Random Musings

Khangthakte Politics leh Governance a i lunglut uh hunta hilou hiam?

2011-03-29T23:18:00.002+06:00

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it where it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy"¬-Ernest Benn

"Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.”¬-Nikita Khruschev

“Manipur Government hoihlou lua”

“I politician te uh chauh thei longal uh”

Hiai a tung a simlaivai leh gamsung kivaihawmna toh kisai a kigente i theihchiat sa uh leh i zaakzaak sa uh ahih i gingta. Banghiam i gamsung a thil hoihlou hong tun chiang in government mohsak a baihlam mahmah, government chau lua, government hoih kineilou, government in a mohpuakna a zoukei a eive i chisuk pah sek uhi. Ahihkei leh thil apai diklou banghiam om chiang in ‘politics’ kigolh eive ichisek uhi. Hun tamzaw ah leng ana dik mah ahi. Adiak in politics bang “dirty game” ahihkeileh “last resort of scoundrels” ahi chi in khangthak, laisiam ten mullit bawl in taisan i sawm sek uh. I gam sung a thil paidikloute ah politician te leh government va mohsak pen i hobby uh mah bang mai in ahiding him in i koih uhi. Himahleh poltics leh governance ichih va nawlkhin theih mawk thil ahikei a, politician te leh government va mohsak mawk pen le a damdawi ahituan sam kei. Politics ka lunglut kei chia politics bangmah a mulou/simlou te leng a hinkhua uh politics in vaihawmkhum thouthou ahi. Mihing i hihsung uh politics taisan theihvual ahikei.

I gamsung, adiak in i District hi’n Manipur hitaleh thil paidan diklou himhim, a system paidiklou mawngmawng. Mipite mawl taktak te heutu gam-le-nam it kichite’n hon pi mang in khemhai in i om sek uh. Hiaite bangziak hiam? Kuate i mohsa di ua? Nam heutute mo? I telching/vawkching uh i sik-le-tang dia palai a i sawlte uh mo? Hi e zenzen. Himahleh mipite moh lou ikichite thei di uam? Kichi theilou ding.

Politics leh governance khawng i lunglut louh luat ziak ua i gamsung hichi lel ahi. Tamtak ten politics i chih chiang in galvan tawi a government kiang a statehood hiam sovereignty/independence hiam va nget sese pen politics in i sim uh. Banghiam a paidiklou ahihkeileh buaina omchiang in government i mohsa pah sosouh ua, eite lah huai government nasemte kihizel. Ei le ei kimohsa, kigensiasia chihna suak. Huaiziak a government hoih i deihleh ei government nasem ten i sepna ah ginomtak a i sep ngai phot. Niteng nek-le-tak zonna ah, government nasem ten i nna ginom tak a i va sep uh kaan a i nam-le-gam adia thupi omlou ahi. Hiai khawng ahi politics diktak. Nasepna a gin om tak a sep a thil paididan tak a paisak.

Bangziak a i dinmun uh hichituak a niam ahia? Adiktak in government apat i gam puah na di sum-le-pai hong pailou ahizenzen kei. Huai le i theihsa vek uh ahi. A zatna di diktak a a kizatlouh ziak hilel ahi. Adiktak a kizang hileh tuni in i dinmun un hiaiten lel a hikei peuhmah ding chih haihvuallouh ahi. Vaigam khawng ah leng min le negu thou uh, hilele na le a kilawm tan seem sam uh. Eilawi Kristian kichite ki-uang zaw. Hiaite bangziak a hong om thei hiam ichih le politics leh governance a i lunglut kei uh, a lunglut te le i lunglut dan uh diklou. Mahni hamphat na di tan lel a lunglut. Government apat i gam puahna dia bangbang hong pai a bangchi kizat ahia chihte kuaman kansui peihlou. A thei khat-le-nih in hon pei lumlet uh. En huaite ahidimah, a paididan mah ana kisai zomah.

Khangthak laisiam tamtakte ngaihdan ahihleh laisiam ding, sepna hoihtak nei ding Lamka taisan a khopi a lungmuang/galmuang takleh nuamtak a mundang a khosak ding, i gamsung ei bawlhoih vual di hilou chih hita. Akua-akua in “Flee Lamka Syndrome” vei mah kibang. I gamsung enkol tu ding om nawnlou. Sepna ziak in miteng Lamka ah khosa theikei mah ni. Himahleh i omna mun chiat apat i hihtheihna lam zong chiat le. Laigelh theiten laigelh ding, RTI file theiten file ding, sum-le-pai a i gam adia pangtheite pang ding. I laizilkhiakte hiam i sepna tungtawn a thu i theihte bangchi leh ka gam-le-nam adia kizang thei dia ahihkeileh thu i theihte midang theihdia kilawm te bang mipi simtheih ding in gelhkhe zelzel theile phattuam mahmah ding in a gintakhuai.

India gam a politician naupang, laisiam leh minthang taktakte enzual le: Rahul Gandhi, kum 40, Modern School, New Delhi, Doon School Harvard leh Cambridge ah lai ana zil. Sachin Pilot, kum 33 lel a upa, India a college hoihpen St.Stephen’s apat a graduate ban ah khovel pumpi a business school minthang Wharton Business School apat MBA zoukhia, MNC khawng ah sem ut hileh khakhat a lakh bangzah a a lohkhiak ding, himahleh poltics ah lut. Tuabang mah in Jyotiraditya Scindia, kum 39 lel a upa, Doon School, Harvard University leh Stanford University te a lai ana zil, tulai a khovel a loh tam penpen a kigen investment banker a Meryll Lynch leh Morgan Stanley ah ana sem khin politics a hong lut ahi. Hiai a a zilna sang taktak te uh gam-le-nam adia hon zat chiang un hong lohching mahmah uhi. Amau politician minthang taktak tate ngen eive uai ichi maithei, a dik. Himahleh MNC minthang taktak khawng a khakhat a tampipi loh a sep sang a mipi leh gam-le-nam nasem dia kipiate ahi uh.

Eite bel laisiam masasa in politics taimang san sawm, politics gamlat dedeuh hileng hang kilawm kasa. Tuni in ei khangthak ten politics i niam et ua, i nawlkhin vual uh ahikei Politics ah lunglut lengle sum-le-pai lou a chinzoh di hiloupi ichi maithei, a dikmah ahi. Himahleh politics ichih pen MLA hiam MDC hiam a va pan ahi sese kei. Miteng in MLA i tuh theikei ua, miteng politics ah i lut theikei uh. Himahleh i hihtheih uh omchiat ahi, awlmoh in panlak sawm le contribution neithei chiat ihi.

Lam tuamtuam ah i pantheihna uh om chiat ding, i sepna toh kisai a thu iva theihte hiam ahihkeileh i va zilkhiak te i gam i nam adia bangchi zat phattuam theidi chihte ngaihtuah in nei gige le. A houpen a genle India Government in govt. paidan a transparency omtheih nading in Right to Information Act bang hon pass a, hiai kha eiten zatdan siam leng i gamsung bawlhoih nading leh i maban politics uah galvan poimoh tak hong hi ngei ding. Thauvui-thautang sang aleng zat phattuam zawk theih ahi. Aziak chu information i deih peuhmah Ch. 10/- lel piak a ngettheih hitel eivoi, Indian sovereignty leh security adia lauhuai pha information ahihkei nakleh government in hon iim theilou ahive. Hiai kha thu awlmoh bang i neihleh RTI khawng file suk ziau a information kaihkhop ding. Huaiban ah tulai a khopi a omten internet access theivek hita. Internet bang leng a zat phattuam theih luat, information tampi muhtheihna, tutmun apat. Nidang dan a information zong a diang vialvial, tai vialvial ngai nawnlou. Tutmun a information deihdeih ban ah mipil misiam te ngaihdan te khawng mekkhiat a sim ziahziah theih hita.

Ei sung a thil paidan diklou te thutuam hitaleh, midang-namdang toh i kisaina uh hiam ahihkeileh i gam a thiltung omchiang in national media khawng a ana tangkoupih ding kisam. Hiaidin khangthakte’n journalism leh mass media lam bang ah lut zungzung leng uthuai. Media poimohna kha i theih ua, a zatdan i siam uh hun lota hi. Naga movement bangziak a hichituk a hat hiam i chihleh amau a history uh, India sepaihten human rights violation te khawng newspaper, magazines, journals leh laibu khawng a gelh zungzung uh, huaiziak a min a thu uh thei ua sympathize uh. Huaiziak mah a India Govt. inle a nawlkhin theilou.

Huaiban ah researcher bang leng kipoimoh mahmah. India gamsung a university tuamtuam a research bawlte bang in i gam, i nam toh kisai thute bang i thesis ding un telthei in, i research paper te bang uh publish ding. University library khawng ah simtheih din omleh deihhuai petmah. Hiai pen politics lam hiseselou in social, economics, history leh culture khawng le deihhuai vek ahi. Khovel theih a i hihna uh, i dinmun un puanzak hun lota ahi. Huaiban ah journal tuamtuam Economic and Political Weekly, Mainstream chihte khawng a eilam thu research bawl a geltheih ding tamsem kipoimoh. Hiaidin khangthakte mah kipoimoh zel. Hiai lampang ah Dr. Vumlallian leh Dr. Khamkhansuan te bang pahtak huai mahmah uh. Amau chauh a hunsak lou in nungthuap tou din khangthakte kisani.

Khangthak, laisiam te politics a i lunglut louh ziak un thilpoi tampi i tuakta uh, i tuaktou zel lai ding uh. Tunaichin a i thiltuah te enle. Manipur solkal in kum 20 sung ina nawlkhin sa uh MDC a hon khemhai in election hon neihpih, en kipahpih mahmah lai. MDC power bang a chihle theilou ngen, a hoihna leh hoihlouhna le theilou ngen khawng ana kihilim. 6th Schedule toh kibang power piak di chi khawng a ei-le-ei kikhem nalai. Hiai khawng khangthakten a Act leh huai nuai Rule kibawlte i study ua, a hoihna hoihlouhna te i pulak zel uh kisam. Hiai toh kisai bang ah Naga te aware mahmah ua, study hoihtak ana bawl in a hoihlouhna bang hon tangkou pih pah uhi. Eiten leng issue tuamtuam ei interest hon sukha thei dite i lunglut ua, i sui ua heutute leh mipiten a theihkei uale i hilh uh kisam. Huai hihtheihdite khangthakte mah hizel.

District boundary thu en ta leuleu le, i pawlten thauthang zang hetlou a a guk a i gam i khua chia i kisaktheihpih mahmahte phaizang district a honna koihsakta uh. Hichibang thilte kha hong tam hiaihiai di. Thautang a kidouhna hilou in tulai in media leh file khawng a kidouna hong tam dedeuh di. Huaite dou dia khangthakte kipat petmah ngaita, laisiam ding, sepna hoih taktak nei ding. IAS, IPS, MCS, MPS, etc tamsem kipoimoh. Khangthakte kisak hun lota a zekai luat ma in. I gam-le-nam toh kisai lunglut ding. Government nasem ten le loh muhna maimai dia seplouh a hiai ka nasep apat ka nam-le-gam adia phatuam bangchi’n ka sem thei dia ahihkeileh ka mi kasa te adia thil poithei dite bangchi’n ka daal theidia chihte ngaihtuah hunta. Huchih ken zaw miten pilsiam tak in i gam hon laksaksak ding uh. A tawpchiang a ei gam mahmah a mikhual kisuak ding. Tripura te thiltuah te khawng i maban uh ahimai ding. Contractor politics chauh sai hun hinawnlou, politics taktak saihun ahita. Huaidin khangthak te kipanta ni.

Kingaihtuah hun ahi ka khangthak pihte. Khanglouta ni. Politics leh governance taisan sawm nawnlou in lunglut ta ni.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
-Edmund Burke

Way to Go, SSPP FC

2010-12-06T23:51:00.003+06:00

It seems that the soccer gods have finally smiled upon the SSPP FC players and its fans. Skeptics may have already written them off, naysayers may have already predicted their downfall and sounded their death knell even before their first match. But the tables may just have turned this time, just maybe.

It’s that time of the year again when the whole Northeast community in Delhi is gripped by the soccer fever. With the World Cup 2010 falling in the same calendar year, the 4th edition of the Northeast Tamchon Memorial Tournament, organized by the Tangkhul Naga Society, Delhi began on the 4th December, 2010. It has again generated much heat and excitement. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that football or soccer is synonymous with the Northeast people. Whenever there is a football match in the capital city, whether national or international matches, the Northeast youths thronged the matches.

Among the teams participating in the Tamchon Memorial Tournament, the team that has the largest number of fans is the Siamsinpawlpi Football Club (SSPP FC), under the Siamsinpawlpi, Joint Headquarters, Delhi. Its fans outnumbered even that of the organizers, the Wung United (Tangkhuls). They turned out in huge numbers-young and old, students and working professionals; and cheered their team. They were loud and noisy in a harmless way. Whenever SSPP FC plays the crowd is so huge that it looks like the final match of the tournament is being played.

But unfortunately, the SSPP FC which has no dearth of talent in its ranks, has never made it to the knockout stages of the tournament in its previous three editions. But that hasn’t dampened the moods of the majority of its fans. They turned out in huge numbers, as usual, on the 4th December, 2010, to watch and cheer their team in the opening match of the 4th Tamchon Memorial Tournament at Ambedkar Stadium. A little bit of fear, skepticism and apprehension were writ large on their faces but they turned out in huge numbers nonetheless. That is the beauty of being an SSPP FC fan. You cheer for your team. No matter what. You win. You lose. You are there for your team.

When the SSPP anthem was played, the crowd rose in unison and sang along. Sadly though, the song was not played in full. The opening match between the defending champions of last year’s edition, the Wung United and SSPP FC started at around 4.40 pm. As one looked around, it wasn’t hard to miss the mood of the SSPP FC fans. It was a mixture of fear, or rather apprehension, and hope. Fear that they might return home disappointed again, though the team never lack in skills, creativity and talent. Somehow, somewhere, something seemed to have gone wrong and they just couldn’t come up with a win. There was also a glimmer of hope that somehow they will find the magic formula this time. But fear and apprehension was palpable. That’s excusable when you are playing the defending champions and when lady luck seemed to have dumped you in all your previous matches.

At half-time, the scoreboard read 0-0. The match was keenly and evenly contested. The defence, which was the weakest link last year, did a very good job this time. But it seems that the midfield, considered to be the team’s strength, is in a disarray. They hardly controlled the game, and created very few chances. In the second half, more chances were created by both the sides. The game became more physical and the crowd became more noisy and loud. Night fell and the lights shone in the Ambedkar Stadium. But still there were no goals. As the referee blew the final whistle, the score line still read 0-0. All in all, the defending champions seemd to be the better team. They had more possession and created more chances. For the SSPP FC team, it was the goalkeeper and the defence that saved the day for them. The saves and timely interventions by the goalkeeper, Thuamkhanmang, was really commendable and he deserved to be declared man of the match. For the SSPP FC fans, he was their hero. The players didn’t disappoint their fans this time. They played with confidence. With Conviction. And with enthusiasm till the final whistle. That’s a delightful watch. In the past, the fans were always overconfident and the players nervous. But this time it’s the other way round. The players played confidently but it’s the fans who, in their earnestness to see their team win, were getting jittery.

Though the match was a goalless draw, for the SSPP FC fans, it’s no less than winning. They had equalized with the defending champions. That gave them hope. They went in droves to congratulate the team and the managers. And the apprehension and skepticism before and during the match were replaced by smiles and hope. They went back with satisfaction .

The next day, the 5th December, 2010 the SSPP FC fans began trickling into the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before noon. To cheer for their team. Again. Though it was a Sunday, a day of rest and worship, the crowd was huge. Towards the start of the match. one can see many elders and families, who are conspicuous by their absence the day before. Maybe they were busy or maybe they couldn’t bear to see their team lose and didn’t come the day before. But today, they came in droves. Maybe excited by the results of the first match.

The match between SSPP FC and Sikkim FC, which was supposed to start at 2:30 pm, was delayed and started only at around 4:30 pm. It was SSPP FC who drew first blood through their captain, David Ngaihte in the third minute. Right from starting whistle, it was SSPP FC all the way. It seemed that the Sikkim players were chasing shadows. The defence was rock solid, the midfield controlled the game and possession and the strikers were fast and agile. Two more goals within a span of ten minutes and the SSPP FC players and fans knew that this was going to be their day. The crowd was roaring in delight. The drums got louder and the humming of vuvuzelas can be heard. It reminded one of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. The score line at half time was 4-0. The SSPP FC drilled three more goals into their opponent’s net in the second half. David Ngaihte scored five goals and Pausiam Valte and Michael Chongthu scored a goal each. The man of the match was clearly David Ngaihte. The Sikkim defence didn’t know how to deal with the raging striker as he scored goal after goal. The players and fans went back happy and contented.

As the match ended the delightful fans could be seen beating the drum and singing the SSPP Anthem at the top of their voices. A group of fans were heard shouting near/to the players “Aw khatvei bek second round ah”. Will the SSPP FC players be able to fulfill the wish of their fans this time? Definitely. They could even do better, if they continue playing with the same spirit, confidence and team work. But only time will tell.

Cheers to the team, the managers and the fans.

Go, SSPP FC, Go.

EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS OF LAMKA

2010-06-19T13:07:00.003+06:00

It goes without saying that the condition of government schools in Zodawn is deplorable. That the government schools are in dire straits and in need of urgent reforms is an undeniable fact. Much have been said and countless efforts have been made in the past for the reform of these schools in Zodawn. But all efforts towards that end prove to be futile and a solution to the problem is still illusive. I don’t have a panacea for it either. So my current discourse will be about the private schools in Lamka and the need for reforms in the teaching methodology of these institutions.

Urbanisation is the trend everywhere in the world today and we, too, are not left far behind. The “well-to-do” or “better-off” (for lack of another word) from the Zodawn villages, migrated to Lamka in search of greener pastures. One of the contributing factors is the availability of good private schools in Lamka. Because all parents, from the illiterates to the most educated, strive to give their children the best education that they can afford. The mass migration from villages to Lamka town and the deplorable condition of the government schools have led to the mushrooming of a plethora of private schools in and around Lamka town. These private schools are doing a commendable job and have also become a source of employment for many people. Before offering my critique on these schools, I would like to clarify that I have great respect for them and I, too, am a product of the private school system. Whatever I have become today, I owe it to the private schools that I had attended.

My first point of criticism is that private schools in Lamka promote and glorify the system of rote learning or spoon-feeding. During my days at St.Paul’s Institute, one of the best schools in Lamka, this system of rote learning was highly prevalent. It would have been the same in all other schools and I believe this system is continued even now. Notes were given even in Class X and we were made to “learn by-heart” these notes. During exams, high scores were assured if one can reproduce these notes verbatim. It is my firm believe that learning by rote or mugging up of facts just before the exams should be shown the door immediately. A teacher should never encourage learning by rote. Spoon feeding is not in the best interests of the students in the long run. In fact, I believe that notes should not be given to the students, at least from Class-IX. Students should be made to prepare their own notes and the teacher’s role in note making should confine to checking the notes prepared by the students and suggesting improvisations.
Secondly, students are not encouraged to raise queries and there is little or no interaction between the teachers and students during classes. Teaching is usually a one-sided affair, the teacher doing all the talking and the role of the students confined to mere listening. Students who ask too many questions were ridiculed, made fun of and not appreciated, let alone encouraged by most teachers. Education should make you more humane, inculcate a spirit of enquiry and a thirst/hunger for knowledge. A teacher’s job is to try to inculcate a spirit of enquiry, curiosity and interest in the subject so that the student is motivated to explore the subject further. Once you arouse curiosity and interest of a student in a particular subject, the rest is as good as done.

Thirdly, a school should have a library where students can read and explore books beyond the prescribed school text books. There is so much emphasis on school text books and scoring high marks in exams. Reading newspapers, magazines and other books of general interest should be encouraged and inculcated from a very young age. Wide reading broadens your horizons. Focusing only on school textbooks narrows your outlook and stands in the way of the full development of the personality. Mastering only your subject will do you no good unless you want to become a researcher or a lecturer/teacher. In today’s competitive world, one has to be master of one (master of two if you want to go through civil services) and jack of all trades. Most of us study to get a job, and especially in competitive exams, learning by rote or mastering only one subject will never be of much help. You have to be aware of what happens around you and have opinions on all important current issues. That can be gained only by reading newspapers and magazines, and that too more time should be given to editorials and opinion columns. A school can play a role towards this end by having a library with a good collection of newspapers, magazines and books of general interest. I firmly belive that one of the reasons why in today’s competitive world, we are lacking behind others is our emphasis on learning by rote and our focus only on school textbooks.

Fourthly, there is little emphasis on extra-curricular actitivties. Extra-curricular activities, whether fine arts, sports, debates, quizzes, etc should be given more emphasis. These type of activities prepare a students for the real work-life and helps in the development of the whole personality of the students. Also, every school should have a career counselor or simply a counsellor who will attend to the queries of the students regarding their careers, aims and aspirations. If this is not feasible, at least one or twice a year, career seminars should be held and career counsellors and experts/eminent personalities or alumni who have made a mark in various fields should be invited to present papers and answer the queries of the students. Also, it would be very good if schools have classes for social, environmental and political awareness classes so that our students would turn out to be more caring towards the society and make better contribution for the good of the society.

My last point I sincerely wish that private school in Lamka will also introduce the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Evaluation of students should be a continous and year-long affair. I have always found it ridiculous that the fate of a student is judged by one year-end examination. What if a very bright student suddenly fall ill or because of tragedies in his family, could not attend the year-end examination? Should all the hard work, time and money spent by that student be allowed to go waste because of circumstances beyond his control? I was on the verge of suffering from the same fate when I was in Class XII at Rayburn College. During the selection examination for the Council Exams, I fell ill and could not appear for all the papers. I was dejected, thinking that one year of my life had gone down the drain, just because I had the misfortune of falling ill at that “opportune moment”. But fortunately for me, I could sit for the Council exams despite not having appeared in all the papers. Every test and every exam should be counted for the final evaluation so that a student should not ignore any test or exam. This will make the student master his subjects very well.

These suggestions does not need much financial investment. Even for the library thing, I believe that there will be people, especially the alumni, who will be very much willing to contribute money, text books and gift magazine/newspaper subscriptions,etc. Let’s hope that these suggestions are given heed by the management of our private schools, for the future of our students, for our better tomorrow and for our society. All it needs is a change in the way of our thinking, a change in our mindset.

To Sir, With Love

2009-09-04T10:48:00.001+06:00

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward

He is a teacher par excellence. The best teacher I could have asked for and I consider myself as really lucky to have had him as a teacher during my schooling days.

On this Teacher’s Day, I have the pleasure of introducing you to my favourite teacher, Sir Zampi, the genius who teaches English at my alma mater, St.Paul’s Institute, New Lamka. He is not your typical teacher who teaches as if the whole teaching exercise is a chore. He teaches with passion and his enthusiasm for the subject is infectious/contagious. He is, in my view, the best teacher that St.Paul’s has ever had.

My mind is often transported back to my schooling days when I used to listen attentively, trying to absorb each and every word he spoke. His erudite expositions of such poems as “On His Blindness” by John Milton, “To Daffodils” by Robert Herrick and Sonnet No.116 (Let me not to the marriage of true minds) by William Shakespeare still ring in my ears till today. I have a strong belief that the formation of “The Pearls”, a society of the Class-X students of St.Paul’s Institute (1997-98 batch) is inspired by his explanation of “After Twenty Years” by O.Henry. Like the two friends in the story, Bob and Jimmy, who promised to meet again exactly after twenty years no matter what their conditions might be or from what distance they might have to come, the class of 1997 had planned to meet again after ten years in Lamka. Well, it’s another story that our plans don’t materialize.

It is he, who has spurred on my interest in English literature. If I had an English teacher half as good as him in Class-XII, I definitely would have taken up English literature in graduation. I, sometimes, still regret not having done that.

Lazy bunches that we were, he used to give us notes. His notes were very much sufficient to guarantee us good marks in the Class-X Board exams. Interested, as I was, more in novels and magazines than my school textbooks, listening to his lectures and quickly going through his notes at the time of examinations usually more than suffice. And the great thing is that unlike some teacher, he never penalized us for not reproducing exact replicas of his notes. Instead, he always encouraged writing answers in our own words.

I firmly believe that learning by rote or mugging up just before the exams is no learning at all. Education does not entail mugging up of facts. Education should make you more humane, inculcate a spirit of enquiry and a thirst/hunger for knowledge. A teacher should never encourage learning by rote. He should try to inculcate a spirit of enquiry, curiosity and interest in the subject so that the student is motivated to explore the subject further by himself. That is exactly what Sir Zampi does. Some teachers just gave us notes and consider their job done. They even penalized us and gave lesser marks if we cannot reproduce their notes in the examination though the contents of the answers may be the same. Spoon feeding is not in the best interests of the students in the long run. In fact, I believe that notes should not be given to the students, at least from Class-IX. Students should be made to prepare their own notes and the teacher’s role in note making should confine to checking the notes prepared by the students and suggesting improvisations.

He taught us how to write answers. That we should answer a question in the same tense as the question. This simple, yet very important fact was never told to us by other teachers. He taught us the nuances of grammar and explained to us very clearly the meaning of words, especially difficult words, the difference in degree in the meaning of words like anger, rage and fury, etc, the difference between compared to and compared with and so many things which cannot be reproduced in this short piece.

I know that many of my classmates and his former students share the same thoughts about him. It’s just that nobody ever took the initiative to write about him.

He is my hero. May his tribe increase.

(Dear Sir, I salute you, once again, for all the dedication and passion with which you teach your students. I thought of writing this piece a long time ago but could never do so earlier. And I hope that I am not too late. This is the only thing that I can do to repay you for all the things that you have taught me. On this Teacher’s Day, as always, my thoughts and prayers are with you.)

Mainstream and alienation

2008-11-21T18:07:00.003+06:00

It was a hot, sultry, summer day in 2000. The memory of that day is still firmly implanted in my mind's eye (not because I have a photographic memory but because I wrote it down in my diary).

2000-it was the year I first came to Delhi. I was standing in front of SGTB Khalsa College in North Campus waiting for my friend there. A smart lady probably in her early thirties approached me and asked, "Do you know any PCOs near this place?" (In those days mobile phones were not as common as they were today).

"I'm sorry I don't know", came my reply.

"It's okay. By the way which country are you from?" she asked as she was leaving, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm from India, from the northeastern state of Manipur" came my quick reply, slightly annoyed yet amused that she mistook me for a foreigner.

I wasn't prepared for what was coming my way next. She said, "Is Manipur a part of India?".

I was getting really annoyed by now. So I retorted back in anger, "Manipur is very much a part of India, it is on the border with Myanmar."

After she left me, several thoughts came to my mind. This lady spoke impeccable English, and from her looks was probably from an upper class family and she doesn't even know that Manipur is a part of India. And she mistook me for a foreigner because I didn't "look Indian". (If ever there was an "Indian look", and if people from a particular country were supposed to have certain physical features). Anyways, I thought, maybe Geography was never her forte at school (that's how I comforted myself).

This is not a one-off or isolated incident. Most people from Northeast must have had experience of a similar nature at some point of their lives. This incident highlighted the fact that Northeast India remains a neglected region and not seen by many as a part of mainstream India. Who is to blame for this? Both the government and the press are equally to blame for this. Offical apathy and neglect has resulted in underdevelopment, large-scale unemployment and stunted growth of the region. This has led to growing resentment and frustration towards the powers that be which often finds manifestation in drug abuse and insurgency - the two main problems facing the Northeastern youths.

The mainstream media, in most cases, fail to report on news and issues concerning the Northeast region and on the few occasions when they do cover northeast issues, the news reports are often inacurate and distorted. Morever they never make it to the front page of any mainstream newspaper and were hidden away in some dingy corner of the papers. This hostile attitude towards the Northeast is also evident in the school curricula. The history of the Northeast has hardly found space in the school curricula and the geography of the region never given much importance. This attitude is best summed up by Rahul Bedi's (of Jane's Defence Weekly) words "Kashmir is a lot more sexier than the Northeast". The problems facing this region was never given much space in the media. Should we remain a silent spectator to all these? Is there something we can do about this? Isn't it time that we shed our narrow mindsets and parochialism and work towards our common interests. What do we gain by always pulling down each other?

For the sake of an update: Pics

2008-10-07T17:16:00.004+06:00

Haven't updated my blog in a long, long time. Been really busy at work. And with no internet connection, let alone a computer at home, haven't really had the time to update. And by the time I went home I am really exhausted. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Puducherry and Chennai on official work. So for the sake of an update, I'll just post some pics I had taken at that time. These are pics taken in and around Ashok Beach Resort, Puducherry.

Cottage, Ashok Beach Resort

Where is Mautam?

2008-07-03T18:05:00.002+06:00

In North East Sun issue dated June 16-30, in the “Letter to the Editor” section, the following letter which I had written in response to David Buhril’s article “Tipaimukh in Hunger-I” appears:

Apropos David Buhril's article "Tipaimukh in Hunger Part-I" (North-east Sun May 16-31 issue), it is disheartening to note that the article deliberately ignores the other subdivisions of Churachandpur district of Manipur and focuses only on Tipaimukh subdivision. It may be mentioned here that the mautam is more or less as severe in the other subdivisions of Churachandpur district (viz. Thanlon, Henglep, Singngat and Churachandpur subdivisions) as it is in Tipaimukh subdivision. This is substantiated by the findings of the Manipur Hill Journalist Union (MHJU), a conglomerate of working journalists based in the hills of Manipur, in their on-the-spot survey undertaken from 14^th to 19^th November, 2007 and endorsed by none other than the Deputy Commissioner, Shri Sumant Singh as well as the Chief Secretary of the state, Shri Jarnail Singh who had communicated the same to the Ministry of Home Affairs. In fact, a Central team led by Shri Pankaj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture had already surveyed the area and confirmed the occurrence of famine in the district.

The general populace of Churachandpur are disheartened to know that a magazine of such repute as yours focuses only on the plight of the Tipaimukh people while ignoring the plight of the greater part of the populace. My humble appeal to you is to highlight the plight of the hungry masses from other subdivisions of the district as well.
Joy Tonsing,
Lamka, Manipur

This is the original letter which I had sent to the Northeast Sun, the ones in bold have been deleted:

Apropos David Buhril's article "Tipaimukh in Hunger Part-I" (North-east Sun May 16-31 issue), it is disheartening to note that the article deliberately ignores the other subdivisions of Churachandpur district of Manipur and focuses only on Tipaimukh subdivision. What is even more ridiculous is the writer's claim that Tipaimukh is the "epicenter" of mautam (famine). It may be mentioned here that the mautam is more or less as severe in the other subdivisions of Churachandpur district (viz. Thanlon, Henglep, Singngat and Churachandpur subdivisions) as it is in Tipaimukh subdivision. This is substantiated by the findings of the Manipur Hill Journalist Union (MHJU), a conglomerate of working journalists based in the hills of Manipur, in their on-the-spot survey undertaken from 14^th to 19^th November, 2007 and endorsed by none other than the Deputy Commissioner, Shri Sumant Singh as well as the Chief Secretary of the state, Shri Jarnail Singh who had communicated the same to the Ministry of Home Affairs. In fact, a Central team led by Shri Pankaj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture had already surveyed the area and confirmed the occurrence of famine in the district.

The general populace of Churachandpur (known as Lamka by the locals) are disheartened to know that a magazine of such repute as yours focuses only on the plight of the Tipaimukh people while ignoring the plight of the greater part of the populace. Such a myopic, narrow and parochial attitude would undoubtedly harm the long term interests of the magazine while at the same time alienating the people in other areas of the district in particular and the northeast people in general. My humble appeal to you is to highlight the plight of the hungry masses from other subdivisions of the district as well.

Joy Tonsing,
Lamka, Manipur

David Buhril’s reply in the said issue of NE Sun

Dear Joy Tonsing

Lack of time and the absence of roads and transportation did not allow me to tour all the hungry constituencies of Churachandpur. I also mentioned about the other subdivisions and shared problems and issues in Tipaimukh in Hunger-Part I & II. The entire focus of my writings has been on the issues, which still remains unabated today. The geography and other identities are secondary. North East Sun welcomes unreported or under-reported issues from everyone. We look forward to voicing them all.

My take on David Buhril’s reply to me:

Lack of time? He has the time to tour the Tipaimukh subdivision which is in the farthest corner of Churachandpur. So this is clearly a case of lack of intention. He never has the intention of covering the other subdivisions even if time is not a constraint. To reach Tipaimukh, he has to pass through the other subdivisions of the district.

Absence of roads and transportation? To the best of my knowledge roads are not absent in Ccpur district. Guite Road, Tipaimukh Road, Tedim Road and Sugnu Road are the main roads that interconnect the various subdivisions of the district. It is a sad fact that in the writer’s world only Tipaimukh Road exists.

Also the writer never shared problems and issues of other subdivisions in Tipaimukh in Hunger-I & II. I can say this with certainty because I have gone through both the articles. I am not blind, Mr Buhril.

If geography and other identities are secondary, why should the title of the article scream “Tipaimukh”.

SIAMSINTE AW LUNGKE KEI NI

2008-05-14T11:16:00.001+06:00

Eimite hi atangpi in sum-le-pai i haksa uhi. Nu-le-pate lehkha siam in siamlou hitaleh tate lehkhasiam di deihlou i omkei uh. Ahidi mah leng ahi. Lehkhasiamna lou in i gam ah khosuahna di taktak a om kei. Huaiziak in siamsinna i pibawl ua, a hoih mahmah. Himahleh mi tamtakte sum-le-pai hakstatna ziak a lehkha sim ut mahmah napi uttan simtheilou a vakthaap mai a, zu-le-khamtheih a kibual te ka muh chiang in puaknat huai kasa mahmah. Hiaite awlmohna ziak in mi khat bek in a phattuampih khakleh chi’n India Government in a thawn a laizil theihna leh scholarship tuamtuam omte bangzah hiam i taklang ding uh. Lehkha sim ut mahmah, himahleh sum-le-pai haksa te adi’n hiai anuai scholarship/scheme tuamtuam India solkal in a patkhiak tampite lak a bangzah hiam i taklang ding uh.

1. National Talent Search Examination

National Talent Search examination ahihleh National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) te conduct ahi. Hiai exam tier nih (2) in a kikhen. Amasa pen in State leh Union Territory ten State Talent Search Exam conduct in amau state quota adi’n selection hon bawl masa uhi. A kigawmvek in mi 3000 khawng NTSE a telthei di’n hon telkhia uhi. NTSE exam ah paper nih (2) a om-Mental Ability Test (MAT) leh Scholastic Ability Test (SAT). Hiai written a chingte face-to-face interview dia sap ahi ua, final selection ahihleh MAT, SAT leh Interview a marks muhdan ah a kinga hi. Scholarship ama a kumkhat a mi 750 piak hisek pen 2000 kum in 1000 a punsak ahi. Hiai scheme paidan 2006 a khek in om a, hiai dungzui in:

· Class X level hisek pen 2007 apat Class VIII a sukniam ahi

· Class VIII MAT leh SAT ah question 90 tuak a omdi

· SAT ah Social Science question 35, Science 35 leh Mathematics ah 20 a omdi

· Telkhiak a omte scholarship kha khat in Rs.500 piak ahidi uh Class IX apat a tunglam teng. Himahleh PhD ah UGC norms durngzui a piak ahiding uh.

· Book grant a omnawnkei

· Parental income limit pen beisak ahita

· Hiai scholarship science leh social sciences ah doctoral level tan leh professional course medicine leh engineering ah piak ahi uh.

NTSE adi’n syllabus a tuam omkei mahleh Class VII leh VIII level ahidi. “Learn About the Test” kichi booklet sample questions omna NCERT website www.ncert.nic.in ah download theih di’n om hi.

Scheme of testing hiai anuai a bang ahi:

Test	Duration	No of Items/Questions	Maximum marks	Qualifying marks for SC/ST/PC category
Mental Ability Test (MAT)	90 minutes	90	90	32 % i.e. 29 marks
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)	90 minutes	90	90	32 % i.e. 29 marks
Interview	15-20 minutes		25	No qualifying marks

Interview dia sap a omte second class railway fare piaksak ahidi uh.

2. Special Class Railway Apprentices

Hiai exam ahihleh Class XII Mathematics leh Physics hiam Chemistry khat zawkzawk a zoukhia kum 17-21 kikal mite adia Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in a conduct ahi. Hiai exam kum nih a khatvei conduct ahi. Hiai a select a omte kum li (4) sung Mechanical Engineering zilsak ahi uh. Hiai SCRA written test ah Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English Language, General Knowledge, and Psychological Test (Mental Ability) tel hi. Written a chingte interview leh medical test a omlai hi. A syllabus ahihleh Class XII CBSE equivalent ahi.

Apprentice ten stipend Rs.4000-4400 scale ala ua, DA toh Rs.7400 khawng apha zou. Kum li training a zoh chiang un Indian Railways ah 1^st Hiai exam kha competition tough mahmah ahi. Aziakchu seat 10 kan omngei kholkei a, himahleh a lutzou te adi’n bel a thawn a laizil, zoh chiang a 1^st class officer hingal maidi. Hoih lotel ahi. Class officer Indian Railway Services of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) Officers in lut ngal uhi.

Scheme of examination:

Paper	Subject	Time Allowed	Maximum Marks
Paper-I	General Ability Test (English, General Knowledge and Psychological Test)	2 hours	200
Paper-II	Physical Sciences (Physics and Chemistry)	2 hours	200
Paper-III	Mathematics	2 hours	200

Part-II	Personal interview (Written a chingte adi’n)		200

3. National Defence Academy (NDA) (www.nda.nic.in)

Eligibility: Class XII zousa hiam zillai, zi nei nailou kum 16 ½ leh 19 kikal pasal te adi ahi.

NDA adia cadet selection paidan anuai a bang ahi:

· Written exam UPSC in a conduct hi

· Interview (Intelligence and personality test) Service Selection Board (SSB) in a conduct hi

· Medical examination Service Medical Board in a conduct hi

Scheme of examination:

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Mathematics	2 ½ hours	300
General Ability	2 ½ hours	600 (Hiai lak ah English 200 marks leh General Knowledge 400 marks ahi)
Total		900

Training National Defence Academy, Khadavaksla, Pune ah nei ua, a stream dungzui un Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi in BA/B.Sc degree piak in om uhi. Training a zoh phet chiang un Army lam ate Lieutenant rank hipah ngal mai uhi. Mi khenkhat in a gendan un hiai NDA through a lutte CDS a lutte sang inle promotion hatzaw chi zomah uhi. Huaiziak in sepaih lam a lunglutte adi’n a hoih mahmah. Nu-le-pa vak ngailou a govt. in degree zil sungteng hon vak dia, huaizoh chia commissioned officer hingal zomah di.

4. Armed Forces Medical College (www.afmc.nic.in)

MBBS a thawn a ziltheihna, zoh chiang a Indian Army a commissioned officer hingal zomah di. Class XII zou kum 17-22 kikal mi, zi/pasal nei nailou te’n exam a pethei uh. Seat 130 a om (pasal 105 leh numei 25). Hiai a chingte Armed Forces Medical College, Pune a kum 4 ½ sung MBBS a zil dua, huaizoh kum 1 internship ahih uh a ngai hi. Hiai a lutte Armed Forces Medical Services ah Commissioned Officer a a sep uh a ngai teitei hi. Hiai toh kisai in nu-le-pa/guardian in admission hun ah bond a sign ngai hi.

Special concession tuamtuam amuhte uh:

Entitled rations as authorised and subsidised messing.
Free hostel accommodation and allied services.
AC 3 Tier railway warrant for journey during vacation from college to home and back.
First Class/ AC 2 Tier rail Journey on railway warrant after being commissioned.
A subsidy of Rs.12,000/- per student for purchase of books and equipment during the entire training period. Amount will be issued proportionately during I, II and III MBBS.
Uniform allowance Rs.6,000/- per student during first year and Rs.1,250/- per year as maintenance allowance in subsequent years.
Hair Cutting/Hair Cleaning Allowance of Rs.40/- per month per student.
Stationery allowance of Rs.1000/- per cadet per year.
Washing allowance Rs.120/- per student per month during the term and Rs.20/- per month during break.

Huaiban ah B.Sc (Nursing) le AFMC apat mah in ziltheih lai hi.

5. CENTRAL SECTOR SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME OF TOP CLASS EDUCATION FOR ST STUDENTS (www.tribal.nic.in)

Hiai scholarship thak Finance Minister P.Chidambaram in 2005-06 Budget Speech a a luikhiak thak, academic year 2007-2008 a zatpat ahi.

ST student family income Rs. 2 lakhs sang a tamzolou institution telkhiak a omte a admission mute kiang a piak ding ahi.

Hiai scholarship in a huamkhakte:

· Government/Government-funded institutions te ah full tuition fee ban ah non-refundable fees piaksak di. Himahleh private institutions te ah Rs.2 lakhs tan leh Commercial Pilot Training nang in Rs.3.72 lakhs ahidi.

· Living expenses a tamtawp in khakhat a Rs. 2200/- tan

· Books and stationary Rs.3000/- per annum

· A course zil sung un computer leh accessories man di’n Rs.45,000/- tan

Institute khat in scholarship 5 (nga) tan, a vekpi in scholarship 635 kumkhat sung a piakkhiak ahidi.

Tulel a hiai scheme in a cover course te ahihleh Engineering institution 52,management institute 21, law institute 5, medicine/dentistry institute 13 leh specialized stream institute 36 ahi a, avek in institute 127 cover hi. Engineering ah IIT, NIT, NERIST, IIIT, etc, Management ah IIM, FMS, Symbiosis, etc, Law ah NLSIU chihkhawng cover kha hi. Hiai omdan tak ahihleh India adia institution hoihteng cover kha vek. A lunglutte adi’n sum neilou chihte omnawnlou a India a institution hoihpente a lut ziahziah di hitamai ahi. Bank loan khawng le ngaise lou a Ministry of Tribal Affairs te’n scholarship hon pe du ahi. I hamphatna uh khahsuah kei ni.

6. RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP (RGNF) FOR SCHEDULED CASTE/SCHEDULED TRIBE CANDIDATES (http://ugc.ac.in/financialsupport/rajivgandhi_scst.pdf)

Ministry of Tribal Affairs leh Ministry of Environment and Forests te’n hiai scholarship apiak uh ahi. Hiai scholarship M.Phil leh Ph.d. full time a zil ut/sawm Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences leh Engineering & Technology ah piak ahi. SC te ad’n 1333 leh ST te adi’n 667 kumkhat a piak ahi.

Fellowship

@Rs.8000/-p.m. for initial two years

@Rs.9000/-p.m. for remaining tenure

RGNJRF

RGNSRF

Contingency A

@Rs.10000/-p.a. for initial two years

@Rs.20500/-p.a. for remaining tenure

Humanities &

Social Sciences

Contingency B

@Rs.12000/-p.a. for initial two years

@Rs.25000/-p.a. for remaining tenure

Sciences, Engg &

Technology

Departmental

Assistance

@Rs. 3000/- p.a. per student to the host

institution for providing infrastructure

For all disciplines

Escorts/Read

assistance

@ Rs. 2000/- p.m. in cases of physically

handicapped & blind candidates

For all disciplines

HRA

As per rules of the University/ Institutions

7. SCHEME OF COACHING FOR SCHEDULED TRIBES

Ministry of Tribal Affairs in singtangmi te competitive exam a lohchin theihnang in hiai scheme pankhia hi. Hiai scheme nuai ah solkal in a telkhiak coaching centre te ah ST te adi’n coaching fee piaksak uhi. Hiai scheme in a cover khak course te:

(a) Civil Services Examination/State Civil Services Examination.

(b) Entrance Exams for Medical, Engineering, MBA and other professional

courses.

Commission Exams/Subordinated/Lower Subordinate Services Exam,

Central Excise, etc.

(d) BSRBs/RRBs, General Insurance Corporation, etc.

Hiai a telthei ding in competitive exam piaktheihna dia qualification nei, family/self income kumkhat a Rs.2.50 lakhs tan te’n apply thei ding hi. Competitive exam khat adi’n candidate khat in hiai scheme khatvei chauh avail thei ding a, avekpi in competitive exam nih adi’n coaching a lathei ding hi.

Huailou in UGC NET/JRF exam bang leng omlai a, huai ah JRF a qualify te’n M.Phil/Ph.D zil nang grant/fellowship (khakhat a Rs 12,000 a punsak ahita) mu ua, lecturer dia le qualify ahingal uhi. Hiaite ban ah a scheme/scholarship dang tampi leng omlai ngei din a gintak huai. Tulai khovel ah lehkhasiam te adi’n sum-le-pai pen a buaihuai pen hinawnlou ahi. Adiakin professional course zil nang a institute hoihdeuh e.g. IIT, IIM, FMS, XLRI leh adang dang a lutzou te adi’n student/educational loan pedia bank te kituh mai uh ahi. Hiai facilities/scheme tuamtuam omte ei Zomite’n bangchi’n I phattuampih thei dia?

“Khaile lawm aw masuan ni

Lungke lou in pang ve ni”

Racist remark, yet again

2008-03-03T17:00:00.003+06:00

"Walk into a spa which has music, scented aroma candles, but here you'll meet a professional doctor rather than a Linda from the North-East. And order for yourself a quick botox, lunchtime peel, nip-and-tuck liposuction or a nose surgery. " writes Nona Walia her article "Spa with a difference" in page 3, of Times Life, Times of India's Sunday supplement on 2nd March, 2008. I didn't read it in the newspapers though I have been a regular reader of the Times of India for the least eight years. I got to know it from sms newsgroup "Zogam Thuthang" delivered right to my inbox only in the afternoon. I never expect a newspaper of such repute as the Times of India will ever publish such a derogatory remark against a community. I am hurt. I know this is not the first time that the Northeasterners are depicted in such a bad light by the media, and it wouldn't be the last. The media, the very people who are supposed to dispel the myths of the ignorant masses, have failed their noble profession, once again. Sometime ago, when a certain Mr Kumar Vikram wrote a very, I repeat, very disgusting article about Northeastern girls, I felt anger raging inside me. I immediately shoot of an email to the writer the moment I read that article. This time I am not sending any email to the writer. Others like Hoihnu Hauzel, a reputed journalist from our community had already done that. But it hurts that I have been a regular reader of the paper for eight long years, from the first time I set foot in Delhi. What are the editors doing anyway? I am sure the article must have passed through at least a couple of editors before it came out in black and white. Maybe they didn't notice the racist slur in the article, or maybe they are just a bunch of racists, like the writer of the article.

I will reproduce here, once again, the mail sent by Hoihnu Hauzel to Nona Walia, the author of the article:

Dear Nona,

Just a few weeks ago, we read a disturbing racist report in a national paper on how NE girls are accused of being drug peddlers. Your Sunday story "Spa with a Difference" is yet another example of how media is so callous in its approach to loosely make stark racist remark against a particular community. Quite unmindful of the fact that we live in a country which is so colourful and diverse like no other country in the world.

"Walk into a spa which has music, scented aroma candles, but you'll meet a professional doctor rather than a Linda from the Northeast."

I don't quite see the connection between "a Linda from the Northeast" and your attempt at telling a story on a booming trend on medispa. In fact, I will be quite happy if you can enlighten me with the link between the two.

If I am correct, it seems you were trying to refer to Linda, the nurse from Manipur, who was recently held for her supposed role in the kidney scam. Anyway, you must understand that there is a black sheep in every society and we, as supposed members of the media, cannot effort to be prejudice and racist.

In fact, it may be worthwhile for you to know that of the service industry in the country and particularly in the Capital city is employing people from the Northeast like never before. This is simply because people from the Northeast are considered assets to the organization. First of all, because they are non-political, hard working, do not shamelessly market themselves and are silent workers, among many other qualities.

The two smiling ladies who usher you in each time you walk into The Imperial (hotel) are from the Northeast. The ladies, who serve you your pasta at Flavors, Big Chilled, among others, are from the Northeast. Similarly, the oriental looking sensitive masseurs in all the spas around the city are actually from Northeast and not quite from Thailand or Indonesia. We ought to look at the positive side of every community. And especially in the case of Northeast, which has a perpetual grudge that they are being given a step-motherly treatment in their own country, we ought to be responsible and sensitive.

While am trying hard to figure out why you have made that reference, I would like to let you know that as responsible people form the media, we ought to be sensitive about sentiments of other communities. After all, India is a diverse country. It would be incorrect, if the media loosely make such remarks.

Your reference to NE is in your story is ugly and cruel. It is hurtful and negative to the community. To me and many members of the civil society, your reference reflects ignorance and insensitivity.

Warn regards,

Hoihnu Hauzel
Gurgaon

Glory Road

2008-02-18T14:14:00.002+06:00

Watched Glory Road last week, and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Based on the true life story of a team that changed everything. It is about a basketball coach who selects/recruits blacks or coloureds for his team at a time when no blacks played Division I basketball. It depicts racist America, the discrimination the blacks faced and their struggles in a society dominated by the whites. The coach is a hard taskmaster who, through sheer grit and determination builds a team from scratch that went on to win the NCAA Championship. The film really reminds me of the discriminatory and racist attitude of mainland Indians towards the people of Northeast India, and I can really relate to the story. Let me reproduce here some of the great and inspiring conversations from the movie here:

The conversation between the coach and Bobby Joe Hill when he tries to recruit Bobby:

“You get real talent, why waste it, son?”

“I’ll tell you why. Ever since I was a kid, I only loved one thing-that was playing ball. Do you understand what that’s like? To have that ball in your hand. It’s like making sweet music with your hands. Only thing is you don’t wanna hear that song.”

“You gonna let a black player play from the get-go?”

“I don’t see colour. I see quick, I see skill, and that’s what you have. And that’s what I’m putting on the court.”

Coach to players:

“You’re here to learn fundamental, disciplined defensive basketball. Now, that means both on and off the court. No girls. No booze. No late nights. Nothing besides fundamental basketball. I speak. You listen. I don’t wanna hear “I can’t” or “won’t” or “Coach, I’m bleeding.” I don’t wanna hear anything except the basketball bounce. You play basketball my way. My way’s hard.”

“You wanna quit? You quit right now. You’re gonna quit everyday for the rest of your life.”

“I can’t have a big man who’s afraid to play like one.”

Coach to Bobby Joe:

“My old man drove a truck for the better half of his life. Now, there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Other than the fact that he hated it. But that’s the only way he knew how to put food on the table and give his kids a chance to do something they loved. I love the game. I love this game. I never was the greatest player. But I busted my butt, and I outworked better players. I ain’t the smartest coach, but I busted my butt and I outworked smarter coaches. And when I see the talent you got and I see you wasting it, it ticks me off.”

Cager:

“Coach, I’ll die if I don’t play. Coach, my whole life I only loved playing basketball…but I never stopped playing in the street. Never. ‘cause not to play, coach, man, that was like having something just crawl up and die in me.”

“They’re trying to take our dignity from us.”

“Your dignity’s inside you. Nobody can take something away from you if you don’t give them.”

I GAM KHANTOUHNA DIA POIMOH MASAPEN

2008-02-11T13:30:00.001+06:00

This is an article I wrote in my language on the importance of roads.

I GAM KHANTOUHNA DIA POIMOH MASAPEN
-Joy Tonsing

I gam khantouhna din bang poimoh nasa pen a? Sixth Schedule mo? MLA politics? Kei ngaihdan in tuh i gam, adiakin singtang gam khantouhna’ng a poimoh masapen tuh lampi ahi. Lampi pentak gam khantouhna’ng in poimoh pen thepthup kenteh na chi maithei. Ngaihtuah thak mah dih. Lampi hoih omna munte khangtou hulhul mai hi. Na kiim na kiang daakvel mah dih. Lampi hoihlou a gam khangtou/changkang na mu din ka gingta kei.

I gam a lampite puahpha adiakin I hinna gui uh (lifeline) Guite Road bang hong hoih leh i gam in a phattuampih didan na ngaihtuah ngei hia? Lampi a hoih chiang in i gam a thil piangte zuakkhiakna bang hong baihlam dia, hiai in louneimite thanopna tunsak ding hi. Kisumdawntuahna (trade and commerce) hong khangtou ding hi. Huaiban ah government nasemte (teacher, doctor leh adangdangte) ten Lamka apat gal sep nawnlou in a sepna mun ua pai a lin nawn kei di uh. Tamtak te a nasepna ua a pai utlouhna uh pen lampi hoihlouh mahmah ziak hidi’n a gintaak huai. Lampi hoihna ah government nasemte posting ut zo ua, hiai in administration hoihsak tuan mahmah hi. Government teacher te a posting namun ua a pai chiang un singtang a i school te un gah hon suang dia, i gam ah laisiam hong pung ding hi. Sum neilou pipi a Lamka a tate school kaisak a ngai nawnkei dia, hiai in sum-le-pai haksatna hon dawn zangkhai tuan mahmah ding hi. Lampi hoihleh niteng van poimoh tuamtuam bang nuamtak in Lamka apat singtang kipotung thei ding a, singtang gam changkang sak tuan mahmah din gintak huai. Huaiban ah gari accident chihte bang hong tawm deuh dia, khualzin-gamvakte adin nuamtuam mahmah ding hi. Lamka toh kikawmtuahna hong nuam dia, damlouh-hitan tuah hun in kintak in damdawi inn naihthei ta di uhi. Lampi hong hoih chiang in Thanlon SDO office bangle Lamkanuai a omnawnlou dia, government teacher ten le correspondence a sem nawnlou ding uh ahi! Lampi hong hoih photphot leh adang ten zo hon zui mai di ahi.

Atung apat a lampi hoihleh i gam in a phattuampih dia muhthei khenkhatte:

1. Kisumdawntuahna (trade and commerce) hong hoih ding
2. Government nasemte a sepna mun ua pai di ua, administration hong hoih ding. Government nasemte a posting na chiat a hong om chiang un govt. in i gam hon puah maidi ahi.
3. Singtang apan a hithei teng Lamka kidenna chihpen a tawm deuh ding, tulai a i buaipih mahmah delimitation chih khawng bangle hiai ziak mahmah le ahi.
4. Gari accident a si chihte a tawm deuh ding.
5. Singtang a i school te kingakna tham hong hi dia, i gam ah cost-effective education omta ding hi. I gam ah laisiam hong pung ding hi.

Economist Robert Chambers in 1970s lai in hichiin ana gen, “If I had money, I would use it to build roads. If I had more money, I would build more roads. If I had still more money, I would still build more roads.”

Biased Report on Mail Today

2008-01-31T13:57:00.000+06:00

Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddlers

The following is a mail I sent to the author of this article as I am really pained to see Northeastern girls being portrayed in such a way. You can see my feelings from the contents of the mail:

Dear Kumar Vikram,

I am writing to you in relation to your biased report against the Northeastern girls in your article on Mail Today dated 28th January, 2008.

While appreciating the fact that you have highlighted the illegal drug trade going on in the capital, it is unbecoming of your profession to generalize and portray people belonging to a particular region or community in such a bad light. While it may certainly be true that some Northeastern girls may have fallen prey to these druglords and easy money, it is ridiculous to portray the whole community in such despicable terms. There is no doubt that some northeastern girls are involved in this trade, but portraying the whole community in such a bad light is difficult to understand. You know there is a black sheep in every community. The Northeasterners in general and Northeastern girls in particular have always been looked upon in contempt and in a bad light, and people always have a biased attitude and pre-conceived notion against them.
You see, supposing I go to the infamous GB Road in Delhi and there I found many North Indian girls indulging in flesh trade and the next day I write an article in a national paper portraying the North Indian girls in the same light as you portray Northeastern girls in your article , what would be your reaction? What would be the reaction of the people of Delhi?. Now you can imagine how much you have hurt our sentiments. I have always believed that the media should be the champion of the cause of the minorities, the downtrodden and the neglected. But your article have cast some doubts on the role the media is playing for/against the Northeasterners, and I am not alone. I am highlighting to you the sentiments of my fellow Northeasterners when they read your article. Mr Kumar, it hurts!

Hoihnu Hauzel, a reputed journalist from Manipur and a person whom i truly admire for her writings (though I haven't had the opportunity to meet her in person) replies:

Letter to Mail Today

Dear Kumar Vikram,

I have always believed that media, to a great extent, is responsible for the way Northeast women are wrongly projected in a place like Delhi. And your yesterday's article "Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddles," once again proved just that.

While I have no doubt in your facts and intentions, I am quite upset at the tone of the article. It is upsetting and hurtful beyond words the way you have carelessly yet confidently projected the tribe in your story.

It's even more difficult to imagine that you could begin with words like: "The next time a cocaine addict in Delhi order for a fix, it's unlikely than tan African man will be standing at the door. Instead, it'll probably be a young, trendy Northeast Indian girl. And for a few extra thousands, she'll put sex on offer as well."

And it ends in the same tone: "And the person ringing the bell in all probability will be a no eastern girl."

Are you sure that all of them are from the region? And how many of them are into the trade? I am not writing to you to defend or justify anything. I am writing to you because you have hurt our sentiments. But, for the crime of one, you cannot generalize the entire community. And that's exactly what your article has done. Does Maninder Pal Singh Kohli's (prime suspect in the rape and murder of British teenager Hannah Foster) crime make every Indian a criminal?

As a fellow journalist and someone who comes from one of the states of Northeast India, I am deeply hurt at the way you have chosen to deal with an issue like this. It is derogatory and insensitive to many women like me from the region who have left their homes to build a career. While it may not be your intention to generalize the community, I feel you have been extremely careless and tactless in your choice of words.

Also, it would have really authenticated your story if you have the name or identity of those accused instead of merely basing your story on one unnamed police officer. A.S Cheema merely commented that it is a new trend.

And why do you thrive on the miseries of the region which is typically what the Indian press in doing. Why don't you write the positive stories? Look around; there are many positive stories on the region that can be done from the city.

It is a pity that mainland India has so little or no knowledge of the Northeast India. I have spent half my life here in Delhi and even after living here for more than 15 years I am still fighting a biased attitude from people. People like you who should be actually educating the mass, make it worse for us.

And anyone with "small eyes" or the term people so loved to use "chinky" are not necessarily from the Northeast. You must understand that India has Mongoloid race even from other states like Ladakh and Sikkim (which is the eight states of the region). The city also has a good population of Tibetans and Nepalis.

I will appreciate your response. And this is not to discourage you but to let you know that we, as a community of journalist, ought to be more sensitive when dealing with such issues.

Warm regards,

Hoihnu Hauzel

SOS: Mautaam Kialpi

2007-12-26T15:44:00.000+06:00

In a small hamlet in the interiors of Lamka (Churachandpur) District, Manipur, a family of five is having lunch, sharing among themselves whatever meager amount of food they had. The smallest among the three siblings, aged four, obviously unaware of the hardships they are going through, utters, “Papa, why haven’t you get me any Christmas gift this year?” He looks at his wife and three children, wipes a silent tear and mutters to himself, “How long will our meager stock of rice last?”. He thinks about his better-off relatives who had migrated to Lamka. Deep down, he silently hopes for help to arrive from them.

In Lamka, a daily wage earner glances through the morning paper, Lamka Post, before setting off for another gruelling day at work when a headline catches his eye, “Help Your Fellow Zomis in Need, Contribute in Cash or Kind” . He opens his “savings box”, counts the meager savings he made for the purchase of the much-needed inverter (you all know without my telling you the quantity of power supply we get in Lamka) and heads towards the Mautaam Relief office. The inverter can wait for another year, the plight of his fellow Zomis in the villages is much more acute.

In New Delhi, a government servant is woken up by an early morning telephone call from a Mautaam Relief representative entreating him to contribute towards helping the victims of Mautaam Kialpi. He heads towards the bank, transferred his savings meant to buy a computer to the Mautaam Relief Fund and heads towards North Block. The computer can wait, however necessary it may have become in today’s world, he couldn’t turn a deaf ear to the cries of his brethren back home.

In Bangalore, a call centre executive is about to sleep for the day after her shift ended at 5:00 am in the morning when her Nokia N73 makes a beeping sound. She grabs her mobile and reads the SMS on Mautaam forwarded by her friend in Gurgaon. She calls up her broker, instructs him that she wants to redeem/sell her mutual fund units and dozes off to sleep. When the money is credited to her account, she will contribute towards the Mautaam Relief Fund. What does it matter if she can’t go for her weekly shopping and hangout with her friends at the most happening joints in the city. What better way of unwinding than helping those who are in distress.

In Mumbai, an executive working in a reputed multinational checks his e-mail on his laptop before setting off for another hectic day at work. He quickly glances through the mass e-mail seeking monetary contributions towards Mautaam Kialpi. He logs on to his internet banking account, and clicks on the ‘Transact’ button to contribute towards the cause. He had slogged during his IIM days, landed his dream job at this large multinational and saved diligently to buy that dream home. But that can wait for some time, God has put him in this position today to help his fellow Zomis in their hour of need.

Reams of paper and bits and bytes of web space have been used to write about the dreaded Mautaam, which rears its ugly head on Lamka District and the neighbouring Mizoram state. The Mizos have their own state, a government run by their own people and they are ready to face the challenges posed by the threat. We, the Zomis, cannot afford that luxury. We are in a much more depressing situation. Should we wait for the government to bail us out of our predicament? I don’t think so. We can no longer remain a mere spectator to this. We must do whatever is in our power to help our fellow brethren while the government is doing its bid. Will we turn a blind eye to the sufferings of our people, or a deaf ear to their cries of the innocent and helpless children in hunger?

This is a conscience call to all Zomis, whether living in Lamka or London, from a government servant to a call centre executive to help their fellow Zomis in this time of need. It may be a small amount, the price of a bottle of beer or a movie ticket, your contribution today can save the life of a fellow Zomi, dying of hunger, just for another day. You all know the saying, “Little drops of water, little drops of sand, make the mighty ocean and the beauteous land.”

For those of you who want to contribute, whatever be the amount, towards Mautaam Relief, a website http://www.mautaam.org/ has already been set up by like-minded individuals with a view to helping their fellow Zomis in their times of need. The recommended mode of contribution is by bank transfer to:

Account No.11343809077, State Bank of IndiaChurachandpur Branch - 6182

Operated by Shri H.PauchinlianDorcas Veng, New Lamka, Manipur.

For people living in and around Delhi donation in cash can be made to the following persons:
1) Shri T Kamzalian, NABARD (Cell: 9910982456)

2) Shri Kamkhenthang Guite, M/o DONER (Cell: 9868934337)

3) Shri Kamsuanthang, MHA (Cell: 9968270231)

4) Shri Haumuanlun Samte (Cell: 9891418402)

5) Shri N.T.Khankhup (Cell: 9958340949)

6) Shri L.T.Ngaihte, MEA (Cell: 9811211941)

Email: mautaam@googlegroups.com

Profile of (L) T.Gwite, IPS

2007-09-21T17:47:00.000+06:00

THANGZAMANG @ T. Gwite MA IPS, 69

Born : February 7,1938 Monday 9 pm, Thanlon
Exp : September 15, 2007 Sat 5 pm at AIIMS, N.Delhi, heart attack;
buried at Lamkatung cemetery 17.9.2007 Mon
Father : Khamkhopau Guite d. 27.5.1959 Wedn 4 pm, Thanlon
Mother : Ningzaniang (Hangsing Tanu)
Married : Aichhung (Guite tanu) d/o Thangluai on 5.8.68 Mon, Imphal
Children : Son 1 daughters 2 Grands females 2: Chinlawmsang, Chhungthianmawi
Education
Cl. I- V- ME School, Thanlon 1949-53
VI- X- Churachand High School, Imphal 1954-58
IA- DM College, Imphal 1960
BA- St. Edmund’s College, Shillong 1962
MA (Eng Lit)- Allahabab University 1966
Indian Police Services (IPS) 1973

Works

Teacher, Christian High School, Churachand Mission Comp 1963
Founder Member and Teacher, Churachandpur Model English School (later JN Model High School), Lamka 1963
Lecturer, CCPur College, Lamka 1966-67
Lecturer, DM College, Imphal 1968-73
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Aligarh, UP 1975-76
Superintendent of Police (SP), Agra 1977-81
Asst Director (Intelligent Bureau, IB), Delhi, Kohima, Imphal 1982-90
Deputy Director of IB, New Delhi 1990-97
Joint Director (IB, North East), Shillong 1997- 1.12.2001
Retired 31.12.2001 Mon
Chairman, Manipur Public Service Commission 1.3.2003-04
Awarded Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Services 1990
Abstract Paintings exhibited at Shillong 31.10.2001 Wed
Patron Member, SSPP Hq
Involved in installation of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, Trombay; Hindustan Aeronautic Ltd, Bangalore;
Defence Research & Dev Org, Hyderabad; ONGC, Space Launching etc.
Moved to Mualveng, Lamka 1964; to Tribal Colony, Imphal 1968; to Paite Veng, Imphal 2002

Author

Buh Ka Duhlai (Translation, 1963)
Khoching Nu Khivui (2003)
Pitu Hoih Hindan Hoih (2005)
Our Thanlon Times (2007, in Press)

Brothers and sisters

Manzen, w/o Kamkhanthang Guite
Chingkhovung, w/o Dr V. Vungkhokam
Chinkhosiam, Inspector of Police (Rtd) h/o Zenngaihching (Tombing tanu)
Hangzagin SRO, h/o Rebecca Niangngaihchin (Valte tanu), Accountant/AG, Imphal

Sons and daughters

Mary Lawmngaihching, RBI Officer, Guwahati, w/o T. Mangminthang, IPS, Director, P & T NE Cirl
Florence Nianghoihlun, Management expert, Dallas, USA
Paukhanmung Gwite, SO/AG Office, Guwahati

Personality

Meticulous, honest, elegant, sartorial finesse, impressionistic painter, lover of color and design.

Went to Delhi with family members on 9.9.2007 enroute to Dallas, USA to depart from Delhi on 16.9.2007 flight to attend the marriage ceremony of their 2nd daughter. He felt uneasy in the chest at about 3 pm on 15.9.2007 at Delhi and was rushed to AIIMS where he was declared dead due to heart attack at 5 pm on the same day. His mortal remain was brought to Imphal on 16.9.2007, spent overnight at his residence at Paite Veng, Imphal and buried at Lamkatung Cemetry on Monday, 17.9.2007 .

What Freedom Means to Zomis

2007-09-12T17:05:00.001+06:00

For the villager doing jhum cultivation, freedom is going to his field everydaywwithout the fear of tripping over landmines

For parents, freedom is the absence of fear of their daughters being raped or their sons being beaten up or shot at by “unidentified elements”.

For the shopkeeper and vegetable vendor, freedom is the ability to ply his trade without the fear of bandhs wreaking havoc on their business

For the outstation student, freedom is enjoying his holidays without bandhs shortening his already too short holiday

For the common man, freedom is roaming the streets of Lamka without the fear of being caught in the midst of gunshots

For the office goer, freedom is going to office without fear of being mugged and threatened

For a government official, freedom is discharging his duties without undue disturbance from unscrupulous elements

For the rich, freedom is enjoying his riches without the fear of being kidnapped for ransom money

For a student appearing in HSLC exams freedom is the ability to write whatever he has crammed up without the fear of answer papers being insufficient!

Any more inputs from readers will be welcome.

Chak De

2007-08-21T16:57:00.000+06:00

Yeah I know I am late. And this ain't a review of the movie either. You know I ain't a Bollywood fan. In fact, the only Hindi movies I truly enjoyed were the Munnabhai series 'Munnabha MBBS' and 'Lage Raho Munnabhai'. The plot of the movie, you probably already know about it.

As I said, I haven't watched the movie 'Chak De India' but when I heard that there were two North-eastern girls in the movie, my curiosity get the better of me. No, no I haven't gone to watch the movie after that, but I started 'googling' 'Mizo girl in Chak De' and 'Manipur girl in Chak De' and I just want to share what I found out as a result.

The Girls:

Chonchon Zimik, 24

Manipur

On field: Molly

Position: Left Half (back)

Jersey No. 6

How I was picked: A fashion design student from IITC, Pune, Zimik’s friend recommended her to a casting agent from Yashraj Films. ‘‘I was called for an audition. It was a hilarious experience because I was asked to say some fighting dialogues in Hindi. I don't speak Hindi well so the entire effect was rather comic. But I guess it worked.

The best and the worst: I trained for three months and I am happy that I can now play our national sport. Waking up at 4:30 am everyday for three months was the tough bit!SRK moment: I’m clumsy and I was always getting into a spot. Shah Rukh always laughed at that and I can never forget that smile and that twinkle in his eye when he would look at me.

Next move: Post film, I was slightly confused. But I’ll be realistic, I am not exactly what Bollywood is looking for. I work in Mumbai in a fashion designing workshop and will stick to fashion designing. But if there is a good role in a film that deals with the North-East or my state, then I am game for it.

Chak de means: Victory!

Lalhming Kimi, 20

Mizoram

On field: Mary

Position: Defender

How I was picked: A goalkeeper in her state team, her game and a great voice got her the role.

The best and the worst: Hockey came easy to her.

Next Move: Kimi is all set to graduate from player to coach—she’s pursuing a diploma in hockey coaching from Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports, Patiala

The talented hockey duo from the North East. Their school books taught them that they are Indians but Indians taught them otherwise. The only reason they play for the National team is that it is the only National team they can play for. They would love to belong but not to the team that calls them 'foreign', and definitely not to the people that call them 'loose'. So they stick together and play. For the love of the game and the honour of their people.

Kudos to the girls. We are really proud of you.

And maybe I will watch the movie now, after all!

Where the mind is without fear

2007-08-16T12:43:00.000+06:00

The other day dad called me from home (Lamka) and said that there was a bomb blast the night before near Churachandpur police station leaving one person dead and two injured. I was like well that's nothing new, it happens all the time out there. There was not even a feeling of surprise or shock within me. Was it because I was still asleep when I heard the news and my mind was not clear at the time? I don't think so. News of gunshots, murders, kidnappings, etc doesn't shock anyone anymore. People have accepted these things as a part of life. In fact, they are even more surprised when a day goes by without any news of gunshots, murders or kidnappings.

A decade or so ago, Lamka was known as a peaceful town-where different communities live in peace and harmony. But then things take a different turn. The first time I heard a gunshot was when I was still a little kid. I don't remember the exact year but it was in the early 1990s. In the middle of the night I was awoken by loud gunshots. I was scared out of my wits and I was like "When will those bullets hit me and rip my body apart?" The gunshots sounded as if fired right in front of our house. I remember praying frantically for divine intervention. The next morning we heard that the shootings took place at Saikot, on the outskirts of Lamka town. As I grew older and Lamka became a hotbed of terrorism, I became less and less bothered by these things. I have become less sensitive. In fact, during the Kuki-Zomi ethnic clashes in the late 1990s gunshots can be heard every now and then. Barely a day pass by without the sound of gunshots or the sight of a village burnt down. During those days, we used to joke with friends "Last night there was no gunshot so I couldn't sleep well". Well, every Lamkan have become insensitised. Is it because we have less compassion towards our fellow beings? Are we less humane? I think not. It is just that we have accepted these things as a way of life and that is what Lamka has become. In fact, I have heard many people saying, "There is no killing, gunshot, murder or kidnapping in today's newspaper, it is not worth reading". Is this what we have become? We don't even want to read the paper if there was no news of killings, gunshots, kidnappings or the like. Even after 60 years of independence we, the Zomis are still far, far away from Rabindranath Tagore's ideal of freedom. Sigh! What curse have befallen my land and my people. Let me conclude with Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem

Where The Mind is Without Fear

WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

-Rabindranath Tagore

Hello again

2007-07-10T18:23:00.000+06:00

Seems like aeons ago that this blog was updated. Since then many things have happened in my life, for better or worse. Life has been hectic. The apprehension and excitement of joining a new job. Adjusting to new life (read job),et al. The change in setting, it seems, takes a heavy toll on my enthusiam for blogging compounded by the fact that there was no internet connection in my office computer. The computer guys have been informed several times, both over the phone and in writing. But till date there was no success on our part. At last one is resigned to the fact that this is how things work here. And you comforted yourself and learnt to take things easy. As soon as the computer guys come and do the needful, blogging will be resumed with renewed vigour. Apart from that, everything is working just fine here. It takes time to adjust to a new setting. But I am catching up on the nature of the work here. And I am really lucky that my boss is a very good and caring officer. I'll sign off now. Do check in for updates occassionally.

Goodbye KSP

2007-05-13T17:56:00.000+06:00

After slogging my ass off for about a year and a half in this company, I finally handed in my resignation on 4th May, 2007 to move towards "greener pastures".

My journey in this company has been marked by ups and downs. There have been times when I feel used and became really frustrated and times when I really love working for this company. Anyway these are parts of life. What I like about this company is the dress code. You can wear jeans and T-shirt to the office Mondays to Fridays (I have always been a T-shirt and jeans person). Also there are no night shifts unlike most of the other BPO companies.

I had been through the usual grind of office politics (there is as much politics in private companies as in the government sector), tiffs with work colleagues, ego clashes, among others. And there were some really caring and helpful colleagues who stood by me through all the bad times.

I have learnt many things while working for this company and I am grateful to the company for that. I am especially indebted to Sunaina, our assistant team leader. She has been my mentor and benefactor. She was the one who guided when I first joined the company and stood by me at all times. She was the one I turned to whenever I have difficulties regardig my work and she was ever ready to help me. Thank you Sunaina and my best wishes to the company and all my work colleagues there.

How to Placate an Angry Naga: Finding One's Feet in the IAS

2007-04-10T11:18:00.000+06:00

Numerous books have been written about the lives and experiences of management gurus and corporate honchos. But books on the lives of IAS officers are a rarity.

Written by Leena Nandan and Jiwesh Nandan, both career bureaucrats with a lot of experiences to their credit, the book gives an insight into the lives of IAS officers and the challenges and responsibilties that they have to go through in the course of their careers.

What does it feel like to be part of an elite service, usually referred to as the steel frame of India? What goes on in the lives and careers of this so called prestigious service? The book explores these questions in some detail.

The training they had to undergo at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussorie where they are taught the nuances of being a bureaucrat and to inculcate Officer-Like-Qualities (OLQ). That every morning, at half past six, irrespective of the season, they had to go for PT, followed by half an hour of jogging is perhaps a fact known only to a few of us.

From their first posting as Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) to the higher rungs of the career ladder the book recounts the experiences of the authors and other officers in a sometimes humorous and sometimes sombre tone. The book delves into the relationship between the District Magistrate and the SP (Superintendent of Police) of a district, between a junior and a senior official, between an officer and a politician and between an officer and the media.

If you are interested in knowing what really goes on in the lives of our IAS officers, then this is the book you are looking for. It is priced at Rs 195 and available at all leading bookstores.

Reminiscences of school life-I

2007-02-25T19:13:00.000+06:00

The Place: St Paul’s Institute, New Lamka, Manipur
The Time: July 1993

It was the summer of 1993, just after the summer holidays. I thought it would be just another Physics class, oblivious of how life could spring surprises at you. I was in my VIth standard when this incident happened.

We greeted our Physics teacher, “Good morning sir”, as usual. Before taking class, he distributed our half-yearly examination answer sheets. But mine was not there so I stood up and said, "Excuse me sir, I didn’t get my paper”. To this he replied, “If your paper wasn’t there then you must be absent.” I know for a fact that I was clearly not absent and sat for the paper. So I retorted back, “Sir I wasn’t absent, I sat for the paper. You can check the attendance sheet and my friend here can vouch that I wasn’t absent”, gesturing towards my friend sitting next to me. My friend vouched for my presence. But our teacher was adamant. He insisted that as my paper wasn’t there that means I didn’t sit for the paper. End of discussion. At this a feeling of rage overtook me and I blurted out. “You didn’t check the papers yourself and let your tuition students check them. So my paper might have got lost in the process.” On hearing this he became very angry and started beating me, adding fuel to the fire raging within me. So I said, “You beat me for no fault of mine. I will go to the principal and complain about your misconduct.” He retorted, “Yeah you can go right now”, probably thinking that I would not have the guts to go to the principal.

It so happened that this teacher of ours conducted home tuitions and he let his tuition students check our papers. I came to know of this because one of our classmates’ elder sister took tuition from this teacher and she was the one who checked our papers. So the whole class came to know of our marks (with the exception of me) even before he distributed our papers. At that time I comforted myself that maybe my paper was checked by another person and so my marks were missing from the list.

Coming back to the incident that day, I went to the principal and told him about the incident at class that day-how I was beaten by my teacher for no fault of mine and how our answer sheets were checked by persons other than our teacher. At first the principal did not believe my words but when I spoke out that facts and when he checked the attendance sheet he found out that I was present and indeed I was speaking the truth. He assured me that he would speak to the teacher and told me not to worry.

The next day I was called to the principal’s room. He told me that I had secured 94% in the Physics paper and congratulated me. He said that he had a talk with our teacher and it seemed that he (the Principal ) had given him a good scolding.

After that day, our teacher was never his former self again. Before, he was a cheerful guy who used to crack jokes and laugh a lot. He was a jovial sort of guy. But from that day onwards he was always gloomy and rarely interacted with other teachers. He quitted after a month or so.

I had a feeling that he quitted because of that incident with me. And I sometimes felt uneasy thinking that I was responsible for his quitting his job. But I really didn’t blame myself. Because he was a teacher and he was paid not only to teach but to check our papers. Letting others check our answer sheets was clearly a dereliction of duty on his part which needs to be exposed. Nobody even complained when they clearly know that he wasn’t doing his job but he started beating me for no fault of mine. And that proved to be his nemesis.

Teachers are the builders of the nation and they should serve as examples to the students. It is because of teachers like him who shirk their duty and wanted only personal gains that the conditions of our schools, be it government or private, are so deplorable.

My Love

2007-02-23T17:38:00.000+06:00

My affair with her began a few years ago

The first time I came to Delhi in 2000

I had heard so much about her through word of mouth

But I have never met her before

And then a friend introduced me to her

The first time I met her, I was shy and hesitant

Then gradually I fell for her charms and her beauty

She is so knowledeable and always willing to share her knowledge with me

She tells me about almost everything that I want to know

She sings for me and cracks jokes when I am upset

I never feel bored or lonely when I am with her

Now I am completely enamoured by her

And I am head over heels in love with her

Rarely a day would pass by that I am not near her

And she has become part and parcel of my life

Her name is ........THE INTERNET!!!

Lamka-Then and Now (A Reflection)

2007-02-09T15:06:00.000+06:00

Land of peace

That had once been the epithet used to describe my native place – Lamka – otherwise officially known as Churachandpur. I refuse to call it Churachandpur as it is a name imposed on my beloved Lamka by the powers that be against wishes of the local people. Lamka – the place where I grew up and which gives me so many memories – some sad and some sweet. Bittersweet may be the appropriate word here. The place that once was the only peaceful district in the otherwise trouble-torn Manipur – an oasis in the desert. Where different communities lived in peace and harmony.

The older generation would always look back in nostalgia of the days gone by - when Lamka was an oasis of peace in the trouble-torn desert of Manipur. “Those were the days…” is the usual refrain of a lot of people. The 1980s and the early 1990s were indeed the golden era of Lamka. I was a young teenager in the early 1990s and I fondly remember roaming the streets of Lamka along with friends without fear and without any care or worry. To paraphrase Rabindranath Tagore it was indeed a place “where the mind is without fear”. We would roam with friends along Tedim Road or even to Tuibuang at night. We would shout at the top of our voices singing love songs and what not! We had no cares or worries and we were very content with our lives. No gunshots, no murders or senseless killings. How I cherish those memories!

But since the mid-1990s winds of change have swept across Lamka. Sadly a change for the worse. It started with kidnappings and demands for ransom money and these eventually led to senseless and mindless killings. The culmination of all these was the Kuki-Zomi ethnic conflict which resulted in the death and destruction of many lives and property on either side. Eventually peace accord was signed and the ethnic conflict came to an end.

But sadly enough Lamka has still not returned to normalcy and is still not the place it once was. Killings and gunshots have become the order of the day. And it seems like all these troubles are here to stay, for a long, long time…

Sidney Seldon is no more

2007-02-04T13:19:00.000+06:00

Sidney, the master storyteller and the king of suspense died at 89 years of age. He died of complications from pneumonia at Eisenhower Medical Centre in Rancho Mirage.

I have been an ardent fan of Sheldon and have read almost all of his novels. "Tell Me Your Dreams" is his best work from my point of view. Other notable novels include "The Other Side of Midnight", "Master of the Game" etc.

"I try to write my books so the reader can't put them down," he explained in a 1982 interview. "I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It's the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter."

Sheldon says his writing pads and pens were his most treasured posssessions. Once when a fire broke out in the Los Angeles canyon in which they were living, police told them to evacuate. Out of the many valuables they had he took only his yellow pads and pens knowing they would be holed up in a hotel somewhere for days, and couldn't imagine not being able to write.

He says "I will not write about anyplace in the world unless I've been there to personally research it. I always spend time exploring the customs and attitudes of the countries I'm using for locations, and interviewing the people who live there. I've visited over 90 countries thus far. It's my custom to hire a driver to give me a tour of whatever city or town I am in. One night, on a lonely mountain road in Switzerland, I asked my driver where a good place might be to dump a body. I'll never forget the look on his face!"

That's Sheldon for you. A truly great writer. We will miss you Mr Sheldon. But your books will remain with us forever.

Show Racism the Red Card

2007-01-24T20:15:00.000+06:00

Shilpa Shetty became the victim of racial abuse on the sets of Celebrity Big Brother. And she became the symbol of the global war against racism. We sympathise with her.

Indians cry foul against this abuse and condemnations have poured in from all quarters. But before pointing our fingers at others, let us first look at our own backyard. Racism has been going on for a long time before our very own eyes. Whether or not we want to admit it is another matter altogether.

What Shilpa Shetty went through on the sets of Celebrity Big Brother is what many Indians go through everyday in their own country. Especially people from the northeastern part of India.

Northeasterners are discriminated against in every walk of life and everywhere they are. Be it in the metros or other cities and towns in mainland India: the person who (intentionally) mistook you to be from a certain Himalayan country and call you names. The autorickshaw wallah who is out there to fleece you and increases the fare the moment he sees your face. The neighbourhood shopkeeper who attends to you later even if you had come before the other fellow. The landlord who eyes you suspiciously and asks you strange and uncomfortable questions when you go searching for a room. And your boss at the office who jumps at every opportunity to pull you down. All this because you happen to be born in a certain part of the country.

On the one hand we talk of national integrity, unity in diversity, One-India and what not. But on the other hand our actions smack of racism and alienation. If we want to accuse others of being racists, first we should stop being racists ourselves. Show racism the red card. Practice what you preach. After all, actions speak louder than words.