CHIVALRY VERSUS EGO MEGHALAYA

Meghalaya State Women’s Commission (MSWC) wants men in uniform to be more “respectful and chivalrous,” but refuses to be flexible in seeking support of women’s group within the armed force to fight crime together.

“No we would not seek support of the Army Wives’ Welfare Association (AWWA). They should come to us,” MSWC chairperson, Susana K Marak asserted today.


The commission said summons to men in uniform (state and central) from the commission are not respected. To emphasis the point, Marak showed a summon reply of the Army to the Commission written on a “used paper.”

“This is insulting…we want respect…The men in uniform must show certain level of chivalry,” Marak asserted.

MSWC, constituted in 2004, has been fighting for the rights of women in the state. Marak said cases against personnel from the Border Security Force, Air Force, Army, Central Reserve Police Force and the state police have been reported with the commission.

“The men in uniform are rude and don’t respect our summons. They threaten to approach the Supreme Court once they are here in the commission,” Tshering Yangi another member said.

Asked if the commission sought the support of the wives’ association in the armed force, she answered in the negative and further reiterated: “we are a statutory body they (wives’ association in the armed forces) must come to us.”

However, in this battle of ego, victims of crime are being made the scapegoat. There have been 34 cases reported, including rape and murder, of women by men from the armed force during the past three years.


The Wives’ associations within the armed force (central and state) have limited mandate and powers although such cases are first reported to these welfare associations. The SWC by not trying to associate voluntarily with these groups is only weakening the cause of women’s right within the armed forces, observers say.

Meanwhile, the SWC wants some of the present laws to be amended to give more teeth to the commission. It is also demanding financial increment from the government.

The Return of Tarzan

Except flinging from trees to tress on creepers and belting out an ape cry, Edgar Rice Burroughs would have been proud of Bowel Puweiñ, whose lifestyle seems close to his fictional character –Tarzan.

Unlike the fiction, Puweiñ’s lion cloth and also the dreadlocks are for real. He emerged from the jungles of Lyngngam in West Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya recently after living in the wild for twenty-years. “He is our Tarzan,” a village elder, who has spotted Puweiñ occasionally in the wild, said.


Villagers say sixty-year-old Puweiñ is from the remote Nonglang Lieh village in the district, some 55 kms from the state headquarters. He left it twenty years back after the death of his wife and children and took to the wild.

He built two houses one atop a hillock and one inside a cave near the Kynshi River and regularly fished using a bamboo pole. To further supplement his diet, Puweiñ planted sweet potatoes and maize and also hunted wild boars and lived on.

But one day, Hollywood’s 1962 flick “Tarzan goes to India,” where Tarzan saved elephants, came to haunt Puweiñ somewhat. “He came across an elephant calf being swept by the strong currents of the River. Puweiñ jumped in fought against the River currents trying to save the calf,” villagers who witnessed the incident from the other side of the River said.

They further narrated that about seven to eight wild elephants also tried to help Puweiñ in the rescue process unsuccessfully.

“Ever since he has developed a strong bond with elephants. Puweiñ treats the wild animals as cattle and the elephants obey his commands meekly,” Nonglang Lieh villagers claimed.

After the “return of Tarzan” curious villagers and children are flocking to his place of dwelling in Nonglang Lieh to hear about his adventures in the wild. But he now speaks in a strange lingo hardly understood by anybody.

But, Puweiñ's free spirit, love for animals in the wild truly makes him the Lord of Lyngam jungle.

PAWAN HANS SERVICE

With chopper service suspended due to fatal crashes in the region, Union Civil Aviation ministry Vayalar Ravi said crash investigation reports would throw light on the airworthiness of the choppers that were in service.

Ravi, who was here to inaugurate the new terminal of the Umroi airport, said only investigation reports would be able to throw light about allegations whether choppers with questionable airworthiness were being flown in the region. The chopper service was being operated by state-owned Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited.

“We are awaiting the investigation report of the chopper crash of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister,” Ravi said when asked about the allegations that old choppers were being used in the northeast leading to the crashes.

A three-member committee has been formed to probe into the circumstances that led to the crash of Dorjee Khundu’s chopper, where he along with four others died near Tawang last month.

The government has also formed a Committee of Inquiry to probe the circumstances of April 19 chopper crash at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh that claimed the lives of 17 people.

In fact, the ministry has constituted an Independent Accident Investigation Committee (IAIC) recently to probe air crashes in the country. However, the committee is bogged into controversy with media reports stating that “tainted and inexperienced people” were inducted.

“No names of the members of the committee have been decided so far. The media reports are not correct,” Ravi said.

Its been reported that the “tainted” Director (air safety) RS Passi from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and three other inexperienced people in their twenties were inducted as members of the IAIC.

Terming such reports as baseless, Ravi said, “we would have people in the committee with relevant experience in the field,” the ministry stated.

Moreover, Ravi said the chopper service in the region would resume only after mapping of chopper routes throughout the country is completed.

Earlier, the minister said that airports are the “windows of the country” as people get the first glimpse of it after landing and so the airports are being modernised.

The new terminal at Umroi has been built at a cost of Rs. 30 crore having modern facilities and the Baljeck airport at Garo Hills would get a facelift soon, Ravi assured.

Memory

A mechanical engineer, Krishan Kumar today exhibited his amazing skills by recalling twenty objects sequentially from memory. He is vying for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Hailing from Punjab, Kumar recalled the twenty objects from memory in one minute after the items were displayed by a jury comprising government officials and a medical practitioner here at the Shillong Press Club.

The previous Guinness Book of World Records title for recalling the longest sequence of objects in one minute is held by Sudhanshu Singal on the sets of Guinness Book of World Records – Ab India Todega in Mumbai on February 21 this year.

During his attempt to recall the longest sequence of objects, Kumar, memorised over twenty items, which included a mango, towel, shaving cream etc, from a list of thirty others. He took 3 minutes 30 seconds to recall the 20 objects.

The entire feat was video taped and would be sent to Guinness Book of World Records for their confirmation of breaking the previous world record.

Kumar has already entered his name in the Limca Book of Records for memorising the value of “pi” up to 43,000 decimal places.

Later, Kumar, said, developing a sound memory can be done through Mnemonics. “Memory can be developed by anyone through Mnemonics,” Kumar said, adding, he plans to train youths in the discipline throughout the country.

“Nowadays, students spend 12 hours to study. But with mnemonics, which is both a science and an art, students can memorise within a span of four hours only,” he added.

He, however, warned students that “memory tonics”, could cause side effects and should therefore be avoided.

Right To Education in Meghalaya

Meghalaya would become one of the few states in India to honour a Constitutional mandate and make free compulsory education a fundamental right for school children.


The state government came one step closer towards achieving its aim of implementing the Right To Education (RTE) Act, 2009 after the Cabinet approved the rules today.


Education Minister, RC Laloo said that draft rules of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 or RTE have been approved with certain changes and modifications.

“Implementation of the Act will change the system of education for children of the State. Te rules would be implemented at the earliest,” Laloo said.


Under the Act, free and compulsory education would be provided to children between the age group of 6-14 years in classes I to VII.

Moreover, no child shall be held back, expelled or required to pass a board examination until the completion of elementary education. They would instead be assessed under a “Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE)” system.

As per the CCE system, among others, there would be regular assessments, analysis of learning gaps, applying corrective measures, retesting and giving feedback to teachers and students for their self-evaluation.

Laloo also said that the draft rules have laid emphasis on teachers training. It may be mentioned that the State has a large number of untrained teachers.

“The issue of untrained teachers was discussed in the Cabinet meeting. The whole aspect of quality education depends on quality teachers,” Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma said.

Under the new system, teachers will be required to co-relate the classroom process with evaluation and take into account not only the scholastic achievements but also abilities like expression, regularity, discipline and participation in co-curricular activities.


“We have a backlog of untrained teachers in the state. The training institutes which we have are not enough to cater to the needs of teachers’ education,” Sangma said.

He said the government is planning to provide scholarships to youths who are willing to undergo teachers’ education. “The aim is to get youths willing to become teachers,” Sangma said.

Arms smuggling from Myanmar

Meghalaya police have arrested three arms smugglers and seized eight AK-56 rifles and magazines last night near Umroi, 15 kms from here.

After receiving intelligence inputs, the police laid a blockade at Lad Umroi – the trijunction where NH-40 bifurcates towards Umroi-Guwahati-Shillong – and intercepted the vehicle and recovered the arms and arrested the smugglers.

The vehicle (Gypsy - MZ 01 D 5272) was on its way from Mizoram and was heading towards Karbi Anglong district in Assam through the less frequented Umroi-Mawlasnai-Block II road. The weapons were neatly sealed inside the custom-made seats and the ceiling of the vehicle.

The smugglers have been identified as Lalchawisanga Zahau, 45, CL Hlira, 47, and Lallawmzuala, 34. They were travelling with the weapons from Piau village in Mizoram’s Champhai district bordering Myanmar, police said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is questioning the trio, but due to language barrier there hasn’t been much headway in the case. “We are trying to find out who the supplier was and whom it was being supplied to,” an NIA official, who identified himself as Inspector Anil, said.

But, according to the police, the trio belonged to Myanmar. “The vehicle was headed towards Mawlasnai and further to Karbi Anglong district of Assam,” PS Marwein, Officer-in-Charge of Umroi police station told reporters today.

Intelligence sources said, ‘captain’ of Chin National Army (CNA) of Myanmar is actively involved in arms smuggling from Mandalay in Myanmar. He and his group has been “using Shillong as a base” to supply arms and ammunition to insurgent groups of the North East.

Majority of the arms that are in demand from NE-based militant organisations, sources say, are AK-47s, M-16s and Chinese made hand-grenades.

In earlier cases, Myanmar-based militant operatives were arrested for arms smuggling here. Sources say, apart from CNA, Karen and Kachin militant outfits, fighting against the Myanmarese military junta have camps in areas close to south Mizoram and cadres of these outfits are also involved in arms smuggling.

India shares a 1,600 km unfenced border with Myanmar, with 404 km being shared by Mizoram. Mizoram Chief Minister, Lal Thanhawla during his visit here earlier this year termed smuggling of arms and counterfeit currency as a major concern for his State.

He promised that the Mizoram Government would no longer allow its territory as a “free State” for arms and counterfeit currency smugglers and security agencies were strictly monitoring the Myanmar border.

Mixed parentage in Meghalaya and tax exemption

In a judgement that would have wider ramification, the High Court today directed the Income Tax (IT) department to issue notices to four persons having tribal and non-tribal parentage as to why they are liable to pay IT.

Although the judgement pertains to four persons – Lakman Kma, David Reid Syiemlieh, UPD Sawyan and Raju Jyrwa – the order would have wider implication on people having similar parentage.

Only Scheduled Tribes (ST) are exempted from paying IT under section 10 and sub section 26 of the IT Act and notified areas of the northeast part of India.Under the Indian Constitution, these tribes enjoy a wide range of benefits, apart from tax exemption, for their socio-economic uplift.

However, the four petitioners in three separate writ petitions have sought the Court’s intervention seeking exemption from paying IT claiming to be STs.

Earlier, the IT department issued an order to the North Eastern Hill University, where Syiemlieh is the pro-Vice Chancellor, asking it to deduct tax at source from the pro-Vice Chancellor’s bills. The order stated the petitioner’s father belonged to an “advanced community” and not a scheduled tribe.

The cases of the other three petitioners were identical and so the common judgement to all four petitioners was issued by Justice Anima Hazarika and BD Agarwal of the divisional bench of the Gauhati High Court.

Now, with the order, the IT department would be “at liberty to accept the explanation” of the petitioners or make further inquiries about their ST status.


The inquiries, legal experts said, would entail the IT department to determine if the petitioners are Khasis (tribe of Meghalaya) as defined under the Khasi Custom Act (KCA) enacted by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council. Khasis are enlisted as STs under the sixth schedule of the Constitution.

KCA has set guidelines for issuance of Scheduled caste certificates to prevent abuse of such certificates by people having “ulterior or oblique motives.”

Under the Act, a person claiming to be a Khasi must belong to one of the Khasi, Pnar, Bhoi, Jaintia, War, Synteng, Lyngngam tribe or one who is recognised under the prevailing Khasi custom or the Khasi Custom Act.

The person must be conversant with the language, practise the Khasi matrilineal system of lineage and other Khasi laws and customs.

Judgement through video conferencing

The Judges wrapped up their files dismissing a review petition after hearing a land dispute case. The counsels stood up and bowed their heads 100 kilometers away.

In one of the first such instances in the region, the Gauhati High today passed a judgement dismissing a review petition pertaining to a land dispute from 1976, all through video conferencing.

The hearing was held amidst the constant lazing whirls of a fan (possibly) in one of the courtrooms of the Gauhati High Court. Here in Shillong, the counsels sat huddled together with temperature dipping due to the incessant rain lashing the hills for the past 24 hours.

The counsel of the litigants – Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and Holy Mother Aurobindo Ashram (HMAA) – intermittently stood up and argued their case before a giant TV screen projecting, Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma and Arun Chandra Upadhyay, lending a patient ear from Guwahati.

Senior Advocate and counsel of HMAA, VK Jindal said, after YMCA’s review petition was rejected, that such video conferencing would help Meghalaya dispose off pending cases swiftly and save time and money. “It all seemed like a normal court proceeding. There is no difference,” he said when asked about the e-Court.

The video conferencing facility was introduced on June 1 here at the Shillong bench by Chief Justice Madan B Lokur, under a new initiative to dispose off cases with the help of technology. Agartala bench was the first to introduce the facility on May 2.

In fact, the Bombay High Court confirmed the death sentence of Ajmal Kasab on February 21 through video conferencing.

Today’s case relates to an old litigation from 1976 wherein the Meghalaya government allotted the ashram’s land to YMCA and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) without approval.

The ashram challenged the arbitrary decision of the government. In 2009, the Gauhati High court set aside the allotment of land made by the state government to YMCA and YWCA. The government was ordered to renew the patta in favour of the Ashram, Jindal said.

However, the YMCA sought a review of the High Court’s decision which was dismissed today through video conferencing.

Voter Verifiable Paper Trail in five states in India

To put at rest allegations of election fraud, the Election Commission of India would conduct “simulated elections” with prototype Voter Verifiable Paper Trail (VVPT) systems at five centres across India, including Cheerapunjee, Meghalaya on July 24.

Apart from Cheerapunjee, the simulated elections would be held on the same date at Ladakh, Thiruvananthapuram, East Delhi District and Jaisalmer. The idea is to test the prototype in the harshest of weather conditions and based on the feedback of experts, poltical parties and civil societies the VVPT would be inducted for conduct of future polls in India.

The VVPT is a prototype of the present Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) fitted with a printing apparatus. Apart from registering votes electronically, the VVPT would also print out the ballot, which can be cast in a ballot box by the voter. In case of any controversy, the ballots can be counted and verified with the electronic votes registered in the EVMs.

Officials said, the decision to test the VVPT was taken after the Commission’s meeting with all political parties in October last year and repeated allegations that EVMs are being tampered to manipulate election results. The election commission then referred the matter to the Technical Expert Committee on EVM for further examination and recommendations.

The Expert Committee held several rounds of meetings with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) officials on this issue and then met the political parties and civil society members engaged with the Commission on the issue of EVMs.

On the direction of the Expert Committee, BEL and ECIL prepared a prototype of VVPAT system and demonstrated it before the Committee and the Commission. The Expert Committee has now recommended that the prototype should be tested in extreme environmental conditions to get an effective assessment. The trial would be held in a real election-like conditions.

“ The mock election would be held in 35 polling booths in Cheerapunjee. Poll personnel would be trained for the occasion,” Meghalaya's Chief Electoral Officer, Prashant Naik said.


Earlier, various political parties in the country, including the Asom Gana Parishad, in the state of Assam, have been demanding that the VVPT system be introduced for conduct of “free and fair elections” in the country. AGP has alleged that EVMs were tampered in the last Assam Assembly elections, which has resulted in Congress’ landslide victory.

The United Democratic Party, a state political party in Meghalaya, during the 7th Cegional Consultation on Electoral Reforms in Guwahati in June 12, said: “majority of people in India do not have faith in EVMs.” The party demanded that a “referendum in India on the use of EVMs could be conducted by the Election Commission so as to analyse the faith of the people on such paperless voting methods.”

Meanwhile, the election commission has said results of the simulated election would be declared on July 25 and also decided to request National and State Parties to extend necessary cooperation in the trial process and have a have a first hand experience of the system.

TRAFFIC LESSONS BY STUDENTS TO ERRANT DRIVERS

Concerned about the worsening traffic snarls in Shillong, some young college students zipped their reflector clothes and blew the basic of traffic rules into errant drivers with their whistles.

Some 14 odd college students took time off from their busy college lessons and then got themselves into the even busier police bazaar area this evening to give traffic lessons to errant drivers. They have dubbed this voluntary service of theirs as Project Shillong.

“They are doing it in style,” Herbert Lyngdoh Additional Superintendent of Police (traffic) said, while watching the college students managing the traffic with confidence.

The students, mostly from St. Anthony’s College went to Lyngdoh recently and accepted the offer from the traffic department to help manage the traffic. They even came out with a traffic management plan, which the traffic department is studying.

“We asked the students to help us in managing the traffic and they gladly accepted the offer. Everyday they would be managing the traffic for two hours in different areas of the city,” Lyngdoh said looking pleased.

The students went through their traffic management with great precision. They gathered passengers at different embankment points and then directed the drivers of that particular route to the passengers.

Jyotideep and Nayanjyoti Sharma from Guwahati studying Mass Communication at the college were one of the several volunteers happily blowing away their whistles and directing taxis.

“We have decided that everyday for two hours after college we would come and help the police. We are also encouraging other students from different colleges to join in Project Shillong,” Jyotideep said.

The students are also furthering their campaign through Facebook. “Not just traffic management, we would also try to take up other projects to help fellow citizens,” he added.

A passenger, when asked about the students, said, the traffic was never smoother than today. “This is a great evening and initiative taken by these kids. Normally it’s difficult to get into a cab in Police Bazar,” a woman passenger said.

Taxis form the lifeline of the communication system in Shillong. There are an estimated 5000 taxis plying in the city daily and added with private vehicles the traffic snarl has been a major concern blowing the wits out of the traffic department.

PRAYER MEETING TO SAVE MEGHALAYA

With Meghalaya Congress legislators habitually rushing to 10 Janpath to seek the blessings of “madam” Sonia Gandhi, the “Aam Admi” left with no option is seeking for divine intervention to save the state.

A three-day prayer meeting would be held at Nartiang, Jaintia Hills to seek “God’s help to save the state from the present political turmoil.”

Church and village elders together with NGO members in Nartiang would organise the prayer meeting from Monday next week at the local LP School there.

“We are organising the meeting so that our politicians might see sense and start working for the people of the state, instead of rushing to New Delhi for power,” president of Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (Nartiang circle), Damanmi Dkhar said today.

Urging other people to join the prayer meeting, he said, they can do so from their own homes and religious places.

Meghalaya’s state machinery is paralysed for the past few months due to infighting within the Congress party – the largest coalition in the Meghalaya United Alliance government.

18 Congress men are demanding a change of leadership in the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, the CLP leader, and his loyalists are clinging on.

In the process, the politicians have vacuumed themselves out of the secretariat here to New Delhi. Sangma, who has rushed to New Delhi today, earlier, claimed he keeps tab of the state’s affair over the phone with his officers.

“Not even an agitation can work here in Meghalaya. So we are organising this prayer meeting as it’s our only option,” Dkhar said.

INDIAN ARMY'S NEW BATTLEFRONT

The Indian Army has for the first time entered the new war-zone of cut throat marketing and is trying to win over students to its ranks.

Here at the two-day Assam Tribune-organised Edufair that began on May 20 at the All Saint’s Hall, the Indian Army has set up stalls and homing in on youths from the region to guide them in joining the Armed forces.

“This is a new idea to get into education fairs. We are trying to encourage students from the Northeast to join the Indian Army, either after their 12th or Graduation,” Colonel MK Singh, officiating Director of Army’s recruiting head office of the Northeast region here, said.

Response from the student community has been upbeat on the first day. They have marched up to the stall, not just male, but equally joined by female students, and are inquiring about career prospects available in the armed forces.

“The female students are enquiring about the women entry scheme and also the Military Nursing Service. The male about the National Defence Academy (NDA),” Hawaldar, Nemji Kathal and Rajesh Rana, the Army career counsellors at the fair said.

Abhijit Das, a 12th pass student, said, he has not made up his mind on what courses to take up, but NDA to him seemed exciting and adventurous.

“I am not yet decided, but the NDA seems to be offering quite an exciting career. Besides, it would also qualify me as a graduate while making me an officer,” the lanky six-footer said, while figuring out his camouflaged career options.

Meanwhile, Col. Singh informed, there is a lot of vacancy in the Army, especially for the youths of the Northeast. “There are special concessions for the students from the northeast to join the Indian Army and we are therefore trying to create awareness on it,” the Army officer said.

Shillong is the northeast headquarters of the Army’s recruiting office. There are five other centres under this headquarter in Jorhat, Narangi, Rangapahar, Silchar and Aizwal.

However, the response of northeast youth in joining the armed forces has been lukewarm over the years. In Meghalaya, the most visible face of the Indian Army is Late Captain Clifford Nongrum of 12 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. He sacrificed his life during the Kargil War and was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.

“If this experience of setting up stalls at education fair works, the idea would definitely be emulated in other parts of the region,” Col. Singh vowed.

BHAGWAT GITA IN KHASI

Kurukshetra, the epic battleground of the Mahabharata, is metaphorically within every individual trying to battle all evils, said Lesli Hardinge Pde, who has brought out the first Khasi translation of the Bhagwad Gita.

He said, every religion teaches righteousness in its own way and individuals try to follow the right path battling within against all forms of evil, in the same manner as the battle of Kurukshetra.

Pde, a multi-faceted personality, has earlier translated the Ramayana, the Upanishad, the Mahabharata and now the Bhagwad Gita, into Khasi literature.

Although a Catholic Christian by faith, Pde said he has translated the Bhagwad Gita into Khasi, titled, “Ka Jingruwai U Blei” or The Song of God, so that people in Meghalaya could read and understand its teachings.

In the Mahabharata, the Bhagwad Gita comprises of 18 chapters from the 24th through 42nd and is a collection of 700 verses. The first verse begins with a lamentation of the consequences of war.

The verses are spiritual discourses between Lord Krishna urging a confused Pandava prince Arjuna, to fight his evil cousins in the battle of Kurukshetra in Mahabharata. The spiritual conversations are intended to go beyond the scope of religion and benefit humanity.

“Every religious scriptures, be it the Bhagwad Gita, the Bible or the Koran, teaches about righteousness, truth and morality. These gives people inspiration, so I decided to translate some of these books,” he added.

Pde said he took almost four months to translate the Bhagwad Gita from the English editions written by Indian philosopher and monk of the Ramakrishna order, Swami Prabhavananda and British novelist, Christopher Isherwood.

Although Pde has many Khasi publications to his credit, he first began translating some of the epics on Hindu philosophy from 1986.

In 1986 he first translated the Ramayana and then the Mahabharata in 1988. Later in 1991 he translated the Upanishad.

“I am now working on Kalidas’ epic Abhijnana Shakulntalam and would be coming out with a Khasi version on it soon,” the Septuagenarian retired Meghalaya government official said.

Pde said he as a member of the Catholic Church has received encouragement to translate books from different languages into Khasi. Pde’s latest publication was financed by the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

“The Sahitya Academy has stressed that as many books as possible maybe translated into Khasi to enrich the language. So I am trying to contribute in that direction in my own humble way,” Pde added.