Durga Maer aagomon Nowka tey - 2017

DURGA PUJO 2017

Durga Maa Nowka tey aagomon. Ghatak-e gomon...” Life is a journey. A reminder of our scheduled arrival and departure. In between is Durga Puja – the festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil.

The essence of Durga Puja is the celebration of this fight and victory of good over evil – not just in physical terms, but also spiritual. The festival is observed to celebrate Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahisasura the evil Asura (demon) king.

Interestingly, the arrival of Goddess to earth each year is on a specific mode of transportation, having significance amongst the Hindus.

“Nowka tey aagomon means Durga Maa would arrive on Earth this year on a Wednesday at on a boat. This mode of transportation is associated with flood,” the almanac said.

Maa Durga is returning to her heavenly abode after her four-day sojourn to Earth on the Ghatak or Horse – an animal associated with War.

The mode of transportation changes every year according to the almanac. These include Dola, Goj, Ghatak (horse) and Nawka (boat.) Arrival or departure on Ghatak signifies war and drought, whereas on Nawka flood and misery. It’s not known how these beliefs took root amongst, but are taken seriously by many devote Hindus.

Durga or Shakti is also the primordial cosmic feminine energy responsible for creation and destruction.

2012

“Durga Maa Dola tey aagomon. Goj-e gomon...” Life is a journey. A reminder of our scheduled arrival and departure. In between is Durga Puja – the fight of good against evil.
The essence of Durga Puja is the celebration of this fight and victory of good over evil – not just in physical terms, but also spiritual. The festival is observed to celebrate Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahisasura the evil Asura (demon) king.
Interestingly, the arrival of Goddess to earth each year is on a specific mode of transportation, having significance amongst the Hindus.
“Dola tey aagomon means Durga Maa would arrive on Earth this year on a Palanquin and her face would be hidden. This mode of transportation is associated with epidemics and natural calamities,” said a local temple priest here.
But, the good news is, she is returning to her heavenly abode after her four-day sojourn to Earth on the Goj or Elephant, which signifies bountiful harvest and prosperity, he added.
The mode of transportation changes every year according to the almanac. These include Dola, Goj, Ghatak (horse) and Nawka (boat.) Arrival or departure on Ghatak signifies war and drought, whereas on Nawka flood and misery. It’s not known how these beliefs took root amongst, but are taken seriously by many devote Hindus.
20-year-old engineering student, Tupai studying in Chandigarh is here on a Puja vacation. A youth who lost his mother before the Puja celebrations last year. “My mother comes to my memory a lot. She wanted me to be a good electronic engineer, she was my strongest support,” the youngster said.
Durga or Shakti is also the primordial cosmic feminine energy responsible for creation and destruction.
During the occasion, the festival is celebrated in different parts of the state with great love and gaiety. There are 175 Sarbojanin (for everyone) Durga Puja pandals in the state this year, each with its unique design, colour and lights.
“Hope the festival would be celebrated with a spirit of love, gaiety, fraternity and goodwill amongst all sections of the society to spread the message of harmony and peace,” Meghalaya Governor, RS Mooshahary greeted.
Tupai, meanwhile, has not booked his return ticket and unsure whether he would fly or go by train, but is confident of fulfilling his mother’s wish in the true spirit of the Durga Puja celebrations.

Majuli Island drifting away

Isolated by nature and neglected by administration, Majuli Island is slowly tearing apart with several young Islanders taking to distant jungles to sustain their poor families.
The Island on the River Brahmaputra is the seat of Assamese neo-Vaishnavit culture and the world’s largest fresh water Island. However, years of nature’s fury coupled with an indifferent government effort to help the Islanders has led several to take drastic steps and one being: taking up arms.
“My parents are poor farmers. We owned some cultivable land, but it was washed away by the River. There are few alternatives for a living,” Mahesh Bora, a former ULFA cadre and a Majuli Islander said.
Bora along with several others from the Island joined the ULFA about six years back. Bora may have seen the futility in hiding in the jungles of Myanmar and Bangladesh and preferred to surrender before the BSF today, but there are others who aren’t sure yet.
Not long ago, the total area of Majuli was 1250 square kilometer. Its area now stands half at 650 square kilometer. With agriculture being the mainstay of the Island and each hour the island being nibbled away by the River, the 150, 000 inhabitants of the Island remain hopelessly vulnerable to drift the wrong way.
Apart from agriculture, Majuli has a huge tourism potential with its ancient culture and geographical uniqueness. But, proper infrastructure and planning is yet to anchor on the Island.
“Its hard to even find manual labour jobs in Majuli what would one do,” questions Bora, who in his over-sized blue jeans and tight checkered T-shirt is a reflection of a confused villager. But, his eyebrows knits together when he speaks of his parents and younger siblings he abandoned years back.
“My mother cried all the time and asked me to return home through couriers, so I had to,” Bora says scratching his bullet pendent on his neck.
He also speaks of death, pain and strange diseases in the jungles of Papong Basti in Myanmar as a ULFA cadre trained in AK series assault rifles, pistols and grenades to kill.
“Bora was involved in extortion, killing and kidnapping cases in Jorhat district,” BSF (Assam-Meghalaya) frontier Chief, RC Saxena said during the surrender of Bora and another NDFB militant, Jadhav Boro.
Both the ULFA and NDFB cadre maybe rehabilitated with the government package and as Bora says, “start business,” but is this the way out for Majuli and its youth?

"God is a great designer:" Kalam

Father of India’s nuclear programme and one of the country’s topmost scientists, APJ Abdul Kalam, on Friday, took school students through a unique journey of metaphysics, the Milky Way and a world of pure science, briefly interrupting to eulogize “God” for him being a “great designer”.

Interacting with school students here at the Raj Bhavan, Kalam while dwelling on the vastness of space, the mystery of the black hole and the Milky Way said: “God is a great designer… but some scientist may not agree”.

He added that while Venus was a hot boiling mass and Mars was cold uninhabitable planet, “ earth was put in a suitable orbit … and blessed” so that life could sustain here, while implicitly highlighting the divine intervention for such a unique creation.

Kalam also took direct questions from the school children and answered in his own candid manner, breaking conventions and security barricades to reach the children on several occasions.

“Indian minds are great” Kalam said, adding that an “ignited mind” is superior to all resources found on the earth and urged the school children to use it prudently for nation-building.(2005)

"The entire world is my family..."

In an increasingly materialistic world, her smile, grace and style might have been overlooked and abandoned, but otherwise these qualities should have been treasured.
Sabina Bareh, bejeweled with her million-dollar smile giggles, saying she is turning 100 years of age in the next two months and can’t hide her excitement as a child whose birthday is approaching. She and her friends are going to celebrate the occasion in a big way and Bareh can’t wait for that day.
Wearing a crochet wool scarp, Bareh’s wrinkled face speaks of the numerous journeys of life she has traveled. “I am very happy and satisfied now,” she says after spending close to 22 years at the Mercy Home, a centre for the elderly people here.
She gets pensive speaking about her family and why she turned up in the home for the elderly in the first place. “I have forgotten everything, now I am happy,” she repeats sitting on her bed and ironing her handkerchief softly with her hand, as though straightening the rough edges of life.
Bareh, there are scores of other elderly people abandoned by their loved ones lodged in the Home. None though wants to return and very few have complains about their past. They seem to have reconciled with their life and wants to move ahead.
In India, there are 81 million people over the age of 60 years. The figure is expected to rise to 113 million by 2016 and 179 million by 2026.
Back at the Mercy Home, as the petite Bareh speaks, resident inmates join in to interpret her somewhat stuttering speech. She however holds them back with her hand and her charismatic smile and grace. “Namdong…I come from Namdong village,” is what could be gathered.
“She still can cut betel nuts with a knife and she is one of the neatest inmates here. She is sweet,” another inmate and a government pensioner says in chaste English. This spinster inmate, who requested anonymity, worked for a renowned girls’ public school and taught them culinary and etiquette. But, she was left at the home by her relations a few months back.
Lala Singh Sonar, another resident inmate and a bachelor walks with a limp after an accident that left him jobless as a cowherd. “I don’t want to go to my brothers I would only be a burden. I am only sad that my employer did not help me with my job after serving for years,” he rues and walked away to witness a function organized for the elderly on occasion of International Day for the Elderly in the Home.
Everyday, the inmates at the 62-bedded Home chips in to help the staffs. “They do gardening, cut vegetables for the kitchen and do other minor works if their health permits,” Sister Ann, in-charge of the Home said.
While returning from the Home, Bareh once again invited to come for her birthday, she wanted the guest list to increase - probably wanting the entire world to be her family.

STUNT MANIA

The battle line has been drawn between Police officers and reckless stunt-riders here in the city and it would be nothing short of “Stunt Mania.”
Therefore, bikers engaging in stunt-wars on the city streets here better think twice before they: “wheelie, stoppie and burnout” as police officers would try match their skills on their own turf and the winner would take it all.
A specially trained group of police officers would soon get on their biking gears and engage with biker gangs, who some say are causing danger to public life and property.
“The police department has ordered motorbikes and soon officers would test the mettle of these stunt-riders,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (traffic) Hurbert G Lyngdoh said in a press meet today.
Till June this year, there were 24 motorbike-related accidents in the city. Six persons have died. During the Independence Day celebrations with streets empty due to a bandh called by HNLC, 30 bikers were arrested for performing extreme stunts on the streets.
There are several associations of bikers in the city. Some of these include the Pulsar, Honda, Yamaha and Enfield bikers association. Some of these association members perform death-defying stunts on the streets like wheelie (lifting front wheel), Stoppie (lifting rear wheel) and burnout (spinning rear wheel till smoke emanates.)
What the police here are worried though is the manner these bikers zip at high speed through the traffic causing danger to the public.
Lyngdoh said that there are 17000 motorbikes and scooters in the city. These are seen maneuvering dangerously during the rush hours. Many of these bikers are teenagers.
“Anyone who is found over-speeding and performing stunts should think twice. The traffic department would be very strict against violators,” Lyngdoh added.
The craze about stunt has also been accentuated by reality show such as MTV’s Stunt Mania. In May this year, Shillong was one of the cities in India that hosted Stunt Mania in which bikers performed stunts.
Meanwhile, the traffic police department said they have not thought about a name for the police officers’ squad to bust these biker gangs, but they might come up with something cool and hip to be in sync with time.
Earlier, during Independence Day, the traffic department conducted area domination drills on motorbikes.
However, there aren’t adequate numbers of bikes and therefore the department is looking for more bikes with adequate horse power – an exciting prospect for stunt-rider fans!

MEGHALAYA TRANSIT ROUTE OF COUGH SYRUP SMUGGLING

Meghalaya has become the main transit route for smuggling of Phensedyl and other Codeine-based cough syrups to Bangladesh, recent seizures suggests.
In this year alone, Codeine-based cough syrups worth over Rs. 59 lakh was seized in Meghalaya. A total of 1.12 lakh bottles were confiscated in three seizures. Officials say, many of these cough syrups were meant to be smuggled into Bangladesh via Meghalaya and Agartala.
Phensedyl, Corex and other Codeine-based cough syrups are legally available in India. These are prescription drug. A bottle of Phensedyl cost Rs. 42.25 and Corex Rs. 68.
But in “dry” Bangladesh these Codeine-based cough syrups are in high demand and are sold anything between Taka 200-300. The price shoots up substantially during festivals.
In the region too there are a substantial number of cough syrups abusers. In “dry” states such as Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura the number of cough syrup abusers is growing.
In India, Phensedyl is manufactured by Indian Pharmaceutical giant Nicholos Piramal. However, there is growing debate whether the control mechanism has failed and the cough syrups are being smuggled rampantly.
Yesterday, the Customs here seized a truckload of cough syrups from Lumshonong, Jaintia Hills. The truck was loaded in Bihar and was on its way to Agartala enroute to Bangladesh.
Hidden behind 30 rice sacks were 47,400 bottles of Corex and 3,600 Phensedyl bottles – a total of 50,000 bottles of cough syrups. The total price of cough syrups was 33.75 lakh. The driver and handyman of the truck were detained.
On July 31, another truck with 27,100 bottles was seized in Umling, Ri-Bhoi. The price of that illegal consignment was over 11.45 lakh. The bottles were hidden together with Marijuana.
Back in February this year, 35,000 bottles of Phensedyl were recovered and the cost of the illegal consignment was pegged at Rs. 14.78 lakh.
Director General of Narcotic Control Bureau, OPS Malik during his visit to the region said that Meghalaya has become the favoured transit route for smugglers, both for smuggling in drugs such as cocaine, heroine from Myanmar into India via Manipur and like in these cases, smuggling out cough syrups to Bangladesh.

COMIC BOOK ON MALARIA

The release and distribution of a health comic book to create awareness on Malaria to school kids could not have been more timely as the death toll from Malaria has increased 524 percent in 2007 over 2003 in Meghalaya. 

The first of its kind health comic book titled – A tale of two magic potions - is an “absorbing” story of two school kids, Abhishek and Anu, fighting to make their town Malaria-free. 

Both the schools kids together with others make their town Amritnagar “Malaria-free” by taking some basic Malaria-control steps. The 30-paged Comic book was distributed to fifth grade students in three different schools here by Chillibreeze Solutions - a content and design service provider. Before distribution of the comic book a quiz contest was conducted and later after a few days another quiz was held. 

 “The students showed visible improvement in their knowledge about Malaria after reading the comic as indicated by their answers,” Dr. Nishi Viswanathan, one of the directors at Chillibreeze and author of the book said. During the Second World War such initiative was also taken by Walt Disney to educate soldiers and people on the prevalent diseases including Malaria through films and comics. 

Walt Disney’s “The Winged Scourge” produced in 1943 showcased the seven dwarves pointing out several precautions to fight Malaria. By 1945 more than 8000 shows were held each month attracting over 4 million people to such health oriented films. Dr. Viswanathan adds though Malaria is preventable hundreds of people die of the disease in India. 

The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) envisages achieving a target of 50 percent reduction of Malaria death rate by 2010. However, in Meghalaya Malaria morbidity and Malaria mortality has increased 524 per cent this year from 2003, despite the state spending Rs. 23.70 crore to combat the disease as per the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report.

 “The possibility of achieving the objective (under NRHM) of reducing Malaria morbidity and mortality rate by 30 and 50 per cent respectively by 2010 is remote,” the report underscored. However, Dr. Viswanathan is optimistic. She says creating awareness on this preventable disease through “entertaining and engaging” medium to school kids is one of the solutions to combat Malaria. Chillibreeze is trying to translate the comic book in different languages for distribution to school children across India as part of its non-profit ventures.

HANUMAN TEMPLE IN BALPAKRAM

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today demanded in the Assembly that a Hanuman temple be constructed at Balpakram National Park to attract tourists.
John Manner Marak of the NCP said during a motion that according to Ramayana Hanuman flew to Balpakram Park to collect the life-saving Sanjeevani.
According to legends, when Lakshman was injured by a poisonous arrow shot by Ravana's son Meghdut, it was diagnosed, that only the Sanjaveeni could save his life.
As Lakshman laid battling with his life, Hanuman went in search of the herb. Hanuman flew from the battlefields of Sri Lanka and came to the Himalayas looking for the herb. From top of the Himalayas he sighted a hillock and proceeded straight towards it.
Legends say the place incidentally was Balpakram National Park in South Garo Hills.
Hanuman not being able to identify the herb pulled up the entire hillock and flew back to the battlefield. Till date a huge opening in one of the hillocks in Balpakram Park exists which Hindus claim was the piece of land that Hanuman carried away.
Supporting the motion opposition leader Conrad Sangma said the government would stand to gain by constructing a Hanuman temple inside the park to attract tourists.
Other opposition members joining the discussion said that Balapkram Park is revered by the Garo people as the “abode of the departed souls” and the Park needs to be prompted to attract tourists.
Balpakram National Park stands nearly 3,000 feet above sea level and covers an area of 200 square kilometer. It is a tableland and the plains of Bangladesh can be seen from atop.
The park is rich in rare flora and fauna and is also strewn with ancient religious shrines and Hindus from India and Bangladesh visit it on annual pilgrimages.

ARTIST DONATES BODY

Even after his death, Moinul Haque Barbhuiya would touch the living soul after he magnanimously donated his body for medical research today.
This is the first time that an individual has donated his or her body for a scientific cause in Meghalaya’s history. However, one of the deceased’s relatives has claimed the body and is arguing that the body be buried according to religious rites against the deceased’s last wish.
Barbhuiya was a renowned artist and a faculty in Department of Creative Arts in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
Barbhuiya before his death pledged that his body be donated to North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) today.
The Nobel gesture has elated the artist community in Meghalaya. “This noble act would only help in developing the pursuit of science and art,” R Warjiri a local artist said.
Not just the artists, relatives of Barbhuiya are equally elated. “This would help the entire scientific community of Meghalaya,” a relative of Barbhuiya said who did not want to be named.
P Bhattacharyya dean of NEIGRIHMS said the body of Barbhuiya would be used to help in discovering new scientific knowledge.
“ Its rarely done that someone donates his or her body for a scientific cause and Barbhuiya body would be of immense help for the scientific community ,” Bhattacharyya said.
Bhattacharyya said Barbhuiya’s body would be a case study of muscles, bones, veins and human anatomy.
Barbhuiya was a Muslim by faith. He was a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Vishwa Bharati University, Shanti Niketan, West Bengal.
He was born in Lala, Assam in 1952 and joined NEHU in 1976 as an artist. In 1989, he joined the Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, NEHU.
Barbhuiya was the founder secretary of Meghalaya Artists’ Guild from 1983 to 1989. Barbhuiya leaves behind his wife and daughter a medical student.

SNAIL MAIL

Not to be left behind in this age of communication technology, the Snail mail would now piggy ride on brand new motorbikes to be delivered at the doorstep a wee bit faster then before.
The Postal department here has purchased ten motorbikes which the postmen would zoom to deliver letters and other postal items right at the doorstep in the state capital.
For years, Bollywood has immortalized the postmen with his depiction of a khaki-clad-man riding on a bicycle to deliver love, sorrow, aspiration, dreams scribbled on a postcard or packed in a letter or other items, the postmen these days have all but lost somewhere in these era of communication blitzkrieg.
The idea behind purchasing the TVS motorbikes is to avoid the notorious traffic snarls in the state capital. The other advantage is the postmen don’t have to trudge the steep inclines in snaking lanes and alleys in this hill state to deliver information.
“We want to delivery the mail and other postal items as fast as possible with efficiency,” M Iawphniaw Postmaster General NE circle said after flagging off the motorbikes here today.
The department here further purchased eight vehicles for delivery of mail to West Khasi Hills and Garo Hills districts. Earlier, the department used to send mails from the state capital to Nongstoin and Garo Hills through private transport.
Iawphniaw said, the private transports are not always reliable and on many occasions delivery of mail is delayed and the postal department gets the blame for the poor service. She added with the introduction of the vehicles mail postal delivery service would improve.
In Garo Hills, the Snail mail would move from Tura to Willimnagar and then to Goalpara, Assam. From Goalpara the mail would be routed for delivery to Tikrikilla, Ampati and other remote corners of Garo Hills.
Although the concept of Snail mail is slowing becoming alien in this Internet age, but it still holds a special place in lives of people.

SPACE EXPLORATION

Investment in space exploration would give seven times return to any economy of the world which embarks on such missions, NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke said today.
He said, developed economies of the world are investing in space exploration to help development of people’s lives on Earth and the returns are as much as seven times high of the total investment.
When asked should developing countries like India invest in space exploration when the fund could be used for other pressing problems in the country, Fincke said: “definitely India or any other country for that matter should invest in space exploration.”
He said space exploration was an investment for the future and many new technologies and science would develop by such explorations and help find answers for some of the present problems of the world. India’s Chandrayaan mission, he said, was a success as many of its objectives were fulfilled and these findings would help India and its economy.
On the International Space Station (ISS), he said, the space station has already started giving returns on its investment by way of its reaserch on biotechnology. Moreover, Space tourism that is being conducted by Russia would be lucrative business in the near future.
The ISS, experts say, would be conducting studies on a several scientific projects. There are 15 countries that are partnering the projects, including Russia and the United States working first time together in such a project.
Amongst other experiments and studies a cure for cancer is one of the most anticipated studies that is to be conducted by ISS and its crews onboard. The ISS woud be fully operational by 2011.

DHUNURI

One of winter’s enduring ballads, as narrated by the twangs of a “Dhunuri” moving from one chilly lane to another crying out for people to make quilts and mattresses, might soon get lost forever.
“It’s difficult...there is no work these days. The working season has also reduced,” Asif, a 70-year-old Dhunuri or cotton carder from Bihar’s improvised Chapra district said, as he cleaned the cotton covering himself up with dust and cotton alike.
Like Asif, Md. Iqbal too a Dhunuri from Bihar has been working during the winter season to make quilts and mattress for the past 20 years. “Work is difficult to come by these days,” he too rued.
Almost all Dhunuris single-mindedly say that they would not teach their children this profession. “I would not teach my children this profession. There is nothing in it only dirt and hardship,” both Asif and Iqbal said poignantly.
Asif, whose foot digits are crooked from the pressure it endured over the years cleaning cotton said, balancing the “Dhanush” for hours and then meticulously stitching the mattress and quilts is no easy work.
A good Dhunuri can stitch the mattress or quilt in intrinsic designs, an art handed over from one generation to the other. “Every Dhunuri has his own designs of stitching. In quilt the design can range from flowers to birds or other motifs. In mattresses the button stitch is usually preferred,” Asif said.
He said after all the hard work he can think of earning Rs. 300 these days. “Earlier it wasn’t like this and now on many days we don’t even get work,” he added.
The “Dhanush” or the tools used by these cotton carders are unique in their own right. The broad surface is made from Sal wood, while the neck is made from wood from kharia tree.
“The Dhanush is manufactured only in Bihar, the string is made of Camel or Buffalo vein and is manufactured in Meerut. The total cost of the Dhanush is about Rs 3000,” he added.
Most of the Dhunuri attribute this downfall in their trade to the advent of cheap blankets and mattresses in the market. “People do not want to make quilts and mattress anymore. They instead go for the ready-made blankets and mattresses,” Iqbal said.
Another aspect has been the dwindling and mild winter seasons. “The season has shortened and the chill is not the same as it was 10 years back,” Asif said. These Dhunuris would return to their native villages in Bihar after the end of the season some perhaps never to return again

MEETING INSIDE CAVE

Maldives held its cabinet meeting underneath the pristine Indian Ocean, Nepal atop the sun-kissed Mt. Everest and now Meghalaya’s tourism department officials held theirs inside a dimly-lit cave!
Tourism officials, village council heads, NGOs, tour operators and taxi drivers huddled deep inside the Syndai or Jogindra Cave in Jaintia Hills along the Indo-Bangla border on Tuesday with only solar lanterns and Dongmusas (lighted bamboo torches) as accompaniments during the meeting.
The conference room was of impressive proportions, 25 meter height and 30 meter width, architected with stalactites and stalagmites. This place was the favoured hideout for erstwhile Jaintia royals in times of war for strategising and regrouping.
Tuesday’s meeting, however, was no secret. Journalists from print and visual media covered the meeting and the cave reverberated with ideas and discussions of all the stakeholders on how best to promote tourism in Jaintia Hills district, having the longest cave in Asia and perhaps in the world.
“We met to promote tourism, but it was also an effort to draw attention on the issue of cave preservation and how the caves can augment income for the locals through adventure tourism,” Barnari Mawlong, Amlarem’s Additional Deputy Commissioner, who chaired the meeting and brain behind the unique convergence, told the Assam Tribune.
Many of the caves in Jaintia Hills are under threat due to rampant unscientific mining by cement plants in the district. Krem Lait Phrah-Um Im-Labit in the district has been mapped as one of the longest caves in Asia by speleologists, but the cave is under threat due to limestone mining in the area.
The Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association filed a writ petition recently in the Supreme Court, which in turn directed that a team of experts be appointed to assess whether increasing industrial activity was threatening the caves in Jaintia Hills.
The organisation so far has registered and recorded over 1000 caves in Meghalaya of which 520 caves has been mapped yielding a cave passage of 280 km.
The unique meeting had an immediate bearing with forest and environment minister, RC Laloo saying: “these caves need to be protected; we are looking in terms of strengthening the forest and environment department.