Spartan Warrior fights on

He is no Spartan king Leonidos, but his fight isn’t any less noble than the Greek warrior king because Bristerlet Ramsiej has vowed to fight and make Nongstoin a safer place for his townsfolk.

 

Ramsiej, a chef at a resort in Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district, was pained to see young bikers not wearing helmets and also riding rough. So he thought of taking direct action and then dug up some old bronze utensils from the attic.

 

“I took out the entire old bronze utensils from home and took it up to my friend who is a blacksmith and crafted out a helmet that resembles one that was used by the Spartan warriors, including king Leonidos,” he chuckled.

 

The helmet was popularized in the Hollywood blockbuster 300 which depicts the Spartan king Leonidos leading 300 of the best Spartan warriors to defend for freedom against tens of thousands of Persian army.

 

Ramsiej watched the movie several times and thought of taking up the role of king Leonidos in real life. So after he made the helmet he wore it and rode the entire town for the next couple of days, which literally turned heads. 

His message is simple: “wear helmets for safety and comply with the law of the land.”

 

Wherever he went he spoke to riders urging them to wear helmets. “My message is to spread awareness to my fellow riders all over to always wear helmets with ISI mark and obey traffic rules,” Ramsiej said.

 

He further said that he has been creating awareness not just on wearing helmets, but also to ride safely. “Riders should not use the road as a racing track,” he suggested.

 

Statistics available for the year 2018 reveals that 196 persons died in road accidents  and another 232 were injured across the state. Out of this total there were 33 two wheeler riders who died and another 35 were injured. 

In 2017, there were 232 persons who died in road accidents and 379 were injured. Out of these, 37 persons who died were two wheeler riders and another 42 persons were injured.

Ramseij, who also owns an eatery in Nongstoin town, says he is currently busy with his business and his profession as a chef at the resort, but he would squeeze out some time and take out his bike to create awareness in Shillong.

 

“I will definitely come to Shillong wearing the helmet and raise awareness not just on wearing a helmet but also safe riding.  The reason being that many blame “the will of God” when accidents occur. “God protects those who know how to protect themselves, ” the warrior in Ramsiej said.

LEARNING FROM BUDHIA SINGH

Lynti Jingkyrmen Kharjarin 

As nine-year-old wonder kid, Lynti Jingkyrmen Kharjarin blasted across the finish line, people hugged and raised her so high she might have well seen Budhia Singh jogging away down the horizon. 

If our memory fails to reach Budhia of Odisha, let’s recap. Budhia who ran from Puri to Bhubaneswar (65 km) at the age of 5, is one of our many failed dreams.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budhia_Singh

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-12745490 

Such dreams, in a cricket-crazy nation, are built like sand castles for those brash moments of pride and pleasure before these crumble with the slightest wave of reality.

With Budhia our collective aspirations ran and ran out of steam and lost out on many precious things, like Budhia’s childhood. The murder of his coach Biranchi Das’ followed and of course the dream to hoist the tricolor on the highest pedestal went off-track.

To start with Kharjarin is another beautiful dream. She has won the Pinkathon held in Guwahati recently. She came first in the women’s 5k long distant running.

Immediately after Guwahati, the same girl came second in the “10 km marathon” organized by the State Government during the recent National Milk Day.

What is highly commendable is that she came second in the open category and competed with some fine “adult” athletes from Mawkyrwat, West Khasi Hills – probably the Mecca of long distant running in India now – and rest of the State.

There is more: Kharjarin came second with a timing of 46:14 minutes in the race. That’s about 7.5 minute per mile or 4.6 minute per kilometer.

Anyone into long distance running would vouch that a 6 minute per mile is awesome and Kharjarin’s 7.5 minute can be termed as promising because of her age and also the terrain she ran on.

The 10k distance she covered was from Polo grounds to the State Central library which has an elevation of about 74 meter overall on an undulating terrain and freezing temperature in the morning.

Like Budhia, Kharjarin also comes from an economical backward family. Her parents are farmers from Sakwang village in Mawkyrwat and she has seven siblings.

She too is being guided by her local coach Jomsingstar Ramsiej, who recently received his coaching certificate from Kolkata and is an athlete himself.

“Kharjarin’s diet…she takes normal food. We train regularly sometimes running long distance, sometimes through rough terrain and on other days fast walking,” Ranseij informed about the kid’s daily training regime.

It all sounds fine till here, but if Kharjarin were to compete with the Kenyans or say the Ethiopians one day, as she dreams of, it would need more than normal food and training she gets now.

This is where the Government needs to step in and of course those enthusiasts who are into long distance running to support the kid. It would be great if this Class 4 student from Tenset Secondary School is provided a scholarship.

If in another four to five years she keeps on running, the Government must assist her in not just in getting her better sports gears (not like the one’s she wore in the last race,) training facilities and all necessary support.

But most importantly, she shouldn’t be pushed to achieve greatness so as to snatch away her childhood and lastly not paraded as a trophy like Budhia.

Meghalayan Age or Age of Destruction!

Stalagmite sample from Mawmluh Cave

We are now officially living in the Meghalayan age, and this could also possibly be the “age of destruction” and an example is the Mawmluh Cave, which provided clues for this age, but is now under threat of being destroyed.

Select people are aware around the world that the bedrock for determining the age was laid by Prof. Ashish Sinha from the University of California, US in 2003.

When Prof. Sinha visited Meghalaya he took Stalagmite samples from Mawmluh cave near Sohra (Cherrapunjee) to the US for further studies as part of his research on the Indian Monsoon.

The samples provided the best chemical signatures how 4200 years back the Earth suddenly dried up owing to scant or no rainfall. The study was then carried forward by Prof. Sinha and other collaborating scientists and the results were published in 2012.

 

Mawmluh Cave entrance

Subsequently the International Commission on Stratigraphy named the age as “Meghalayan” after the place where the samples were taken from.

But here is the other part of the story. The Mawmluh Cave which provided vital signatures is under the Mawmluh Cheera Cements Limited and continued mining is destroying the Cave system. Not just Mawmluh, a large number of Caves in Meghalaya are under threat from illegal mining.

Inside Mawmluh Cave

Speaking over the phone from California, Prof. Sinha said, he has seen the  mining that's being carried out and destroying the Cave systems and the ecosystem therein.

“Countries around the world preserve Caves. Some Cave systems in different parts of the world are protected just like National Parks, Archeological sites and historical monuments. Caves are a storehouse of scientific data and a diverse ecosystem,” the scientist said.

He said that some of the different species that are being discovered in the caves could  possibly provide cure for diseases and advance research works. There are more reasons why the policy makers should protect these Caves and the environment.

Prof. Sinha says that across the globe it was found that rainfall pattern has become erratic due to “super-fast” climate change. “Of course there were climate changes through different ages in the present epoch (Greenlandian 11700 years that ended the ice age. Northgrippian, 8300 years ago, chilled the earth again.) But the rate at which climate change is taking place, mainly due to human interfernces now, is a matter of deep concern,” Prof. Sinha said.

Prof. Ashish SInha

In the previous ages, the climate changes were natural, but in Meghalayan age unprecedented human interventions and exploitation of Nature and its resources has accelerated climate change and destruction of the environment like the Mawmluh Cave.

Meanwhile, Prof. Sinha explained how the Stalagmites determined the present age. He said, rainwater dissolves Uranium in rocks and over time these are locked inside Stalagmites.

As Uranium decays, carbon dating Stalagmite samples makes it possible to date them. Then, Oxygen from rainwater found embedded in these stalagmites are analyzed. 

Two Oxygen Isotopes the lighter ¹⁶O and the heavier ¹⁸O are taken into consideration. The ratio of their distribution in the Stalagmites depends on the rainfall over the surface of the caves and therefore the amount of rainfall in a specific age is corelated.

Caves are the best places to get such samples as they remain hidden from the elements and therefore provide pristine samples. “The dating of the Mawmluh Stalagmites and determining the rainfall over the Caves over a period of 4200 years was similarly done,” Prof. Sinha said.

The Paleo-climatologist said the Mawmluh Cave which has helped embed Meghalaya’s name deep into Earth’s history for Epoch’s to come, needs more respect and must be ensured they aren't destroyed. (Eom)

MEGHALAYA CM'S OFFICE GOES GREEN

ST Photo

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s office has gone green with his chamber being made plastic free and all his stationary and letter heads coming from recycled paper.

Sangma a self proclaimed environmentalist earlier today walked six km from his residence at 3^rd Mile Upper Shillong to the State central Library to celebrate the World Environment Day.

“We have to focus on three Rs: Reuse, Recycle and Reduce. I have reduced my carbon footprint by saving at least three litre of petrol by walking today and we are also recycling paper,” he told the gathering which comprised of officials and school students.

He informed that in the past few months he have asked officials to make his chamber plastic free and it was done and now the next target is to get the Secretariat plastic free.

Under the plan all Government offices would be made plastic free, which Sangma said, would encourage others to follow. “We need to set example not just paste posters on such occasion like world environment day,” he said.

Moreover, he informed that all his stationary and letter head from today would come from recycled paper. The paper that goes to waste from the secretariat is being recycled for this purpose.  “I have also asked officials to power my office chamber from renewable energy be it solar or wind. This would be done in the next three months,” Sangma said.

The CM said that the whole of the Secretariat and Government offices and Government schools and colleges in the State would be powered with renewable energy like solar and wind in the near future.

“The Government offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so the power that is generated could be sent back to the grid, which would help maybe light up a village for a day or two,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Government launched the “adopt one tree” programme in which each citizen would be encouraged to adopt a tree and nurture it. “We need to identify the tree that we have nurtured to full growth and the source from where we get our oxygen,” Sangma said.

Under the scheme, 17 lakh saplings would be distributed to people in the State through various departments. Moreover, the State Government has also decided to include in schools syllabus, Environment studies, so that children are drawn to environment protection and mitigation plans from a tender age.

TOUCHING FEET NOT SAME AS HUGGING: RAHUL GANDHI

Congress president, Rahul Gandhi today said that Prime Minister Modi “maintains a distance with poor people and therefore doesn’t hugs them,” even though he may well have touched the feet of poor persons.

“Touching feet and hugging are two different things. Hugging is a physical closeness. It’s a particular distance he (PM) maintains with poor people which he doesn’t maintain with Obama or others,” Rahul said while interacting with the media here in Shillong, Meghalaya's State Capital.

The AICC president was reacting to reports of him wearing an expensive jacket here, while his party attacked the Prime Minister in 2015 for wearing an expensive suit and later dubbed the BJP as a “suit boot ka sarkar.”

“Somebody gave that to me (jacket,)” Rahul said on the controversy, but went on to say that the prime Minister deliberately maintains a distance from the poor and so it is a suit boot ka sarkar.

He further said you will not see a him (PM) hug a poor man talk to a poor person, talk or engage to a person. You will see him with others."   

The AICC president said the BJP Government is waiving off credits of powerful businessmen in the country, but is not taking similar steps for poor farmers. He said that the policy of the BJP indicates it is not for the poor.

Meanwhile, Rahul skirted a question when asked if it was okay for the Congress if the BJP considers withdrawal of criminal cases registered against the members of the majority community in view of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s consideration of withdrawing criminal cases registered against the minority community in the southern state.

GIVE UP SC, ST, OBC STATUS- RAMDAS ATHAWALE SMILES

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale today said he “would look into it” whether wealthy Scheduled Castes, Tribes and Other Backward Castes would be asked to voluntarily “give up” their claim on job and education reservation.

Addressing a press Conference in Shillong, Meghalaya's Capital, Athwale said that he has suggested to the Centre to create reservation within the General category based on their economic status “without disturbing the quota belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs.”

“I have suggested to the Central Government that a Bill in the Parliament is introduced and passed so that there is reservation for the general category based on economic status so that the quota of the SCs, STs and OBCs are maintained. I hope that the Government would respond favourably,” the Union Minister, who is also the founder of the Republican Party of India (Ambedkar,) said.

However, when the Minister was asked if he would similarly suggest to the Centre to also look into the economic status of SCs, STs and OBC and encourage them to give up their claim on job and education reservation, Athwale was initially hesitant to answer, but said that he would look into the suggestion.

Athwale, who is a Dalit leader from Maharashtra, was non-committal if he would set the trend by first giving up claim on job and education reservation under his reserved category.

He further stated that the division between castes in India can be reduced through inter-marriages and therefore the Government has announced the Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration through Inter-Caste Marriage in which an incentive of 2.5 lakh is given.

Under the scheme if one of the spouses is from a Scheduled category and the other is not the incentive can be claimed by the couple within a year of their marriage, after furnishing documents validating the marriage and provided that the annual income of the couple is not over Rs. 5 lakh.

Monk with a Mauser- Doklam

The Doklam standoff between India-China-Bhutan has its symbolic presence here in Shillong in India's Northeastern State, Meghalaya. It’s one of the gleaming witnesses of history involving an expansionist China.

But before we get to it, there were several theories about the Doklam standoff, but truth be told – China is living in an illusory past.

Consider this: China's sole claim over South China Sea is based on assertions that its ancestors from the Ming and Qing dynasties roamed these seas, so the area belongs to China!

To further back this claim, it has shown bits and pieces of ancient Chinese artefacts retrieved from these seas and presented these as “scientific evidences.” The mineral-rich area is close to the coastlines of Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and other countries.

These countries too have countered China’s scientific evidences with their own, to lay claim over this area.  However, by 1947 China conveniently created the infamous Nine Dash Lines to mark vast stretches of the sea as Chinese Territory.

China has similarly dragged the Doklam standoff to 1890, even though recent agreements between India, China and Bhutan clearly emphasizes on status quo in this disputed area.

China disturbed that status quo. It unilaterally took the decision to build a road to connect a watch tower, which it recently built as late as 2007 in the area. Let alone discuss its plan (as a responsible neighbour,) China did not even bother to inform India or Bhutan.

So why did China take this unilateral decision? It's  because China feels no threat from Bhutan or India. Bhutan has virtually no military and India has suffered a humiliating defeat in 1962 at its hands.

Several Nations, including the US and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Hague, couldn’t do much about its unilateral decision to build artificial Islands in South China Sea. So probably according to China, India and Bhutan are just minnows and not worthy of having a dialogue with.

The tone and tenor from China’s propaganda mouthpieces only confirm this attitude about the Communist regime - none can dare question its decisions without facing consequences. The regime can’t take no for an answer either from within (read Tiananmen Square massacre) or outside its Territory.

However, what the present Communist regime in China failed to understand is that unlike the Chinese population, Indians live in a democracy – chaotic perhaps, but nonetheless a questioning and vibrant democracy.

The Government of the day in India is answerable to its people all the time, which the Communist regime does not have to. The Indian Government would have to answer to its people if it compromises the country's security.

China building the road in the Doklam plateau is a serious security threat, as it inches closer towards the Siliguri plains that connects India's northeast. Moreover, China’s strategy to corner Bhutan with such threats is to further enclose India.

Tibet is a classic example of Communist China’s expansionist attitude and blatant distortion of historical records. Coming to Tibet and the Dalai Lama, the Doklam standoff is a new chapter of the 1950's history book.

China has always felt betrayed by India standing for the Dalai Lama. His recent visited to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh and received by Union Home Minister (State) Kiren Rijiju was not to Beijing’s liking. India snubbing its offer to join the One Belt One Road, which would arrogantly pass through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, also hurt the Communist regime’s ego.

China would not like to see an assertive neighbour in its backyard, which India is at this moment, hence the bullying.

Now for some history: If history is what China is interested in, than one of the lonely witnesses of history mentioned earlier has to be seen and importantly understood.

The witness is a Mauser, a semi-automatic pistol, belonging to a Monk. It is encased in a glass box at the Assam Rifles headquarters museum in Laitkor, Shillong. 

It is one of the most attractive artifacts and the grip of the pistol is made of Ivory. The wooden holster or carrying case is embellished with Gold and Silver.

“This was the personal pistol of the Dalai Lama,” an official at Assam Rifles said. To be precise it’s a C96 broomhandle with "Waffenfabrik Mauser Oberndorf A. Neckar" embossed on it indicating the factory where it was manufactured in Germany.

The first question that comes to the mind is: what on earth a Monk, especially the Dalai Lama who received the Nobel for peace, got to do with a weapon.

More questions follow. Did anyone compel a 23-year-old Monk to pick up a pistol, instead of prayer beads? Was a shot fired from it? How was it used - as a weapon of defence or offense? These are some of the uncomfortable questions that the Communist regime in China needs to dig the history books further to answer.

According to history after China invaded Tibet in 1950, the Dalai Lama’s life was under threat. The CIA provided logistic support to him and together with his security and Cabinet Ministers the Dalai Lama escaped to India.

The Assam Tribune was one of the first Newspapers in India to inform the world about the Dalai Lama's safe passage to India in May 31, 1959.

The Dalai Lama stopped in Bhutan during his fifteen-day arduous journey on foot through the Himalayas to reach India. Therefore, in Bhutan the Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual Guru. These are well-documented history and needs no elaboration.

However, there are small bits of history that needs to be retold and that is probably about his Mauser. It is a German-made pistol manufactured by Mauser Company between 1896 to 1937 and even China’s Chairman Mao Tse Tung, who ordered the attack on India in 1962, carried these weapons.

These pistols were extremely popular and leaders such as Winston Churchill, Lawrence of Arabia and even Indian freedom fighters such as Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan had these pistols during their time.

But for us living in the present what we need to understand is that the Dalai Lama handed over the pistol to the 5 Assam Rifles, which provided security to him, upon reaching Indian Territory in Tawang. 

Not just his personal pistol, other weapons of his security entourage were also handed over to the Assam Rifles. A handful of people know about this historical event of the Dalai Lama handing over the weapons.

Nonetheless, the Dalai Lama could have very well kept these weapons for his safety and also pursued the path of violence to fight for Tibet’s independence, but he choose the path of peace and reconciliation instead.

People also have this notion that Tibetan Buddhism advocates pacifism, so the Dalai Lama in no way could have kept the pistol or use it to defend his countrymen. Such thinking is utterly out of place and far from the truth.

Tibetan Buddhism advocates nonviolence not pacifism. This also holds true for other religions.  Krishna’s advocacy in the battlefield of the Mahabharata to Arjun is one such example of such teaching.

The Doklam standoff should be also seen in this light too; especially when China intimidates and plans to expand its Territory, be it in Tibet, Aksai Chin, Bhutan or South China Sea.

India’s security lies in having an independent Bhutan, an independent Tibet, an independent maritime route and so like the Dalai Lama, India has picked up the gun for protection of the neighbourhood.

India would put down the gun once it has the safe passage through history, but presently India would perhaps not make the mistake of 1962 by trusting China and foolishly embrace "Hindi-Chini-Bhai-Bhai" only to be stabbed at the back.

India has historically accepted the Dalai Lama with open arms and stood by him and the Tibetans all these years and also endorses his doctrine of peace and understanding and would continue to do so.

India and other aggrieved Nations in South Asia and bordering South China Sea must counterbalance China’s expansionism  with non-violence, but not  pacifism.

As the Communist regime in China threatens to move mountains and seas to have its way, India and other affected Nations must heed to the Dalai Lama's call when he said: “ If someone has a Gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun."India China Standoff Doklam