Protest culture

IFP editorial, December 31, 2012 http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11537-protest-culture/

Looking at the nature and tone of the public protest in Delhi against the brutal rape of a 23 year old medical student who has now succumbed to her injuries and the way things unfolded in the streets of Imphal and other valley districts in Manipur following protests over the brutal assault of a young film actor, brings home the very nature of differences in approaches, participation and content. Protests in Manipur have been loud, vocal and yes, often violent. On one side are protestors who explain their actions of extreme forms of protest as being the only resort to waking up the Government and its various machineries. On the other side of the protestors are the security personnel who are only ready to get cracking literally with laathi sticks and ready to shoot with tear gas shells, mock bombs and even real bullets. Even if we are to look at other protests taking place in the country and then at those taking place where there is deep militarization, we will see that the deep seated insecurities and angst of people gets reflected in extreme ways of protests like burning and damaging public property that one gets to see so often in Manipur and stone pelting that started in parts of Jammu and Kashmir and adopted in the recent protests in Imphal.
Compare the scenario to the protests that take parts in other parts of the country where the norm is to have large turn-outs that congregate peacefully and light candles. Since the nature of protests are different the responses, too differ. It is not too common to see police resorting to brutish ways elsewhere. The presence of the national media spotlight on protests in the country except of course, the ones that happen in the north eastern region also means that authorities are well aware of the need to be less violent in cracking down on protests. The recent protests in Delhi which took place at the most security sensitive areas of the country- India Gate, Parliament Street and the official residences of the Delhi CM and other leaders for days on end only saw barricades, water cannons being used to keep protestors at bay and on the occasions where protestors broke down barricades, they were fired with tear gas shells. Manipur on the other hand, has seen a lot of physical casualties over the years during the course of public protests that have included serious injuries and death by firing.
A popular Hindi film showed a novel way of protesting against government apathy. When officials refused to entertain complaints from the public, they would be handed red roses. One famous scene had a senior citizen whose pension process was being stalled as he had no money to offer as bribe, taking off all his belongings and even his clothes and offering them in lieu of the money. A term ‘Gandhigiri’ was coined keeping in Gandhi’s concept of showing the second cheek to the one who slaps one cheek to begin with. Not surprisingly enough, this reel form of protest was soon adopted in real life with success. Where protests filled with strong words and aggressive actions were not working, the change to shame people into taking action was seen to be working. In neighboring Nagaland, young people reached out to one another on social networking sites and through personal contacts to take a stand against pot-holes in the streets of Kohima and Dimpaur. When numerous complaints to civic authorities failed to bring in any positive action, the youths took to the streets and made a strong statement by merely making fun of the state of the roads: some youths brought out their fishing rods and acted like they were fishing in the water that filled in the pot holes while many others ‘planted’ saplings of plants. Maybe just maybe, there needs to be some serious thought on how public protests should be shaped for maximum impact and one with minimum casualties with no harm done.

Gender justice, bandh justice

IFP editorial for December 28, 2012: http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11488-gender-justice-bandh-justice/

Manipur is no stranger to the spectacle of bandhs for days on end. Not a year goes by without one major bandh or a series of protests playing it out on the roads and highways. Though the degree does vary, it goes without saying that bandhs and their ilk disrupts the lives of people by curtailing their movement and in the process, their access to health care, food and livelihood. Yet, bandhs are considered as a means of registering protest and are fairly common in the state. Called by various civil society groups or associations of people who feel they have been aggrieved, bandhs do not really lead to solutions to the issue at hand but can well contribute to making matters at hand, more worse than they started out with.
The imposition of the indefinite bandh in the valley districts of the state following protests over the December 18 incident at Chandel where actor Momoko was assaulted and two artistes fired upon stands as a prime example of something that could have worked to ensure that justice is served in each and every case that has got to do with the safety and dignity of women. Unfortunately, the cause for women got derailed in the greater mischief that was unleashed by the emotional outbursts of certain individuals who instead of focusing on the act of an individual found it more important to highlight the community he belonged to. That the accused in the Chandel incident belongs to the NSCN (IM), an armed group now engaging in talks with the central government led to the protest overshadowing everything else. Putting the spotlight on the brutal assault on the actor at a time when there is a debate all over the country on the matter of a woman’s safety in public spaces following the Delhi rape case, would have been a logical course of action. Instead, we saw a movement that was violent and lost steam with mischief mongers adding more fire on the streets. Doctors and para medical staff, press and other essential services were all caught up in acts of immaturity. Young boys, not necessarily aware or serious about gender justice, played tough and confronted people going about their duties with rude behavior. With the report of an alleged attempt to molest a young girl and robbing people under the guise of supporting the bandh coming in, it is indeed a matter of great shame and irony that another similar case of molestation would happen on the sidelines.
If we think and believe that gender violence is something that comes in from the outside on “our own” and meted out by “them”, it would be the greatest folly. A turn back of media reports for this year will give the tell tale of even male family members resorting to physical assaults, molestation and rapes. It is becoming increasingly clear that the rise in gender related crimes, including domestic violence comes from a position of power and of knowing that one can get away with it.  The lack of a pro-active police and a legal system that is yet to wake up the need for gender justice gives perpetuators the ‘confidence’ to do what they do. The strong hold of patriarchal values and belief systems also mean that in every occasion of gender violence, society tends to question what the girl was wearing, who she was with and what was she doing. And then of course, one looks into the identity of the girl: whether she is from the minority community or the majority community. Gender violence within a marriage in our society is rarely discussed and when done, is confined to blame giving to the woman. Only a tough legal protection and their effective implementation can halt the rate and manner of gender violence as it exists today.

Street rage

Manipur is burning yet again. What started out as a demand for action against the brutal assault on a film actor and firing at two other artistes during the course of a musical program held at Chandel district is slowly taking on dark shades of ‘us’ versus ‘them’.  As the circle of violence spirals out on the streets, fuelled partly by passions whipped up by impassioned speeches and followed up on the streets of Imphal and other valley districts, by people not necessarily engaged in the ways and means of protesting against violence against women but out to ‘have a good time’, each of us need to recognize the potential damages that lay in store. If the ways of the ongoing protests and their direction is not toned down in terms of what it is directed against, all it would take to spark an uncontrollable conflict would be a random act of violence aimed at particular community or vice versa.

There is a need to assess if the anger on the streets is because a woman’s dignity was compromised in public or whether it is on account of the fact that the said accused person is of a particular ethnic community belonging to an armed group that is currently in peace talks with the Government of India. There can be no condoning of what happened to the film actor but what one individual has done cannot be held accountable against an entire community. That the accused happens to belong to an armed group that’s had a track record of violating the terms of its talks with the Government of India is well documented. But to target public ire against an entire community would only fragment ties between communities that have lived together and forego the matter of what needs to be done to ensure that the safety and dignity of women are not compromised by anyone, no matter what caste or creed, identity or religion.

If the people of Manipur do decide to take a stand of ‘zero tolerance’ against all cases of violence against women following this incident, there is nothing like it. But if the anger and the indignation remain limited for this particular incident, it smacks of a lack of maturity and ironically, paints every person in such a light. The imposition of an indefinite bandh in the state has affected every person in their free movement but for those who were looking forward to the spirit of Christmas with its holy fervor and merry-making, it could not have been more badly timed. That logic and reasoning has no place when emotions are stoked needs no further validation. The schism between people leading the protest has reared its head with organizational heads calling for making space for the humaneness that is due to a community’s largest and most symbolic festival of Christmas by suspending protests till the festival gets over while individual voices are adamant to enforce the protests and continue with it. Taking the step of suspending protests till Christmas got over would have been a significant gesture and a measure of respect for people who follow a different faith and in no way would have compromised the call for due punishment against the accused.

Elsewhere too, in another extension of public rage and its after effects, Delhi has been seeing widespread protests over the brutal rape of a girl in a moving bus. For 3 days now, protestors have stormed heavily fortressed areas in the Capital, right from Parliament Street to the Chief Minister’s House. There have been outbreaks of violence between the police and the protestors but no real bullets have been fired. In Manipur, a journalist working as a stringer for news channels and who was filming a protest and the subsequent police firing, first of tear gas shells and then real bullets was caught square in his chest. Video footage from the deceased journalist’s camera show how one state police personnel took aim and shot at him. While there can be no acceptable explanation for the police action of shooting anyone without prior warning regardless of whether the victim is a civilian or a journalist doing his duty, people on the streets ought to bear in mind that there is no greater harm than what fear, suspicion and intimidation can do in an environment as fraught as the one we see before us. Sane voices should step in to ensure that things do not get out of hand.  Those protesting against the Chandel incident, which has been termed an “inhuman act” must realize the dangers of becoming inhuman themselves.

Homemaker bakes spreading cheer

IFP's anchor story today on the growing popularity of Michelle's Sweet Temptations filed by IFP staffer Bimol Oinam: http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11392-homemaker-bakes-spreading-cheer/

With Christmas and New Year celebrations ahead, the demand for cakes has soared up in the state aided partly by new age bakers who have stepped in with their baking skills and innovative cake designs.Theme based cakes as per choice and cakes with edible photographs of cartoon characters and real persons are now the order of the day. IFP talks to one such baker in Imphal who started cake baking for friends and family and ended up starting a popular 'dial a cake' service.

Michelle with a few of her creations

Michelle Salam of Moirangkhom Sougaijam Leirak in Imphal, earlier a home-maker and a mother of two now wears one more hat of being a self made entrepreneur. Michelle's cake business named “Michelle’s Sweet Temptations” is operated from her home and earlier thrived on the basis of a strong word of mouth practice amongst satisfied customers and has now grown into a unique customer interactive service thanks to social networking site Facebook.
In an interaction with IFP Michelle, an economics graduate from Sophia’s College, Mumbai said,"I ventured into this whole cake baking enterprise by sheer chance without any specialized knowledge of baking cakes." It was her husband who motivated her into the art of baking. "13 years back I baked my first cake at home and presented it to my husband. To my utter surprise, he not only relished the cake but asked me to prepare more of them!" she said. Soon, Michelle began to bake cakes for family and friends for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries at leisure. Thereafter, she began to receive orders from acquaintances.
Now, she maintains a Facebook page titled “Michelle’s Sweet Temptations” where she regularly uploads photos of her home-baked cakes of different designs and flavors. Her clients are mostly from the Facebook who make special orders for birthdays, anniversaries and other festive occasions with marriage season bringing in busy hours shaping cakes and designing as per customer needs and personal choices. "Thanks to the internet and Facebook specially, many of the Manipuri diaspora and those living within the country are able to reach me, choose designs and themes and even ask for their own designs," says Michelle who has made use of another online mechanism of taking payment for orders for cakes via PayPal. An avid interest in fine arts and drawing aided in Michelle's cake making and a look at Michelle's Sweet Temptations page on Facebook gives evidence of the appreciation for her near perfect decoration and finishing touches.
Started from the confines of her house, Michelle's Sweet Temptations engages a team of five other bakers currently working in the cake shop. Michelle hopes to expand her shop and cater to her clients' demands with a wide range of delicious cakes all occasions.
And while cakes engraved with the images of popular cartoon characters like Chota Bheem and Ben-10 are popular among children and parents for birthday orders, the festive season theme is what is keeping Michelle busy with Santa Claus being a huge favourite.

Doomsday watch

Imphal Free Press Editorial, December 21, 2012 : http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11361-doomsday-watch/

When Michael Coe, an expert on Mayas, a Mesoamerican civilization wrote in the 1960’s that December 21, 2012 could herald an "Armageddon" to cleanse humanity according to the ancient Mesoamerican culture, he would not have foreseen the amount of hype and hysteria that is being seen in various parts of the world. Fueled partly by doomsday Hollywood films on one hand, and internet fatalists over the years, the pitch of noise over a total destruction of the world has taken on a fervor and the bizarre. An international news section in a national newspaper mentioned of mass hysteria in a Russian prison, a Chinese man building survival pods for doomsday. The much respected newspaper, ‘The Guardian’ had a slightly tongue in cheek segment where the text was written in a question and answer sequencing. Amongst others, it said that in Chechnya and various other parts of Russia, politicians were calling for calm after superstitious citizens started panic buying of candles, torches, salt and matches. Elsewhere in China, it reported that there has been a healthy dose of doomsday profiteering with dedicated websites selling gas masks and tinned food, and one Chinese furniture-maker has been hawking a range of hand-built glass-fibre survival pods at exorbitant rates.
Coe had written that according to the Maya Long Count calendar, December 21, 2012 marks the end of the 13th bak'tun, an epoch lasting some 400 years and the beginning of the 14th which would coincide with an Armageddon or the end of the world. The fears of the world ending has led to such discussions and reactions amongst the public in countries all over the world that even the U.S. space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has gone to the extent of making a statement to the effect that "our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.” According to NASA, the buzz over the December story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened, the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 — hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.” The idea of a doomsday or a cycle giving way to another way is also accepted in Hindu mythology with the talk of one era or a ‘jug’ giving way to another and a final cataclysmic end.
In an age of scientific advancements and technology, one would expect that people would scoff at the idea of a ‘doomsday’ but in this case, it is another face of technology: the internet, which has spread the panic. Social networking sites are full of discussions on the topic: some on the lighter side and some on the serious and philosophical. But one common strain that is emerging out of this universal fascination and fear psychosis is that the idea of ‘an end of the world’ is something that makes people feel bereft and at a loss: that there will be no tomorrow for anyone. Yet, it is equally true that there is the other kind of people who are trying to make the best of ‘an end of world scenario’ by offering ways out of being struck down. Cashing into the anxiety of people many have come up with contraptions that are supposed to keep one safe and sound as the world destructs and all too expectedly, they come with steep prices. What other irony can be there that in the event of the world ending, those who ‘have’ can still be saved while those who ‘don’t have’ will perish!

False Cheers

IFP editorial: December 19, 2012: http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11348-false-cheers/

The manufacture, sale and/or consumption of alcohol is prohibited in the states of Gujarat, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland in the country while amongst the union territories, the same applies for Lakshadweep. In Manipur, prohibition exists merely on paper with alcohol freely available in public spaces; the only difference being that there are no sign-boards or hoardings announcing its sale. Much like the cliché ‘open secret’, everyone and anyone who loves their drink knows just where to get their alcohol. In Imphal West itself, there is an infamous window that everyone is aware about. Canteens inside security personnel based compounds make easy money by selling alcohol to the public at inflated rates and then, even charging a ‘parking fee’ for vehicles that drive inside! For those with lesser money to spare for their drinks, there are the traditional rice brews available at various vendors.
Despite a major social drive taken up against alcohol use by women who were known as Nishabandis in the late 80’s and 90’s in the state, the irony is that even without a proper study or survey, it would be safe to infer that alcohol use and its sale has increased over the years. In Manipur today, there can in fact be no social gatherings without drinks being served. Any occasion remains good enough: weddings or mourning’s, births or deaths, lunch or dinner. Serving alcohols at social events and more so, marriage functions are taken as guarantees that there will be more attendance. Any social gathering without the red is taken as one not worth attending. Leave alone private gatherings at homes, official level events held in evenings almost always end with a round or more of drinks.
The impact of long term alcohol use and abuse on one’s heath and mental equilibrium do not bear repetition but the other side of alcohol use is that for if it is done in moderation, then the same poison can be medicinal. But a careful scrutiny of the culture of alcohol intake in the state will reveal that more often, it tends to be on the scale of a group bingeing together. Often, group drinking tends to lead into a subtle competition for the human ego on how much can one hold it in and how much more one can intake more than the other. The sense of ‘good’ that is built during the first initial drinks within a group drinking together translates into a false veneer of bonding and ‘having a good time’. People dealing with alcoholics seeking medical and psychological often point out that the advent of drinking is marked by persons starting to down a drink following peer pressure, egged on by friends who drink. When such incidences becomes regular over a period of time, the said person will associate his habit as a validation of sharing ‘good times’ and replicate it with other friend circles and then induct other people who do not drink into the habit. And when it gets to a point where drinks are stored in homes and drinking in isolation becomes a norm, it spells trouble. Ironically group drinking’s and drinking at social gatherings also mean that younger people who see adults drinking with freedom and without any self limitations take the cue from them and catch it young. In Manipur, the stigma attached to drinking or owning up to drinking by women means that they drink in moderation and within select gatherings only. This means indirectly that cases of alcoholism amongst women are marginal or not talked about for fear of social stigma. On a serious note, young boys taking to drinking is becoming a norm.
Considering that demand and supply of alcohol has gone up in the state, prohibition today is a farce in Manipur. A proper regularization of demand and supply on one hand, sensitization amongst youth on the various stages leading to alcoholism and its impacts and how to use alcohol in moderation may well be just what is needed.

Denying public safety

My editorial in Imphal Free Press today: http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11332-denying-public-safety/

The vague buzz in the media over a bookstall collapsing at the ongoing Imphal Book Fair and subtle efforts to literally cover up the incident is disturbing. Earlier the scaffolding of some stalls fell apart eventually leading to the collapse of bookstalls at the same book fair in 2010. Both the incidents bring home the fact that public safety norms are often flouted in Manipur in almost every sphere. There is no dearth of instances where the safety of people and property have been compromised; be it in the form of major and minor fire breaking out, collapse of retaining walls and bank embankments and roads with ever widening pot holes. Over the past few years, it has become common to see incidences of fire outbreaks happening in different parts of the state. This month alone has already seen devastating fires at Lilong Bazaar, two cases at Thangal Bazaar apart from minor fire outbreaks at residential areas. Yet, such cases are not first time incidents but are rather turning to be repetitive and leaving those unaffected by the fire, with only a sense of déjà vu and nothing else. Earlier in 2009, a fire outbreak that started from Galaxy School near Ukhrul Higher Secondary School ground, Wino Bazaar in Ukhrul district, left over 10 houses gutted and resulted in major loss of property.
So far, Manipur has not seen major fire calamities claiming lives on the scale of the Uphaar Fire tragedy in 1997 or the AMRI hospital fire tragedy in Kolkata that took place in 2011. The infamous Uphaar tragedy took place in a cinema hall where over 200 people were watching a Hindi film when an electricity transformer burst and spread to the basement parking area and then raging further on to the five-storey building that housed the cinema theatre. Despite 48 fire tenders being pressed into service, it took an hour to control the fire and 59 people died mainly because of suffocation. It took years for investigations and legal sentencing to happen in the case but what emerged from the incident was that most public buildings in the country were flouting safety guidelines in terms of installing fire exits and ensuring fire control. The Uphaar tragedy ought to have alerted Government bodies and private enterprises responsible for constructing public spaces and infrastructure. But no lessons it seems were learnt, given the AMRI Hospital case in 2001 in which 91 people, including members of the hospital staff died due to asphyxiation when medical waste and other flammable substances kept in the basement of the building caught fire due to an electric short circuit.
Given the number of large scale constructions coming up in Imphal: the Manipur Film Development Corporation (MFDC), the Convention Center and the new State Assembly to name a few, along with Government buildings and other offices and private hospitals and clinics, there is a strong need to strictly regulate how buildings and other infrastructure are being constructed. Meanwhile, the sight of a fire tender at the recent Sangai Tourism Festival in Imphal did not inspire much confidence in terms of being disaster ready. The vehicle remained parked in one corner of the festival ground, which was crammed with narrow paths. There was no way that it could have done much in case a fire did break out which fortunately did not happen. The beginning of fire safety drills at educational institutions in the state is welcome indeed but needs to be designed such that different age groups gets to understand their role in preventing and avoiding fire break outs and how to cope in case it does break out. Along with this education on fire safety, there must be mechanisms to intervene so that fire can be controlled. While constructions of buildings in Manipur’s market areas need to factor in passages with enough space for fire tenders to reach, there must be strict guidelines for fire extinguishers to be fitted in schools, hospitals, shopping areas, banks and such. To ensure that guidelines are followed, punitive fines and other measures need to be in place.

Women and Children: the untold stories of AFSPA

Editorial in Imphal Free Press, 18 December, 2012.

http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11318-women-and-children-the-untold-stories-of-afspa/

Sometimes figures do not say much for they are mere numbers and statistics and do not portray what lies beneath. Yet, figures are important. Earlier, a report entitled ‘Manipur: Memorandum on Extrajudicial Summary or Arbitrary Executions’ collated and later, submitted by the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the UN to the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Christof Heyns during his visit to India between March 19 and 30 mentioned that altogether 1528 people, including 31 women and 98 children were killed in fake encounters by security forces in Manipur between 1979 and May, 2012. Of these, 419 were killed by the Assam Rifles, while 481 were killed by combined teams of Manipur Police and central security forces, according to the report. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 enacted as a short-term measure to allow the deployment of the army in India’s northeastern Naga Hills has been in existence for five decades over the entire North Eastern States of the country and Jammu & Kashmir and the violations on human lives and security. The impunity that the AFSPA has given to central security forces, what it has meant for the people in the state of Manipur and other states have been well documented: both in numbers and in terms of testimonies. In Manipur, it was the people of the hills of this small state that first bore the burnt of AFSPA. Later on, the valley would also suffer. But what the figures don’t reveal is that most of the men who were killed were in the prime of their lives and left behind widows and children.
What the figures of those killed or ‘disappeared” under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act don’t say is that combing operations, questioning, threats and harassment under cover of the Act leaves a fragile sense of security and has a bearing on the freedom of people to move around. While women are affected while setting out of their homes in search of livelihoods, the children of this state have grown up without knowing what security and safety is, without access to basic health and education facilities following the threat from the hugely militarized environment around them with even security forces occupying educational institutions in certain cases. In Manipur, women in both the hills and plains have come out in response to the excesses committed under the Act and  to protest against the excesses committed by security personnel. Through their own women collectives, they come out on the streets in times of public protests and take up night patrols besides also picketing army camps to verify whether those picked up are civilians and at times, not budging from their positions till the surety is given that those picked up are not tortured. Often, women groups stay up late into the nights after taking care of their household and other social obligations, going without proper sleep or rest. The story of the children of Manipur, are told in the many instances of sit in protests taken out by children: the same children who should ideally be in classes or in the safe confines of their home and playgrounds. Young children grow up under the shadow of guns and violence around them while the older ones take part in various protests, thereby severely putting them in conflict with security personnel and triggering off a sense of alienation and distrust.
The PIL to the Supreme Court, filed jointly by Extra-judicial Execution Victim Families’ Association Manipur (EEVFAM), a body of widows and mothers of those killed by police and security forces and Human Rights Alert pleaded for investigations into 63 cases of alleged extra-judicial killings between 2007 and 2012 and another 1,528 cases documented by the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the United Nations is just the beginning of efforts from various civil society groups and Human Rights defenders to put the spotlight on the excesses committed under the Act. The bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai hearing the PIL case, have gone on record asking whether a war is going on in the state, given the number of killings. The next hearing on January 4 in the new year may well bring new hope into the lives of the members of EEVFAM and pave the way for other women groups to come forward and claim justice.

Book reading up, book buying down

The following blog entry is my editorial in The Imphal Free Press today (December 17, 2012):
http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11301-book-reading-up-book-buying-down/

The ten-day long 21st Imphal Book Fair in its 21st edition has begun at Hatta Kangjeibung and will go on till December 24th. An annual event now, the book fair organized by the State Central Library, Imphal in collaboration with the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Foundation, Kolkata is fast becoming an exercise for students and aspirants for various competitive examinations in the state to buy course books. Despite the presence of 23 book firms from outside the state and over 20 odd local firms this year, chances are that the number of book lovers thronging the fair and buying books will still be low. In fact, there has also been a visible trend of a decrease in the number of people visiting the fair and purchasing books other than text or course books while it is common to hear the popular lament that the reading culture in the state is decreasing.
The ‘lack of a reading culture’ in Manipur may well be a mere assumption without any standardized study on the reading habits of people in Manipur. There would have a to be a mapping of which age group reads what, how much and whether they buy books and if so, from where. Without such a study, it would be wrong to say that there is no reading culture in the state and that people are not buying books.
Interestingly, the NBT (National Book Trust)-NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research) Study on ‘Reading Habits of the Literate Youth of North-East India’ released in November this year said that 43 percent of the youth in the North Eastern states are readers. Amongst the states in the region, Assam had the lowest number of leisure book lovers (39%) while Mizoram had the highest percentage at 62%. Manipur ranked second with 52% with Nagaland at 47%. The lack of reading amongst younger children across the region was also flagged off with children preferring to watch television.
The survey did not mention specifics of book reading and book buying in the region, including figures on reading language books which would include those written in Manipuri Bengali script and others written in local dialect form using English alphabet. But older people with access to online bookshops are buying books at far cheaper rates than bookstores will every give; with free shipping thrown in. There is also the matter of language book reading that deserves some serious thought. Yet again, only a proper study would be able to zero in on the exact figures but it would be safe to say that the figures would not be much. Poorly bound language books with lackluster book covers, topped with no marketing strategy or publicity can be no match for glossy books marketed with zeal on every social media and traditional media forums.
Meanwhile the switch in the script being followed in the state also means that the few amongst the older generation who are reading books in Manipuri Bengali script and not used to reading in English, which is the common reading medium for younger people; will not be able to read in case these books are brought out in the Manipuri script. On the other hand, younger children who are learning the Manipuri script in schools now will all have to miss out on the entire literary legacy that is now in Bengali script!
There is a serious need to take due steps towards promoting books and the habit of reading for different age groups in the state. Reading clubs should be encouraged at Schools and Colleges with appropriate books for different ages and classes so that young people turn to books more than they do to the television. Publishing firms in the state need subsidies so that they are able to invest in more writers while authors would need to get out of their comfort zones and reach out to potential readers. So long as books remain limited to a certain set of people, there can be no popular demand for them. As for the ongoing Imphal Book Fair, not many people would find value in stepping out in the winter chilled dusty ambience at Hatta Kangjeibung, face parking issues, pay an entry fee and then get marginal discounts on books. A ‘meet film artist’, a ‘meet Shumang Leela Artist’ at the Imphal book fair might just get a curious crowd but would they buy books as well? An increase in the discount on books might just be what it takes, considering that customer is king.

Winter chill, a wedding and no electricity

Traditional Manipuri wear. Young women can wear colour

December 10th I managed to shock my mother by telling her that I would be attending a wedding ceremony. The 'shock' bit was because I am loathe to dress up in formal traditional wear and jewellery. The Manipuri formal traditional get up is uncomfortable for me since the upper wrap calls for some elegant manoeuvres that are er...well beyond me. The other bit of course is that the dress is not the bit weather friendly. The upper wrap called 'innaphi' or 'phi' for short is a flimsy, gauzy cloth so made so women can show off the jewellery they are wearing underneath and is not the best thing to wear in dropping mercury levels.

white for groom's side

Imphal was seeing a 5 to 9 degrees of temperature levels and my announcement that I was off to a wedding made my mother happy that her daughter was at last turning into a social animal! I saw the range of questions going on in her head over why I was making a break of my 'no wedding going, no wearing all the get up' stand, given that my cousin had just got married and I had stayed put firmly wearing jeans and taking pictures. I told her that I would have to go since the wedding in question was of someone who just would not take my "please understand, I can't come" line. It being wedding season in Manipur, my mother had another wedding to attend too and I thought she would ask me to stay at home and continue being a non attendee at marriages as is my wont but it was my turn to be surprised when she said, 'good then, you can be dropped to the bride's place after my vehicle drops me off'. Truth be told, I had expected her to say, 'There will be no one at home to look after your son, so stay at home" but no, she coolly went on with "Adi (my 7 year old son) can stay with your aunt till I come back home". That sealed it for me! That statement meant that my mother was ok with me staying on at the wedding till the time, the bride would reach the groom's house.

Knowing I had no solid reasons not to attend the wedding, I went about getting ready and realized just how of touch I was with the art of getting ready and decked up. There was no 'bindi' in the house, I did not have a brooch to fix the 'phi' in place and my son screwed up his nose (he said, he would give his verdict on how I looked!) seeing I had no nail polish on. Also, I had to stop my mother just as she was getting out of the house to put 'chandon' on my nose. My son gave me a once over and said, "Mama, you look different. I thought you would go in jeans" but the dog we have, did looked startled! At the wedding venue, friends who had never seen me in the formal traditional and make up and jewellery get up arched their eye brows and pulled my legs but that was expected in any case.

The Jatra lies in wait

The ceremony got over by 6 pm and I decided to go along with E, one journalist friend (a non manipuri) who had a car. But given that she was not too familiar with the roads of Imphal and given the darkness thanks to Manipur's electricity load-shedding exercise, two friends of the bride (known to myself and E) offered to go along with us. We had hardly started the snail paced drive that is characteristic of wedding processions at starting point when someone tapped on our window and told us that we had a near flat tyre. Considering the darkness and the distance till the groom's hose at Mayang Imphal from the bride's place at Singjamei, we had to get down and look for other vehicles. We found that all small vehicles had moved ahead and that the only available vehicle was a bus that was carrying senior people. We hopped on and waiting for the vehicle carrying the bride and another that was to carry the ceremonial offerings (called 'jatra' the offerings are first brought from the groom's house and placed before the clan deity of the bride and once the ceremony is over, it gets handed to the bride's side and then has to accompany her till the groom's house and then placed before their clan deity). 2 metres ahead and the wedding convoy stopped again because the wedding band party could not find their vehicle!

20 minutes later, we were on our way and found naturally that most parts of Imphal we were passing through were covered by total darkness. Sitting inside the bus, we saw what we thought was dust cover around our vehicles and then at Wangoi Bazaar, we found that all other vehicles in the convoy had gone ahead leaving just two vehicles on the road. One was carrying the bride and a few of her friends while the other was carrying relatives: they had just realized with only a quarter of the journey to the groom's house that the 'jatra' had been left behind at the bride's house! The bride would not be able to enter the groom's house without it!

only women bearing sons as their first child can carry the jatra

The older people in the bus said they were cold and did not want to wait along and so we moved on to the groom's house. It was when we alighted from the bus that we realized that the 'dark cover' that we thought was dust was actually a thick cover of fog, something that had never happened in Manipur. One of the boys actually pointed out that since we were at an area near to the Loktak lake, it must be the water precipitation. 4 of us (me, E and the two boys) now went to meet the groom and were served hot food that warmed us while the poor bride and the set of relatives who would have to carry in the jatra had to stay 1 meter away from entering the groom's gate as they waited for the jatra to be picked up from the bride's house stayed put in their vehicles. Finally at 8.50 p.m, we heard the band strike their notes and we knew the bride was home!
It was 9.07 pm when we set off for home. On the road, we realized that the fog cover was getting worse and that the total absence of electricity was making things worse. The vehicles just could not move despite fog lights being put on. Those who were driving had to turn down their windows and stick out their necks to try and get a sense of just where to drive! At one point, all vehicles ended up on a wrong turning and we had to turn back. At another point, police flagged us with their torch lights and asked where we were going. For a change, the police were not trying to act all high and mighty as they are won't to in Manipur in the name of security checks on the roads. They were asking every vehicle where they were heading so that they could let the folks know whether they were in the right direction, taking the right roads etc. It was 10 p.m. when I reached home. The next morning, my mother said, "What co-incidence that the fog happened on the day you decided to attend a wedding ceremony!" Now I know just what to say the next time, someone really insists that I attend their weddings...

Yuvraaj in town: Imphal in a tizz

In a short while from now, Rahul Gandhi the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), also an MP and also anointed as Prince in waiting will touch down in Imphal in a special aircraft. The 'special aircraft' bit leaves everything to imagination as that is how all official statements from the local Congress State Unit and media reports are framed. The trip to Imphal is to inaugurate a state level convention of ‘local elected bodies of local self government,' and to discuss the implementation of the 16 points flagship programmes of UPA in the state, organized by the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee.
On the ground, it does like like Rahul Baba's visit will be special indeed: the stretch from Imphal Tulihal airport till Hafta Kangjeibung, a public ground that lies about some 4-5 km from the airport is buzzing with security personnel. News reports mention about the  State Government setting up 139 temporary security posts between the airport and the venue of the convention. The said posts would be manned by personnel of state security forces including those from Manipur Rifles, IRB and Manipur Police. Another set of 139 mobile posts are also being put into operation. Besides these, another 16 teams of police commandos from Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur and Thoubal districts will be engaged as reinforcement for patrolling during his stay.
The stretch between the airport to the venue has been all swept up, mopped up and dressed like a new bride. Aside from the party flags lining the roads, marigold flower blooms have been kept on the road medians. That they will disappear within the first hour of the VIP's departure from Imphal is given. The same spectacle happened when his mother was here in Imphal earlier! Hopefully, the Prince should hopefully not be confused over the signs and banners he sees on the road. The earlier 'big' thing in Imphal was the recently concluded Sangai State Toursim Festival and hoardings and road banners of the event are still on the main road.
When Rahul Baba goes get into town, will he be seeing Manipur and its people? Not a chance about that at all. First, is the fact that his visit is for a matter of a few hours. Secondly, all the security buzz has made the mango people scurry away from the main roads. Traffic will be diverted and there have been announcements on where can one drive and park. Passenger autos, the only form of mass private transport in Manipur have suspiciously trickled down today and it's probable that they have been asked to stay at home for the time that His Highness is in town.
Is there any significance for Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state? With no elections in sight, there is no political value. With no interactions with civil society organizations or any attempt to interact with people at the grass roots lined up, there is every guarantee that for the common man, Rahul's visit to the state only means a spanner in their daily movements.
The other bit for me is: is the expenditure for the visit borne by the Manipur State Unit of the Congress Part or is it a State Government Expenditure?

6th International Polo tournament, Manipur: a recap

A version of this piece was earlier carried in the Times of India and today, the edited version was featured in my sunday column in The Imphal Free Press http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-11161-6th-international-polo-tournament-manipur-a-recap/

The inclusion of an international Polo tournament as part of the just concluded Sangai Tourism Festival 2012 in Manipur created a buzz amongst lovers of the game in Manipur as well as international players of the game. Four international teams representing Thailand, England, France and Germany took part in the tournament organized by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association under the theme: "Manipur Gave the World, the Game of Polo: Let Us Save Manipuri Polo, the Original Polo Pony".
Started in 1977, the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association is the only private organization that organizes Polo tournaments in the country. The N Hazari Trophy started in 1985 and continues till date. In 1990, the prestigious Governor’s Cup was instituted following the patronage of the then Governor of Manipur KV Krishna Rao. There were two additional additions to the Polo season with the introduction of the 57th Mountain Division Cup in 2009 and the All Manipur United Club Organization Cup (AMUCO) last year.
In its 6th edition this year, the Manipur Polo International tournament held at the Mapal Kangjeibung (also known as Pologround) left the international visitors impressed with the full stands. Nicholas Denvers a former Chair of the renowned Hurlingham Polo Association, England and a well-known Polo enthusiast in the international Polo circuit who played an integral part in spreading the word on the Polo tournament in Manipur had this to say of the crowds: “I have been playing Polo for over 40 years now in most countries across the world and nowhere else have I seen this many number of people turning up to see a Polo match.” He was referring to the droves of people perched on tall buildings and stadium railings trying to catch a glimpse of the matches being played.
According to Denvers, “The Polo world is very small and the moment we let it out that we were looking for 4 places for the England team to play in Manipur where modern Polo started, there were 72 applications!” adding there is immense potential for the game to bring in players from all over the world to Manipur. “That would be beneficial for everyone: for the hospitality sector, for the tourism industry and for the many people who are breeding Manipuri ponies.”
For the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association, the Polo tournament is part of an ongoing effort to showcase Manipuri Ponies and to lay to rest the controversy over where Polo originated from. Retd Col M Ranjit Singh an Organizing Secretary points out that out of the 70 Polo playing countries, only 20 recognize Manipur as the origin of modern day Polo with the rest saying it is Persia. The Association is enthused about the research study undertaken by Nanjest Thongbam an Assistant Professor in Geography which is compiling scientific proof that Polo owes its roots in Manipur much before the time than that is attributed to when the game was played in Persia.
But for Denvers, there was no doubt whatsoever that Manipur is the Mecca for Polo players. It was this sense of history that brought players to the Polo tournament in Manipur.  Commander D Saha, member of the India A team who has been playing in various Polo tournaments across the country was very appreciative of the Manipuri Pony. Saha added that it did take some time for visiting players to adjust since they were used to playing on thoroughbreds but found the Manipuri Pony to be a fine and stable animal. Rosylyn Sharp, a freelance photographer from Australia specializing in Polo photography said some people did have reservations about Manipur, what kind of reception would the players and visitors get and what of the infrastructure ? But at the end of it all, Sharp was of the opinion that everyone had been treated well and things organized on par with other tournaments. Her compatriot Chris Ashton who has authored books on Polo added that it was a treat to be able to watch cultural shows before every match since they gave an opportunity to have a sense of the culture of Manipur. An exhibition match of the Manipuri traditional Polo with 7 players a side on the concluding day of the Tournament saw some fun on the ground with international players in part traditional garb, much to the delight of a packed crowd.
For quite some time, the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association has struggled to keep the game alive. Commander Saha held that while Manipur did give us this game, the other reality is that the game is dying in the country and is surviving only amongst a select circle of people. The game stayed on till there was royal patronage but now, it’s only the army and the navy that is able to invest its time and resources into the game. He added that there is irony in the fact that Polo is on a strong note in countries like England and Argentina while in Manipur, the Manipuri Ponies are on the verge of extinction and the lack of financial support is leading the association to not being able to send its players to national and international tournaments.
End-point:
Perhaps taking note of this, the Manipur government has announced that it will increase the amount sanctioned to the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association for the maintenance of the Manipur Pony breeding farm. Further, 30 acres of land has been earmarked by the State Government for development of polo in Greater Imphal area. But it was Nicholas who had the last word who said that the players from the visiting team were very inspired by the efforts and dedication of the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association and were very inspired by their efforts. While promising that he would lead in raising awareness about Polo in Manipur and Manipuri Ponies, he also said that he would take up fund raising drives within the Polo circuit. The very first gesture of walking this talk came in the form of a donation of 2 lakhs to the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association made by the visiting players.

No country for women

It's been such a turn around of events. Just as news came in that 11 of the total accused in the sensational GS Road molestation case (Guwahati)on July 9 were convicted, I saw faint rumblings on Facebook regarding a case in Bangalore where a woman who had asked for assistance from a traffic police personnel was manhandled and then subjected to forms of sexual harassment by a mob. To be really honest, I did not even read the news posts. Call it a case of getting weary of reading harassment stories, denial of justice stories but the truth is that I did not want to read the story anymore.(read this: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/woman-groped-by-mob-slapped-by-constable-after-accident/article4172944.ece
The story behind the news unfolded during the course of a Heijingpot (a Manipuri pre nuptial ceremony, held at the bride's house) where other friends asked me about the case. I said I had skimmed the news but did not know in any detail. The next thing to hit me was, was it about Swar Thounaojam a very good friend? I said that she was on her way to Imphal to be with family but everyone said that the profile of the unnamed person in the story could only point to her. I called up Swar immediately and found her firm voice saying that yes, it was her who had been subjected to the latest series of public assault on woman/women in public spaces. She told me that she would fight on and I felt helpless sitting so far away from her.
It gets disturbing how things play out. A woman asks a traffic police to do something about a motor cyclist who has not only rammed into your vehicle but is also abusing you and the traffic police shoves you saying, 'but you don't speak my language!' and pushes the woman who won't give up. She takes the picture of the cop and that leads to more heckling. A semi mob gathers and only after a patrol vehicle comes is the group dispersed. Swar's case is not the first and won't be the last in a country that is fast becoming intolerant and smugly at that. At the end of it all, there will be some buzz on social networking sites and a load of comments but the legal bit of punishments or ensuring that such actions do not happen again, never really happen.
In Manipur, the reactions once this news gets on the local news circuit will ONLY focus on the racial discrimination bit. This is NOT to say that racial overtones were not involved in Swar's case but the main point that needs to be acted upon is why action should not be taken against the traffic police. He who is supposed to ensure road safety has taken upon himself to look the other way but also to excuse himself out of it by saying he could not be bothered because the complainant does not speak the same language as he does. The latest update from Swar is that the DCP, Bangalore West (Traffic) went on air on a TV channel accusing Swar of making false allegations and said the onus was on her to prove that she had been sexually harassed and criminally intimidated by a policeman in his department and other offenders. It reminds you of badly done Hindi film scenes where the bad police/lawyer asks a woman who has been raped to prove she has been raped and how. The kind of Hindi film scenes that makes you cringe...

I have signed a petition but I don't know where that will go and what it will lead to http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Legal_action_against_the_traffic_constable_and_bystanders_who_abused_and_assaulted_Swar_Thounaojam_in_Bangalore/?pv=1
 It is this not knowing where justice will be found that makes such men in such positions to continue doing what they do. The locations will differ; it will be another woman somewhere but always, she will be the one who will be the topic of discussion...till the next one bears the brunt in another city or town or village. What a modern, developed country we are in all respect!

Books (of course!)

My reading taste is eclectic: fiction, thrillers, non fiction, essays

This is just one of the many photos that captures my personal book collection. I have always loved to read, starting from the time when my father (who helped my grand-father run a book shop in Imphal's Paona Bazaar) would bring home one comic a day. My father would bring home a Tinkle comic or an Amar Chitra Katha title or one from the Chandamama series or an Indrajal comic. Rather than play during school break, I would pester the school librarian to give me books to read. My grand father had this to say about me to someone: 'she loves the written word and started out reading from words on carton boxes and labelled tins, all the while asking what the words meant'.
A friend tried to give her own two cents on why I love reading, "You don't love to read actually, it is just a refuge." This was after I told her that right from growing up times, I opted for reading, more than playing with friends or hanging out with them. One day she asked what I was reading for the day and I happened to tell her that I was trying to choose between an essay series by Edward Said and the latest thriller. She asked me if I could really digest Said. Thankfully for me, that friend is out of my life! I don't really care to have my love for reading all psycho analyzed or to have my reading abilities questioned :D
I started out my book buying from college days (in Chandigarh) though it wasn't' much. Once I came back to Imphal, I found that there were only a few book shops here and ones that only had Mills and Boons romances and the usual fare of Sidney Sheldon, Jefferey Archer, Danielle Steele and others of that ilk. But thanks to friends who know of my love for books and get them for me without asking/with asking, my collection have grown. It also helps that online shopping stores ship till Imphal. Yet, for all the attractions of picking out books from online stores, paying them online and having them shipped free of cost with great discounts to boot; I find that stepping into a book store is the most profound and sublime experience for me. The charm of feeling the pages of a book and reading bits and pieces of the pages in between is something that an online book buying experience cannot give me. Happily for me, I have made the most out of my situation. Whenever I get out of Manipur and I go for shopping, I drop into book stores and browse to my heart's content and then I flip through pages and take down the names of books. Then I order online!

All from one person, who has given me 20 odd books!

Every book in my collection has a story of its own apart from what the book contains within. Each book that I have selected from different book stores brings me memories of furrowing my head over which books to buy and which not to. They take me to the exact time and moment when I chose them while shaking my head sadly at the books I would have loved to add to my collection but could not (budgetting!). Each book that has been given to me by a dear friend makes me recollect the delight and happiness that I have experienced when they gave those books to me. They tell me that I have been blessed to have people who care enough to call me and say 'give me your list of books you want to read and I will get them for you'.
There can be nothing better than swapping book lists and authors to check out. Books are great conversation starters too. I normally don't walk up to people I have just met but if I see a total stranger reading a book that piques my interest, I ask over the book!Just recently, I was taking two flights: one from Imphal to Guwahati and then Guwahati-Aizawl .Yes! in case you don't know, Aizawl in Mizoram is a next door neighbor but sometimes one has to take round about route to get there (that begs for another blog entry on travelling in the North East part of the country). To come back to the matter of the book anecdote, I had 3 hours in between flights and so took along a book to read. The Imphal-Guwahati flight is a mere 35-40 minute route but I still took out the book I was carrying. Seeing me read, my co-passenger took out a book too. Call it co-incidence but the book he had with him was 'A strange man' by Ishmat Chughtai (not that there was anything strange about the elderly gentleman!) and it led to a conversation over books, mutual people we knew courtesy of the six degree of separation and then books again. It felt like we had known each other for years...
I have many friends who read and not all of us have the same taste in books but there are two books that I keep recommending to folks whose reading taste may or may not be the same as me: The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller and The Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur. The former is a short searing love story while the later is one major laugh riot. I end up recommending both to people who want to read books but don't have enough time to read longish ones.

starting all over

There can be no crazier thing than wanting to write...just so much at times that words tumble around in my mind. I have been writing my column "Footnotes from a Diary" since 2000 for the Imphal Free Press, a small English newspaper published in Imphal, Manipur. There have been periods of my column on total silent mode in between, owing partly to a conflict of interest (while I was involved with an NGO that did media advocacy) but it's safe to say that amongst those who write in Manipur, my column must be one that's stayed around for a long time. For most part, I have often joked that I write free for Imphal FREE Press but the truth also is that I have not found it in myself to write for other local newspapers in Manipur. Besides writing for Imphal Free Press, I have written for various websites like Infochange, news portals like Rediff.com and for India Today Magazine. A few of my photos have been picked up by the aforementioned media outlets and also featured in a Swedish magazine as well as included in Bertil Lintner's Great Game East.

Why this blog:

With the pathetic electricity situation in the state (Imphal, the capital gets less than 5 hours of electricity every 24 hours!), it often gets difficult to write my Sunday column and I have had to miss out a few Sunday editions. There are times when the all too familiar 'word rush' have had to be stemmed, all because there is no laptop battery to work on. There are times when I want to write short pieces. Also, I saw that many people have been checking my blogger profile and I feel I must write more here.

That's why this blog now. I will be posting my columns (the new ones as they happen but also will post old ones that are relevant to issues I flag off now) but apart from it, I will be posting shorts on books and what one hears on the grapevine, photos and commentaries.

Happy reading then!