Colours of the Northeast

By Kasturi Barua

Festival showcases seven sisters in a heady mix of fashion and music

It was not just an event but a concoction of diverse cultures, food and colours of a region that not many beyond it are aware of.

The country’s quaint and pretty Northeast showcased a piece of itself through a festival some 2,600km away, in the city of Mumbai.

The 110-year-old Taj Mahal Palace saw the crème de la crème of the Northeast dressed in their traditional colours, along with the glitterati from the “Maximum City” walk into the iconic hotel for the Colours of North East, the Northeast Festival on Saturday.

The hotel’s ballroom was very apt for this cultural programme to take place, to create a symposium for all to gather.

The festival brought together some of the most familiar faces from across the Northeast and also from Bollywood.

The focus of this festival was to be regarded as a cultural catalyst, exposing tourists, filmmakers and businessmen to a constant flow of ideas to explore the Northeast.

A Bihu performance by Assamese actress Barasha Rani Bishaya was all it took to get into the groove. A unique fashion show featuring vibrant headgear of Arunachali indigenous groups and clothes designed by young and enterprising Yana Ngoba followed.

Live music performances by Tetseo Sisters, Soulmate and Guru Rewben Mashangva got the crowd grooving and tapping their feet to their unique beats.

Bollywood actors Tisca Chopra and Kalki Koechlin walked the ramp, along with the ambassador of the Northeast, Adil Hussain, for designers Garima Saikia Garg and Dhiraj Deka who showcased the best of Northeast fabric on gorgeous models.

The event also saw the likes of celebrities like singer Aditi Singh Sharma, theatre veteran Dolly Thakore along with a few industrialists.

And the man behind the show, Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser-in-chief of the festival, said, “The event has proved to be a great platform to promote the Northeast and woo the film fraternity and industry to witness the enthralling region.”

He said the festival could attract Bollywood in exploring the Northeast as a location to shoot blockbuster movies and encourage tinsel town to use fabrics of the region.

The Northeast, of late, has seen a remarkable increase in tourist inflow. The festival was held to reinforce the idea of providing a space to dream and relive the various facets that the region has to offer to the rest of the country.

The festival also brought together a mix of culture from the states. Arpan Sarkar, who hails from Calcutta and lives in Mumbai, was thrilled to be a part of the gathering.

“The captivating display of the Northeast as a cultural hub at this event bears testimony to the varied trends of the region.

This has been an enchanting experience for me in gaining further insight into the best of what the region has to offer. I am looking forward to visiting the Northeast soon,” he told t2.

Arunachal: Oldest Woman Is 'Family Head' in Ration Cards

Itanagar, May 22 : The Arunachal Pradesh government has issued a notification regarding new ration cards in which the oldest woman of a family would be considered the head in place of its male members.

As per Section 13 of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, the government designates the oldest woman of a family, who is not less than 18-year old, as the head of a household for issuance of items under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), a notification from the Food and Civil Supplies department said here today.

In case of a household that does not have a woman or a woman of 18 years of age or above, but has a female member below that age, then the oldest male member of the family would be considered the head while the female member, on attaining such age would become the head of the household in place of the male member, the notification said.

Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioners/SDOs of the district headquarters have been designated as the District Grievances Redressal Officers (DGROs) in respective districts for proper implementation of NFSA.

Mumbai Gets Its Drone Pizza Delivery

Mumbai, May 22 : The financial capital, notorious for its traffic snarls, has achieved a first in the country after a city-based pizza outlet used an unmanned drone to execute a delivery by taking the aerial route recently.

"All of us had read about (global e-commerce giant) Amazon's plans of using drones. We successfully carried out a test-delivery by sending a pizza to a customer located 1.5 km away from our outlet on 11 May," Francesco's Pizzeria chief executive Mikhel Rajani told PTI today. Screengrab of the video showing the drone delivering a pizza. Screengrab of the video showing the drone delivering a pizza. He stressed that this was only a test-flight but its results confirm that it can be used routinely in a few years.

A four-rotor drone took off with the order from its outlet in central Mumbai's Lower Parel area and delivered it to a high-rise building in adjacent Worli area, Rajani said, claiming that it is for the first time that the ubiquitous drone has been used for such a purpose in the country.

The eatery, which has been in operations for two years, has made a video of the delivery, he said, adding an auto engineer friend helped with making the flight possible.

Rajani, who comes from a family that is into textiles, said the drone saves time and costs for a company like his, which would otherwise depend on a two-wheeler borne agent to deliver the pizzas.

"What we have done now will be common place in the next four-five years," he said, adding every such customised drone costs around $2,000. At present, there are certain restrictions on the regulatory front like the drone not allowed to fly above 400 ft altitude and barred from flying over security establishments, he said, adding the American Federal Aviation Authority's regulations on usage of drones, expected next year, will help.

Apart from that there are technical difficulties like a limited operating radius of 8 km after which the batteries go dry, he said, adding proper infrastructure like having charging stations can help.

Even though the four-rotor version drone had a limited carrying capacity, he said the payload capacity can be increased to up to 8 kg in case of a an eight-rotor drone.

Beyond the strategic applications, the drones are increasingly being used for a cross variety of purposes especially the ones centred around getting aerial imagery like getting videos at weddings, political rallies etc.

At present, Rajani said, the drones are being operated manually but added in future, we can have drones fly by themselves on predetermined flight paths made using GPS data.

During the test-flight, the drone picked up a box containing the pizza but bigger drones will be easily able to lift the special flask box which can protect the pizza from the atmospheric elements, he said.

Bangladeshis who settled in north-east before 1971 are Indians, says HC

Shillong, May 22 : In a historic judgement, the Meghalaya High Court has said that Bangladesh nationals who have settled in this north eastern state before 24 March, 1971 should be treated as Indians and they be enrolled in voters'list.

The judgement was based on a petition by over 40 refugees from Bangladesh, who were denied enrollment in the electoral roll by the district administration citing their citizenship was doubtful.

These refugees hailing from Amjong village near the Assam-Meghalaya border in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district moved the High Court after their citizenship certificates were seized by the deputy commissioner.

Justice SR Sen, in his 15 May order, directed the district Deputy Commissioner Pooja Pandey to return the seized certificates to the petitioners and enrol them in voters' list before the next elections.

Justice Sen said there was an understanding between the two countries as to who should be allowed to stay and who should be deported back to Bangladesh.

"It is clearly understood that the forefathers of the petitioners entered India much before 24 March, 1971. As such there is no question of deporting them at this stage when theyhave acquired the right of permanent rehabilitation in Amjong village," he said.

Ruling out that they are Bangladesh citizens, the court said there was no scope for their deportation and directed the state government and the Centre not to disturb them, but to give them proper rehabilitation.

The state government had earlier argued that the petitioners and their forefathers were not permanent citizens and were rehabilitated temporarily by the autonomous district council.

Mizoram Opposition Hits Out At Congress Party

Aizawl, May 21 : Mizoram's main Opposition party Mizo National Front (MNF) has hit out at the outgoing Congress party saying that the people of India have uprooted and decimated it.

"The Congress party has suffered a great humiliation in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election as the people have plucked its roots leaving the main tree almost to fall to the ground", MNF chief Zoramthanga said.

Addressing a public meeting at Hnam Run yesterday, Zoramthanga said he regretted that the United Democratic Front (UDF) could not win the lone Mizoram seat.

UDF is the Opposition alliance in which MNF is one constituent.

The MNF president said he is grateful to their supporters who had given their votes in favour of UDF supported candidate Robert Romawia Royte.

Zoramthanga then said the Opposition parties have no complaint against the EVMs and VVPAT being used in the last Lok Sabha election.

"Unlike the EVMs and VVPAT manufactured by Electronic Corporation of India (ECIL) being used in the previous elections which were of highly suspicious, the EVMs and VVPAT used this time were manufactured by a trusted company- Bharat electronic Limited (BEL) in such a way that they are not easily tampered and rigged", he said.

Youth in Tripura Revives Bamboo Industry, Drive Ahead Employment

Katlamara (Tripura), May 21 : Youth in Tripura has revived bamboo industry, which once flourished under their forefathers, generating employment and driving ahead local economy.

A group of young entrepreneurs in border area in West Tripura district, Katlamara, have come together with an idea to encourage self-employment and work on locally available ‘kanakaich’ species of bamboo.

They have started handicraft workshops and community facility Centres (CFC) in the bordering area, which was once the den of militants, hoping to earn income with their skills.

“We were born here and the bamboo business has been revived by the third generation artisans. There was a time during insurgency, especially from 1995 to 2001, when our forefathers had to abandon this business and vacate this region. Our families were all displaced. But since 2002, the situation became stable and we, the third generation artisans, returned here and revived our traditional bamboo business,” said president, Bamboo Enterprises United, Manna Roy.

The demand is significantly rising in the area and artisans say reason behind this is shift from traditional bamboo decorative items to utility artistic household furniture that are durable, affordable and trendy.

In 2007, a team member from the industry had even participated in five-day long London Handicrafts Exhibition in Birmingham, where they received good response and started exporting their products to Europe and U.S.

“During the days of insurgency, bamboo might have been more important because that time things were not accessible to the people of Tripura so during insurgency days people might have used it more. Now it is used a bit less but in terms of business it has increased,” said scientist, R. N. Pandey.

After 2004, gradually with raising border fencing with Bangladesh, militant activities started decreasing and peace returned to Tripura and people also started returning back to their ancestral villages.

The state is also promoting revival of the industry and is hiring knowledge and technology from various countries like China, which are highly developed in bamboo technology, and has setup a Bamboo Mission and started a Bamboo Park, first of its kind in India.

Rio is Modi’s Go-To Guy

NPF leader finds prominence over Sangma

By NISHIT DHOLABHAI

New Delhi, May 21 : Narendra Modi has chosen a new face to represent the Northeast — Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio over veteran Purno Sangma.

As part of the NDA and head of the North East Regional Political Parties Front (NERPF), Rio was given pride of place by the Prime Minister-designate after the NDA co-ordination committee meeting today.

Rio, like Modi, entered the central hall of Parliament for the first time today and was among the five selected speakers from the alliance. He was also one of the 15 leaders who went to Rashtrapati Bhavan along with Modi to meet President Pranab Mukherjee.

Visually at least, Rio’s position was elevated on an even keel with the likes of Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parkash Singh Badal. Indications are that Rio will be part of, what is likely to be a lean council of ministers headed by Modi.

The Prime Minister is spoilt for choice when it comes to ministers from the Northeast. The BJP is Assam, led by Sarbananda Sonowal, scored a scintillating seven-seat victory while Kiren Rijiju defeated Congress’s Takam Sanjoy to win the Arunachal Pradesh (West) constituency.

Politically, the Nagaland chief minister did what Modi was expecting of him: translate Modi’s language for the region’s benefit. “Better days are ahead for the region,” said Rio, with an obvious translated reference to the BJP’s campaign slogan: “Achchhe din ane wale hain (better days lie ahead)”.

Purno Sangma, former Speaker and no stranger to the central hall of the grand Parliament building, is a part of the NDA but was on the sidelines today. Sangma was one of the first leaders to have declared support for Modi, much before the BJP chose Modi as PM candidate.

The former NCP leader and current National People’s Party chief is being seen as a waning force. Sangma’s predicament is that he is better known in the rest of India more than being accepted as a leader in the Northeast. It was only on May 13 that he formally joined the NERPF.

Rio played his cards well in advance, cobbling up an alliance and going on whirlwind campaigns for the NDA at his own cost. Incidentally, Rio is the only chief minister other than Modi who contested the Lok Sabha polls and he did not fail to buttress the point.

“I had three years to go (as chief minister) but when I spoke to Modiji I was inspired by him to play a bigger role and contribute to the region,” Rio said in his speech at central hall. Having hosted Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Kohima in 2003, the Naga leader had a clear edge over Sangma who was first with the Congress and later with Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

Mentored by senior Congress leader S.C. Jamir, the Naga politician scripted his speech exactly like what the Gujarat strongman would have wanted to hear. Modi has made no bones about his philosophy: “minimum government, maximum governance” and is believed to be averse to doles.

“People of Northeast don’t want to be a liability to the nation. We want to play a participatory and contributory role in the making of this great nation,” Rio said. “We are sure that under Modiji’s leadership, better days are ahead,” he added.

Having faced resistance from the UPA government in releasing funds, the Naga People’s Front leader did not mince words today in slamming the Congress.

The three-time chief minister said he was first elected in 2003 but shortly before the next election, the UPA government imposed President’s rule for two months.

He said under Congress rule, the Northeast had not developed and the Nagas suffered.

Rio met Modi yesterday but did not reveal whether he wanted a ministerial berth. The NERPF, which elected him a leader, had requested Modi that Rio be given a “prominent” portfolio. That, however, was before the results that catapulted BJP with such a strong mandate.

Apparently it was this sentiment that led BJP MPs from Assam today to openly demand ministerial berths. Sarbananda Sonowal, along with three other newly elected BJP MPs, today said they expected four ministries to fall into their lap. Three seniors, Ramen Deka, Rajen Gohain and Bijoya Chakravarty, did not accompany them to brief the press.

“It is true that people of Assam expect four ministries and we also would be happy with it, but that does not mean we would get it. We will keep working for the party,” said Sonowal. Tezpur MP R.P. Sarmah who defeated Bhupen Bora of the Congress, even named the portfolios of choice. “We would like to have petroleum, coal, DoNER and transport,” he said.

Bail for Mizo Phantom Who Alleged EVM Rigging

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, May 20 : The “Phantom” — whose video alleging the Congress rigged November’s Assembly polls in Mizoram triggered protest marches — was granted bail on Monday under the condition that he would not make any public statement on the issue.

K Chhawnthuama, a residential school owner and church elder, had claimed that three computer experts, two of them Congress workers, had travelled from Aizawl to CM Lal Thanhawla’s bastion Serchhip, broken open the lock and programmed EVMs with a “radio-wave machine” manufactured by a Malaysia-based company.

During the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the EC had issued a clarification saying EVMs are tamper-proof, while the police stated that Chhawnthuama was the victim of a hoax .

Chhawnthuama and an accomplice were arrested from a Guwahati hotel on April 14.

The video and subsequent arrest of Chhawnthuama became the centre of controversy with the Opposition targeting the police and the judiciary for “going out of their way” to indict him.