DC'S OFFICE FB PAGE TO BE DYNAMIC - LOL

The Deputy Commissioner’s office here would try to poke young indifferent voters to cast their ballot through its somewhat defunct Facebook page and effort would be on to make it “dynamic” – LOL.

The DC and his colleagues are trying to infuse innovation under the Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme and after tapping the potential of the conventional media; the free space of social networks to woo young voters seemed obvious.

Although the effort of DC, Sanjay Goyal maybe noble, he seems totally offline with the Facebookers who speak in a jargon as odd as the DC’s effort to make the FB page dynamic. Making the page dynamic… naah! Funky, yea!  

The issue with the approach is that “dynamic” smacks of a bureaucratic jargon of the Baby Boomers (BB). So, ASAP a tightrope walk between dynamic and funky is needed so that both the BBs and Y generation go satisfied to bed at the end of the day.

What is therefore required is not an altogether tech savvy geek to administer the page, as FB is already a tech-driven apps, but a team who can deal with the content. A team which is techno-art savvy and speaks the language.

The emphasis on language in not altogether in the literal sense, but importantly on dealing with the language of aspirations of these future generation and giving them DIY projects so that they subscribe to the idea of tagging themselves to the democratic process and Nation building.

Under the SVEEP campaign during the last Assembly elections, the DC’s office carried out a number of awareness campaign to attract voters to come and cast their ballot. The activities included air balloons strung from different locations with messages to come and vote - LOL WUSS. There was also paragliding - OMG.

As one of the participating Campus Ambassadors or teacher from a prominent college pointed out that the efforts of the district administration maybe well-intentioned, but an air balloon with message and paraglider surfing in the stratosphere does not give feedback on the questions of voters’ cynicisms on the present system - BTW one balloon was untagged from PB.

“The young voters are disillusioned many of them about the present system and efforts to answer their questions do not come from such activities. The message to these indifferent voters must be that they can be part of the change by voting or the EPIC can be also used for other important purposes as identity cards etc., or similar healthy interaction through various modes” the academic ambassador said.

It is platforms such as FB that the Y generation are glued to and constantly demanding feedback to their ideas and opinionated minds. And if that feedback is not forthcoming they become restless and eventually “unfriend” whoever concerned.

The DC’s office also tried to attract the young voters by drawing graffiti on the walls of the city street. Would it be different if the same effort was taken to paint the walls of its FB page?

At the end of the day, MLAS does not necessarily mean Members of Legislative Assembly for the younger generation. It could also mean My Lips Are Sealed, similarly as LOL is Laugh Out Loud, ASAP As soon as Possible, DIY Do it Yourself, LOL WUSS  Laugh Out Loud with a snorting sound, BTW By the Way.

INDO-BANGLA BORDER: BSF FIGHTING AGAINST WEEDS, CREEPERS

The Border Security Force (BSF) are not only fighting against human infiltrators across the Indo-Bangla border, but also against weeds and creepers infiltrating up the fences and obstructing view across the border.

Although the International fence has acted as a tremendous force multiplier and saved much of the BSF’s work against infiltrators in several areas, the same fences have now posed a challenge with weeds and creepers growing on them.

The barbed fences are generally, eight to twelve feet in height and with thick vegetation growing on these fences, they turn into monstrous walls and the BSF is unable to see across.

Another aspect that needs to be considered is that these fences are erected away from the zero line and so the land 150 yards beyond the fence are Indian Territory and their vigil is absolutely necessary and the BSF is tasked to patrol these areas.

To find a solution to this problem, the BSF has recently requested the Hindustan Insecticide Limited (HIL), a Government enterprise, under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, to specially manufacture chemicals for the border forces to stop the growth of weeds and bushes on fences.

The official said that after the request, a team from HIL, Kolkata, visited Meghalaya to take soil samples and also understand the kind of vegetation to concoct the chemicals, which are now being applied.  

Currently, at least five Border out Posts in the Meghalaya sector are now applying chemicals, as a pilot project, at the base of the fences so that weeds, creepers and other vegetations don’t grow on the fences.

“Such vegetation growing on the fence not only destroy the costly fences, but importantly obstructs our vision across the border, which is a hurdle for our patrol work,” a BSF official said.

He said that based on the success of the chemicals in these BOPS, the chemicals would be used on the fences passing through all BOPs of the Meghalaya frontier. Meghalaya, incidentally shares a 433 km border with Bangladesh, but many stretches are unfenced, owing to different issues like land acquisition and also due to opposition.

Fighting for revolution and wearing che guevara T-shirt not same

Fighting for revolution is not exactly as romantic as wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt and flaunting it in colleges, Sanjay Kak, director of Red Ant Dream observed.

The documentary on Maoists and other revolutionary ideas persisting in India may seem romantic for afar, but in reality it is quite the opposite, Kak said here today.

“Maybe not a single Maoist has ever worn a Che Guevara T-shirt. The realities at the grassroots are different,” he says briefly, while his documentary elaborates about the people fighting for different causes in India.

The documentary films the peasants’ movement in Punjab, the Maoists in Bastar, Chattisgarh and villagers in Niyamgiri Hills, Odisha and tries to connect the different ideas behind these movements – some may interpretate the ideas as radical, just as the Meghalaya police did.

In fact, the documentary was not allowed to be screened here at the Indie8 film festival by the police for its “radical” ideas, but Kak is okay with it as it got free publicity.

“Earlier, a few college students would have seen it now a larger audience wants to see the documentary just because of the police’s action,” he said.

On his experience filming the documentary, Kak says he just shot, but is amazed that so many revolutionary ideas still persists in India, which he wants to show to the audiences.

“I just shot for the movie and at the end people would see and interpret their own way, some may connect with the ideas, others would reject it, that how it’s with films,” he said.

In Punjab the documentary shows the peasants’ movements and they take inspiration from Bhagat Singh. In Bastar region, the fight is against the administration, as the people want their rights over their land and have taken up arms.

On the other hand in Niyamgiri, the villagers are fighting against the mining industry. “Every movement is different from the other, but somehow they seem connected,” Kak says.

Meanwhile, after screening the documentary at the Youth centre for the public, the director would move on to Guwahati where it would be screened in two venues.

WITCHCRAFT-Man forced to eat dog excreta

In another inhuman act, a man was assaulted in confinement and forced to eat dog excreta by seven villagers at Sohryngkham after alleging him of practicing witchcraft.

The Incident occurred on July 30 at the village Mawting, Sohryngkham here at the city suburbs. According to the East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, M Kharkrang the man was first assaulted by the group of villagers and later was confined, alleging that he practiced witchcraft.

The accused then forced the victim to eat dog excreta, Kharkrang said. “An FIR has been filed regarding the crime and all eight men have been arrested by the police in a pre-dawn raid today,” the SP said, adding, they have been remanded to five days police custody by a local court.

The accused are in fact relatives of the victim and have been identified as Broswel Pyngrope, Elbinus Myliemngap, Sanil Myliemngap, Rani Kharmunuid, Mildret Kharmunuid, Khrawbor Kharmunuid and Johny Kharmunuid.

This incident follows another similar case last month where a man one Noping Khongsit was forced to eat human excreta at Wahkdait village near Pynursla, about 50 km from here by the village chief, Thwer Tynsong. The village chief later surrendered before the police.

Four girls of the village alleged that Khongsit used to appear in their dreams and frighten them with snakes. Based on this allegation the village Panchayat called Dorbar in Khasi Hills punished the victim by forcing him to eat human excreta on July 20.

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo moto cognizance of the media report and has issued notices to the State Government to file its report on the inhuman act within four weeks.

In many parts of Meghalaya superstition is rampant primarily those related to witchcraft. Believers of such superstition say that witches and wizards have the power to make people ill to the pint of killing them and by doing so they please the malevolent deities for their own good.