary of recollections and anecdotes from his time in Manipur as a twenty something , wonderfully titled On A Clear Day You Can See India (HarperCollins, 2013). I was naturally very keen to read this book and I am glad that I have.

The very first chapter explains the title when, as a mere probationer in Tamenglong in the West District of Manipur, his Deputy Commissioner (DC) takes him to a vantage point in the district and pointing with his walking stick, says, "East is in that direction...Ukhrul and Burma....To the north lie Nagaland and Assam....To the south lies Central District, then South District, and then Burma....and there, to the west, my young friend, on a clear day, you can see India". For any young person at the time, living in a remote and inaccessible part of the country thousands of miles from home, many wistful glances would have been made westwards, towards home and the more familiar parts of India.

That Bala liked and admired his first DC, "RN", is very apparent from his narrative. He begins with the DC suspending the Block Development Officer (BDO) who had drawn funds, and provided fictitious accounts, towards the cultivation of a pineapple plantation that clearly did not exist. Later, he is witness to a conversation that the DC has with the Chief Secretary of the state who wants prohibitory orders under section 144 to be imposed and a dusk to dawn curfew be declared over some incident. The DC does not believe that the situation warrants it and lets the superior officer know. On the latter's insistence, the DC refuses to comply, pointing out that any attempt to interfere with his work in his capacity as the District Magistrate would amount to contempt of court. Later the DC tells the young officer, "Of course there will be consequences. I will probably be transferred". However, "in a place like Manipur, one has every reason to be honest and correct. You are anyway thousands of miles from home. If you are transferred, you are only going to be a few miles further from home....So, what the hell?"

The young and idealistic Bala had learnt an important lesson. Always stand up for what is correct, the right thing to do. He does just that in a later chapter when he rejects a list of beneficiaries for a government scheme drawn up by a Minister's half-brother for a correct, properly drawn up list, only to be transferred the very next day! Another time, when he was supervising the imposition of a curfew, a senior officer directed him to issue curfew passes to a local bigwig who wanted to host a party to which he had invited people from Kolkota and Guwahati! Bala refused and on being threatened that important people would not be happy at this development, asked the person to leave telling us, "Something in me snapped at this, and images of the previous night rolled past my eyes--of young men being beaten for violating curfew, suspected insurgents and security forces locked in a deadly cat-and-mouse game, people on both sides of the law doing their chosen jobs with commitment and fear and heroism and desperation. And here was this smug fellow, grinning and worrying about his party."

There are other incidents and events, from the normal to the extraordinary, that Bala talks about. Being visited by Peter, "SDO, Ukhrul" on his first day in office, when Bala was in fact the SDO there, and seeing the latter's surprised reaction, the assurance, "I am with the Revolutionary Government of Manipur" (Bala's description of his feelings and reaction at being visited by a member of the underground is worth reading); the wisdom of an elderly head constable who let the chilly winds of the season disperse a large group of protesters that was picketing the Raj Bhavan, while he, the man in-charge, was fretting over the possible use of force; the visits to the only real book shop in Imphal; evenings spent with the two Malayalis in town, the catholic and protestant priests, and their good natured banter; the conduct of elections from the point of view of a young officer; tea with the distinguished L P Singh, then Governor of Manipur (and most of the north east) and so much more.

Bala is a wonderful storyteller. He has an easy style and all the chapters of his book are truly entertaining, full of wit and humour on the one hand while being sensitive and poignant on the other. He talks about a little known but troubled part of India through the eyes of a young man on a quest to do something for his country. While he stays true to each incident he describes and has chosen them for their "entertainment value", the political and social issues, conflict and strife and the colonial character of the administration are never far away. This book is a must read for all civil service aspirants, and indeed most young people on the threshold of a professional life. It will find pride of place in my library.

Disclaimer: KVL Narayan Rao is Executive Vice-Chairperson, NDTV, Management.

Imphal-Jiribam Railway Project Deadline Extended

Imphal, Oct 1 : The target to complete the ongoing Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal rail project being executed by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has been extended to March, 2018, subject to availability of funds, a source said.

In November, 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation of the project which will connect Manipur's Jiribam sub-division bordering Assam and Tupul in Manipur's Tamenglong district.

Later, the project was extended to Imphal. The government might further extend the rail line up to the border town of Moreh to connect the region with Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries.

If the mode of the current funding level continues, the completion target (from Tupul to Imphal new line section) may have to be extended up to March, 2021, a source said on Monday.

A parliamentary committee, comprising 12 MPs, is currently visiting Imphal to obtain a detailed report on planning, implementation and performance of the project. The initial target to complete the project from Jiribam to Tupul was March 2010, a Manipur government source added. The overall progress of work till August, 2013 is about 50 per cent, he added.

One of the key factors behind the delay is its resurvey of the alignment for the proposed line to avoid submergence owing to the proposed Tipaimukh hydro-electric project, a source said.

Other reasons for the delay are security issues of the survey teams, difficult terrains, land acquisition, militancy, frequent bandhs, ban on railway project work and poor connectivity of NH-37 (Jiribam-Imphal route), the source added. The parliamentary team has been told that construction work in the first 12 km section from Jiribam to Dholakhal has been completed and an engine test run was done in March, 2012.

Due to weight restrictions, heavy machinery like shotcrete machines, weighing up to 35 tonnes, cannot be transported in a single piece, the official said, while emphasizing the need to strengthen the two bailey suspension bridges along the deplorable road.

Before wrapping up its two-day Manipur visit on Monday afternoon, the parliamentary team, led by Francisco Sardinha, also convened a separate meeting with officials of the textile ministry for promotion of the industry in the state.

Mizoram Sets Up Election Watchdog

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Mizoram election watch dog the People Forum (MPF) has previewed on the upcoming assembly elections in the state and decided that all the candidates must co-ordinate with the poll watchdog.

The Mizoram Peoples' Forum (MPF) is floated by the Synod, the largest Church body in Mizoram as an election watch-dog.

This time round, the MPF has formulated its agenda to be applied in the next assembly election due in the next few months' time.

On Saturday, the MPF in its meeting held here had invited the various recognised political parties in Mizoram and had discussed over the setting up of party campaign offices in the wake of elections and about the participations of the candidates in the MPF joint platform.

Last month, the Mizoram Peoples' Forum (MPF), had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with major political parties in Mizoram so that free and fair elections could be held. The memorandum of understanding is nothing but rule for co-operation by the political parties with the Mizoram People's Forum.

The parties which had signed the MoU with the state election watchdog are Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizo Peoples Convention (MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP), Mizo National Front (MNF) and the BJP for co-operation at Synod Committee Hall in Aizawl.

About 27 rules have been made by the MPF for the political parties to abide. Among the 27 points, one is that the political parties should only make an election manifesto which they can implement. If any political party violates any one of the 27 points, the MPF will "invalid" that party.

Meanwhile, Mizoram corruption watchdog the People's Right to Information and Development Implementing Society of Mizoram (PRISM) has started its spade-work as to what extent the present Congress government has implemented regarding the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC)’s election manifesto of 2008. The PRISM said it will put its findings in public domain.

Like in the previous 2008 assembly elections, the PRISM in its executive meeting recently had declared that as soon as the date and time of 2013 state assembly elections is declared, it will have temporal halt on its ‘Anti Corruption’ campaign but will start an exclusive study of the background of different candidates in different respects and exposed the same before the public. In case of any faulty or wrong information in the nomination paper (self declared affidavit) filed for the assembly election, PRISIM decided to take stern measure against the illicit candidate to bring right judgment over the case.

PRISIM further requested any interested person to report himself/herself to PRISIM office if he/she wishes to talk about the status of implementation of election manifesto by the present government.

Earlier on September 1, PRISM had issued ‘Peoples' Manifesto’ to eight different political parties in Mizoram for the upcoming Mizoram assembly elections due in either October end or November.

The manifesto contains 20 chapters in which there are 87 duties and obligations where any political party that comes to power after the poll must implement them. Of the 87 duties, 43 are to be done within a specific time, while the other 44 duties do not have a time limit.

Earlier, 'Peoples' Manifesto' had been submitted to different parties including Bharatya Janata Party (BJP), Hmar People’s Convention (HPC), Maraland Democratic Front (MDF), Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram Peoples Conference (MPC), Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizoram Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) to use as their manifesto in the upcoming election. The same copy was given to 20 organizations including AMFU general headquarters, Aizawl; Chhim Bial Chhantu, Lunglei; Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), Aizawl;FOMTU Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; LDDVF, Lawngtlai; MHIP Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; MJA General Headquarters.,Aizawl; MKHC, Aizawl; MPF Hqrs., Aizawl; MSEWC, Aizawl; MSU Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; and MUP.


Source: Newmai News Network

Church Urges Parties Not To Use Insurgents in Mizoram Polls

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Presbyterian Church of Mizo Synod today asked political parties in Mizoram not to use insurgent and armed groups during campaign for the ensuing polls in the 40-member assembly in the state.

In a message, the largest church in the state also urged all political parties, candidates and campaigners not to indulge in character assassination, baseless allegations against political opponents and use muscle and money power to get elected.

The church also asked voters not to support candidates indulging in purchase of votes, criminal intimidation, threats and character assassination.

"Candidates living beyond their means and having movable and immovable asset disproportionate to their known sources of income are to be regarded as greedy people with corrupt mind, unfit to rule the state and the people," the message said.

BJP Eyes Pre-Poll Alliance in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Keeping its eye on the Mizoram assembly elections this November, BJP has decided to try its best to forge a pre-poll alliance with all non-Congress parties in the state so that they can edge out the Lalthanhawla government from the 40-member house.

At a recent meeting of the BJP Mizoram state unit high command, held in Aizawl under the supervision of the visiting national general secretary (organization) Ramlal, an election alliance committee was formed to initiate discussions with all non-Congress parties.

The committee includes BJP state in-charge & national executive member Nalin S Kohli, the party's Mizoram president Lalhluna and former state president Khawvelthanga.

A press statement issued by the state unit said the committee will hold negotiations with Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People's Conference ( MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP) and others.

The Congress government in Mizoram, the statement said, has failed to keep the promises it had made and the people of the state are suffering because of total misgovernance, lack of development, inflation and rampant corruption.

"Teachers and other government employees in Mizoram are not receiving their salaries on time," the statement said.

Forging a strong non-Congress alliance will give the people of the state an option and they will be able to vote for change as is evident from the distinct anti-Congress mood in the country, it added.

"In this atmosphere of despondency and economic turmoil, the announcement of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate is being received with great enthusiasm, hope and excitement all over the country," the statement said.

It also pointed out that as a result of its failure at governance and sullied image during UPA-II, the Congress party is unable to present either Manmohan Singh or any other alternate prime ministerial candidate before the people.

However, regional parties in the state are not very keen to join hands with BJP which is known for its Hindutva agenda, a senior leader of MNF said. He added that it would be a political suicide to team up with the BJP which has become an untouchable party in this Christian-dominated northeastern state.

Mizoram Crowned Junior National Football Champions With 6-1 Thrashing of Assam

Mawihmingthanga (three goals), Vanlalremkima (two) and Vanlabiaa Chhangte (one goal) found the target for Mizoram while Bhahma Jwngbla scored the lone goal for Assam.

Ranchi:  Mizoram pumped in five second half goals to thrash 10-man Assam 6-1 to clinch their maiden Junior Nationals Football Tournament title here on Sunday.

Both the sides were levelled 1-1 at the breather but a mistake by Assam custodian Jikil Basumatary led to his expulsion as the referee red-carded him at the stroke of half-time, turning the game on its head.

Mizoram overawed their opponents by capitalising on their one-man advantage and the second half turned out to be a lop-sided affair as they win their maiden title of the Under-17 tournament and bag the B C Roy Trophy.

Mawihmingthanga (three goals), Vanlalremkima (two) and Vanlabiaa Chhangte (one goal) found the target for Mizoram while Bhahma Jwngbla scored the lone goal for Assam.

Mizoram Premier League - Season 2 Kick-Off Night!

The second edition of 'Mahindra Two Wheelers' Mizoram Premier League was 'kicked off' Friday Night, September, 27 by Lal Thanzara, the President of Mizoram Football Association at the I&PR Auditorium in Aizawl.

pic source: arunfoot.blogspot.com