Friday, August 22, 2008

378 kidney stones extracted from Mizoram man

Aizawl, Aug 22 : Doctors at the Aizawl Civil Hospital have extracted 378 kidney stones from a 62-year-old man.


“In my long career as a surgeon, this is the largest number of kidney stones I have ever extracted from a patient,” Dr K Lalbiakzuala, Head of the Hospital’s Surgery Department said adding, it might also be a World Record.

The operation which took place on Wednesday lasted for three hours.

Akademi unit for NE opens in Shillong

Shillong, Aug 22 : The Sangeet Natak Akademi has opened its first regional centre here, aiming at integrating the diverse culture of the ethnic communities of the Northeast.

“The region is a special area of concern for the Akademi. The diverse art forms of the region should be integrated in a meaningful way,” said Akademi chairman Ram Nivas Mirdha during the inauguration of the centre here last night.


He said the Shillong centre would sponsor programmes, inspect the activities of cultural institutions, implement central schemes and conduct surveys. The centre will also document the vanishing art forms of the region and prepare an archive of indigenous cultures and heritage.

The Arunachal Pradesh representative of the Akademi, Y.D. Thongshi, said, “The Northeast has a rich culture inherited from its forefathersbut it is yet to be exposed to the world. The centre should provide a platform to promote the region’s art and culture.”

Eminent singer Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and other noted personalities were present at the inauguration.

Second Ulfa crack unit sends feelers

Guwahati, Aug 22 : Two months after Ulfa’s militarily most potent fighting force — the 28 battalion — declared a ceasefire, its counterpart in Lower Assam — the 709 battalion — is ready to follow suit.

A highly-placed police officer today said the 709 battalion’s leadership was in touch with the police top brass and a formal ceasefire by the group was “likely very soon”.Jiten Dutta, a leader of the 28 battalion, confirmed the development today saying, “Some of the leaders of the 709 battalion are in touch with us.” He said the 28 battalion leadership has been in touch with the leaders of other battalions on the peace process.

Dutta, along with Mrinal Hazarika and Prabal Neog, two other leaders of the 28 battalion, will travel to an undisclosed location in Lower Assam on August 24 and 25 to meet the leaders of the 709 battalion. “We recently received a positive response from some of the leaders of the 709 battalion,” Dutta said.

A senior police officer in Lower Assam said almost the entire leadership minus Hira Sarania has been in touch with the police and the army. “It is a just a matter of time before the battalion comes overground,” he said, indication of which came yesterday after nearly 15 cadres of the 709 battalion, led by Bhaskar Rajbongshi, came overground and informed the police about their intention to join the peace process.

Rajbongshi is the fourth in the hierarchy of the battalion after Hira Sarania, Amar Das and Akash Thapa alias Saranga Patowary.

The official said Saranga has also been sending feelers about his willingness to join the peace process. “He will come overground within a couple of days,” the police officer said.

After the 28 battalion, which operated in Upper Assam, the 709 battalion has been responsible for all the violence in Lower Assam, including Guwahati. It has its operational areas in both districts of Kamrup, Nalbari and Bongaigaon in Lower Assam.

Security forces believe that once the 709 battalion joins the peace process, Ulfa will virtually be without a striking unit since the other two battalions, the 27 and 109 battalions, are not as active at the deadly duo.

Sources said it could not be confirmed whether Sarania, the commander of the 709 battalion, was willing to join the ceasefire process. But his deputy Amar Das expressed his keenness while discussing the matter with the other leaders of the battalion.

Another source said Das was currently commanding the battalion since Sarania had been lying low because of ill health for almost a year now. The709 battalion has a cadre strength of not more than 60.

Manipuri opera limps back to centrestage


An opera tradition that was banned in Manipur by a Hindu fanatic in the late 19th century for its radical presentations is slowly making a comeback, though with some alterations to suit contemporary taste.

So from plain narration of the epic love story of Khamba and Thoibi, Moirang Parva has stretched its ambit to include discourses on state politics, women’s empowerment, oppression and whatever the director fancies.
Earlier this month, Theatre Mirror Manipur and the state Shumang Lila Council organised a Moirang Parva presentation at Iboyaima Shumang Lila Shanglen, Imphal, at the end of a monthlong workshop on the opera form. Director Naba Wareppa did not hazard interpolations though, and decided to stick to the basic format of a simple love story.

The story in brief goes like this: Thoibi, daughter of crown prince Chingkhuba, is in love with an orphan, Khamba. Her father, who wishes her to marry the rich and powerful Angom Nongban, sends Thoibi into exile at Kabo, now in Burma.

There, Thoibi hatches a plan to escape and meet Khamba. She pretends to die and sends news of her death to her father. A heart-broken Chingkhuba gives in to a suggestion from Thoibi’s consort that her body be taken to Khamba’s house for “revival”.

Thoibi grabs this opportunity and lands in Khamba’s house to tell him about her feelings. A simple story, simply told, but by the middle of the play one understands that “radical” presentations were probably not the only reason why Moirang Parva went into oblivion.

Of course, the British-backed Churachand Singh thought the operas were too “non-Hindu” in temperament in 1891 and found it reason enough to choose episodes from the Ramayan, Mahabharat, Kangsha bodha, and Gouralila over Moirang Parva.

But from the presenter’s perspective, Moirang Parva is far more difficult to stage.

Making the melodrama of opera look good takes a seasoned cast that is equally deft at singing, dancing and mukna, the traditional Manipuri art of wrestling.

And that’s where Moirang Parva failed — in its cast. The women artistes were extraordinary but the men were a let down. On the whole, it remained a visually unappealing show.

Radio regains lost regime in Mizoram

Aizawl, Aug 22 : ‘When we grow tired of all this visual. Radio what’s new? Radio, someone still loves you,’ sings the British rock group ‘Queen’, perhaps predicting the revival of the popular audio medium recently eclipsed by the idiot-box revolution.

The song seemingly inspired the people of Mizoram as the radio is seen regaining its lost popularity among the masses, thanks to the FM music programme that kicked-off on August 15.
”Youngsters in the city had hardly tuned into the AIR before we introduced the channel. Apart from English and Hindi hits, most wanted numbers are aired to glue them to radio,” Station Director L CH Sailo maintained.

The AIR Aizawl station was currently training 40 youths as radio-jockeys, out of which 12 had passed out, Mr Sailo added.

”The RJs have a good taste of modern music, speak fluent English and Hindi. Some of them are experienced as DJs in the big cities,” the director informed.

The FM music channel starts from 1700 hours and lasts till 2200 hours, which can be tuned in from mobile phones and car tapes. The duration might be extended up to 1200 hours in the near future, he added.

”Since its inception on August 15, I am staying tuned to the programme. It’s a good programme,” said Valpuia, a taxi driver in Aizawl. ”I had never been interested in AIR programme before the FM channel came out,” 16-year-old girl Marini added.

The AIR deputy director general C Lalrosanga said today that the programmes would be gradually improved. ” We would also include headline news in course of time,” he said.

”Till the early 70s, only a few people in Aizawl afforded a transistor radio. In those days, radio was the only means of mass communication. All the neighbours swamped the house of a well-to-do family who had a radio to listen to music,” prominent journalist Lalkhawliana, 72, recollected.

Farmers staging a rally to protest the non-availability as well as the inflated price of fertilisers in the State


Shortage of fertilisers
Farmers protest, face grim prospect

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Aug 21 : Protesting the non-availability of fertilisers or selling them at inflated prices if at all it is available, a large number of farmers from Patsoi Assembly Constituency today took out a protest rally from Patsoi Bazar to Moidang-pok.
On the other hand, Assistant Fertiliser Officer of the State Government N Gopen has clarified that the problem of fertiliser shortage in the State has come about as a result of frequent bandh and blockade in the State, occurrence of landslides in Nagaland and some technical problem in the factory of Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited at Namrup in Assam.
Organised under the aegis of Nongchup Imphal Loumee Shinmee Chaokhat Thourang Lup, the protest rally attended by a large number of farmers was taken out to highlight the problems being faced by the farmers in view of non-availability of fertilisers in the market even though this is the time of the season to use the fertilisers as well as against the inflated rate even if it is available.
Talking to The Sangai Express, Assistant Ferti-liser Officer N Gopen clarified that the problem of fertiliser shortage in the State has come about due to various factors like frequent imposition of bandh and blockade in Manipur, landslides along the Natio-nal Highway in Nagaland besides some technical problem in the factory of Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited located in Namrup of Assam.
While informing that subsequent to the proposal of the State Government to the Government of India to provide 34,000 matric tonne of urea for this year a target is being kept for lifting 3996 matric tonne of urea within the current month, Gopen said and added that out of the total quantity to be lifted, 3312 matric tonne had already been loaded in 184 trucks.
However, out of these loaded trucks, only 71 have arrived at Imphal while the rest have been stranded along the National Highway following landslides in Nagaland.
Once the stranded trucks arrive, there would be no shortage of fertiliser in Manipur, Gopen assured.
The Fertiliser Officer further informed that the remaining load of urea lying in the factory would loaded onto the trucks from tomorrow.
Earlier during the rally the farmers raised slogans demanding adequate supply of fertilisers and fixing its price and carried placards inscribed with words like ‘Respect the farmers’, ‘Don’t bleed the blood of the farmers’, ‘Government should provide fertiliser at a cheaper rate’, ‘Agriculture Minister who cannot ensure adequate supply of fertiliser to the farmers should resign.’
After the rally, a joint meeting was held at the Sanglen of Ibudhou Korou-hanba at Moidangpok with president of Nongchup Imphal Loumee Shinmee Chaokhat Thourang Lup RS Khuraijam, social worker Joy Nongmaithem, NIMPAL president Th Rashileima, NIPCO secretary Sunil Karam, UPF secretary O Bikramjit and social worker S Tomba as presidium members.
After a serious deliberation on the issue, the meeting unanimously resolved that the Government should take up necessary measures at the earliest possible to ensure adequate supply of fertiliser along with fixing a reasonable rate in consideration of the difficulties being faced by the farmers.
In case the Government fails to act, the meeting decided that the farmers would launch intense agitation with the support of the people.
In order to solve the problem of non-availability of fertiliser being faced by the farmers every year, the meeting also mooted that a stock policy of the fertiliser should be maintained in the State.
Furthermore, the meeting resolved that the Government should ensure supply of PDS items to the people at the rate fixed by it as well as the full quantity.