Ningol Chakouba na Lakpada Yaifa paojel Pejare

Ngasi Heyangei ge NENe panba Yaifaraba Numit asina Lakpada Yaifa Paojel Pejare.
Kumhei Asi Ching tam ani ge Achetpa Machil manao oibage lipun adu leirengei matamdage pangthoklakle.
Mamangei dage houna Numit asi Machae Amadi Machal oibi kayabu Mapam Lamdam da leireba Mabung Maupwa kayana Machal Machae singa Chak chara ama  chaminanabage Tangna fangba Tanja amani.
Kumhei Asi na Takli Mabung Maupwa kayana Lapna Leikhraba Machal Machae singbu Kaoba leite haina.
Ngamjaba Khudol tamjaduna Machal Machae singna Mabung Maupwa singbu Yaifa Thoujal pebirami.

Adubu Echel asidage theidoktuna Globalisation ge Mingda Ahenba Kaya ama hapchile Khudolpot singe Hidanaba kaya amana Kumhei asi lakani khnbada Sel di leijada Machal Machae singbudi Chakouning Thamoi khudum suduna Leiba Emung kayasu yaodaba nate.
Numit asi Supnatage Chak chara ama chaminaraga Awa nungai Tathok tasin touba na hena Mapung ni, khudol pot ki damak nate haina haijaninge.

Khunai ama sembada Nupi singe Thoudang Chaona Lei.
Kanglei Khunai da Nupi singbu Awangba thakta Thamle.
Akhang kanbi Ninghanadabi Kanglei emage Mamomloi Kaya amana Malemda Amukta thokhedreba Chak tangbage mari leinana Nupi singtage Oiba Akanba ehou Thengkhang Anirak thoke Ahanba Nupi Lan ani suba hiana...

Malemge afaoba Meoi kayana asumna haibirami

“If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family (nation) – Dr. James Emmanuel Kwegyir-Aggrey (1875 – 1927)

Masidani Nupi ge thoudang kaya lei haina haijarebase.
Tunge Achangba Machang oiba Khunai ama oinanaba Chetna lepiro.
Ahongba Naiba matam ni adubu Matam na hongakeeba makhei khunai su Masak kharadi hongani.
Honglakliba khunai adu mamai chumbinaba Nupi oibi Echae echal singna Afaba Khunai ama ge damak mamai chumbiuu.

Ngasidage chahe 5 muke mamagdadi Nisa Ban/ Meira Paibi ema ebel singe Mapangal yamna kanlambana Khunai ge amotpasing Matam chana Sengdoklami , manghanlami adubu Ngasidi Thouna pumba hankhebagumle.

Masigumba Khunai ase kan nabage damak Achouba Thoudang kaya Loubiramba Ema Ebel Echae Echal pumnamak ki mangluraba Thouna sing adusu amuk hanjinlaktuna Afaba Khunai ama Semlase.

Mee Amadi Lai

Mi ga Laiga samnarambagi warini.
Mioibana soibadagi laiyamna miobabu lapna enthoklakhibagi warini. Wari asi khanglaba eikhoina aranba amuk toukhigadra? Makhada samlappa wari leijare.
Mi amasung Lai punna leiminnarami. Awatpa amata leitana,aram-khourangba khangdana,awa ana mayoknadana nungaina leiminnarami.
Adugumlaba nungairaba mafamdugi mayai chabukta uhei amakhak panba panbi ama hourami. Palliba uhei adu mi amata chaba yaramde. Laising khaktana yennaduna charami.
Matam kaya houkhraba matungda miwoi anikhak uheidugi maramda watanarami<><>
Mi (1) laiyamsingsi mabuk fatte makhoina uhei amakhak panbasi mioiba amatasu pijade. Uheisi ei mahao khangningi,yamnasu haoramgadaba malli.
Mi(2) hoine eisu khallamlibani, laisingsina eikhoibu namthaduna thaningba malli.Eibani hektuna mahao khangdoksira?
Mi(1) yaine handakisidi eibanni chathoklasi.
Asumna makhoi ani changduna watanaraga amagi marengbanda amana tonglaga heidu lonna heklaga chathoklammi.
Mathang gi numitta hei leiramdabagi warina mafamdugi wari oikhre. Hei pannaba laisingna laiyam gi makokta hei mangkhibagi pao tamle.
Laiyamgi makokki yathang matung enna karamna hei mangkhibano thigatpa houre.laiyamgi wakhaldadi hei asi mioibasingna soidana heklamgani thajei, adubu kanagumba mi amatanasu hei adugi maramda haidoklaktre. Ahoinadum laina chaba oiramgani hairak ee.
Asumna matam kaya changna thirabasu fanglaktabadagi 'wayel kati' paiba mapuna wayenbinaba, heidubu huranba mi/Lai du wayel katina chaptuna mi,Lai khangna wayenbinaba wakat thang gatkhre.
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Mi,Lai suna tilllaba mafam amada wayel kati paiba mapuna magi thouraba kati paiduna aranba touba/ngangba ama hekta chapkadagi ngaikhre. Mising gi ningaidagi laiyamsing hanna wayel katigi mamangda pareng leptuna amamamta oinachangsinkhre. Kanagumba Lai amatasu maral leitabadagi wayel katina chapkhidre.
Mi oibasing amuk pareng pareng leptuna amamamta changduna wayel kati paiba mapuda asumna hairami------"wayel kati pairiba mapu o,nanaigi khut asina laigi mangfadraba hei adubu hek hekpa oiraba nanaigi khut asi khuwaigi mamangda chapthatpiduna cheirak pibiyu. Nanaigi punsina khut yaodana punshi chuppa hingjage." Asumna hainaraga mi kaya mathang mathang changsillakpana maral leitaba mioising wayel katina karisu toukhidre.
Ngasaigi hei huranba anidudi maning ethang thangna leppiboire. Makhoi anigi matang yourakpada-----Mi (1) "wayel kati pairiba mapu o nanaigi khutsina hei dubu hekpa makta oiradi nanaigi khutsi kakpiro" haiduna makhuttu tingthoupada makhuttu wayel katina chapkhidre.
Houjik aroiba mi amakhak ngaire laiyamna khalli------- "aroiba mi si wayel katina chaptuna soidana cheirak fanglani."
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Aroiba mi aduna asumna hairak ee-------Me(2)"wayel kati paibiriba mapu o,nanaigi khutti lairi kbong asina hei adugi makhongda hek changlamlaba khong asi kakpiro" asumna hairakpada laiyamna khalli "ashh nungaiteda khong yaodaba mi ama uragani"adubu wayel katina magi makhongdu kakhidre. Karigi kakte magidi makhongdu heidugi makhongda changkhide Mi(1) gi marengbanda tongduna heidu makhutna hekhibani.
Aroiba midusu hei huranbagi cheirak fangkhidabaduda mi lai pumnamak ngaknare. Kana kana mi/ Lai chithahouba leibra yengbadasu pumnamak sure. Matangsida mi singna asumna hairak ee. "Heidu laina chaba oiramgani" "Laina chakhre" " Laina chakhre".

Hei huranbasu faba fangdre, laiga migasu chinda paodanaduna marei yetnare. Azumna nungaina engna chikna leiramba mafamdu wayetnabana pumnil nille.
Mi amasu laigi chayetnaba hellakpadagi laiyam khundinnaduna waep khara loure. Warepsingdugi matung enna----mioibadagi siba naidaba louthoktuna, aram khourangba, ana ayek kaya faohallaga laisingdagi lapna thamkhiduna makhoina warakpa matamda lai eikhoibu kouduna tengthahansi. Masi natradi lai eikhoi engna leiba fanglaroi.
Asumna warepnakhibadagi mioiba eikhoigi hounik oiriba mawong azi oikhibani hai.
Wari asi chumba lanbana ama oiraga warisida yaoriba mioibagi wakhallon, chatnalonchat, kayasi neinaraga wakhal lousing oibra yengsi asoiba heinabising semdikminnaduna tungi mirolsingbu nungai hounaba sintha pangminnaramsi.

Eta Thaomei

"Ita Thaomei"
- The Clever Old Woman -

A Popular Manipur Fungga wari (folk tale).............

Once upon a time, there lived an old widow in a village. She lived alone. She worked hard. She used to weave on the loom during daytime and spin at night. In addition to her hard work, she was wise and witty.

One dark night, a thief entered her house silently. The old widow was spinning by the fireside.

There was a thaomei burning nearby.

The thief hid himself in a dark corner. He was waiting for the old woman to fall asleep.

A little later the woman realized that there was someone hiding in the corner behind the thaomei. She was scared but she did not shout.

Instead, she pretended as if she were not aware of the presence of the thief.

She went on spinning.

Clever Old Woman spinning

But she thought of a plan to catch the thief.

Suddenly she called out, "Ita-thaomei! Ita-thaomei!".

Since there was no reply from the thaomei, she went on, "It is strange that you have not replied today. Everyday we talk to each other. What has happened today? Are you not responding because you are feeling sleepy? Or is there a stranger in the house tonight?"

The thief was surprised. The woman talked loudly, "Ita-thaomei, if you don't reply, it means that there is a stranger in the house." thief thought deeply, "A wonderful thing! A thaomei responding to a human call. Perhaps it is not responding tonight because of my presence. I cannot let the woman know of my presence. I will answer her call this time. She will think that every thing is all right."

Soon, the old woman called again, "Ita-thaomei, can you hear me?" The thief replied, "Yes Ita, I can hear you."

The widow felt quite certain now. She knew that she could catch the thief easily.

She asked, "Were you asleep a little while ago?" "Yes, I felt so sleepy; I slept for some time," replied the thief. The widow continued, "As usual, let me tell you a story. Listen to it carefully." "I am listening, please go on," replied the thief.

The old widow began her story:
"Once upon a time, there lived an old woman in a village. She lived alone. One night, while spinning, she fell asleep. In her dream, she saw a thief breaking into her house. Actually a thief had already broken into her house and was trying to steal the utensils in the house.

The old woman woke up and saw it. Immediately, she began to shout, "Thief, thief. There is 'a thief in my house."

The old widow actually kept shouting at the top of her voice. Finally, her neighbours woke up and rushed to her house. The old widow told them of the thief hiding in the corner. The thief who was listening to the story of the old woman was caught by the villagers.

Thus, her wit and wisdom saved her. The villagers thanked the clever widow. She helped them catch the thief so easily.

"The End"

Nehru and Patel: Rivals or comrades?

Nehru and Patel: Rivals or comrades?

The best biography of Vallabhbhai Patel has been written by Rajmohan Gandhi. Based on full access to Patel’s own papers, it is a rich account of his life and struggles, set against the context of the historical forces which shaped them.

Rajmohan Gandhi’s Patel: A Life was first published in March 1991. The preface, written in April 1990, begins thus: “The establishment of independent India derived legitimacy and power, broadly speaking, from the exertions of three men, Gandhi, Nehru and Patel. But while its acknowledgements are fulsome in the case of Nehru and dutiful in the case of Gandhi, they are niggardly in the case of Patel.”

To underline the point that Jawaharlal Nehru loomed large in the public imagination, Rajmohan mentioned the recent celebration (in 1989) of his birth centenary, which “found expression in a thousand billboards, in commemorative TV serials, in festivals and on numerous other platforms”. Then he continued: “Occurring on October 31, 1975 — four months after Emergency had been declared — the Patel centenary was, by contrast, wholly neglected by official India and by the rest of the Establishment, and since then the curtain drawn on the life of one of modern India’s most remarkable sons has been only occasionally and partially lifted”.

In 1991, and for several decades before that, it was certainly true that Nehru was celebrated and Patel neglected. One reason was that Patel died a mere two and a half years after independence. On the other hand, Nehru served three full terms as prime minister. The India of the 1970s and 1980s was the India that Nehru shaped politically, socially, economically.

A second reason why Nehru’s name was high in the public imagination was that his daughter and grandson too had served as prime minister. In her own long tenure, Indira Gandhi sought to keep her father’s memory and legacy alive. The Nehru centenary occurred when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, so he threw the full weight of the government machinery behind it.

Rajmohan’s own book was researched in the 1980s, when Indira and Rajiv were in power. In the 1989 elections, Rajmohan was chosen by the Janata Dal to contest against Rajiv Gandhi in the parliamentary constituency of Amethi. This was billed in the media as a battle between the ‘asli Gandhi’ and the ‘nakli Gandhi’, since Rajmohan was a direct descendant of the Mahatma, whereas Rajiv got the ‘Gandhi’ name only because his Zoroastrian father changed it from ‘Ghandy’ (the standard Parsi spelling).

Rajmohan lost the election, but was soon afterwards sent by his party to the Rajya Sabha. The preface to his Patel biography was therefore written while he was an MP of a party opposed to the Congress and to the politics of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi in particular.

Rajmohan’s book played its part in making Patel and his contributions better known.

But they still remained under-appreciated, not least because between 2004 and 2014 the Nehru-Gandhis were once again in power, and they, of course, promoted only their own.

In his election campaign, Narendra Modi seized on Patel as one of his heroes. Accusing the ruling dynasty in Delhi of deliberately suppressing Patel’s memory, he vowed to build a massive statue in his honour. Patel, he went on to say, would have made a better prime minister than Nehru.

Because of such partisanship, many Indians have come to believe that Nehru and Patel were personal rivals and political adversaries. This is because Nehru is now affirmed and avowed by the Congress (and Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in particular), and Patel by the Bharatiya Janata Party (and Narendra Modi in particular).

There are two ironies in Modi’s invocation of Patel. First, Patel was himself a lifelong Congressman; indeed, as home minister, it fell to him to ban the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh after the Mahatma’s murder. Second, Nehru and Patel were in fact not rivals but comrades and co-workers. They worked closely together in the Congress from the 1920s to 1947; and even more closely together thereafter, as prime minister and deputy prime minister in the first government of free India.

In April 1948, Robert Trumbull of the New York Times wrote a long essay on the Nehru-Patel jugalbandhi. The men had different temperaments, but wrote Trumbull, “their differences are too easily overdramatized”. Both Patel and Nehru recognised that after Gandhi’s death, they had to work together to unite a fragmented nation. In the partnership between the two men, wrote Trumbull, “lies a great deal of the Government’s strength, for they complement each other”.

In a recent election speech in Haryana, Narendra Modi praised Nehru for the first time. Let us hope it is not the last. Patel’s treatment by the post-Nehru Congress was a travesty. Influential elements in the RSS and the BJP would now like to answer that by consigning Nehru to oblivion. That would be a tragedy, not just because Nehru was a real maker of modern India, but because in those crucial years after

Independence and Partition, Nehru and Patel worked shoulder-to-shoulder in building a united and democratic nation.

In his book, Rajmohan Gandhi meticulously documents how, in the aftermath of the Mahatma’s death, Nehru and Patel set aside their differences. Nehru focused on maintaining religious harmony, forging an independent foreign policy, and building a technological and industrial base. Patel focused on getting the princely states to join the Indian Union, modernising the administrative services, and building a cross-party consensus on the major elements of the Constitution.

Nehru does not belong to Sonia Gandhi’s Congress; nor Patel to Modi’s BJP. Indians of all parties (or none) should have the grace and understanding to celebrate both individuals, for having contributed jointly and separately to the nation we call our own.

Ramachandra Guha’s most recent book is Gandhi Before India

The views expressed by the author are personal

Source : HT

ICI Ranking: Manipur University among top ten

ICI Ranking: Manipur University among top ten

By Dr.Chinglen Maisnam

Higher Education has now become increasingly quantified via standardized testing, as universities and departments are ranked by performance and productivity.  The Indian Citation Index (ICI) compiled by India-based non-profit group M/s DIVA ENTERPRISES Pvt.rank 40 Central Universities in India based on their research productivities. The report period is 2004 onward. According to the report, Delhi University tops the list. Indian Maritime University ranks the lowest in the Article Count Index which is one of the measures of research productivity. Manipur University ranked higher than the JNU on the list of the Citation Index 2014. The top 10 performers on Articles Count are Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Alahabad, Aligarh Muslim University, Dr.HarisinghGour University, H.N. BahugunaGarhwal University, Manipur University, Jawarhalal Nehru University, JamiaMiliaIslamia  and North Eastern Hill University. The Central Universities of Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Haryana, Karnataka and Gujarat are among the  worst performers in the list. Dr.HarisinghGour University tops the Citation received category. Manipur University ranks 8th in this category. JNU, JamiaMiliaIslamia and NEHU are behind Manipur University  in terms of both Articles count and Citation received.

The centers of higher learning in India have been producing good amount of new knowledge .But, there is limited tool for evaluation and measurement of its knowledge. At international level few tools/databases are available but coverage of Indian knowledge contents particularly published in local national journals are negligible. Mr.Prakash Chand, Ex Scientist NISCAIR, CSIR and M/s DIVA ENTERPRISES Pvt. Ltd. with a view to address this long felt need have developed and brought out multidisciplinary Indian Citation Index (ICI) by scanning 1000 journals of Indian origin. Indian Citation Index (ICI) is a home grown abstracts and citation database, with multidisciplinary objective information/knowledge contents from about 1000 top Indian scholarly journals. It provides powerful search engine basically to perform search and evaluation for researchers, policy makers, decision makers etc. ICI database is a powerful tool that let people search, track, measure and collaborate in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities to turns raw data/information into the powerful knowledge they need. ICI database is an abstracts and citation database intended to measure and perform two basic functions, general literature search and evaluation using citations similar to international databases. A database in general is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed for various purposes, managed, and updated regularly. Citations symbolize the association of R&D ideas. The references that researchers cite in their papers make explicit links between their current research and prior work in the literature archive. Indian Citation Index (ICI) use intellectual links by listing both cited and citing works. Like other indexes, this enables one to move back in time to previously published papers. But uniquely one can also look forward in time to determine who has subsequently cited an earlier piece of research.

The tremendous strides made by the Manipur University during the study periods have been recognised, by ICI-a multi-disciplinary research platform, as being one of the best performers in the field of research productivity. Manipur University was in deep crisis during the pre-conversion periods (state university). However, the post conversion periods have seen a transformation of the University from a multipronged deficit situation to an increasingly leading scholastic player. Manipur University has now transformed from an impoverished public institution into a moderately flourishing public institution in several aspects. I believe there will be more positive changes in the future.

Source: Manipur Times

The Peoples Chronicle

After over 30 years, exact location of HIV’s first appearance pinpointed by scientists

After over 30 years, exact location of HIV’s first appearance pinpointed by scientists

Kounteya Sinha,TNN | Oct 3, 2014, 11.41 AM IST

LONDON: Over 30 years after it first emerged and has since infected over 75 million people, scientists have finally pinpointed from where exactly HIV emerged.

A genetic analysis of thousands of individual viruses has confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that HIV first emerged in Kinshasa, the capital of the Belgian Congo, in about 1920 from where it spread thanks to the colonial railway network to other parts of central Africa.

Scientists have nailed the origin of the Aids pandemic to a colonial-era city — then called Leopoldville which was then the biggest urban centre in Central Africa including a market in wild "bush meat" captured from the nearby forests.

A "perfect storm" of factors then led to the virus' spread in the human population.

UNAIDS estimates that 35 million people were living with HIV in the world at the end of 2013.

Scientists from University of Oxford said, "Thirty years after the discovery of HIV-1, the early transmission, dissemination and establishment of the virus in human populations remain unclear. Using statistical approaches applied to HIV-1 sequence data from central Africa, we show that from the 1920s Kinshasa (in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo) was the focus of early transmission and the source of pre-1960 pandemic viruses elsewhere. Location and dating estimates were validated using the earliest HIV-1 archival sample, also from Kinshasa. Our results reconstruct the early dynamics of HIV-1 and emphasize the role of social changes and transport networks in the establishment of this virus in human populations."

Vendors sell their products beside a railroad track in Kinshasa, Zaire (File photo via Getty Images)

The breakthrough was possible due to a new, sophisticated analysis of hundreds of genetic sequences of HIV from different time points and locations.

The researchers also note that 13 documented cases exist of different simian viruses jumping from chimpanzees, gorillas and monkeys into humans, but only one — known has HIV-1 group M — sparked a global epidemic. They show that group M and another strain, group O, expanded at the same rate until about 1960, but then group M nearly tripled its rate of spread. Possible reasons include public health campaigns that had contaminated needles and an increase in the number of clients of sex workers.

"For the first time we have analysed all the available evidence using the latest phylogeographic techniques, which enable us to statistically estimate where a virus comes from," said Professor Oliver Pybus of Oxford University. "This means we can say with a high degree of certainty where and when the HIV pandemic originated."

"Kinshasa at that time was growing fast, it was the biggest city in central Africa at that time and was very well connected to the rest of the Congo," said Nuno Faria of Oxford.

"Data from colonial archives tells us that by the end of the 1940s over one million people were travelling through Kinshasa on the railways each year. Our genetic data tells us that HIV very quickly spread across Congo, a country the size of Western Europe," Dr Faria said.

"Our research suggests that following the original animal-to-human transmission of the virus, probably through the hunting or handling of bush meat, there was only a small window during the Belgian colonial era for this particular strain of HIV to emerge and spread into a pandemic," Professor Pybus said.

"By the 1960s, transport systems such as the railways that enabled the virus to spread vast distances were less active, but by that time the seeds of the pandemic were already sown across Africa and beyond," he said.

Source: Times Of India

Sarita borrows appeal money from journalist as IOA officials sneak out

Shameful: Sarita borrows appeal money from journalist as IOA officials sneak out

While officials from other countries were busy protesting unfair decisions against their athletes, India's boxer Sarita Devi was left to fend for herself — with Indian Olympic Association representatives quietly ignoring the ignominy of the clear bias towards South Korean athletes.
In fact, according to an Indian Express report, such was the situation that Sarita Devi had to borrow the appeal deposit of $500 from coach Lenin Meitei and an Indian journalist.

Which brings us to this: if the Indian officials already knew that there was no point in appealing, why did they make Sarita (who, by virtue of being an athlete can be forgiven for not knowing administrative rules) wait for a couple of hours before stepping in? In comparison and according to the same report, Mongolian officials who also thought their boxer Tugstsogt Nyambayar was given a similarly unfair decision, quickly made their protest felt without wasting any time.
To make matters worse, a Mumbai Mirror report says that India's deputy chef-de-mission Kuldip Vats was present at the venue when the whole fracas went down — but sneaked away without offering any assistance. As if that was not enough, IOA general secretary Rajiv Mehta stayed put on his VIP seat as Sarita Devi and her husband struggled to lodge an appeal outside.

All he told the two-time boxing world champion while leaving the venue was 'why was the appeal not filed earlier?'
It would be apt to ask him back — where were you when you were needed by your country?
We all know the answer

Education

You are Educating because to Realise Yourself and to Contribute your Abilities to the Society.

THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MANIPURI VEGETABLE CURRY

THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MANIPURI VEGETABLE CURRY

FADIGOM – CORIANDER:

Fadigom are used as a flavouring in salads, soups etc and the fresh leaves are probably the most widely used flavouring herb in the world. The leaves have an aromatic flavor
Coriander, like many spices, contains antioxidants, which can delay or prevent the spoilage of food seasoned with this spice. Chemicals derived from coriander leaves were found to have antibacterial activity against Salmonella choleraesuis, and this activity was found to be caused in part by these chemicals acting as nonionic surfactants.Coriander has been used as a folk medicine for the relief of anxiety and insomnia in Iran. Coriander seeds are used in traditional Indian medicine as a diuretic by boiling equal amounts of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, then cooling and consuming the resulting liquid. In holistic and traditional medicine, it is used as a carminative and as a digestive aid.

FADIGOM/CORIANDER HAS BEEN USED AS A TRADITIONAL TREATMENT FOR DIABETES.

Pandora Box

By N.S. Gill

Before the story begins, let me say that some people object to the title "Pandora's Box" and insist it should be "Pandora's Jar". They may have reason -- based on what Hesiod wrote, but myths change with the re-telling and people are accustomed to "Pandora's Box," so I shall use the term, in this, my re-telling of the myth of Pandora and her box.

The background to the story of Pandora's Box is the Titan Prometheus's passive-aggression towards the king of the gods, Zeus. Having gotten away with or having paid the price for one misdeed, Prometheus kept going back for more. Zeus was very creative in the way he meted out punishments. Pandora was one example.

The Gift of Pandora

Prometheus was mankind's benefactor. The king of the gods wasn't crazy about us and didn't want us to have, among other things, fire. Prometheus, on the other hand, wanted good things for us, so stealthily, he brought us the gift of fire. In return, Zeus presented man with a "gift," Pandora, the first woman. While Prometheus may have crafted man, woman was a different sort of creature. She came from the forge of Hephaestus, beautiful as a goddess and beguiling, thanks to traits bestowed by Athena and Zeus. Zeus presented her as a bride to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus. Prometheus had the gift of thinking ahead, but Epimetheus was only capable of afterthought, so Prometheus, expecting retribution for his audacity, had warned his brother against accepting gifts from Zeus.

Zeus gave the gods-crafted Pandora as bride to Epimetheus, along with a box with a warning label telling the couple never to open it. Epimetheus was dazzled by his bride, Pandora. Perhaps he forgot the advice of his prescient brother. Perhaps he thought they were supposed to hold the box in safe-keeping for Zeus against his return -- that it wasn't a gift, at all.

Pandora Opens the Box

Epimetheus insisted that his wife obey the letter of the label. Unfortunately, one day Pandora's husband left her side for a few hours. Pandora was gifted with curiosity as much as the other attributes given her by the gods. For her the box was a gift, not something to be kept in trust. What business had Zeus to tell her not to open it? Perhaps she'd listened to her brother-in-law's tales of tricking the king of the gods. Perhaps she saw nothing to fear. Maybe if she just took a quick peak.... Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she opened the box Zeus had given them just a crack. As Pandora did so, ghostly forms gushed forth from the crack. Pandora had unleashed all the evils now known to man. No longer could man loll about all day, but he would have to work and would succumb to illnesses.
At the very bottom of the container was the last thing to come out. It was something that wasn't evil. We call the good that Pandora unleashed by the name of hope.

Source : Pandora Box

Reference : Origins of Pandora's Box

HUNGER MARCHERS’ DAY & BIRTH OF STUDENTS’ FORCE IN MANIPUR

Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Written by  Seram Neken

(A tribute to the Hunger Marchers of 1965)

After the so called first and second Nupi Lal (women’s wars) against the malpractices of the respective regimes in 1904 and in 1939 during British rule in Manipur, the students’ uprising of 27 August 1965 was the biggest movement against the injustices meted out by the government in the post-merger period in Manipur history. Besides being a revolt against the artificial famine created by rich businessmen in collusion with the then government, it signified an expression of people’s intent desire to live with dignity, self-reliance and self-determination within the framework of Indian Constitution.

Friday, 27 August 1965 is a red letter day for Manipur. It was on this historic day in 1965 that students protesting against the artificial famine created by the then government were brutally charged and some of them even killed inside the compound of the then Chief Commissioner of Manipur.
Nabakumar, Nilamani and Pramodini sacrificed their lives on the spot for the cause of the people. Laishram Chaobhal Singh (of Lamphel High school) succumbed to his injuries on Sept 26, a month after the incident.  Among those who sustained bullet injuries were Laishram Mangi (Imphal college), Kumar and Budhi (both of DM College), while N. Ibohal Singh was seriously injured in lathi-charge. The rightful demand of the students for right to food was responded with bullets of the then government forces. The unfortunate event gave birth to the All Manipur Students Union (AMSU).

On 28 August 1965, a meeting of students presided by Nameirakpam Madhusadan Singh was held at the residence of Leihaothabam Saratchandra Sharma at Keishampat Laisom Leirak, leading to the formation of AMSU. Next day, the first Executive Council of AMSU was constituted at a meeting held at Uripok Tourangbam Leikai (residence of Gurumayum Jatishwar Sharma) and presided over by N. Birendrakumar. Shri Thiyam Gambhir and Loitongbam Tombi Singh were elected as the President and the General Secretary of the 36-member Ad-hoc Executive body of AMSU. Shri N. Birendrakumar, H. Joykumar and M. Manikumar were the Joint Secretaries. Members were Y. Brojen, Pukhrambam Kullachandra, Seram Mangi Singh, L. Ibohal, Y. Dijen, Ng. Sankar, L. Saratchandra, Syamkumar, Loitingbam Kanhai, Khwairakpam Subash, N. Sarat, Ksh Nabakumar and G. Yaima. Among those who took active role in the formation of the union were Md. Abdul Shah, M. Sanajaoba, L. Kaminikumar, O. Nabakumar, Gokul Singh, Salam Ibohal, A Basudev, P. Ibohal, S. Kirankumar, Shyamsundar, A. Yaima and L. Ibohal. The main agenda before the first Executive Council were the institution of judicial enquiry on the 27th August incident and release of the arrested student activists.
On 12 September 1965, a meeting of all the students of Manipur held at M.D U hall elected the second Executive Council of AMSU. 17 student leaders who were released from jail on that day were also present in the meeting. Shri Sanajaoba Naoriya, Shri Thiyam Gambhir and Shri Gurumayum Joykumar Sharma were elected as the President, the Vice-president and the General Secretary of the Council respectively. Shri Loitongbam Iboyaima and Shri Meinam Manikumar were the Finance Secretary and the Publicity Secretary respectively. Shri Seram Mangi Singh, Loitongbam Tombi, Soyam Lokendrajit, Y. Rajen Singh, Laitonjam Ibopishak, Th. Ibohal Singh, L. Raghumani Singh, Ksh Iboyaima Singh, Kh. Joysakhi Devi, Laishram Jugobala Devi, Kh. Ibetombi Devi, Ch. Devola Devi, Ksh Kunjalata Devi and AK Santi Devi were the members of the council. A four member Advisory Board was formed with Shri N. Ibohal Singh, KN Singh, S. Ibotombi Singh and N. Birendrakumar Singh. A five member Civil Defence Board was formed with Shri Seram Mangi Singh as Chairman and Shri L. Saratchandra Sharma as Secretary. Shri H. Joykumar Singh, Kh. Subash Singh and Kh. Ibetombi Devi were the other members. The members of the Board of Editors were Ibohal Singh, G. Joykumar Sharma, H. Joykumar Singh, L. Iboyaima Singh, W. Ibempishak Devi, Y. Sabitri Devi, G. Sobita Devi and S. Lokendra Singh.

On 10 February 1966, the Constitution Drafting Committee of AMSU was constituted with seven members namely Thiyam Gambhir, Y. Rajen, A.Birendra, Kh. Joysakhi, Jadumani, N. Ibohal and Ksh. Iboyaima. A meeting held at Aryan Theatre on 14 August 1966 took the decision to install a memorial site at Pishum Ching and to observe the Hunger Marchers’ Day on 27 August every year. On 26 December 1966, the Constitution of AMSU was adopted at the 20 Executive Council meeting of the Union held at Paradise Club, Wangkhei. Shri Leihaothabam Saratchandra Sharma, Huidrom Yaima and Seram Mangi Singh were the President, the Vice-President and the General Secretary of the Union duly elected by the students under its new Constitution. Other members were L. Khuarileima Devi as Finance Secretary, Moirangthem Santikumar as Publicity and Information Secretary, Kullachandra Singh as Secretary–at-large, and Sanjenbam Sangita Devi as Asst. General Secretary,  while G. Gunamani Sharma, RK Memsana Devi, RK Premlata Devi and Momon Devi remained as Executive Members. (Reference: Souvenir published on the Silver Jubilee Celebration of AMSU,1965-1990)
As an apex body of students of Manipur and as a pressure group protecting the indigenous rights of its people, AMSU has been credited with various social and political reformations of Manipur during the past five decades.
On 28 July 1967, a conference of all students (hills and valley) held at DM College raised issues such as emotional integrity among the students of Manipur, role of students in social development, Grievances of students. Paite, Gangte, Zeliangrong and representatives of other Naga student organizations participated in the conference. It was the first pressure group of Manipur to object to the efforts for unification of Naga inhabited areas into Nagaland in 1968. AMSU strongly condemned the efforts of some Naga leaders for unification of Naga inhabited areas into Nagaland and its endorsement by the then Nagaland Chief Minister T.N Angami. The Union submitted its memorandum to the then Prime Minister of India with its rigid decision to safeguard the territorial integrity of the state.

Among the landmark endeavors of the AMSU during the last five decades, mention may be made of the demands for statehood, establishment of Manipur University, conversion of RMC into a regional institute, setting-up of State Human Rights Commission and inclusion of Manipuri language in 8 Schedule of Constitution.  During the students’ agitations on Foreigners Issue in 1980, AMSU reached an agreement with the state government on July 22, 1980 to identify the foreigners with 1951 being the base year. Yet, the agreement has not been implemented by the government for obvious reasons.
AMSU from time to time has been instrumental in controlling the prices of essential commodities in the state, which the businessmen often tried to swell at their own whim. Removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act. has long been a demand of the students of Manipur under the banner of AMSU. The birth of All Manipur Students’ Union on 28 August 1965 was indeed a turning point in the journey of the Manipuris towards identity construction.
Besides revolting against all kinds of human rights violations including the infamous cases of Sanamacha, Bijoykumar, Manorama and other numerous events, AMSU has been putting efforts in safeguarding the territory of the state for the last many years. On various other occasions, the students’ body rose in revolt against the tendencies of splitting the state’s territory. During the last five decades of the existence of AMSU as an apex body of students, a number of young students either sacrificed their lives or fell victim of the atrocities meted out by state actors while undergoing movements for the people of Manipur. On a number of occasions, the central and state governments tend to malign the image of AMSU as antisocial. However, no force could suppress the force of students who have been working for justice and democratic values. AMSU will ever remain synonymous with ‘Dedication and Sacrifice’ in the history of Manipur.

CHAKLAM KHONGCHAT

The erstwhile drama “Chaklaam Khongchat” produced by AMSU is still known to be very effective in moulding patriotism among the youths of the state. Unfortunately, the unique creation of the late Director Birjit Ngangomba on the script of G. Joykumar Sharma has been off the stage for the last many years. Students were trained and made to act in the play. During the long training and rehearsal, the actors were made to fast so as to show off the real hunger in them. No wonder, the play was so real that a number of acting students fell down unconscious during the show. The drama certainly enlivened the spirit of patriotism and sacrifices among the students of Manipur. If the AMSU revives the Drama for continuous show on every Hunger Marchers’ Day, it would surely instill patriotic sense among the new generation.

Source : Hueiyen Lanpao

Manipur lad discovers asteroid

Manipur lad discovers asteroid
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Bengalaru, September 12 2014 : In a rare feat, Ronaldo Laishram, a student from Manipur studying in 1st year Computer Science in Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), Mysore has discovered an Main Belt Asteroid 'MAUR 397' as part of All India Asteroid Search Campaign (AIASC) 2014. The discovery was made along with his team members of Team Salonivia Conquerors and the provisional discoveries of the asteroids have been confirmed with further observations.

Ronaldo used exclusive data to look at specific parts of the sky and by using a complex procedure called 'Astrometrica', he and his team members tracked objects by looking at the images of the sky provided by telescope-based in the US to see which of the objects moving over time could be a possible asteroid.

The discoveries were made as part of AIASC conducted between April and August this year jointly by Science Popularization Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) and the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC).

SCJE Principal Dr.Syed Shakeeb Ur Rahman and SPACE CEO Amit Verma have congratulated Ronaldo Laishram and his team for achieving the rare feat.

5 things the ‘Mary Kom’ movie doesn’t tell you about Manipur

10 September 2014, 03:16PM

Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom is awesome.

She’s one of the world’s best boxers, one of India’s few individual Olympic champions, and the owner of a left hook that deserves to have poetry written about it.

Now she will have her own movie, Mary Kom, where this phenomenon will be played by Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

Until recently, though, many in India didn’t know much about this Indian sporting legend, or about Manipur, where she grew up.

Manipur is one of India’s most troubled states. You’ll probably see a lot of sequences depicting Manipuri life in the new film. But here are five things the film won’t tell you about the state, which makes Mary Kom’s journey so much more extraordinary.

5) Human rights abuses

For decades, ordinary people in Manipur have had to face serious abuses both from armed separatist groups and security forces. Thousands of people have died in conflicts between different armed groups, and between armed groups and the state. Many separatist groups continue to practice extortion, while security forces are accused of other abuses, including intimidation, torture and arbitrary detention.

4) Fake encounter killings

Security forces have been accused of carrying out hundreds of fake encounter killings in Manipur. Last year, a Supreme Court appointed independent panel said six representative cases it had investigated were all fake encounters. In one case where a 12-year old boy was shot dead by soldiers, it said, “It is extremely difficult to believe that nearly 20 trained security personnel equipped with sophisticated weapons…could not have overpowered/disabled the victim.”

One of the most infamous cases of alleged fake encounters in Manipur is that of….

3) Manorama Devi

Thangjam Manorama Devi was taken from her home by Assam Rifles personnel one night in July 2004 for ‘questioning’. Her dead body was found the next morning a few kilometres away, bearing bullet wounds on her back and genitals, and signs of rape and other torture. In one of the most extraordinary protests that followed, a group of 30 women stripped naked before the Assam Rifles headquarters in Imphal’s historic Kangla fort carrying banners that read “Indian Army Rape Us”.

Yet more than a decade later, nobody has been arrested or charged in the case, because of…

2) The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act

The AFSPA is one of India’s most infamous laws. It gives soldiers sweeping powers in areas where it is in force, including the power to shoot to kill in certain situations. It also gives soldiers effective immunity from prosecution by a civilian court. The AFSPA was used by the Army to block prosecutions of soldiers accused in the Manorama Devi case and in other cases in states in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir, where an identical version of the Act is in force. The Justice Verma Committee said the law legitimized sexual violence, and many Indian and international human rights bodies have called for its repeal.

One of the most prominent Indian opponents of the AFSPA is Manipur’s “Iron Lady”…

1) Irom Sharmila

Irom Sharmila has been on a hunger strike for nearly 14 years now, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. She started her strike in November 2000, after the killing of 10 people in Malom, Manipur by soldiers of the Assam Rifles. Irom Sharmila was released recently after spending 13 years in detention on multiple charges of attempted suicide, but in a disappointing return to the Manipur government’s farcical tactics, she was re-arrested just two days later for the same “offence”.

It’s hard enough to make it as a sportsperson in India, let alone if you are woman making inroads in a largely male dominated sport. Add to that Manipur’s extremely difficult socio-political environment in which Mary grew up and one can begin to understand/appreciate what a colossal journey Mary has undertaken!

Wouldn’t a more peaceful and rights-respecting environment in Manipur help uncover many more gems - sporting or otherwise!

Demand the repeal of the AFSPA and the immediate release of Prisoner of Conscience, Irom Sharmila by calling 08688001010 today!

Source : http://www.amnesty.org.in/show/blog/5-things-the-mary-kom-movie-doesnt-tell-you-about-manipur/

Pic: Iecercle / Flickr CC https://www.flickr.com/photos/lecercle/3452836536