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| Banduri, a one-year-old monkey, is riding on a two-year-old pet pig’s back while playing at a farm at Darrangiri area in Goalpara district of Assam on Thursday. The male monkey is fond of pig’s milk, which he usually has, since his stay with the female pig for the past one-and-a-half years. The combination of these two animals attracts the villagers throughout the district. The monkey is taken care of by the pig. Picture by Biju Boro |
The charges and counter-charges are flying thick and fast. Before the two-phase voting in Manipur, politicians did not have the opportunity to indulge in mudslinging, courtesy ban on election meeting by militant groups. Now that voting is over, barring repoll in some booths, it is the time to point accusing fingers at each other. First, it was the BJP to cry foul. The party alleged that an Independent candidate, Mani Charenamei, in the Outer seat used gunmen of the NSCN(I-M) to abduct, intimidate and thrash supporters of BJP candidate D. Loli Adanee.
The BJP even sent documents to the Election Commission to prove the NSCN(I-M) threat to the voters. The BJP now demands that Charenamei be disqualified as a candidate. Of course, the charges are dismissed as baseless and unfounded by the candidate’s supporters.
Not to be left out, the Opposition Manipur Peoples’ Party (MPP) demanded results of the election be withheld till all Congress ministers were punished. The MPP president alleged that Congress ministers not only violated election code by distributing power tillers and sanctioning fund to the municipal council, but also behaved like criminals on the polling day.
There are indications that the mudslinging could continue even after the results are declared.
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| Lotha |
He claimed to be rich. Be that as it may, for his claim of Rs 9,005 crore worth of property, N. Nyimthungo Lotha — a candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in the state — is certainly famous now. With news of his claim in an affidavit leaking through newspapers, the Labor Party candidate has visitors from far and wide. Journalists from all over the country are pouring into Dimapur where the man lives, to check out on “castles and industries”. The Renaissance Paper Mills managing director has a factory in Chumukedima. But for unsuspecting visitors, Lotha’s telephone is “temporarily out of order”. For those who are elsewhere, the story idea is a great one. A foreign radio station called up a news agency to ask whether Lotha was “a tribal king”. As for the “simple man”, he has already clarified he has only Rs 500 “approximately” as cash in hand. Lotha hails from Humtsoe village in Wokha district and has agricultural land which he claims, is worth Rs 9,000 crore. Taking him for the richest man, maybe in the country and certainly in Nagaland, scribes and television channels are making a beeline for him and possibly for a page-one slot in their publications.
A regional monthly news magazine (Shillong-based Eastern Panorama) provoked a students’ organisation in Manipur. The Manipur map was shown as Nagaland by the magazine in its latest issue. The Manipuri Students Federation, a powerful pressure group, burnt the copies of the magazine in protest against it.
The students were angry because it was for the second time that the magazine showed the Manipur map as Nagaland. The group pacified after the editor of the magazine tendered an apology and explained that it was an oversight on the part of the editorial staff and a case of “genuine mistake”. The issue of territorial integrity of Manipur is a very sensitive one as the NSCN(I-M) is demanding integration of Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur with Nagaland. Although the students’ group refused to buy the explanation that it was a mistake, it was pacified after the editor’s unconditional apology.
How could the heralding of the spring season with the colourful Rongali Bihu celebrations in full sway in Assam not touch an emotional chord with the Assamese diaspora in various countries all over the world?
Adding colour to the celebrations was the Asom Sangha in Canada, the oldest Assamese organisation in North America, established in 1971, which celebrated its 2004 Rangali Bihu recently on the University of Toronto main campus.
Assamese families from as far as Montreal, Ottawa and Windsor joined in the colourful celebrations.
They shared their views and experiences at a mini seminar on Bihu — from Folk Dance to the Centre of Cultural Identity — held on the occasion.
And how could the revelry be complete without a taste of Assamese cuisine on the special occasion? A well thought-out Bihu bhoj (community dinner) and jalpan (snacks), ranging from doi-siraa, pitha and ladoo, left everyone feel nostalgic and homesick.
Assamese youths are having their slice of fame and success in almost all spheres of life. Recently, Sabina Mumtaz Islam, a Guwahati-based Hindustani classical singer, was honoured with the gold medal at the classical music competition organised by the Eastern Zone Cultural Centre of the Union ministry of tourism and culture.
The contest was part of the Union government’s “Awards to Young Talented Artistes Scheme” for the year 2003-04.
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Fish is irresistible for those in Nagaland, especially freshwater fish found in Mon and Wokha. But sometimes the recipe can get too fishy. Recently when some politicians were returning from Mon, they apparently found this out the hard way.
Picking up some fish on their way to Mon, they enjoyed the delicacy the next day, too, and paid the penalty.
Seemingly spoilt, the mouth-watering delicacy had the leaders all water all the way to Dimapur. As a result, the motorcade had to stop at several places, some troubled sources said.
The next time, these sources said, neither stale fish recipes nor anything else, which would even remotely seem stale, will be entertained.
For these leaders, no topic in Naga politics got stale ever, but the poor river fish.
