heritage explorer · china has an eye on buddhist arunachal pradesh and more often than not she has...

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Heritage Explorer January 20153

Edited by : Amarendra Brahma,C/o. Heritage Foundation, K.B.Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati-781008, Published &Printed by : Narayan Dev Sarma on behalf of Heritage Foundation, K.B.Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati-781008,Published at: Heritage Foundation, K.B.Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati - 781008 (Assam). e-mail:[email protected], Website: www .heritagefoundation.org.in , Printed at: Arindam Offset & ImagingSystems, Rajgarh, Guwahati - 781003 and Angik Press, GNB Road, Guwahati - 781001 and Saraighat OffsetPress, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati - 781021

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Contents

Or Heritage Foundation.Bank A/c with SBI, Chenikuthi, GuwahatiA/c No. 3400 1979 819

Heri tage ExplorerHer i tage ExplorerHer i tage ExplorerHer i tage ExplorerHer i tage ExplorerA Monthly News BulletinA Monthly News BulletinA Monthly News BulletinA Monthly News BulletinA Monthly News Bulletin

VOL. XIV. NO.1, JANUARY 201528 Pages, Size - A4 Demy

History or Myth P-5

India must reconnect to spiritual past:President Pranab Mukherjee P-6

Why can’t countries think like companies?P-7

Kirtan takes a groovy turn P-8

Sanskrit, taught well, can be asrewarding as economics P-9

World Hindu Congress P-10

Religious Conversions P-12

Water War: India Should Be Careful P-13

Sacred Plants of India P-14

T.R. Zeliang Lauds STPI Proposal P-14

Half-Blood Brothers P-15

663 Committed Suicide in NineYears in Mizoram P-16

North East Festival - Connecting PeopleP-17

National Tribal HumanDevelopment Report P-18

Sattriya Sanskriti Divas celebratedin New Delhi P-19

Mythology of Podi-Barbi Festival P-20

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling set tocomplete 20 years in office P-21

Al Qaeda banking on SIMI to recruiteducated Indian youth P-22

Indigenious Faith Day Celebration P-22

The Indigenous Faith Day ofArunachal Pradesh observed P-23

Indigenious Faith Day Celebration P-23

Embrace Janjatis to StrengthenNational Integration: P B Acharya,Governor of Tripura P-25

Tribal Youths Should Work Hard ToExcel In Sports – Sarbanand Sonowal P-26

AVP Archers Bagged 4 Medals inNational Level Archery Competitionby ABVKA at Bangalore P-26

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Editor

Editorial

A good fence makes a good neighbour. It is applicable to a nation also. As a (bad) luckwould have it India i.e. Bharat has three countries – two of them are cut out of the Nationherself and the other one has adopted the Ahimsa of Buddha as her spiritual thought andreligion, having common boundaries with India. Irony is that they all are hostile to Bharatspecially in case of international boundary.

Significantly, China has had dispute over boundaries with Pakistan, Myanmar and Korea.But during 1950-1956 China has settled the boundaries with respective countries once forall. What remains her with dispute over the boundary known as Mc-Mohan Line with India i.e.Bharat. A war, not battle, took place between China (as aggressor) and India (as defender).India learnt a lot from this war. Now famous Handerson Brooks Report on Indo-China War1962 reveals so many things quite enough to raise the eye-brow of every intelligent Indian ofthe time.

If Tibet was not occupied by China in a bloodless coup, thanks to Nehru’s Pancharheelpolicy, the relation between the two big powers of Asia would have been differently written.China has an eye on Buddhist Arunachal Pradesh and more often than not she has beenraising the claim in several ways. So, it is an urgent need to settle the boundaries, preferablyand expectedly, across the table, once for all. For all that the present central governmenthas the full responsibility to chalk out a programme politically, diplomatically to meet thechallenge. Which could not be settled or tried to settle by the previous governments evenafter 1962 debacle, will demand time and patience to have it done. We do hope the presentcentral government will do some thing, in this case, worth for future heritage.

Pakistan, an offspring of hatred and communalism stands as a hard nut to crack in caseof boundaries. The boundary along Rajasthan through Wagha is well guarded, but theunrealistic claim of Pakistan of J&K, and a half open support to it from a section of communalbodies of the state has been making peace in that border still a far cry. Now a hope againsthope is that, Pakistan will one day, let it dawn before long, come to ground reality, and workfor the development of her people rather than surviving on keeping hatred towards India forhatred’s sake. In relation to Pakistan, India’s views are crystal clear.

Bangladesh, with the present government there has a realistic relation with the governmentof India. There was an accord on refixing the loose boundaries, made and signed by theprevious government of India in presence of Chief Ministers of the concerned states, exceptCM of West Bengal, having boundaries with that country. There was hue and cry from thepublic, especially from Assam, on the boundary issues. On coming to ground reality, theaccord has a good intention of having a permanent boundary. In a chess game one pawn issacrificed to capture an elephant or the king of the opponent. We should see this accordwith sporting spirit and so for a permanent boundary – which will certainly ease the immigrantproblem from that country to our side.

We do hope and expect an act from the present Central Government in the casesmentioned above for a Heritage solution. A fence as a defence of good will and long lastingpeace is a crying need of the time.

A GOOD FENCE

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There has always beenconfusion about the Aryan Invasiontheory and the word Arya. Onemain reason that the theory hasbeen called into question is thatthere is no primary evidence tosupport it.

Let’s face it upfront, if after 20years someone changes youridentity, more so distorts it; andpeople around you begin to behavedifferently just because you havea blurred identity, it could bedevastating and enraging at thesame time.

If the impotent furyseething inside finds noresolution and you can donothing to reclaim youroriginal identity, with timeone will come to termswith the changed reality.The agony of a buriedidentity however, willcontinue to resurface andpinprick your consciencetime and again.

Going beyond an individual’sidentity crisis, on a larger canvas,if a marginal group distortshistorical contexts and alters theidentity of an entire civilization tosuch an extent that the wholegeneration grows up with aninherited inferiority complex, it canshake the foundations of a proudsociety.

Marxist historians happen to beone such fringe group in India. Thisgroup has authored history andschool text books, whichgenerations have grown up with.

The theory of Aryan invasions,propagated by Marxist historians,has divided India in North-Southdivision. With passage of time

History or Myth

North India got branded as “Aryan”and south India as “Dravidian”.

Where North Indians have beenpainted as invaders, South Indianshave come to be considered asthe original inhabitants of this land.

What really is the AryanInvasion Theory?

According to theory postulatedby Marxist historians, northernIndia was invaded by “ARYANS” awhite race who descended fromCentral Asia around 1500 BC.

These white-blond Aryansdisplaced most of the originalinhabitants, which includedannihilation of an earlier civilizationthat flourished in Indus Valley. Theinvading Aryans imposed theirculture and language on thesubjugated populations.

Important to know here is, whowere these Indus Valley people? Itis said these people belonged toDravidian race and on losing outto the invaders were subjugated toa lower caste status in society.

Central to the Aryan invasiontheory is that- Arya is a racialgroup- their invasion, their whiteskin reflect they were from outsideIndia etc.

Guidance suggests, i-t wasFriedrich Max Muller (1823-1900),an ardent German nationalist andscholar of Sanskrit, whointroduced the word ‘Arya’ in theyear 1853 into English andEuropean usage to propagate theAryan racial theory.

In 1888 he wrote

“I have declared again andagain that if I say Aryas, I meanneither blood nor bones, nor hair,nor skull; I mean simply those who

speak an Aryanlanguage… to me anethnologist who speaksof Aryan race, Aryanblood, Aryan eyes andhair, is as great a sinneras a linguist who speaksof a dolichocephalicdictionary or ab r a c h y c e p h a l i cgrammar,” (Max Muller,Biographies of Wordsand the Home of the

Aryas, 1888, pg 120.)

Similarly, in Vedic literature, theword ‘Arya’ is not defined inconnection with racial group,rather the word Arya means noble,it expresses an ethical and socialideal, an ideal of well-governed life,courtesy, nobility, straight dealing,courage, gentleness, purity,humanity, compassion, protectionof the weak, liberality, observanceof social duty, eagerness forknowledge, respect for the wiseand learned, and quest for socialaccomplishments.

It seems Marxist historians,distortions knew no boundsbecause one such historianRomila Thapar in her book “EarlyIndia” went onto claim that upper

The first point to note is that the idea of theAryans as foreigners who invaded India anddestroyed the existing Harappan Civilization isa modern European invention; it receives nosupport whatsoever from Indian records - literaryor archaeological. The idea of the Aryan race wasa significant aspect of the German nationalisticmovement.

Source: Aryan Invasion—History or Politics?By Dr NS Rajaram

- Hitesh Rangra

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caste Hindus in 1920s acceptedthe Aryan invasion theory, primarilyto identify themselves with theBritish.

But prominent Indian leaderslike Swami Vivekananda,Babasaheb Ambedkar, and SriAurobindo remained strongopponents of the Aryan invasiontheory.

Swami Vivekananda in alecture to an international audiencegathered at USA had remarked:“And what your European Panditssay about the Aryans swoopingdown from some foreign landssnatching away the land ofaborigines and settling in India byexterminating them, is purenonsense, foolish talk. Equallystrange is that our Indian scholarstoo say ‘Amen’ to them.”

Likewise, Sri Aurbindo said “Sogreat is the force of attractivegeneralisations and widelypopularized errors that the entireworld goes on perpetuating theblunder talking of the Indo-European races, claiming ordisclaiming Aryan kinship and

building on that basis of falsehoodthe most far-reaching political,social or pseudo-scientificconclusions.” How prophetic, if weconsider that this was writtensome twenty years before thegrowth of Nazism with its claimsto “Aryan kinship,” (Source: On theMahabharat-By Sri Aurobindo-Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry.1991 pg 10.)

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar in hisbook, Who were the Shudras’devoted a complete chapter on thesubject – Shudras versus Aryan.

Babasaheb, as Ambedkar waspopularly known as, wrote: “Thetheory of invasion is an invention.This invention is necessarybecause of a gratuitousassumption that the Indo-Germanic people are the purest ofthe modern representation of theoriginal Aryan race. The theory isperversion of scientificinvestigation. It is not allowed toevolve out of facts. On the contrary,the theory is preconceived andfacts are selected to prove it. It fallsto the ground at every point.”

Though many Indian leadersand historians have consistentlyrejected the Aryan invasion theory,but their views have been largelyignored.

Marxist historians based out ofprestigious institutions likeJawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi(JNU) keep spreading falsehood,perpetuating a distorted historythrough school text booksauthored by some of them. Theirview of Indian history holds thenation to be in a flux as a multi-nation state that would have usbelieve “India is not one nation buta collection of several separatenationalities”.

This highly politicised Aryaninvasion doctrine has blurred thevision of successive generationsto such extent that much ofcurrent generation has beenalienated from its rich culturalheritage.We continue to teach ourstudents, even today, what ourcolonial masters wanted us tolearn as an enslaved nation.

(The writer is a social media activist andpolitical commentator)

VRINDAVANNov 16, 2014 :President PranabMukherjee on

S u n d a yspeaking atthe Chandro-daya templeb e i n g

established by the InternationalSociety for KrishnaConsciousness (ISKCON) here,Mukherjee said India was one ofthe oldest and culturally richcivilizations in the world.

“As we now make the

India must reconnect to spiritual p ast: President Pranab Mukherjee

transformative change from beinga developing to a developedeconomy, there will be immensepressures on our socio-economicand moral fabric. It is, therefore,imperative that we reconnect toour spiritual dimensions. Therecan be no better way of doing thisthan spreading the Bhagvad Gita’smessage of universal love andhumanity,” said the President.

Expressing happiness that thetemple will disseminate themessage of the Bhagavad Gitaand Srimad Bhagavatam in arational manner, Mukherjee said

that the message was particularlyrelevant for the society today.

“While we as a nation move upthe developmental ladder, it isessential that our spiritual core,which forms the bedrock of ourcivilization, remains undiluted andstrong as ever.”

The president said Vrindavanshould strive to become a worldrenowned center for spiritualenlightenment, from where themessage of divinity and peaceresonates across all humanity.

(The Sentinel 17.11.2014)

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When the political history of the21st century is written and a listis made of the century’s greatestmissed opportunities, the visit ofPresident Xi to India will probablybe on it. No, the visit was not afailure. But it failed to seize thegreat opportunity that beckonsChina and India in this century.Why was that? The simpleanswer is that the minds ofChinese and Indian policymakersare polluted with a Europeanconcept invented 366 years agoin the Treaty of Westphalia. Thatconcept is “sovereignty”. Why isthis concept destructive? Let meexplain.

Just imagine that China andIndia were companies, notcountries. As companies, theywould study each other’sstrengths and weaknessesobjectively and see whethereconomic synergies could beexploited to make bothcompanies profitable. Any suchobjective study would show thatenhanced economic cooperationbetween China and India would beakin to a marriage made inheaven. India badly needs world-class infrastructure. As aninfrastructure superpower, Chinahas demonstrated that it candeliver super-highways, fasttrains, and cheap power stationsto India. And it can even fundthem. At the same time, China isrunning short of labour. India haslabour in abundance. Chinesemanufacturers could becomeglobally competitive bymanufacturing in India. India wouldthen become a manufacturingpower.

Why can’t countries think like comp anies?

Kishore Mahbubani

If I were a McKinsey or Bainconsultant looking around forcompanies with synergisticopportunities, I could not possiblyfind a better economicpartnership. In his heart of hearts,Prime Minister Modi understandsthis because he visited China fourtimes as chief minister of Gujaratto seize these opportunities. Thisis why Gujarat has about 31% ofChinese investment in India.President Xi also understoodthese opportunities. This is whyhe took the bold step to be amongthe first foreign leaders to call onPM Modi. Before the visit, theChinese consul general of Chinain Mumbai, Liu Youfa, said that$100 billion of deals could besigned. Instead, only $20 billionwere signed. So what wentwrong?

Sovereignty reared its uglyhead. While President Xi was inIndia, there was a Chineseincursion into disputed territory.The Indian media, predictably,went berserk. PM Modi had nochoice but to read out a strongstatement reaffirming India’s“sovereignty” over the disputedterritories. The concept of“sovereignty” is particularly toxicbecause it brooks nocompromise. The words“sovereign control” meanabsolute control.

Once again, just imagine thatChina and India were companies.The company of China has a landterritory of 9.6 million sq km. Thecompany of India has a landterritory of 3.3 million sq km. Ifthese companies were locatedside by side and discovered that

they had a dispute over 7,770 sqkm (or 0.08% of China’s territoryand 0.2% of India’s territory), theywould consider it absolutelyirrational to allow a trivial piece ofterritory to interfere with themassive growth opportunitiesthey could have. I am not sayingthat money is the most importantvalue. If China and India cooperateand significantly enhance theireconomic growth, hundreds ofmillions of Chinese and Indianswill be rescued from poverty.What is morally more important?Rescuing millions from poverty orquarrelling over bits of territory?

So why can’t Asian nationscompromise on territorial issues?The simple answer is that whileEuropeans have moved on fromthe notion of absolute“sovereignty” and indeed given upa significant amount ofsovereignty to regionalorganisations, Asian countrieshave not followed suit. Indeed, theEuropeans have reached a newpeak of civilized behaviour byachieving “zero prospect” of warbetween any two EU states. Notwo Asian states have achieved asimilar “zero prospect” of war.This is why Asians need toseriously ask why they remainmentally colonized by a Europeanconcept of “sovereignty”.

If PM Modi and President Xiwere company CEOs, they wouldboth focus on the larger economicgains and push aside territorialdisputes. Unfortunately, if they doso as heads of government, theywould be immediately accused ofbeing “traitors” who gave up

Contd. to Page 24

A Nascent Concept

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Nona Walia, Nov 16, 2014 :There’s a kirtan revolution takingplace from New York to Londonto Tokyo. What was once confinedto temples and pujas at home,has taken the world stages bystorm. New-age kirtanperformances held all over theglobe are like rock shows,attracting thousands of people,who chant and enter a meditativestate, swaying to Sanskritmantras fused with soul, jazz,rap, hip-hop, electronica, evencountry music.

In the US, singer, songwriterJoey Lugassy -known for hisintrospective lyrics and evocativeballads -leads a Sanskrit chant tothe Hindu deity Ganesha, and hisaudience goes into a trance.Canadian singer Lea Longoenthralls a crowd in Montrealfusing Indian sitar, jazz guitar andtabla. Australian musician andyogini Ruth Burgess (aka SwamiOmteertha Saraswati), works onthe ‘musical branches’ of yoga,and has a huge fanbase in hernative country. “Kirtan had agreater impact on me than musicalone because of its wide scope.Some styles are quiet andmeditative and others are upliftingwith a strong rhythm,” she says.

Jazz musician Dave Stringer,one of the most innovative artistesof this new kirtan movement, explains it as a “call and response”technique of singing. He says, “Alead group calls out a phrase, andthe audience responds. It’s a littlemodel of the interaction of the selfwith the Universe or with othersaround him or her.” Madonna’sback-up singer Donna De Loryalso sings mantras. “I lovedevotional singing and rhythmic

Kirt an takes a groovy turn

music. Many of the kirtans I playhave people dancing and chantingtogether. It incorporates East ernand Western instruments anduses more electronic andrhythmic textures,” she says.

THE KIRTAN APPEAL

Why is this chant to Godattracting so many fans all overthe world? Pandit Vishwa MohanBhatt, classical musician andGrammy winner, says, “Differentragas in music create differentbhavas (emotions). The rhythm inkirtan singing directly impacts ourmoods and even the rate ofbreathing.” Tanya Mehta, a fan ofjazz kirtan, says, “Kirtan is amusical prayer. The beauty ofmusic is in the sound, the beat...When you listen to newage kirtan,you want to dance or sing along.Fast music encouragesconnection, and kirtan is perfectfor mass connection, somethingthat is gravely lacking in ourworld.” Says Grammy-nominatedAmerican musician Jai Uttal, thepioneer of new-age kirtan, “I’vebeen learning Brazilian guitar tosupport various kirtan moods. Asa boy growing up in New York City,I was deeply attracted to thesounds and music from India. Igrew up lonely and alienated, andmusic was my soul’s connectionto an inner spiritual world.

For me, kirtan has always beena passionate expression, filledwith many moods. I sing softly, Iscream, I feel God’s presenceand I desperately feel Hisabsence too.”

Sean Johnson’s The WhiteLotus Kirtan Band believes in thepower of chants. They arereinventing yoga soundtracks by

merging ancient mantras, rock,funk, gospel and world grooves.Johnson sings Sufi poems alongwith Sanskrit mantras. “In my early20s, I experienced twotransformative life initiations. I fellin love for the first time, and thenI experienced heartbreak. I wasfilled with pain and sadness.Kirtan’s mantras worked likemedicine for me, soothing themonkey mind and tuning the headto the heart. Kirtan is alsopranayama. The repetition ofmantra regulates our breathingpattern, stoking the prana. Wecompose and arrange new worldbhajans that guide people into thedepth, contrast, and variety ofrasas (powerful emotional stateslike longing, romance,melancholy, angst, passion, joy,and love).”

GLOBAL ISOLATION

According to cultural historianand academician Navina Jafa, thepopularity of kirtan is a result ofglobalisation, and the subsequentisolation felt by individuals in allcorners of the world. “This senseof isolation is drawing peopletowards kirtan festivals. Kirtancreates a synergy through itsmusic and the chants connectpeople, who are otherwise verydisconnected,” she says.

Music therapist, singer andcomposer Stuti Chandokexplains, “There’s a great healingpower in sound. The power ofkirtan lies in community singing.If kirtans were sung on one-to-onebasis, they wouldn’t have had thesame impact. There’s a feeling ofconnectedness that triggers adynamic well-being of all those

Contd. to Page 24

An Inspiring Report

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There was a time when I usedto believe like Diogenes the Cynicthat I was a citizen of the world,and I used to strut about feeling thatone blade of grass is much likeanother.

Now I feel that each blade hasits unique spot on the earth fromwhere it draws its life and strength.So is a man rooted to a land fromwhere he derives his life and hisfaith. Discovering one’s past helpsto nourish those roots, instilling aquiet self-confidence as onetravels through life. Losing thatmemory risks losing a sense ofthe self.

With this conviction I decidedto read Sanskrit a few years ago. Iknew a little from college but now Iwanted to read the Mahabharata.Mine was not a religious or politicalproject but a literary one. But I didnot want to escape to ‘the wonderthat was India’. I wanted toapproach the text with fullconsciousness of the present,making it relevant to my life. Isearched for a pundit or a shastribut none shared my desire to‘interrogate’ the text so that it wouldspeak to me. Thus, I ended up atthe University of Chicago.

I had to go abroad to studySanskrit because it is too often asoul-killing experience in India.Although we have dozens ofSanskrit university departments,our better students do not becomeSanskrit teachers. Partly it ismiddle-class insecurities overjobs, but Sanskrit is not taught withan open, enquiring, analyticalmind. According to the renownedSanskritist, Sheldon Pollock, Indiahad at Independence a wealth of

Sanskrit, T aught well, can be as Rewarding as Economics- Gurcharan Das

world-class scholars such asHiriyanna, Kane, Radhakrishnan,Sukthankar, and more. Today wehave none.

The current controversy aboutteaching Sanskrit in our schoolsis not the debate we should behaving. The primary purpose ofeducation is not to teach alanguage or pump facts into us butto foster our ability to think - toquestion, interpret and develop ourcognitive capabilities. A secondreason is to inspire and instillpassion. Only a passionate personachieves anything in life andrealizes the full human potential.And this needs passionateteachers, which is at the heart ofthe problem.

Too many believe thateducation is only about ‘making aliving’ when, in fact, it is also about‘making a life.’ Yes, later educationshould prepare one for a career,but early education should instillthe self-confidence to think forourselves, to imagine and dreamabout something we absolutelymust do in life. A proper teachingof Sanskrit can help in fostering asense of self-assuredness andhumanity, much in the way thatreading Latin and Greek did forgenerations of Europeans whenthey searched for their roots inclassical Rome and Greece.

This is the answer to the brightyoung person who asks, ‘Whyshould I invest in learning a difficultlanguage like Sanskrit when Icould enhance my life chances bystudying economics orcommerce?’ Sanskrit can, in fact,boost one’s life chances. Arigorous training in Panini’s

grammar rules can reward uswith the ability to formulate andexpress ideas that areuncommon in our languages ofeveryday life. Its literature opensup ‘another humanconsciousness and another wayto be human’, according toPollock.

Teaching Sanskrit under the‘three-language formula’ has failedbecause of poor teachers andcurriculum. Mythological comicbooks such as Amar Chitra Kathaand TV cartoons in Sanskrit withcaptions might at least catch theimagination of children. But thedebate is also about choice. Thosewho would make teaching Sanskritcompulsory in school are wrong.We should foster excellence inSanskrit teaching rather thanshove it down children’s throats.

The lack of civility in the presentdebate is only matched byignorance and zealotry on bothsides. The Hindu right makesgrandiose claims about airplanesand stem cell research in ancientIndia and this undermines the realachievements of Sanskrit. Theanti-brahmin, Marxist, post-colonialattack reduces the genuineachievements of Orientalistscholars to ‘false consciousness’.Those who defend Sanskrit lackthe open-mindedness that led,ironically, to the great burst ofcreative works by their ancestors.In the end, the present controversymight be a good thing if it helps tofoster excellence in teachingSanskrit in India.

(http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

men-and-ideas/sanskrit-taught-well-can-be-as-rewarding-as-economics/)

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When 1800 Hindus from 53countries, heed the call of“ S a n g a c h c h h a d h w a mSamvadadhwam” (Step together,Express together), and convergeto put their combinedconstructive and positive energytogether, the event had to behistoric for Hindu rise andresurgence.

This happened from 21-23November 2014 when delegatesfrom around the world gatheredto deliberate the future for a betterworld at the First World HinduCongress, through the universalHindu values and pluralism, inNew Delhi, Bharat. Sevenconferences, 45 sessions, and196 speakers provided theopportunity to discuss numerousissues affecting Hindu societyand formulate appropriate pan ofaction.

In his introductory note, SwamiVigyananand emphasised that forthe Hindu Society to moveforward in the 21st century, it hasto be strategically placed toinfluence the crucial areas ofeconomy, education, media andpolitics in the world.

The opening address by HisHoliness Dalai Lama captured theDharmic underpinnings of thedeliberations at the Congress. Ina world suffering from war,violence and injustice, the good ineveryone has to be asserted andthat is the sameness of Truth andequal respect for all.

Dr. Mohan Bhagwat welcomedthe presence of delegates from 53countries, when he pointed outthat now was the opportune timeto start realising this goal of Hindu

resurgence for the benefit of themankind based on the Dharmicprinciple of VasudhaivaKutumbakam (World is a family)and equal respect to all.

Shri Ashok Singhal, speakingat the inaugural session too,pointed out that after 800 yearssince Prithviraj Chauhan therewas now a Hindu at helm in Delhiwith the full constitutional authorityand mandate of the people, andthat it was necessary to makeHindus invincible so that everyHindu and indeed everyoneshould live with dignity andrespect.

Justice C. V. Wigneswaran,chief minister, Northern Province,Sri Lanka, mentioned threespecifics in his speech. (1) Bharatis the motherland of Hindus, (2)Bharat has to take care of thesuffering of Hindus inneighbouring countries, especiallyin Sri Lanka, Pakistan andBangladesh, and (3) Hindus ofBharat and around the world haveto mobilise their resources toaddress their economic needs ofthe suffering Hindu community inthe neighbourhood.

The symbolic significance ofthe event was not lost whenSwami Vigyanananda blew theconch to declare the congressopen. It has been 121 years thatSwami Vivekananda who inspireda generation of subjugatedHindus had to travel half the worldto represent Hindu Dharma at theChicago congress in 1893, andnow Hindus from all over the worldhad travelled to New Delhi to theconch call of new beginning ofHindu movement.

Under the World HinduCongress, seven conferencesheld:

World Hindu Economic Forumwas held on the theme “ThrivingEconomy, Prospering Society”.Eminent economists,academics, professionals,consultants, businesspersonsand industrialists discussedissues concerning globaleconomy and Bharat. There werefive action points decided- (1)Global market access to Hindubusinesses, (2) Accessibleavailability of affordable capital forthe Hindu entrepreneur, (3)Collaboration on technologicalfronts, (4) Providing professionalsupport and (5) encouragingyoung and budding entrepreneursthrough mentorship, capital andnetworking. The progress onthese fronts will be continuouslymonitored and evaluated by theWorld Hindu Economic Forum toachieve the desired goals.

Hindu Educational Conferenceaddressed the theme “Creatingand Networking EducationalResources for National Re-emergence”. Academics anduniversity administratorsdiscussed issues that need to beaddressed to raise the quality ofhigher education institutions,while making them affordable andaccessible to all irrespective oftheir economic status. Actionitems that were identified are: (1)Democratising the educationpolicy, (2) Advanced and latestcurricula, (3) Raising thestandards of governing systems,(4) Training of the faculty toenhance their knowledge andcapability.

First World Hindu Congress- Sushil Pandit

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Hindu Media Conferencediscussed the theme “Truth isSupreme while Reporting,Informing and Presenting”. Theconference was attended bysenior editors, journalists, andeminent film producers, directorsand actors. They stressed on (1)ensuring unbiased reporting, (2)preventing the objectification ofwomen in mass media (3)production of media that inspiresand raises the character of themasses.

Hindu Women Conferencedeliberated on the theme“Increasing the Role of Women inHindu Resurgence”. The primarythrust of these discussions wason (1) increasing involvement ofwomen in decision making, (2)developing leadership qualities,(3) ensuring the quality of womenin the rural and disadvantagedlocalities and (4) strengtheningeconomic status, includingthrough encouragingentrepreneurship.

Hindu Youth Conferenceconducted by Hindu StudentYouth Network had livelydiscussions on the Theme:Together Towards Tomorrow. Themain conclusion was that youthshould understand crucial areasof economy, education, mediaand politics which are necessaryfor the progress of Hinducommunity. It is going to be theirresponsibility to propel Hindusforward in each of these crucialareas by acquiring capabilities,knowledge and leadership skills.

Hindu OrganizationalConference conducted by HinduOrganization, Temples andAssociations (HOTA) forum onthe Theme: Sanghe ShaktiKalyuge , Organization is

Strength. HOTA forum discussedeffective ways to bring all Hinduinstitutions on a commonplatform to serve the communitybetter through collective efforts.

Hindu Political Conference meton the theme “ResponsibleDemocracy for All”: The firstconclusion was that the billionstrong Hindu society shouldensure responsible andaccountable democracy bychannelling the democraticpropensity of Hindu peopleworldwide. The discussionsfocused on how Hindu politicianscan come to a common platformcutting across party lines toaddress issues of safety andsecurity of Hindus.

Concluding Session:

In the concluding session,three main areas werediscussed.

(1) Human rights violations ofHindus has been taking placearound the world, especially inPakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia,Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, MiddleEast, Indonesia and also of Romaand Yazidi. To sensitize the worldon these issues and takeconcrete steps to prevent theseviolations, Hindus should have avisible presence in variousdiscourses on Human Rightstaking place around the world.

(2) Evangelical faiths likeChristianity and Islam supported

by huge economic resources andorganisational strength and theiroffensive evangelical efforts isconverting Hindus and otherindigenous communities of theworld at a massive scale. This isa clear and direct threat to worldstability. Appropriate joint effortsby Hindus and threatenedcommunities to tackle thismenace are the need of the day.

(3) Hindu academics at thecongress decided to have a jointand coordinated effort to respondto the overtly biased challengesof western academics whodeliberately misrepresent anddenigrate Hindus.

Upcoming Events Announced:

1. Fourth annual session of theWorld Hindu Economic Forumwill take place in London during11-13 September 2015.

2. Human Rights Conferencewill take place on 10 December2015 in the Peace Palace, TheHague, Netherlands.

3. World Hindu YouthConference will be held inMelbourne, Australia in 2016.

4. The second World HinduCongress will be held in 2018 inUSA.

While the first World HinduCongress is primarily organizedby the World Hindu Foundation,more than 200 Hinduorganizations, associations andinstitutions from around the worldparticipated in the first ever WorldHindu Congress.

For further information,please contact:

Shri Sushil Pandit, SpokespersonWorld Hindu Congress 2014Mobile: +91 98 1111 1088Email: [email protected]: www.worldhinducongress.org

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December 14, 2014 : OnMonday, members of about 60Muslim families of Agra wereallegedly converted to Hinduism.The allegation was of coerciveconversion. Many of the 350–oddMuslims who converted toHinduism on Monday told the Agrapolice that they were promisedland, BPL (below poverty line)cards and voter identity cards ifthey attended the conversionprogramme. An FIR wassubsequently filed. “We havedrawn up an FIR at Sadar policestation of Agra under Sections153A and 415 of the IPC,”Lakshmi Singh, Deputy InspectorGeneral of Police, Agra Rangesaid on Wednesday afternoon.According to reports, a similarconversion programme isplanned for Christmas Day inAligarh.

Any kind of forcible religiousconversion militates against thespirit of democracy and is,therefore, condemnable. Suchconversion is much lessacceptable in a democraticrepublic like ours that has alsodeclared itself to be secular unlikemany other democracies of theworld that have not made anyclaims about being secular.Coercive religious conversionsare practised in some theocraticcountries even though they mayclaim to be democratic. There isample evidence of this in two ofour neighbouring countries.However, such practices shouldfind no place in a seculardemocracy. As such, the furore inthe Rajya Sabha over Monday’sconversions in Agra isunderstandable. What is not

Religious Conversions

understandable, however, is thediscriminatory attitude of many ofthe Rajya Sabha members andthe double standards they evincedover the issue of forcible religiousconversions. We are all aware ofthe extent of conversion of Hindutribals to Christianity and to Islamthat has been taking place in Indiaduring the last two or threedecades. Conversion of Hindus toChristianity has been quiterampant among tribals in Stateslike Jharkhand and ArunachalPradesh nearer home. Likewise,there has also been forcibleconversion of Hindus to Islam.

One recalls the massconversions of Dalit

families to Islam in theTamil Nadu village ofMeenakshipuram in

February 1981. Therewas no furore in

Parliament over thisincident. No one had

reminded thegovernment at that time

to ensure that theConstitution was notviolated. One would,

therefore, like to knowwhether our so–called

secularism isjeop ardized only when

conversion to somereligions t ake place and

not when otherreligions are involved.

As for the issue of coercion,the mere offer of rights oradvantages (like land or BPL

cards) may not really constitutecoercion. The crucial questionwould be whether force orintimidation was used to makepeople give up their religion andaccept another in its place. In theMeenakshipuram case there wasuse of both force and intimidation.Christian missionaries engagedin the conversion of Hindus haveeven offered to send the targetsof their conversion activitiesabroad for higher education.There are many known cases offorce and intimidation having beenused by ‘missionaries’ in theirefforts to convert people to theirfaith. None of this is acceptablein a secular democracy eventhough our pseudo–secularistsmay pretend that the meresupport and protection of minorityreligions forms the core of thesecularist credo. There is noroom for double standards ineither democratic or secularideals. This is something that our‘secular’ politicians have not yetmanaged to learn because theyhave politicized secularism toconfine it to the protection ofminority groups that control thedeciding votes in a democracy. Itis such double standards thathelp to promote jihadi activitieseven in a secular country like Indiawhere the minorities are expectedto be the beneficiaries ofsecularism practised by othersbut have no responsibility to abideby secular norms. It is only in acountry like ours that lawmakerswith distorted notions ofsecularism can permit just onereligious community to bepolygamous.

(The Sentinel, 14-12-2014)

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China, known for its freneticdam activities, is at it again. It hasapproved the construction ofthree more dams on theBrahmaputra in Tibet in additionto the one being already built.The Chinese cabinet has recentlyapproved a document thatmentions three dams to be builtat Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu on theBrahmaputra. These are to feedthat country’s parched north.Asked about the plans to build thedams, Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesman Hong Lei told amedia briefing that ‘‘China hasalways taken a responsibleattitude towards the developmentof cross–border rivers’’ and ‘‘anynew project has to go throughscientific planning and study withconsideration of the interests of lower and upper streamcountries’’.

Nonetheless, India is peeved.China did not inform India of itsplan to build the three dams.Reacting to the report of theChinese scheme, the IndianExternal Affairs Ministryspokesman said on January 31that concerned over freshreports of China building damson the Brahmaputra, New Delhihad taken up the matter withBeijing, urging it to ensure that theinterests of downstream Statesare not harmed by any activitiesin upstream areas. ‘‘As a lowerriparian State with considerableuser rights to the waters of theriver, India has conveyed itsviews and concerns to theChinese authorities, including atthe highest levels of theGovernment of the People’sRepublic of China,’’ he said.

Water War: India Should Be Careful

The External Affairs Ministerhas spoken to reporters on theissue in New Delhi. ‘‘The Ministryof Water Resources will adviseus whether these dams are justrun–of–the–river dams orstorage dams. Ourunderstanding is that these arerun–of–the river dams, in whichcase we would not be affected.We also have to get expertadvice on what is thedownstream impact and howmuch water is l ikely to beremoved. We have indicated (toChina) that we have downstreamconcerns,’’ he said.

In the wake of the report,Assam and Arunachal Pradeshdecided to move New Delhi todraw the attention of Beijing forsteps to neutralize the impact ofthe proposed dams. ArunachalPradesh Water ResourcesDevelopment Minister NewlaiTingkhatra and his Assamcounterpart Rajib Lochan Peguconvened a meeting in Itanagaron February 9 to discuss thechronic flood problems in the twoStates and measures to tackle it.‘‘We have no objection to Chinabuilding dams. But the lives of thepeople who have depended onthe Brahmaputra for ages shouldnot be affected by the dams. Ifthe downstream flow of the riveris not affected, we have nothingto object,’’ the two ministers toldthe media.

As water has become a majorbone of contention between Indiaand China, New Delhi, accordingto the latest reports, is nowpressing Beijing to have a watercommission or an inter–

governmental dialogue or atreaty to deal with the waterissues between the twocountries. A high–level inter–ministerial committee,comprising officials from theExternal Affairs Ministry, DefenceMinistry and the Department ofSpace, among others, met inNew Delhi recently to take stockof the situation and decided totake it up with China. ‘‘Thoughthe issue (of having a bilateralmechanism) has been part ofour discussions earlier also, therecent move by Beijing hasfurther pushed the matter. Thereis a need for some mechanismto deal with the water issuesbetween the two countries on thelines of what India has with othercountries like Pakistan,’’ PTIquoted sources as telling it onFebruary 10. India has the IndusWater Treaty with Pakistanunder which the two countriesshare information and cooperateon the Indus matter. WithBangladesh, India has theGanges Treaty that establishesa 30–year water–sharingarrangement and recognizes theneighbouring country’s rights asa lower–level riparian.

In the wake of the Chinesemove, the Union government hasnow given the go–ahead for a bighydropower project in ArunachalPradesh to mark the country’sstake in the Brahmaputra, alifeline for the highly strategicNortheast. The clearance to the800 MW Tawang–II hydropowerproject will pave the way for itsimplementation. But can itcounter China?

(The Sentinel 10.11.2014)

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This is a fascinating accountof tree and plant worship in Indiafrom time immemorial. Worshipof trees, some of which werebelieved to be home to spiritsgood and bad, was probably theoldest form of worship in India.The authors say the earliesttemples in the country were littlemore than images placed undertrees which, over time, turned intoformal places of worship.

Both the Ramayana and theMahabharata make severalreferences to the worship ofsacred plants and trees. Even ifone looks at the Ramayana onlyas a myth, the fact is that Valmiki’sbotanical information is authentic.And tree worship was not confinedto Hindu religion alone.

Based on oral traditions andextensive interviews, the bookdelves into the history of sacredplants in India. The hugelyinformative introductory section is

Sacred Plant s of India- Nanditha Krishna and M. Amirthalingam

Software Technology Park of India (STPI) DirectorGeneral (DG) Dr. Omkar Rai called on Nagalandchief minister T.R. Zeliang at his residential officeon Wednesday and expressed interest to set upSoftware Technology Parks in Kohima and Dimapur.In a press release, chief minister’s office media cellsaid Dr. Omkar Rai and his team apprised theZeliang about their decision to set up Nagaland’sfirst software technology park. The STPI DGinformed that the infrastructure available at presentin Kohima was “sufficient” for the softwaretechnology park to take off. He said that initially anincubation centre with provision for BusinessProcess Outsourcing (BPO) would be set up inKohima and later, a separate IT park would establishin Dimapur. The incubation center would provide thestate of art facilities to help local entrepreneurs inmentoring, nurturing and expanding their businessto become export oriented software companies,

followed by a wealth of details on81 sacred plants/trees, with theirspiritual and religious linkages andtheir highly valued medicinalproperties. These include ashoka,bamboo, banyan, Bermudagrass, champaka, coconut,deodar, lotus, mango, marigold,neem, pipal, plantain, tulsi(Sacred basil), sandalwood andturmeric.

It is a common sight in ruralIndia to see snake stones installedin front of trees, particularly thepipal, undoubtedly the mostsacred tree in India. The pipal treeis sacred to both Hindus andBuddhists. The Buddha is said tohave attained enlightenmentunder the pipal tree. Hindusbelieve the pipal is home to itstrinity: Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurthi,the teacher, sits under the banyantree. Both the Mahabharata andBuddhist texts warn against

harming trees. Many Sufi saintsalso lived beneath trees and,when they died, were buried at thevery spots that became dargahsor shrines.

Thanks to the intricate formsof worship in Hinduism inparticular, tree worship remainsalive in both rural and urban areas- from circumambulation tomaking votive offerings. Just asreligious reasons played a role insaving animal species like theelephant and monkey fromannihilation, Hinduism haswittingly and unwittingly helpedprotect many forms of trees,plants and herbs although, as theauthors warn, recklessurbanization threatens theenvironment and some plantspecies in particular.

(http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/trees-and-plants-

mingle-with-religion-and-medicine-book-

review-114120800147_1.html)

T.R. Zeliang Lauds STPI Proposal

said the release. The chief minister said that settingup of STPI in Nagaland would not only provideopportunities to the educated unemployed youthsbut it would also improve the economy of the statethrough software exports and IT enabled services.Zeliang mentioned that in the past the state has beengiven least preference in many of the newlylaunched projects and now he expressed happinessthat something was taking place first in the state.The chief minister further stated that he has faith inthe youth of Nagaland and the time has come forthe state to act “practically and professionally” andfor that he would do whatever was needed. Zeliangagreed to provide all necessary support. The STPIDG was accompanied by commissioner &secretary IT KD Vizo and three other teammembers from STPI.

(http://m.newshunt.com/india/english-newspapers/nagaland-post/state-news/tr-zeliang-lauds-stpi-proposal_34353829/996/c-

in-l-english-n-nagalandpost-ncat-StateNews)

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December 17, 2014: Thehistory of border dispute betweenAssam and Nagaland dates backto centuries ago and in the recenttimes these disputes have grownin stature where both sides keepon pointing fingers to each other.Hundreds of lives have been lostso far and the numbers continueto pile up.

Sivasagar, Golaghat andJorhat districts of Assam sharetheir borders with Nagaland andreports of violence in the fringeareas alongside the border areashas been making headlines in themedia. Not just very long ago onNovember 13 last, one personwas killed and three others wereinjured when Naga miscreantsfired indiscriminately on a groupof Assamese villagers atUriamghat, Sector B, alongAssam-Nagaland border inGolaghat district. There arereports that nine persons wentmissing. This November 13incident was a recurrence ofAugust 13 incident that took placein the same area of the district.Around 5,000 people wererendered homeless then.

If an outsider is made to readsuch incidents, then he is boundto believe that peace andharmony along the border areasof Assam-Nagaland is just anelusive dream. But amid suchdisparity, a hamlet in Saibsagardistrict tells a different tale wherepeace harmony and brotherhoodalways find space in the front row.

“These killings are senselessand they bring no benefit toanybody,” said Samson Konyak,a resident of Sibsagar district’s

“Naga Village”. “Even though weare Nagas by birth and still haveour clan back in Dimapur, Mon andKohima, feel proud of ourselvesand we take pride in introducingourselves as Assamese. Thepeople in the border areas areactually catalysed by somepoliticos and officials with vestedinterests,” the 23-year-oldmanagement student from thevillage further added.

The “Naga village” is 15 kmfrom Sivasagar town. Eventhough the name gives animpression that it will be a smallcommunity of Naga people tryingto blend their culture with that ofthe Assamese, but a half an hourbike ride on the Sivasagar-Naziraroad to this now declared “modelvillage” is certain to change thepreconceived impression forsure.

The village roughly has some70-80 Konyak Naga families, whonot only follow the traditional Nagacustoms, but are alsocomfortable with the Assameseway of life.

Established as early as 16-17th century, the village hassurvived many storms to standunited today. The villagepopulation is primarily Vaishnavite,following the religious cult ofSrimanta Sankardeva.

“We are the disciple of theGuru of Moira Moira Sattra, asour forefathers were converted toVaishnavites, when they firstcame to the place. Since then,we have followed the samecustom and remainedVaishnavite,” said Montu Konyak,a resident of the village.

While a few families came withthe guru, a few are thedescendants of thosebusinessmen who came fromNaga Hills and left their clanbehind. The majority though, hadcome with the Naga PrincessWatlong (popularly known as theAhom Queen Dalimi), wife ofAhom king Gadadhar.

As time passed by, this groupof Konyak Nagas became a partof the Assamese culture andtoday they are an integral part ofthe people of Sibsagar.

Though Assam resides withinits heart and soul, yet the villagehas been a bone of contention forseveral years now with theNational Socialist Council ofNagaland (NSCN) makingrepeated claims over it.

“The Naga village is one sucharea, over which the NSCN hasbeen making repeated claims.They have even tried to makeinroads into the minds of thevillagers and time and again havesent their agents to brainwash thepeople. Till date, such a devilishplan has not succeeded and I amconfident it will be the same inmany years to come,” KrishnaBora, a Sibsagar-based teacher,asserted.

Bora’s claims were evensupported by several elders fromthe village. “Once, a few NSCNcadres came to the village withcertain agendas in mind. Firstthey sought donation from us forfuelling their movement andsecond they wanted recruits fromthe village. We, being highlyhospitable, first fed them withbest of the best meat and fish.

Half-Blood Brothers

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And once they were filled to theneck, we beat the hell out of them.Since then, no NSCN cadre hasever set foot on the village soil,”said Uma Konyak, a surrenderedULFA member.

“Not just the militants, but eventhe Christian missionaries havetried their best to convert us intoChristians. But, we havevehemently refused to it saying,”Uma further said, adding, “We areleast interest in losing ourAssamese-Naga identity. We areAssamese Vaishnavites and welove being it.”

“We have relatives in Kohima,Dimapur and various other placesin Nagaland. When we go there,we receive a warm reception. Allthese border issues and politicalunrest between the two states,doesn’t bother us. After all, a Nagaprincess was an Assamesequeen and this means that theNagas and the Assamese arerelatives. This is not Mahabharataand neither is someone aPandava nor a Kaurava. We arenot enemies,” Uma concluded.

The village celebrates six to

seven traditional festivals everyyear, but the biggest of all isAoleng, which is celebratedmostly during the spring season.“Aoleng is celebrated according tothe new moon and is celebratedto mark the end of a year and towelcome the New Year. Apartfrom Aoleng, we also celebrateMagh Bihu, Bohag Bihu,Janmastami, Durga Puja and KaliPuja with equal respect,” Montusaid.

Like the villages in Nagaland,the traditional and religious Nagacustoms are followed here aswell. The village is under oneMorung Ghar and anythingauspicious or any news of thevillage interest is shared in itspremises, after gathering a crowdby beating the log drum.

“It is a Naga custom that everyNaga boy in a village has to offerhis services to the Morung Gharfor a year and we also follow thiscustom,” shared Montu.

But despite all this loyalty totheir Assamese identity, there aretimes when these Nagas feel alittle alienated. Sometimes they

feel that the Assam governmentis yet to give them due recognitionas Assamese. A government jobstill eludes many.

“A girl from the village wasdenied the post of an Assameseteacher in a local school, eventhough she topped the universityin the Assamese subject; a lessqualified candidate was given thejob. Expect for her surname, therewas nothing non-Assamese inher that the job was denied to her,”bemoaned Samson.

Border issues, politicalstruggles and ethnic dominionmaybe eating away the fabric ofcamaraderie between states, butthe real picture when it comes tothe common man seems to berather different. That one needsacknowledgement and respectfor such intercultural mingling andcoexistence of course goesunsaid, but it is also true that thestate government needs to offersomething more tangible thanpromises in the air.

(Northeast Today Magazine,December 2014)

Aizawl, Nov 19 : At least 663 people havecommitted suicide over the past nine years inMizoram, with depression identified as the maincause, a report said.

An Aizawl-based NGO, New Life CharitySociety (NeLICS), recorded and analysed thesedeaths between September 2005 and October2014.

“The main cause of suicide in Mizoram isdepression and the majority of the people whocommit such acts belong to the youth category,”Zawmsanga Sailo, NeLICS chairman, toldreporters on Wednesday.

663 Committed Suicide in Nine Years in Mizoram

NeLICS records show most victims werebetween 15 and 45 years.

Zawmsanga said: “Seventy-five percent of thesuicides in the nine years were committed bymales.”

The oldest person who committed suicide wasa 86-year-old man while the youngest was aneight-year-old boy.

Zawmsanga said the misuse of technologicaladvancement in the form of mobile phones amongthe young had largely attributed to suicides.

(http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=277983)

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New Delhi, November 9, 2014: Connecting people, celebratingthe cultural richness of India’snorth-east and looking atpossibilities of developing theregion are some of the objectivesof the annual North East Festival,currently in its second edition.

Bridging the gap betweenpeople in the north eastern statesand those in the capital is a vitalmotive behind the gala, said a keyofficial.

The fest, being held at theIndira Gandhi National Centre forthe Arts here, began Friday. It hasbeen giving the Delhi crowd anopportunity to taste the culture,food, art and films as well asunderstand the economicconditions of the states —Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,

Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

The prime motto of the four-day gala is to “connect people”from the north-east to Delhi,Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser-in-chief, North East Festival, toldIANS.

“There are two objectives ofthis festival — one deals withconnecting people. We are tryingto bring the north-east closer toDelhi, and make Delhi understandour north-east.

”The second aim is

North East Festival - Connecting People

celebrating life. We are trying toshowcase the talent of the north-east. We are giving a platform toour local talent, who never get achance to exhibit their craft,”Mahanta said.

The festival is rightly a windowinto the rich culture of the north-east.

Photographyand paintinge x h i b i t i o n s ,guided byVikramjit Kakatia n dBikramadityaChoudhury, addcolour to thefest, and arecomplementedby an exhibit of cartoons.

A film festival kicked off withthe screening of two films— “Sonam” and “Raag,The Rhythm of Love”.

For the fashionistas, afashion show gave aglimpse into the heritageof the north-easternregion. Local designerslike Dhiraj Deka, Garima

Saikia Garg, Yana Nogba, L.D.Rosylyn Konshai, Arita Kashyap,Ephica Lyngdoh, ManhiraChristina, Neikupe andLalremsiami brought theirwonderful creations alive on thestage.

A musical evening alsoenlivened the experience of thefest. Rocking performances bytalented regional artists includingTetseo Sisters, Guru RewbenMashangva and Bluestring Path,added to the spunk, as did alivewire performance from

talented singer Zubeen Garg.

The venue was packed with notjust talented people, but also anenthusiastic audience whichappreciated and applauded thespectacle.

A key feature of the fest, whichis themed ‘Insurgence to

Resurgence’, is to attractinvestment and tourismpromotion for the north-eastregion.

Thus, a group of panellistsalso discussed the possibilities ofexpanding the IT (informationtechnolgy) sector.

“A lot of emphasis has beenplaced upon how to bringinvestment in the north-east. Weare here to go for resurgence.Economic development,employment and IT are ourobjectives.

“By ‘insurgence to resurgence’as our theme, we wish to say,‘Enough of negativity, let us talkabout development now’. Overall,our fest is talking aboutconnecting, celebrating anddeveloping the north-east,” headded.

(http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/north-

east-festival-connecting-people-114110900453_1.html)

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Guwahati, Nov. 18 : A multi-stakeholder regional consultationon National Tribal HumanDevelopment Report (NTHDR)was held in Guwahati on November14-15 last that brought togetheracademia, activists, policyanalysts, governmentrepresentatives and NGO peopleof the region and outside todeliberate upon critical issuespertaining to the report. Organizedby the Union Ministry of TribalAffairs and the PlanningCommission, in collaboration withthe United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP), theconsultation identified seventhemes for deliberations: health,education, livelihoods, land rightsand land alienations, gender andgender-based violence, conn-ectivity and access to energy andinfrastructure and access tojustice-legislation, legal provisionsand entitlements. As a part ofconsultation, there werepresentations by the lead authorsand invited speakers as well asinteractions with the stakeholdersof the region. Fully video recorded,the consultation appears to havetaken into cognizance the criticalperspectives provided by thepeople working at the grassroots.However, the whole consultationwas organized in a hurried mannerand, therefore, both thepresentations and interactionswere less intensive and lesspenetrating than it should havebeen.

The UNDP launched the projectof publishing annual humandevelopment report (HDR) in 1990and 2014 marks the silver jubileeyear of its annual HDRpublications. During the last 25

National T ribal Human Development Report

years, the UNDP has reviewed,revised and widened its horizon onhuman development and hascome up with new conceptualcategories to measure progresstowards achieving humandevelopment. With its primaryemphasis on the fact thatdevelopment cannot be measuredby growth alone as growth may notnecessarily bring well being to thehumanity as whole. Developmenthas to be inclusive in nature and itmust address wider concerns ofinequalities and exclusions.Human Development Index (HDI)was evolved to measure theachievements of countries acrossthe world in terms of ensuringuniversal access to basic needslike health, education, safesources of drinking water,attendance of birth by trainedhealth personnel, etc., which haveimplications on longevity and alsoon infant mortality rate (IMR) andmaternal mortality rate. With theseprimary objectives, the UNDP hasevolved the other indices likeGender Development Index (GDI)and Human Poverty Index (HPI).Later on, the HPI was evolved intoMultidimensional Poverty Index(MPI) to incorporate the wide rangeof determinants of deprivations inhuman life. Public provisioning inbasic services like health andeducation, etc., are criticalcategories of measuring humandevelopment. Such a perspectivehas led the UNDP to step in widerpolicy analysis and investigatinginto policy consequences inachieving human development.

It is important to point out thatthe UNDP’s launching of humandevelopment reports coincidedwith the onset of liberalization,

privatization and globalization(LPG). LPG has been a market-and corporate-driven process. Thebasic thrust has beenaccumulation resulting inenormous inequalities in thesocieties across countries whereLPG has been implemented.Joseph Stiglitz’s most acclaimedwork on globalization,Globalization and Its Discontents,unearths the undemocratic,unaccountable and non-transparent process ofglobalization implemented underthe auspices of internationalfinancial institutions particularly theIMF and World Bank. In 2012,Stiglitz published another importantwork on the fallouts of market- andcorporate-driven liberalization andglobalization which he has titledThe Price of Inequality. The workis primarily on the USA which haswitnessed enormous inequalitiesin the recent decades. Stiglitz, atruly liberal economist, finds thatthe liberal ethics and values havebeen violated by the forces ofmarket and the corporates underglobalization and liberalization. TheUNDP that steers a liberalapproach to development has alsobeen critical of the process ofglobalization. However, itsframework on globalization hasproved to be a permissible critique.It is evident from the fact that theUNDP framework of humandevelopment has also beenadopted by those countries whoare implementing the muchregimented policies ofliberalization and privatization. Indiais no exception to it. The UNDPhas indeed helped the neo-liberalregime to generate politicallegitimacy by invoking fragmented

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‘beneficiary regime’ in the name ofpublic provisioning. Thebeneficiary regime creates policiesthrough which large majority of thepopulace becomes chronicallydependent on the government. Itdoes not help people to generatesustainable means of livelihoods.In the process, citizens getconverted into subjects anddemocratic government getsdeteriorated into feudal patriarchs.

It is amidst such challengesthat the Ministry of Tribal Affairs andthe Planning Commission isundertaking the task of preparingthe first ever National Tribal HumanDevelopment Report for thecountry in collaboration with theUNDP. It is pertinent to mentionthat both the Ministries ofEnvironment and Forest and TribalAffairs are peripheral ministries ofthe Union Government today. Theirobjections to the much-publicizedbut anti-tribal ‘developmententerprise’ are undermined indifferent pretexts and at times bycreating new structures like theCabinet Committee on Investmentas was done by the UPAGovernment. Besides, series ofamendments have also beenmade to many laws andregulations on environment andforest to facilitate the corporatedrive on appropriation andexploitation of natural resources.

Tribals mostly live on CommonProperty Resources (CPR) likewater, land and forests. Themacro-economic process isbased on the premise ofappropriation and exploitation ofthose resources for the cause of‘development’. Will thisdevelopment be halted or abalance will be brought in tofacilitate the communitarian tribaldevelopment? Such a question

assumes great deal ofsignificance in a region likeNortheast India where hydropower projects have become anobsession for the Governmentdespite wide range of protests.The Government has even refusedto undertake the well-acceptedprocedures like environmentalimpact assessment and thecumulative impact assessment ina substantive manner to find outthe sustainability of those projectswithout causing harm to theecology and sources of livelihoodsof the commons, particularly of thetribals. In the consultation process,issues like militarization of theregion had also come up whichcauses alienation of the triballands. The Government is nowindulging in distorting theprovisions of the Forest Rights Act,2005 and the Land Acquisition andResettlement and RehabilitationAct, 2011 which were enacted afterseries of mass mobilizations andprotests. Issues like health andnutrition of the tribal communitiesare closely connected to their

relationship with the nature. Thisrelationship has been organic andnot mechanical and institutional. Ithas also been argued in theconsultation that the tribes, whosesources of livelihood have notbeen affected by state policieshave also not suffered frommalnutrition or starvation. Thetribal livelihoods marked bycommunity ownership ofresources are also less patriarchal.Privatization of CPR has madethese communities vulnerable topatriarchal atrocities and domesticviolence.

These are serious challenges.The National Tribal HumanDevelopment Report needs toseriously consider all thesechallenges and must come up withrecommendations to amelioratethem. Government may not acceptthose recommendations. However,the usefulness of the report will lieon its strength to act as a rallyingpoint of resisting anti-tribalgovernment policies.

(The Assam Tribune, 19 Nov 2014)

GUWAHATI, Nov 18 – The New Delhi chapter of Asom SattraMahasabha celebrated Satriya Sanskriti Divas on November 15at the Lodhi Road auditorium.

The event was attended by several luminaries of Sattriyaculture, including Lt Gen (retd) SK Sinha, former Governor ofAssam, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, former Chief Minister of Assam,Dr Sunil Kothari and Dulal Goswami.

While SK Sinha spoke about his love for Assam and role ofSrimanta Sankardev in the development of Assamese society,Dr Sunil Kothari spoke about the status of Satriya Nritya inHindustani classical dance, while Dulal Goswami presented abrief talk on the growth and the objectives of the Asom SatraMahasabha.

Sattriya Sanskriti Divas celebratedin New Delhi

Contd. to Page 21

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Podi-Barbi is an annual festivalof the Adi people of ArunachalPradesh. The arising of the festivalis traditionally as follows.

In the beginning, the Earth wasbarren without any founa when thefirst plant sprouted from the groundwhich unfortunately dried-up andfell down with time. When the trunkof this tree was split up asfirewood by the youngsters of Miti-Mitang a strange worm foundinside which they reared as a pigin a pigsty. In due course the wormgrew up to be a huge swine whichthen escaped from the pigsty andstarted devouring the crops of theMiti-Mitang (people). Therefore,with the help of their two whitedogs (Kipung) namely Tebo andRebo they tried to recapture theescaped pig but couldn’t succeedin spite of chasing it to all thecorners of Earth. Finally it wascornered in the place called KateLige where it was shot with arrowsat Dungying Ge Harling Dingo (theplace where the pig was killed).

Now the Miti-Mitang’syoungsters instructed the birdsand animals to retrieve the pig’sbody from the water. The first togo in was the langur which failed,followed by the birds Pesu Yangguand then Ngudo Gapo(Coppersmith barbet). But formercame unsuccessful with its chestfeathers turned white, the lattercame out with red marks in itsforehead and bottom which staysto this day. As a last resort thespider was instructed to spin aweb and trawl the waterfall butwhen it pulled out, instead of thepig a strange round object was inthe net. The people of Miti-Mitangcarried it everywhere but nobody

Mythology of Podi-Barbi Festival

could indentify it wherein in thefinally went to the land of Busu-Yaa. The Busu-Lomang & Lomongmoved it round and round whencethe musical sound of the PODI(Cicada) emerged. They thenenquired where it wanted to dwellwherein it said it wanted to stay inthe rock (Poling/Eling) of the highmountains of the North and itswish was granted. There it gavebirth to an offspring called Poling-Libar – Barbi. Since then thenames are together used asPODI-BARBI for the mountainCicada. Thus other plants andanimals that live on the mountainsare also named after Poling andPodi-Barbi is considered as abovethem all in genealogical hierarchy.Some examples –

Poling>Lingbar>Barbi>(Podi-Barbi), Poling > Lingben > Benbo(Takin) Poling > Linghar > Harade(Soyer/Sheep); Poling> Lingku>Kunung (Soku/Moschus spp);Poling> Lingsam> Sambing (amountain rodent); Poling> Lingde>Depo (a mountain bird); Poling>Lingo> Ngopo (Tragopan); Poling>Lingke> Kebi (a type of rodent);Poling> Lingro> Roo (a type ofrodent). Each of them chose theplaces of its habitats afterwards.

Then, Gopung-Goye (sp.Tosena Fastiata) of Miti-mitangplains (Sinu>Nungo> Gopung>Goye) sent a proposal for maritalrelationship to the Podi Barbi. Onacceptance, Podi-Barbi startedputting on the finest ornaments likeAlu, Ralung, Ini, Tadok, Singdu-Yerge, Gasi-Gajap, Tayen, Ragda,Ug-Bulu and also the blessing forwealth, happiness, crops andprosperity in the new place. Onleaving her home in the mountains,

grief overcome her and Podi-Barbistarted to cry and all the birds andanimals of the mountain cried withher. On her way she halted threedays in the abode of the Yalti-Yanang (dwarf mountain bamboo)and when she left them, they driedup in grief too. Next she haltedthree days in the lower slopesamongst the Tami (finger millet),Taye (pearl millet) crops. On herdeparture, these too dried up. Now,when Podi-Barbi approached theland of Tani (humans) they greetedher with beer, food, and sacrificesof Mithun as well as merriment,singing of Jajin, Barii, Ponung.They requested her bestow Taniswith blessings of health, goodcrops, peace and prosperity andself sufficiency.

This is the beginning of as wellas the reason for celebration ofPodi-Barbi Festival by the threecommunities of Adi i.e. Libo, Ramo,and Bokar.

From there Podi-Barbi went tothe land where grew the kokam (aplant) and next where Henchi treesgrew. Here the Gopung-Goyecame up from Miti Mitang to greether but the poisonous smile ofOmo (Aconite Plant) she carriedwith her from the high mountainkilled the Gopung-Goye. Finallywhen Podi-Barbi reached the plainof Miti-Mitang she could not bearthe heat and while taking bath inits lake to herself she wasdrowned. Thus, every year Podi-Barbi comes down from thesnowy mountains to the plainsnever to rerurn, while the Gopung-Goye comes up from the plains tothe hills but never reaches thehigher mountains.

- Tajen Podo

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Gangtok, 7 December 2014 :Sikkim Chief Minister PawanChamling is set to complete 20years in the office on December12,2014.

He is also set to become thecountry’s longest serving chiefminister, breaking the record oflate Communist leader Jyoti Basuwho was chief minister of WestBengal for more than 23 years.

Chamling will create an Indianpolitical history record of being 25years in the office should hecomplete his present term, hisfifth. He has led his SikkimDemocratic Front party to arecord mandate for the fifth timein a row in the assembly electionsheld in May this year.

Chamling has been chiefminister of Sikkim sinceDecember 12, 1994 .

The ruling SDF has won 22 outof a total 32 seats on the plank ofpromoting peace, security anddevelopment. The party gotmajority 55 per cent vote share inmulti corned contest in the state.

Chamling was born on 22September 1950 in Yangang,South Sikkim to AshbahadurChamling and AsharaniChamling. Chamling is also aNepali language writer andrecipient of the Bhanu Puraskar(2010) awarded by SikkimSahitya Parishad. He writesunder the pen name PawanChamling Kiran.

He was elected as thepresident of Yangang GramPanchayat in 1982. In 1985, hewas elected to the SikkimLegislative Assembly for the firsttime. After being elected for the

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling set to complete 20 years in office

second time from Damthangconstituency, he became theMinister for Industries, Informationand Public Relations from 1989to 1992 in the Nar BahadurBhandari cabinet.

After a series of major politicalupheavals in Sikkim, Chamlingformed the Sikkim DemocraticFront on March 4, 1993. TheSikkim Democratic Front won the1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009 StateAssembly elections under hisleadership on the plank of peaceprosperity and development .

He has launched severalflagship programmes for makingSikkim a model state in thecountry. This included making thestate totally organic by bringing58,168 hectares of land underorganic cultivation. Its successhas been lauded by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in Parliament .

Chamling has also launchedthe Chief Minister’s Rural HousingMission to make Sikkim the first

Kutcha House-Free State in thecountry by 2013. So far, 6000Pakka houses for poor Sikkimesefamilies have been constructed.The objective of the mission is toprovide permanent and a safe roofover every family in Sikkim.

Chamling is also keen toensure that Sikkim attains thehighest standard of health throughthe Chief Minister ’sComprehensive Annual and TotalCheck Up for Healthy Sikkim(CATCH).

The Total Literacy Mission,launched under Chamling’sdynamic leadership seeks toachieve 100 percent literacy inSikkim by 2015. Sikkim reachedan impressive literacy rate of 82.6percent in 2011 from a mere 56percent in 1994. By 2015, Sikkimwill be the second fully literatestate in the country.

(http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sikkim-cm-pawan-chamling-set-to-

complete-20-years-in-office-2041758)

In the meantime, the NewDelhi chapter of Asom SatraMahasabha conferred the title‘Karmayogi’ to SK Sinha for hisselflessness and commitmentto his career in the Army,Governor of Assam and asAmbassador of India to Nepal.

Satriya dance wasperformed at the function by DrAnwexa Mahanta and JilmilPathak, while Borgeet waspresented by KongkanaMahanta and Dr DimpyMahanta. Similarly,

Dashavatara Nritya wasperformed by Charvi Baishyaand Nagara Naam (with ThiyaNaam) was presented by theKirtan Sangha of AssamBhawan, New Delhi.

The organisation hasresolved to celebrate thecentenary year of Asom SatraMahasabha on December 7 atthe IGNCA in New Delhi, a pressrelease issued by theorganisation’s presidentAshokananda Das, said.

(The Assam Tribune 19.11.2014)

Contd. from Page 19

Satriya Sanskriti Divas Celebrated...

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New Delhi, November 16,2014 : Al QaedaAl Qaeda, whichhas announced plans to targetIndia, is keen on recruiting youthtrained in computers oraeronautics for its terror designsand is taking the help of bannedterror outfit SIMI for this, officialswith access to intelligence inputshave revealed.

Sources said intelligenceinputs shared by central agencieswith the police in some majorcities including Delhi, Bangalore,Kolkata and Mumbai talked of AlQaeda not only planning to recruitdisgruntled youth but had a targetto pick up those familiar with useof computers or havingknowledge about aeroplanes.

They said that Al Qaeda, whichwas responsible for the Sep 11,2001, attack on New York’s WorldTrade Center but has no reportedpresence in India till now, is usingIndian Mujahideen (IM) operativesin Pakistan to establish contactswith the sleeper cells of SIMI torecruit educated Muslim youth.

“A recruit with some technical

Al Qaeda banking on SIMI to recruit educated Indian youth

skill can prove to be more lethalthan others. Al Qaeda wants toadd manpower and gaincapabilities,” an official, who didnot want to be named, told IANS.

Sources said that Al Qaedahas plans to cause blasts andother disturbances in India.

Intelligence officials said thatmembers of Al Qaeda were intouch with Riyaz and IqbalBhatkal, founder members ofIndian Mujahideen who arebelieved to be in Pakistan.

The sources said there wasevidence of growing ties betweenAl Qaeda and IM.

IM has worked in closeassociation with SIMI in the pastand its sleeper cells were soughtto be used by Al Qaeda.

SIMI was formed in Aligarh in1977 and had several thousandsof members and offices in almostevery district of Madhya Pradeshbefore it was banned in 2002.

The group is said to believe infundamentalist Islam and tospread its values. In 2007, the

Supreme Court of India describedSIMI as a “secessionistmovement”.

Osama bin Laden’ssuccessor Ayman al-Zawahri hadin September announced theformation of Al Qaeda’s branch forthe Indian subcontinent. He hadsaid that it would spread Islamicrule and “raise the flag of jihad”across the subcontinent.

Zawahiri said the wing willdefend the “vulnerable in theIndian subcontinent, in Burma,Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat,Ahmedabad, and Kashmir” from“injustice and oppression.”

“Not only in India, securityestablishments across the worldhave concerns about the rise ofAl Qaeda and its attempts torecruit Muslim youth,” anothersecurity official told IANS.

Sources said that policeforces have also been asked tokeep a tab on any efforts at theradicalisation of youth.

(http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/al-qaeda-simi-india/1/401090.html)

West Siang: On 1st Dec.2014 The Indigenous Faith Daywas celebrated with mostcolorful and great enthusiasm.The preparation for IFSAP daywas started from 30th Nov. 2014by the believers of DONYI –POLOISM at Donyi Polo GamgiAalo West Siang Dist. by theMen and Women of manycommunities.

A procession by more than1500 participants took place

INDIGENIOUS FAITH DAY CELEBRATION

from Donyi Polo Gamgi to Bazaarvia Paktu Bango and return fromBazaar to Donyi Polo Gamgi viaMedical. Many senior Citizens,Officers, Officials, Public Studentfrom Town Middle School Aalo andBand Party from Rama KrishnaMission School aalo also took partin the procession at theIndigenous Faith Day at Aalo.About 30 Ponu parties are alsoparticipating at the processionwith their traditional dress.

The IFSAP Day programmedwas started from 9.30 am underthe Chairmanship of ShriTumpak Ete Ex- MLA . Manycommunities of west siang dist.like Donyi Polo Gamgi Aalo partyGalo, Kaling Raseng Minyong ,Bori, Bokar Libo, Ramo Pailibowomen party,Memba womenparty, Assamess Cultural troop,Apatani women party, TaginWomen party are also showtheir culturals and folk dance atthe programme.

- Domo Ado

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Kharsang, 01/12/2014: TheIndigenous Faith Day of ArunachalPradesh was observed atKharsang by organizing a Rally.The Rally culminated from GovtHr Sec School, Kharsang andended at VKV Kharsang.The Rallywas attended by variousindigenous faith believers fromBordumsa, Miao, Kharsang,Diyun and Namtok circles.Women and men came out inlarge numbers in traditionaldresses to witness the Rally.Students of VKV, Kharsang leadthe Rally with band display.

The Rally was followed by flaghoisting by the Chief Guest SriJawkhong Singpho, ZPM, MiaoBlock and Sri ShyamalChakraborty, VKV Principal,Guest of honour.A patriotic songwas sung by the VKV students. Astrong pledge in Hindi was readout and followed by the delegates.After the pledge, all participantsand the invitees went into theauditorium for the in-houseprogram.

The agenda started with lighting

The Indigenous Faith Day of Arunachal Pradesh observed- Manrah Ngemu, Miao

DIPRO,Seppa, Dec.2: TheIndigenous Faith Day wascelebrated at Nyeder Namlo,Seppa yesterday. Theprogramme began with FlagHosting by chairman, NyedarNamlo, Seppa chagam Dolofollowed by mass townprocession within Seppa Townparticipated by variousindigenous tribes during the day.

Chairman, Nyeder Namlo,Chagam Dolo said thatIndigenous Faith Day is being

of lamps by the Chief Guest,Guest of honor and followed by thevarious clan elders of differentfaiths.

As usual, a welcome addresswas given away by Sri. K.KLongkho,President.The Secy ofthe Rally Organizing Committee,Sri Rebo Rekhung gave a briefhighlights of the IFCSAP andobservance of the IndigenousFaith Day. Various public leadersand society elites gave awayspeeches on how, why and whento celebrate the day. SriS.Ngemu, Ex-Minister advised tobe sincere and hardworking.He emphasizededucationas thepanaceaof all evils.S m tC.LowangTikhak, JT told the women folk inparticular to give an eagle eye totheir children activities. She alsotalked on making earthen beadsout of clay for eco-sustenance.Other lecturers too gave beautifuladvices.

The children of Balwadi schoolof Vikash Parishad sang abeautiful song.Chingsa villageyouths displayed a dance.

The Guest of honor saidArunachal Pradesh is no less toany pilgrimage site. It is full of holyplaces. We have Malinithan,Parshuram kund,Bishmaknagar.It is from theseplaces where the “Sanskars”begins. The Chief Guest gave alucid description on the presentday situation. He sensed adisconnect in the children and

parents. Hemain ta inedthat, westernph i l osophywas not theultimate. Hem e a n t ,culture of thea n c e s t o r s

need to be imbibed tolead a peaceful life.

The day’s program ended witha vote of thanks from LangsamKhimhun.

INDIGENIOUS FAITH DAY CELEBRATIONcelebrated to commemorate thebirth anniversary of Late.TalomRukbo , the Founder of Donyi-Poloism in A.P . He said thatIndigenous Faith Day is not onlyof follower of Donyi –Poloism buralso of all indigenous peoplecutting across religious affiliationsas it is only the way to maintainedoriginality . He suggested forformation of committee involvingthe members from variousindigenous tribes residing atSeppa for larger celebration.

Attending as a Chief GuestPooja Jain, ADC greeted thepeople on the occasion ofIndigenous Faith Day and calledupon them to take a pledge toprotect and preserve culture onthis day being celebrated everyyear. Terming Arunachal as bestexamples of micro India wherepeople from across the countryresides, she appealed them todevelop spirit of unity in diversity.

Contd. to Page 24

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“sovereign” territory. Sadly, thepeople making theseaccusations from their moralhigh horses would not be awarethat their minds are trapped by a17th century European conceptwhich no longer makes sense inthe small, dense, andinterdependent world we havecreated.

Even more sadly, theferocious defenders of“sovereignty” are not aware thatthey are the biggest obstacles toChina and India seizing a centurythat belongs to these twocountries. And why does it belong

Why can’t countries think like comp anies?Contd. from Page 7

who are singing.”

Deva Premal of the famousDeva Premal and Miten duo, whohave made the Gayatri Mantrachants popular the world oversince the early ’90s, says, “Overthe past 15 years, we havewitnessed how chanting sacredsounds has deeply affected andinspired many lives. We useguitar, keyboards, flute on stageand cello, violin, sitar, bass guitar,tabla and Western drums onrecordings.”

German author Eckhart Tolle,one of the most well-known

Contd. from Page 8 Kirt an takes a groovy turn

to China and India? From theyear 1 to 1820, the two largesteconomies of the world, asdocumented by economist AngusMaddison, were China and India.The last 200 years of Westerndomination of world history havebeen a major historicalaberration. All aberrations cometo a natural end. And it would beperfectly natural for China andIndia to once again have thelargest economies in the world.

For over two decades, I havebeen warning that one bigdanger that Asians face is thateven though Asian countries

have been politically decolonized,their minds remain mentallycolonized by Europeanconcepts. When two major Asiancountries ignore a great historicalopportunity and instead focus on“sovereignty”, the only questionthat the rest of the world will askas they watch China and Indiabicker is: “Can Asians think?”

(The writer is Dean of the LeeKuan Yew School of Public Policy atthe National University of Singapore.)

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/all-that-matters/Why-cant-

countries-think-like-companies/

articleshow/45163437.cms)

exponents of spirituality, andsinger Cher are huge fans ofPremal.

Guru Ganesha Singh’s albumA Thousand Suns takesdevotional music to new realmsof innovation with an inspiringfusion of kirtan, rock, raga, folk,blues and Latin sounds.SaysSingh, “When I was the leadguitarist of Cat’s Cradle, I wasconsuming large quantities ofLSD. Fortunately, I was in touchwith my inner voice, whichconstantly kept telling me to findan alternative way. That is how I

entered the path of kirtan, and itchanged my life.”

DID YOU KNOW?

At the International SoundTherapy Conference 2014, it wasdiscussed that sound meditationslike kirtan help quieten the mind,aid participants to disengage theirundesirable habitual patterns,help people get rid of anxiety anddepres sion, bring inner peaceand increase self-confidence.

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/Kirtan-

takes-a-groovy-turn/articleshow/45165474.cms)

Added that with 26 tribes & 100 sub-tribes having cultural Mosaic, she appreciated that every indigenoustribes hold their identity and culture. She appealed the people to take the responsibility to protect-&preserve culture and encourage folk songs & dances as ‘loss of culture is a loss of identity’.

Former EKSWCO chairmen, Dr. T. Taku explained as to how the local people swayed away towardsother religion within a short span of time and urged them for mass participation in such celebrationrelating to traditions & culture. There were colorful culture programme from various indigenous tribesduring the day.

INDIGENIOUS FAITH DAY CELEBRATIONContd. from Page 24

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Speaking in the public meetingat Ravindra Bhavan, Agartala asChief Guest on 19th December,Tripura Governor Shri P BAcharya call upon the people ofthe state to work selflessly for thedevelopment and emotionalintegration of Janjati brethren.This will strengthen the unity &integrity of nation. He coined aterm NAMASTE which stands forall the eights states of this regionwhere in N = Nagaland A=Arunachal M= Manipur, Mizoram& Meghalay A=Assam S=Sikkim T=T r i p u r a .N A M A S T Estands forhumility andr ighteousnesswhich is fittestterm to describethe people of thisr e g i o n .H o n o u r a b l eGovernor was allout to appreciatethe variousactivities undertaken by KalyanAshram Tripurain the field ofEducationn, Health & hygiene,promotion & preservation ofsocio-religious identity of variousJanjati communities. He said thatthere are certain divisive forcesworking in this region causingharm to the society. Variousactivities of Kalyan Ashram arethe fittest reply to these forces. Heappeals to the masses to comeforward with helping hand to thenoble activities of this

Embrace Janjatis to Strengthen National Integration:P B Acharya, Governor of T ripura

- Rajesh Das

organisation. He was addressingon the occasion of Birth centenarycelebration of the founder ofVanvasi Kalyan Ashram. In hisaddress describing BalasahebDeshpande, founder of VanvasiKalyan Ashram as a pioneerperson; who rendered yeoman’sservice to the Janjaticommunities.

Shri Atul Jog , All India JointOrganising Secretary of theorganisation presented brief

account of life and work ofVanayogi Balasheb Deshpande.He said that Kalyan Ashram hasreached in 53000 villages of 600janjati communities of 350 Janjatidistricts of our country.Organisation is running 17000projects in 12000 villages acrossthe country.

Shri Krishnabandhu Debnath,State Secretary gave welcome

address where as ShriChittaranjan Chakraborty presideover the public meeting. Colourfultraditional Tripuri and Reangdances were presented in themeeting which enriched thebeauty of the programme.Programme was concluded withVande Mataram. More than 500workers and well-wishersattended the function.

One day conference ofworkers of Kalyan Ashram was

organised atS e v a d h a m ,Champamura on20th December,Saturday. Whileaddressing thedelegates ShriJagdamba Mallsenior worker ofKalyan Ashramexpressed theimportance andurgency ofp rese rva t i on ,protection &promotion ofreligion andculture of Janjaticommun i t i es .Arvind Debnathinformed the

delegates about the forthcomingprogrammes. Various othersubjects were discussed in theconference. In concludingsession delegates expressedtheir views and suggestions. Total259 delegates from 8 districtsrepresenting Jamatiya, Molsom,Debbarma, Tripuri, Halam,Reang,Chakama, Kaipeng,Oram, Munda &Santhal Janajaticommunities of Tripura.

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Tribal youths have to work hardto excel in sports said ShriSarbanand Sonowal, UnionMinister of Sports & Youth affairshere on Sunday. He wasaddressing at the closing sessionof 17th National Level VanvasiArchery Competition at VaghdeviInstitute, Vartur, Banglore. Heexpressed that archery is ourtradition of Janjati communities.Sports cultivate moral values. Hewelcomes the initiative of VanvasiKalyan Ashram in tribal sports atnational level. He assured toextend all sort of support for tribalsports activities.

On the occasion Shri JaleswarBrahma, Vice President ofKalyan Ashram said that Ashramis a voluntary social organisationworking for the development oftribal (Janjati) communities ofIndia. Sports competition is one ofthe major activity through whichwe can explore hidden talents ofVanvasi youths who are stayingin remote villages.

Rahul Banarjee an Olympian

TRIBAL YOUTHS SHOULD WORK HARD TO EXCEL IN SPORTS –SARBANAND SONOW AL

archer graced the function asspecial guest of the function. Hesaid that archaery is in blood oftribal brothers. Shri Shakti PadThakur gave brief information ofthe competition and conductedthe prize distribution ceremony.Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand &Arunachal Pradesh performancewas outstanding.

The three day 17th NationalLevel Vanvasi ArcheryCompetition was inaugurated on26 th December by Shri JualOram, Union Minister for TribalAffairs. He appreciated the effortsof kalyan Ashram andencouraged the archers. ShriSuhas Gopinath, Youngest CEO& entrepreneur of Bangloregraced the session as ChiefGuest. He suggested the youthsto realise a dream throughsincerity and honesty.

In these events 231 archersfrom 22 state units of KalyanAshram participated in thecompetition. Competitions wereconducted for boys and girls in

sub-junior, junior and seniorgroups. The event was officiatedby Competition Director ShriDhaneswar Maida of Rajasthan,Shooting Director Shri PrabodhNanda of West Bengal and ResultDirctor Shri Vidyadharji of AndhraPradesh. Archers got opportunityto interact with Olympiyan RahulBanarjee & Satyadev Prasad.

On 27th evening MatrihasteBhojan was organised. Nearly 65families from Banglore citycontributed in the MatrihasteBhojan. Colourful culturalprogramme of Bharat Natyamand Tribal dances along withsongs were appreciated by all.

In the presence of adjudicatorsof Golden Book of World RecordsMr. Tejas Sambre (Head SouthIndia) and Mr. Rahul SinghDevda(Representative SouthZone). The World Record of‘largest assembly of tribal archers’has been achieved by AkhilBharatiya Vanavasi KalyanAshram from Bengaluru,Karnataka, India.

An 11 member team ofArunachal Vikas Parishad lead bySunil Kumar and Rina Palengparticipated in National levelArchery competition for tribalyouths at Bangalore on 25th to 28th

December 2014. The competitionis regular part of various sportscompetition organized by AkhilBharateeya Vanvasi KalyanAshram for tribal youths to searchout the hidden talent in rural tribalyouths. Before this event

AVP Archers Bagged 4 Medals in National Level ArcheryCompetition by ABVKA at Bangalore

Arunachal Vikas Parishad hadorganized District and State levelArchery competition in the monthof September and October 2014and 11 archers were selected fornational level. Miss Onyi Kino wonthe silver medal in 30 meter, abronze in 20 meter and 2nd

position in overall performance insub junior girls category and KaraJona achieved 3rd in 20 meters insub junior boys category. All thegirls and boys of Arunachal team

performed well and qualified allthe rounds and out of them twoplayers bagged the medals. StateManaging Committee of AVPcongratulated the winners.

- Nabam Runi

heritage explorer · china has an eye on buddhist arunachal pradesh and more often than not she has...

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