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| A Tangkhul couple enjoys a meal during the Luira festival, the seed-sowing ceremony of the community, at Hungdung village in Ukhrul district of Manipur. Picture by Eastern Projection |
A series of absurd incidents shook the candidates appearing for the High School Leaving Certificate Examination in south Assam, which had to be conducted without the mandatory presence of teachers, as they were on a strike. At the Narsin Higher Secondary School in Silchar, a cow quietly entered a hall and without much ado, chewed up a graphsheet of a startled examinee, Nilendu Das (roll number 484), even as the latter frantically tried to shoo away the intruding animal. Das was supplied with an extra graphsheet just when the mathematics examination was ending.
However, the incident, which stirred the hornet?s nest, was the despicable role of a teacher and invigilator at Judistir Saha School at Bihara village in Cachar district. The teacher was allegedly found surreptitiously scribbling away on the answersheets of his son, an examinee, in the hall. With the rest of the teachers refusing examination duties as part of the stir, it was a heyday for a certain section of students.
According to the education department officials in Silchar, as many as nine students were turned out of the examination halls in south Assam alone for taking recourse to unfair means.
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| Gegong Apang |
Braving inclement weather, thousands of people belonging to the Nyishi community of Arunachal Pradesh celebrated the agricultural festival, Nyokum Yullo, on February 26 with a lot of fanfare.
Though rain tried to play spoilsport in the morning, it failed to dampen the spirit of the Nyishis, who thronged the celebration ground at Nirjuli, 21 km from the capital city of Itanagar, in huge numbers.
The music filled the atmosphere with gaiety, while the Nyishis performed the traditional Buya dance.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, who was the chief guest at the celebration, stressed the need for preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Nyishi people.
Apang said the festival went a long way in boosting tourism in the state.
The festival is observed to pray to the gods for a bumper harvest and for the prevalence of peace and prosperity among the community.
According to Nyishi belief, a life of peace and prosperity is possible only when there is perfect harmony among man, god and nature.
The word Nyokum is derived from nyok (entire landmass) and kum (putting things together).
The ganja cultivated in Manipur is of a high quality. Hence, the huge demand. The number of smugglers in the state is also growing, going by the recent hauls and arrest of smugglers. In the past, even security personnel were caught trying to smuggle out contraband ganja.
There have been cases of buses, carrying elderly people on pilgrimage, being detained for transporting ganja.
Manipur industries minister Ningthoujam Mangi took extra caution to make sure that his name is not unnecessary dragged into such cases. Mangi, therefore, thoroughly searched and checked the consignments of 11 parties selected from Manipur for participation in a Northeast trade expo to be held at Delhi?s Prakriti Maidan from March 7 to 14. All consignments ? handloom and handicraft products ? were collected at the complex of the Imphal West District Industrial Centre before despatch.
A day before the departure, the minister along with his escorts arrived at the centre and started checking the packages. He later disclosed that he was checking to see if any one of the consignments contained ganja. Fortunately for the minister as well as the participants, there was no trace of the drug. Everyone was happy.
If you want to draw the attention of the government to your problems, close all government offices in your locality.
A local organisation of the Kumbi area in Manipur?s Bishenpur district adopted this unique method recently.
Weary of waiting for the government to address problems like bad roads, irregular supply of power and drinking water and non-availability of basic healthcare facilities, the All Kumbi Kendra United Federation, an umbrella group of 15 local organisations, closed down all government offices in the locality.
The villagers maintained that several memoranda to chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and the concerned ministers had failed to draw the government?s attention to the problems.
Hence, they were left with no option, but to close the offices. They said the agitation would continue till March 10. The government has not woken up yet.
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| The elephant camp |
They are man?s most trusted friends. The giant jumbos serve their masters unconditionally. The Assam (Bhorelli) Angling and Conservation Association along with the Rhino Foundation for Nature in North Eastern India repaid them for their loyalty recently.
At a daylong camp for elephants of the Assam department of wildlife at the Manas National Park, altogether 28 elephants were provided free treatment. The elephants were given de-worming and preventive vaccination against the common diseases among elephants.
A team of experts from Veterinary College, Guwahati, led by Atul Borgohain, tended to the jumbos. The association, along with the Rhino Foundation, had conducted a similar camp at the Nameri National Park last month in which 12 elephants were treated.
The members also conducted an experimental rafting expedition between Mathanguri and Bashbari on the Beki river to explore the possibility of introducing rafting as part of the eco tourism package at Manas National Park.
