[Assam] dhop khel
Wouldn't it be better if the news item also said something about the game itself - how it is played, what the rules are and the skills it takes? As always, there are many names - must be local celebrities. Anyhow, is there some one in the net from Jamugurihat who can educate us? Dilip Deka From the Assam Tribune Rare dhop khel organised at Jamugurihat From Our Correspondent JAMUGURIHAT, April 25 Dhop khel the rare and ancient Assamese local game, patronised by the Ahom kings and played by the people with great enthusiasm was successfully organised at Jamugurihat on April 15, the day of Gosaibihu jointly by the Yubak Sangha and Mahila Samity of Sangiamajor Chuk village, Jamugurihat. Organised at the historical Garumara pathar of the village, inaugurated by nonagenarian dhop khel player of Tezpur Umakanta Barua and attended by nearly one thousand people including well known cine and stage actor Bhola Katoky and a few dhop khel and players of the area such as Khargeswar Hazarika, Dhaneswar Hazarika, Rosha Kataky, Bongshi Kalita, Hemchanda Saikia etc, the game around great enjoyment, excitement and romance among the audience. The old players became nostalgic remembering their good old days. The dhop ball was prepared by veteran player of the game Bongshi Kalita and the team led by another veteran player Hem Chandra Saikia won the game among great fan fare The people lauded the efforts put up by the organisations for presenting such an old and forgotten game to the people, specially the new generation, who did not know nor seen such game. The game was organised as part of the celebration of Bihu utsov by the village. Dadul Borkataky and Bhola Hazarika president and secretary respectively of the Yuvak Sangha expressed that dhop khel will be organised by them in the years to come along with the celebration of Bihu utsav as people have enjoyed the same. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] OIL/Gas Vacancies ----anybody or his /her friend/kin/--?
There are several ways to catch fish- one of them is to throw a net. The wider the net, more chances of catching fish. That is what is going on here. Through the internet, they hope to catch some unsuspecting characters whom they can squeeze to get a few squids. Dilip mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I get such on almost daily basis: mm COPPEN OIL AND GAS LIMITED UK309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW,UNITED KINGDOM.Job VacanciesTITLE: PRODUCTION SHARING CONTRACTJob ID: PSC/COG/ 012556-08 UK.COPPEN OIL AND GAS UK has immediate employmentopportunities. COPPEN OIL AND GAS UK intends to invite experienced individuals/expatriates or Consultancy firm capable of rendering expertise services in various fields ofEngineering, Construction and Installation, NDT,Geology, Project Management, Welding andFabrication, Plant/Start-Up, Maintenance, Aviationsafety officer, Air Craft Maintenance Engineer,Administrative, Marketing Manager, Technical Writer,Product Information Analyst, Experienced caterer/catering manager/chef, Engineering Writer,Staff nurse andCommissioning.ENTITLEMENT, BENEFITS AND PACKAGES; . A very attractive net salary paid in US$, Sterling or Euros equivalent depending on employee home country and currency preference with annual salary review. . Quality single or family housing accommodation in company community. . Free medical/dental care in UK for employee and family. . Excellent educational assistance benefits with family status employment. . Paid airfares allowing full flexibility with holiday travel. Personal effects shipment and excess baggage allowances. . Full access to some of the finest and social recreational facilities in United Kingdom. . Life Insurance and Paid vacation. . Official vehicle/Maximum security in work environment and housing community. JOB STATUS: Full-Time and contract SALARY INDICATION: UK?5, 320.00 - UK?17, 000.00 depending upon experience and field of specialization. QUALIFICATION: 2 years and above. Interested candidates are to email cv/resume and details of experience to ([EMAIL PROTECTED])Regards,Mark Olivarez _ Technology : Catch up on updates on the latest Gadgets, Reviews, Gaming and Tips to use technology etc. http://computing.in.msn.com/ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Fwd: Houston Bihu 2008
Houston Bihu pictures taken by Sushma Chetri. You may find someone you know.
Dilip Deka
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:55:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
#hdrcolor{ font-size:14px;
font-weight:bold; font-family:verdana, sans-serif;
background-color: #ffcc33; text-align: center;
color: #fff; padding: 10px 0 10px 0;
margin: 10px 100px 10px 100px; } div.view{
display:block; border: 1px solid #ffcc66;
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10px 10px 0 0; text-align: center; } div.nmitxt a {
color:#fff; text-decoration:none; }div.nmitxt a:hover {
color:#f80; }If you can't see the pictures
in this email, click here to see it in a web browser:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=aksva9wr.7acypns3x=0y=4f8kbulocaleid=en_US
sushma has shared photos with you.
bihu 2008
(1 album)
You're invited to view my online photos at the Gallery. Enjoy!
- sushma
View photos
Do more with these photos! Buy Kodak prints
Create a collage Create a mini photo book Create mugs
Questions? Visit
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Help.jsp?localeid=en_US.
©Kodak, 2008. All rights reserved.
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[Assam] so you wanna be a journo?
The following appeared in the Outlook magazine. It is a novel way to do the first cut of the applicants. To the Outlook hiring people, knowledge of the magazine's chosen language medium is numero uno. Journalism skills probably are in the second cut. The magazine does show significant care in editing its articles. Dilip Deka so you wanna be a journo? outlookindia.com is looking for trainee sub-editors for it's copy-desk in new Delhi. if you are a bright, fresh graduate and can spot the errors in this advertsment; its imortant that you male us on: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the corrected version of this ad and your CV. strictly no phone calls. oh yeah, but do put Application in the subject header of your mail. so you wanna be a journo? outlookindia.com is looking for trainee sub-editors for it's copy-desk in new Delhi. if you are a bright, fresh graduate and can spot the errors in this advertsment; its imortant that you male us on: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the corrected version of this ad and your CV. strictly no phone calls. oh yeah, but do put Application in the subject header of your mail. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Modaar Tree Does have Value!
There is an interesting piece of information in the following report. I always thought Modaar tree was of little value. The report says Modaar wood is used to make Bihu Dhol and there is a shortage of Modaar wood. The good news is they are planting new Modaar trees to get the wood for Dhols in the future. Is there an expert here who can tell us why Modaar wood is so suited for Bihu Dhol? What wood is used for bigger Dhols? Dilip ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Modaar Tree Does have Value!
I attached the report. Don't know what happened to it. Anyway, you can read it from the Asomiya Pratidin. Dilip == Rajen Ajanta Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Where is the report? Barua - Original Message - From: Dilip/Dil Deka To: ASSAMNET Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 1:10 PM Subject: [Assam] Modaar Tree Does have Value! There is an interesting piece of information in the following report. I always thought Modaar tree was of little value. The report says Modaar wood is used to make Bihu Dhol and there is a shortage of Modaar wood. The good news is they are planting new Modaar trees to get the wood for Dhols in the future. Is there an expert here who can tell us why Modaar wood is so suited for Bihu Dhol? What wood is used for bigger Dhols? Dilip ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Obama�s Indonesian Lessons
Views below of an Obama supporter - Roger Cohen in the NYT. Do you think a
leader like Obama needs to step in now to enhance the US image? Does Obama
have a team of like thinkers?
Dilip Deka
===
Obamas Indonesian Lessons function getSharePasskey() { return
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return
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Indonesian Lessons'); } function getShareDescription() {return
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reinventing America#8217;s relations with the Islamic world.'); } function
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2008,Indonesia,Barack Obama'); } function getShareSection() { return
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14, 2008'); }
By ROGER COHEN
Published: April 14, 2008
JAKARTA, Indonesia
Skip to next paragraph
Roger Cohen
Go to Columnist Page » Blog: Passages
When Barack Obamas Indonesian classmates are asked to recall the boy they
all called Barry (pronounced Berry), their description is unanimous:
chubby.
He was the tall, chubby kid in Bermudas who joined their 4th grade class at
the Besuki elementary school in 1970, the boy with the white mother and
Indonesian stepfather who brought his own sandwiches to school (odd to a
noodle-eating crowd) and, strangest of all, wrote with his left hand.
It was so weird that he was left-handed, recalled Ati Kisjanto, now a
marketing consultant. That was considered impolite here, and you were forced
to write with your right hand.
A dozen of Obamas classmates were gathered at the house of Sandra Sambuaga,
exchanging stories over Indonesian delicacies. For two years after Obama was
elected to the Senate in 2004, they were unsure this was the boy registered at
their school as Barry Soetoro (the family name of his stepfather).
We just couldnt believe this skinny U.S. senator with another name was our
chubby, hyperactive Berry! said Dewi Asmara Oetojo, a politician. We were
only convinced when we saw a photo of him as a boy.
The atmosphere at the gathering was raucous. The school was in the upscale
Menteng neighborhood; everyone has done all right. A small crucifix hangs from
Sambuagas wall: shes a Christian. Most of the other classmates are Muslims in
this country that is home to the worlds largest Muslim population.
Only Citra Dewi wore a headscarf. I used to sit next to him and Id say
Berry, move away, youre sweating! she told me. In Indonesia we say active
boys smell of the sun. Everyone laughed at that.
I listened and tried to imagine the 9-year-old Obama too embarrassed to sing,
swapping his sandwich for sticky rice, enduring the fascination with his hair
(it kept curling back, like our noodles, said Sambuaga).
No wonder Obama is adept at exploring the spaces in between, the areas that
are neither black nor white, neither with us nor against us, neither red
state nor blue state: he has spent his life building bridges to assemble a
coherent identity. Only by uniting disparate threads could he become whole
under the name of Barack Obama in a world experienced as defined by divergent
truths.
One such many-shaded truth was religion. His stepfather, according to Obamas
memoir, followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of
more ancient animist and Hindu faiths. That tracks with the pliant, tropical
Islam of Indonesia where a you shall have your religion, and I shall have
mine tolerance dwarfs pockets of radicalism.
The United States has an Islam problem. Say the name of the religion of
almost 20 percent of the worlds population and images of bearded, Wahhabi
extremists surge. They reflect a reductive unease born of 9/11 and ignorance. A
central challenge of the next president will be reinventing Americas relations
with the Islamic world, and stimulating open dialogue between Muslims.
Obama has lived with Islam, from his boyhood Indonesia to a later encounter
with the similarly malleable Islamic faith of Kenyan relatives. He can situate
Saudi Wahhabism as one current among many. With Islam as with most things, its
better to deal with a multi-faced reality than simplified demons.
Im troubled by Hillary Clintons recent innuendo-dripping remark that her
Christian faith is the faith of my parents and my grandparents. As opposed,
of course, to Obama, who came to Christianity
From the NYT - Don�t Know Much About Tibetan History
If you are curious about Tibet's relationship with China over the centuries, in
view of the recent incidents, you may find the article below useful. The
article says that Tibet was never a part of China till Communist China marched
into Lhasa.
The question arises - was there a country called Tibet at all? Was there a
government in Tibet? Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader, not a political one.
What makes a Tibetan a Tibetan? Religion, language or tribal division?
From the NYT
Op-Ed Contributor
Dont Know Much About Tibetan History function getSharePasskey() { return
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Much About Tibetan History'); } function getShareDescription() {return
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Zedong#8217;s armies marched in and made it so.'); } function
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new_york_times:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/opinion/13sperling.html
By ELLIOT SPERLING
Published: April 13, 2008
Bloomington, Ind.
FOR many Tibetans, the case for the historical independence of their land
is unequivocal. They assert that Tibet has always been and by rights now ought
to be an independent country. Chinas assertions are equally unequivocal: Tibet
became a part of China during Mongol rule and its status as a part of China has
never changed. Both of these assertions are at odds with Tibets history.
The Tibetan view holds that Tibet was never subject to foreign rule after it
emerged in the mid-seventh century as a dynamic power holding sway over an
Inner Asian empire. These Tibetans say the appearance of subjugation to the
Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries, and to the
Manchu rulers of Chinas Qing Dynasty from the 18th century until the 20th
century, is due to a modern, largely Western misunderstanding of the personal
relations among the Yuan and Qing emperors and the pre-eminent lamas of Tibet.
In this view, the lamas simply served as spiritual mentors to the emperors,
with no compromise of Tibets independent status.
In Chinas view, the Western misunderstandings are about the nature of China:
Western critics dont understand that China has a history of thousands of years
as a unified multinational state; all of its nationalities are Chinese. The
Mongols, who entered China as conquerers, are claimed as Chinese, and their
subjugation of Tibet is claimed as a Chinese subjugation.
Here are the facts. The claim that Tibet entertained only personal relations
with China at the leadership level is easily rebutted. Administrative records
and dynastic histories outline the governing structures of Mongol and Manchu
rule. These make it clear that Tibet was subject to rules, laws and decisions
made by the Yuan and Qing rulers. Tibet was not independent during these two
periods. One of the Tibetan cabinet ministers summoned to Beijing at the end of
the 18th century describes himself unambiguously in his memoirs as a subject of
the Manchu emperor.
But although Tibet did submit to the Mongol and Manchu Empires, neither
attached Tibet to China. The same documentary record that shows Tibetan
subjugation to the Mongols and Manchus also shows that Chinas intervening Ming
Dynasty (which ruled from 1368 to 1644) had no control over Tibet. This is
problematic, given Chinas insistence that Chinese sovereignty was exercised in
an unbroken line from the 13th century onward.
The idea that Tibet became part of China in the 13th century is a very recent
construction. In the early part of the 20th century, Chinese writers generally
dated the annexation of Tibet to the 18th century. They described Tibets
status under the Qing with a term that designates a feudal dependency, not an
integral part of a country. And thats because Tibet was ruled as such, within
the empires of the Mongols and the Manchus. When the Qing dynasty collapsed in
1911, Tibet became independent once more.
From 1912 until the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, no
Chinese government exercised control over what is today Chinas Tibet
Autonomous Region. The Dalai Lamas government alone ruled the land
Re: [Assam] Unearthed: royal kitchen in Sivasagar
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) - I am amazed that an All India Organization is taking interest in the Ahom King's Kitchens. I am curious to know what compelled them to lower their focus to this level!! Delhi does not understand Assam and does not care to- I am told. But then, I am not in the know. Dilip Deka == Pradip Kumar Datta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The remains of the royal Ahom kitchen in Sivasagar. A Telegraph picture Unearthed: royal kitchen in Sivasagar For years, historians have wondered what the kitchens of the Ahom royalty looked like. They finally have the answer. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has dug out the remains of a royal kitchen on the precincts of the Gargaon Palace in Sivasagar district. The discovery is a virtual treasure trove and should answer many questions which have remained a mystery for so long, said the superintending archaeologist of ASIs Guwahati circle, Sanjay Kumar Manjul. The Ahoms ruled Assam for around 600 years and are credited with bringing together the various tribes and sub-tribes as one to form the greater Assamese society. Originally from South East Asia, the Ahoms also shaped, to a great extent, the food habits of the people, adding new items to the Assamese menu. The ASI official said the remains of the kitchen believed to be nearly 400 years old include earthen tumblers, bowls, dishes and basins. Three oval-shaped hearths and pots and pans of various kinds were also recovered during the excavation. We are examining the pieces. Our research is expected to throw light on the lifestyle, cooking methods and culinary habits of the Ahoms, he added. Traces of charcoal were also found at the site, indicating that the Ahoms, too, used wood as fuel for cooking. Archaeologists believe the findings will shed light on the cultural continuity since the Ahom rule. For example, we can now know which of the practices of the Ahom age are still continuing. The hearths are similar to those which are still used in some places of Upper Assam, Manjul said. The Gargaon Palace also known as the Kareng Ghar was built in 1540 by the 15th Ahom king, Sukhlenmung. The old structure was, however, destroyed sometime during the 18th century. The present seven-storey structure was rebuilt by King Rajeswar Singha in 1762. - You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] AT Photo- A Quiz: Chutiya Xalika
Looks like the bird's genus and name are now known. I am not too sure if the flower has been identified quite definitely yet. I do remember seeing flowers like in the photo that we used to call Modar. Aren't there different varieties of Modar? Dilip == Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks Bikash for reminding us of the Sutiya Xaalika name. Back at Namti we called it that as well--completely forgot about it. At 3:15 AM +0100 3/30/08, DR BIKASH KUMAR DAS wrote: Haaa... Dada This is known in Darrang and Kamrup as CHUTIYA SHALIKA /XALIKA ( Chutiya Shalka).They are the direct version of original Indian Mynah all because they call talk like you and me. I had one before leaving for Military.She used to talk and if I run will fly behind me and sit on my shoulders... now when I saw this- I only tear for her..She was with us for long and will sit in front of us always like a part of family and look at us.Here also I tried to keep one, but died due to some food poison.Its too painful to miss them.So no more birds to sit on my shoulders.. This bird is very humanly and available in Bangalore also.But here people are not like we Axomiya !! Forget about bird, they dnt know the next home. Hope al doubt is clear now- Bikash Chan Mahanta wrote:excellent Chitta! And thanks for sharing the autherntic Oxomiya name, Kath Xaalika.Incidentally the widespread , lowly Xaalika Sorai is a Mynah too. It is called Common Indian Mynah. - Why delete messages? Unlimited storage is just a click away. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From TOI --Indian Special Court's Speed
OMahanta, Did you read the whole story? The case was pending for 15 years since 1993. The special court disposed off the case in one hour of hearing, in stead of sending Mr. Ghaffar home again. In my estimate that is a lot of progress. The court itself was set up last year - when last year the report does not say. Did it take one year for the court to start its business? Probably. The magistrate/s had to be appointed, court house had to be established, priority list of the cases had to be prepared. The fact that the Maharashtra govt. came up with the idea to handle the riot related petty cases is commendable. Real success will be evident only if the court disposes off all assigned cases in a record time. It will be interesting to know if the special court has been given a deadline. If there is a potential that the magistrate/s get recognition for meeting the deadline, there is a likelihood that it will be met. O'Deka == Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: *** If I am not mistaken these 'special' courts were designed to provide fast justice, weren't they? cm 14 yrs in courts, 1 hour to walk free 27 Mar 2008, 0155 hrs IST,Rukmini Shrinivasan,TNN Print Save EMail Write to Editor MUMBAI: The much hyped but much delayed special courts, which the Maharashtra government set up last year to try 1992-93 riots cases, disposed of the first case on Tuesday: a man accused of stealing two cans of groundnut oil 14 years ago was acquitted. Metropolitan magistrate R C Bapat Sarkar took a little over an hour to acquit Abdul Ghaffar, whose case was one of the priority cases specially selected by the government to be tried in the new courts. Ghaffar (45), a sherbet seller on Mohammed Ali Road, was arrested in May 1993 for breaking into and stealing two cans of oil from a godown near his house in December 1992. Dozens of us were rounded up during those days and charged with offences ranging from theft to murder depending on our 'look', Ghaffar said during a break from work at his house near Suleman Usman Bakery. I was in custody for two and a half months. They beat me up and tortured me in ways that I cannot tell you, he added. Ghaffar was charged under Sections 380 (robbery) and 454 (trespass) of IPC. His trial began at the Mazgaon magistrate's court. My date would come up every two weeks. I'd go to court, sign my name, and then be told that the case was adjourned. I'd return home by evening, a day's earnings lost, said Ghaffar. For the past two years, there was no hearing and Ghaffar was told by police that his case had been put in the dormant file. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Little Davie
Enjoy!! A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up! After a few seconds, Little Davie stood up. The teacher said, Do you think you're stupid, Little Davie? No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself! ** Little Davie watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. Why do you do that, mommy? he asked. To make myself beautiful, said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue. What's the matter? asked Little Davie. Giving up? *** A Sunday School teacher of preschoolers was concerned that his students might be a little confused about Jesus Christ because of the Christmas season emphasis on His birth. He wanted to make sure they understood that the birth of Jesus occurred a long time ago, that He grew up, etc. So he asked his cl ass, Where is Jesus today? Steven raised his hand and said, He's in heaven. Mary was called on and answered, He's in my heart. Little Davie, waving his hand furiously, blurted out, I know! I know! He's in our bathroom! The teacher was completely at a loss for a few very long seconds. Finally, he gathered his wits and asked Little Davie how he knew this Little Davie said, Well.. every morning, my father gets up, bangs on the bathroom door, and yells, Jesus Christ, are you still in there?! The math teacher saw that little Davie wasn't paying attention in class. She called on him and said, Davie! What are 2 and 4 and 28 and 44? Little Davie quickly replied, NBC, CBS, HBO and the Cartoon Network! *** Little Davie's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures tacked to a bulletin board of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. Yes, said the policeman. The detectives want very badly to capture him. Little Davie asked, Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture? *** Little Davie attended a horse auction with his father. He watched as his father moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse's legs, rump, and chest. After a few minutes, Davie asked, Dad, why are you doing that? His father replied, Because when I'm buying horses, I have to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape before I buy. Davie, looking worried, said, Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Lalu Yadavs youtube moments !!! enjoy
Thanks for defining one component of the cord. There are many others. Loss of independent thinking while trying to copy the west is another. What do you think of the fact that India has maintained the ICS model for today's IAS? Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: At 8:32 PM -0700 3/13/08, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: That was funny. The reality is Laloo knows what he is doing and you have to give him credit for his knowledge of the basics. He knows business better than the MBAs. He may not speak English. But then how many of the world leaders do? Indians need to cut the cord. *** I agree. But it is not so much as about cutting the cord. Nothing wrong with maintaining the cord. It is about equating English language proficiency to intelligence, wisdom,expertise, ability, sophistication , good upbringing or what have you that one looks up to. That is the baggage of colonial servitude that many of our fellow men have not been able to shed, even after so many generations since the British left. Dilip == mc mahant wrote: How will Lalu's AAM AADMI concepts conflict with PWC 's BRIC - or INDIA+CHINA we-are -co-super-powers vision? In China I saw great Posters at Bus centre facades We will carry you where you want to -- but must you travel? And Lalu is no fool. A great actor. The Speaker bared his ' I am a superior Babu' fangs. mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:59:45 -0400 Subject: [Assam] Lalu Yadavs youtube moments !!! enjoy enjoy ! Lalu in parliament- translates his hindi speech into (H) inglish .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhequbKB-bc Laluji speaks to an English TV channel.. ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVe966Rrr5c Lalu the ROCKSTAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAeOkSCnNfcNR=1 _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _ Tried the new MSN Messenger? Its cool! Download now. http://messenger.msn.com/Download/Default.aspx?mkt=en-in ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Lalu Yadavs youtube moments !!! enjoy
That was funny. The reality is Laloo knows what he is doing and you have to give him credit for his knowledge of the basics. He knows business better than the MBAs. He may not speak English. But then how many of the world leaders do? Indians need to cut the cord. Dilip == mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: How will Lalu's AAM AADMI concepts conflict with PWC 's BRIC - or INDIA+CHINA we-are -co-super-powers vision? In China I saw great Posters at Bus centre facades We will carry you where you want to -- but must you travel? And Lalu is no fool. A great actor. The Speaker bared his ' I am a superior Babu' fangs. mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:59:45 -0400 Subject: [Assam] Lalu Yadavs youtube moments !!! enjoy enjoy ! Lalu in parliament- translates his hindi speech into (H) inglish .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhequbKB-bc Laluji speaks to an English TV channel.. ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVe966Rrr5c Lalu the ROCKSTAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAeOkSCnNfcNR=1 _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _ Tried the new MSN Messenger? Its cool! Download now. http://messenger.msn.com/Download/Default.aspx?mkt=en-in ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Assam�s French daughter-in-law restores 18th century tome
Caroline and Bhaskar Dutta Baruah chose to go back to Guwahati from London after Bhaskar's father passed away, just to keep the family business Lawyer's Book Stall going. Bhaskar now has another line of business called LBS Publications. I commend Caroline for her dedication and effort. Dilip The Norman connection - Assams French daughter-in-law restores 18th century tome OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Caroline Dutta-Baruah with her book in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections Guwahati, March 11: In 1752, a snobbish Frenchman who had travelled to this part of the world as a representative of the French East India Company went back home and wrote about his travels in Assam. Two hundred and fifty-six years later, a Normandy-born researcher stumbled upon the worn-out pages of the 18th century travelogue and as chance would have it, she happened to be married to the scion of one of the oldest publishing houses in Assam. Three years of back-breaking research and Caroline Dutta-Baruah is ready with what she describes as her labour of love Adventures of Jean-Baptiste Chavelier in Eastern India, a loyal translation of Chaveliers Journel de mon voyage a Assem. So was it just academic interest that drew her to this 250-year-old manuscript? Not really. Carolines interest in Assam peaked when she became a daughter-in-law of the state in 2000. Being married to Bhaskar Dutta-Baruah, whose family owns the Lawyers Book Stall, one of Assams oldest publishing houses, provided the necessary encouragement. I found out about the historical memoirs from the French researcher Jean Delouche with whom I had worked for a brief period. It was such a fascinating piece of work that I had to bring it to the people of Assam, said the 31-year-old. There have been many references to Chaveliers travels to Assam in several documents and research works but his manuscript remained hidden under thousands of other papers at the Bibliotheque de lInstitut in Paris till Delouche discovered it in 1985 in a very bad shape. Delouche restored the manuscript, filled in some missing pages and gave it a proper shape, Caroline said. The Adventures of Jean-Baptiste Chavelier includes the part that is most relevant to the state, Journel de mon voyage a Assem (Journal of my travels in Assam). Caroline, of course, took Delouches help for translation, which was a very tedious job since Chaveliers language was Old French and many words have been either lost or changed over the years. The 214-page was launched at the World Book Fair in Delhi recently but will be available in Assam only next week. Delouche, who has written the introduction for the book, describes Chavelier as kind of Asterix in Assam, brave, bold, but impatient, besides being full of his Gallic superiority and incapable of appreciating any other type of culture. He simply missed the magic potion of the cartoon hero to make a feat of this journey. However, the simple flaws apart, Chaveliers observations could become major source material for researchers and even pleasurable reading for the common people, Caroline said. Having met her husband at Leeds in England, when both were studying there, Caroline is also working on popularising Assam silk in the West. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] question on citizenship
I think the same rule would apply for the 10 year visa permit on one page of an old passport. I wish they had a way to re-stamp that on the new passport. - If you are talking about a US passport and a ten year Indian visa, yes you can get it transferred to a new passport by paying a fee to the visa office. It takes a day. I had it done. Dilip = Alpana B. Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Wahid-da: Thanks for your mail with the detailed information - will be very handy. The tip to carry the old passport along with it, is a good one. Yes, it would take just a second to find 'not enough/proper information' for the airport officials to send me back and all my vacation time, money and eagerness/enthusiasm to visit home will be exhausted in seconds and would have to wait a year for another trip. I think the same rule would apply for the 10 year visa permit on one page of an old passport. I wish they had a way to re-stamp that on the new passport. About reporting to the police in India, do you have to do that for short visits as well? I have never stayed back longer than 6 months and reported to the police. It is a nuisance, especially in some places where even they wouldn't know what to do with it and make things unnecessarily complicated. You know how it works. I am glad I just have to do that in Assam or in Chennai - not Delhi or Bihar. Again, thanks for your note, as always. Regards, - Alpana In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: assam@assamnet.org Subject: RE: [Assam] question on citizenship Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 09:56:01 +0100 The Overseas Indian Citizenship is not a dual citizenship or a dual nationality. The Indian constitution does not allow dual nationality. In order to obtain an OCI card a foreign passport is a must. OCI is a life long visa to travel to India. While in India you get some other benefits like not reporting to police after arrival etc. For the official definitions of NRI/PIO/OCI see the attachment. It is from the link http://www.mha.nic.in/oci/chart.pdf. If you download from the www.mha.nic.in and would like to save the document make sure that it saves as PDF. File. Otherwise you will have difficulty opening the file. If you have the OCI sticker on a passport which has expired and you obtain a new passport then it is not possible to get a new OCI sticker in your new passport. So while travelling to India be careful to take your old passport with the OCI sticker along with the new passport. Otherwise you will not be allowed to enter India and sent back by the next available flight. See the attached article OCI sticker needed to enter. You can also check http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=209468 for extra information. The Indian Embassy Washington also provides the necessary information: http://www.indianembassy.org/consular/Overseas_Citizen/OCI.html Greetings, Wahid Saleh www.indiawijzer.nl The Dutch portal with India related information Coming together is a beginning | Keeping together is progress | Working together is success -Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Namens Alpana B. Sarangapani Verzonden: zondag 9 maart 2008 6:17 Aan: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Onderwerp: Re: [Assam] question on citizenship Thanks for the information. Please go through MEA web site.This is the prime action done by UPA Govt. http://mha.gov.in/ And they made sure that every time you try to open a site (especially the ones in .pdf files), your computer freezes and have to close and reopen the browser and then give up. If one is paranoid, one could say it's part of the conspiracy against the Assamese. :) In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 03:14:01 + From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] question on citizenship Baideo, Please go through MEA web site.This is the prime action done by UPA Govt. http://mha.gov.in/ and to get the entire Govt of India list see here- http://goidirectory.nic.in/exe.htm Hope this will benefit you. Namaskar. Bikash Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:Anybody knows if India is allowing dual citizenship now? Or PIO card is still the only way to go? Thanks for any help. In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass _ Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM, we give. http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join
[Assam] Tribalism
The article below is indirectly endorsing Obama, if you read it to the end.
But it does make you think how tribalism pervades across the globe.
Dilip
==
From the NYT
Op-Ed Columnist
Tribalism Here, and There function getSharePasskey() { return
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By ROGER COHEN
Published: March 10, 2008
NAIROBI, Kenya
The joke going around here, after a rigged vote, is that it may be easier to
elect a Luo president in the United States than in Kenya.
We beat them to it, I just wasnt sworn in, Raila Odinga, the opposition
leader and a member of the large Luo ethnic group, told me. Obama, if elected,
would have been second, but I was robbed at the ballot box.
Barack Obama is an American delivered by birth from the fissures of his
fathers land. But it is through the charged tribal prism that Kenyans view the
U.S. presidential race after a spasm of postelectoral ethnic killing and
cleansing that left more than 1,000 dead and a half-million people uprooted.
Because Obamas paternal family is Luo, the Luos love him without reserve. By
contrast, Kikuyus, the largest tribe, are cool to him.
Since independence in 1963, Kenya has never had a Luo president. The
incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, is a Kikuyu and widely accused, as the countrys first
president Jomo Kenyatta was, of favoring his tribe.
Thats the 45-year backdrop to the violence, now stanched, that saw Luos who
felt cheated in the Dec. 27 election chasing Kikuyus from their homes and
Kikuyus killing in reprisal.
History is prologue. Back in the 1960s, Obamas father, shaped by his
American experience, warned that tribalism was going to ruin the country,
according to the senators memoir. Kenyatta, a Kikuyu, punished the old man
for his frankness.
Odingas father also suffered as a Luo. Oginga Odinga, the first
vice-president to Kenyatta, was arrested in 1969 after ethnic violence in the
Luo-dominated western city of Kisumu, near the Obama homestead. Today, burnt
buildings and shattered stores line Kisumu once again.
But were beyond tribalism, right?
Wrong. The main forces in the world today are the modernizing,
barrier-breaking sweep of globalization and the tribal reaction to it, which
lies in the assertion of religious, national, linguistic, racial or ethnic
identity against the unifying technological tide.
Connection and fragmentation vie. The Internet opens worlds and minds, but
also offers opinions to reinforce every prejudice. Youre never alone out
there; some idiot will always back you. The online world doesnt dissolve
tribes. It gives them global reach.
Jihadism, with its mirage of a restored infidel-free Caliphate, is perhaps
the most violent tribal reaction to modernity. But fundamentalism is no Islamic
preserve; it has its Christian, Jewish, Hindu and other expressions.
Americas peaceful tribes are also out in force. As Obama and Hillary Clinton
engage in the long war for the Democratic nomination, we have the black vote,
and the Latino vote, and the women-over-50 vote, and the Volvo-driving
liberal-intellectual vote, and the white blue-collar vote, and the urban vote,
and the rural vote, and the under-30s vote sub-groups with shared social,
cultural, linguistic or other traits and interests.
Thats democracy at work. Sure. But the United States is divided, within
itself and from the world, in growing ways.
It is divided by war, by income chasms, by foreclosures, by political
polarization and by culture wars. Increasingly it is looked upon from outside
with dismay or alarm. Healing, within and without, will be a central task of
the next president.
For several years now, Obama has made the possibility of unity beyond
division the core of his politics. Thats just poetry, the pooh-poohing Clinton
people say, but governing is about the prose of experience and grit.
I see plenty of Obama prose, in new
[Assam] So what if he were?
Do you think Obama will have the courage to say, I am a practising Christian. And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he says it, will he gain voters or lose them? Dilip From the NYT Op-Ed Columnist Obama and the Bigots By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: March 9, 2008 The ugliest prejudices in this campaign season are not directly about race. Barack Obamas skin color may cost him some working-class white voters, but its also winning some votes among blacks and among whites eager to signal their open-mindedness. Sexism seems more of a factor. Americans have typically said in polls that they are less willing to vote for a woman than a black, and Shirley Chisholm (a black woman who ran for president in 1972) always said that she encountered more prejudice because of her sex than her race. Yet the most monstrous bigotry in this election isnt about either race or sex. Its about religion. The whispering campaigns allege that Mr. Obama is a secret Muslim planning to impose Islamic law on the country. Incredibly, he is even accused in earnest! of being the Antichrist. Proponents of this theory offer detailed theological explanations for why he is the Antichrist, and the proof is that he claims to be Christian after all, the Antichrist would say that, wouldnt he? The rumors circulate enough that Glenn Beck of CNN asked the Rev. John Hagee, a conservative evangelical, what the odds are that Mr. Obama is the Antichrist. These charges are fanatical, Americas own equivalent of the vicious accusations about Jews that circulate in some Muslim countries. They are less a swipe at one candidate than a calumny against an entire religion. They underscore that for many bigoted Americans in the 21st century, calling someone a Muslim is still a slur. There is a parallel with presidential campaigns in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when one of the most common ways to attack a candidate was to suggest that he was partly black, or at least favored racial intermarriage. For example, the Federalists charged that Thomas Jefferson was the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father. And the word miscegenation was coined in 1863 and 1864 in charges that Abraham Lincoln secretly plotted for blacks to marry whites, especially Irish-Americans. As late as the 1920 presidential campaign, a quarter-million letters were sent to voters accusing Warren Harding of being descended from a West Indian Negro. ... May God save America from international shame and domestic ruin. In looking back at that history, you wish that a candidate had responded not only with, No, I dont have any black ancestor, but also with, So what if I did? Likewise, with countless people today spreading scurrilous rumors that Mr. Obama is a Muslim, the most appropriate response is a denial followed by: And so what if he were? Granted, thats not politically realistic as a comeback. A 2007 Gallup poll found that 94 percent of Americans said they would vote for a black candidate for president and 88 percent for a woman. In contrast, a Los Angeles Times poll in 2006 found that only 34 percent of respondents said they could vote for a Muslim for president. Even if a prejudice is directed to a matter of choice, like religion or long hair, its still prejudice. Its possible to believe that Catholics have every right to be president while opposing a particular Catholic candidate who would ban contraception; likewise, its possible to believe that Muslims have every right to hold office without necessarily embracing the candidacy of particular Muslims who advocate enveloping all women in burkas. To his credit, Mr. Obama has spoken respectfully of Islam (he told me last year, on the record, that the Muslim call to prayer is one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset). If he were to go further and so what if I were Muslim? many Americans would see that as confirmation that he is a Sunni terrorist agent of Al Qaeda who is part of a 9/11 backup plan: If you cant reach the White House with a hijacked plane, then storm the Oval Office through the ballot box. This is a case where Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain should take the initiative and denounce the fear-mongering about Mr. Obama as hate speech. The wink-wink references to Barack Hussein Obama and lies about his going to a madrassa are the religious equivalent of racial slurs, and Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton should denounce them in the strongest terms. This is their chance to show leadership. When Mrs. Clinton was asked in a television interview a week ago whether Mr. Obama is a Muslim, she denied it firmly but then added, most unfortunately, as far as I know. To his credit, Mr. McCain scolded a radio host who repeatedly referred to Barack
Re: [Assam] So what if he were?
Obama may have to too. But I hope he would NOT. And if he gets the nomination and gets elected as the next president, without having to answer to such questions or charges, just like without having to wear an US Flag on his lapel or place his hand over his heart while saying the Pledge of Allegiance, it will mark a historic turn of the American nation to a truly sophisticated one. DKD: I hope your hope comes true. Religion has no place in governace in a secular nation. But why did you leave out the second half of my comment, And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he says it, will he gain voters or lose them? I'd like to hear your or others' comments on it. Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: At 10:52 AM -0700 3/9/08, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Do you think Obama will have the courage to say, I am a practising Christian. *** It is NOT about COURAGE. Imagine you or I having to dignify an outrageous charge or scurrilous innuendo, every time a bigot or a fool or a charlatan makes it? Why should an US president's religion be an election issue? I know it becomes one, every time. But that is because candidates succumb to pressures from religious bigots . Obama may have to too. But I hope he would NOT. And if he gets the nomination and gets elected as the next president, without having to answer to such questions or charges, just like without having to wear an US Flag on his lapel or place his hand over his heart while saying the Pledge of Allegiance, it will mark a historic turn of the American nation to a truly sophisticated one. And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he says it, will he gain voters or lose them? Dilip From the NYT Op-Ed Columnist Obama and the Bigots By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: March 9, 2008 The ugliest prejudices in this campaign season are not directly about race. Barack Obamas skin color may cost him some working-class white voters, but its also winning some votes among blacks and among whites eager to signal their open-mindedness. Sexism seems more of a factor. Americans have typically said in polls that they are less willing to vote for a woman than a black, and Shirley Chisholm (a black woman who ran for president in 1972) always said that she encountered more prejudice because of her sex than her race. Yet the most monstrous bigotry in this election isnt about either race or sex. Its about religion. The whispering campaigns allege that Mr. Obama is a secret Muslim planning to impose Islamic law on the country. Incredibly, he is even accused in earnest! of being the Antichrist. Proponents of this theory offer detailed theological explanations for why he is the Antichrist, and the proof is that he claims to be Christian after all, the Antichrist would say that, wouldnt he? The rumors circulate enough that Glenn Beck of CNN asked the Rev. John Hagee, a conservative evangelical, what the odds are that Mr. Obama is the Antichrist. These charges are fanatical, Americas own equivalent of the vicious accusations about Jews that circulate in some Muslim countries. They are less a swipe at one candidate than a calumny against an entire religion. They underscore that for many bigoted Americans in the 21st century, calling someone a Muslim is still a slur. There is a parallel with presidential campaigns in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when one of the most common ways to attack a candidate was to suggest that he was partly black, or at least favored racial intermarriage. For example, the Federalists charged that Thomas Jefferson was the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father. And the word miscegenation was coined in 1863 and 1864 in charges that Abraham Lincoln secretly plotted for blacks to marry whites, especially Irish-Americans. As late as the 1920 presidential campaign, a quarter-million letters were sent to voters accusing Warren Harding of being descended from a West Indian Negro. ... May God save America from international shame and domestic ruin. In looking back at that history, you wish that a candidate had responded not only with, No, I dont have any black ancestor, but also with, So what if I did? Likewise, with countless people today spreading scurrilous rumors that Mr. Obama is a Muslim, the most appropriate response is a denial followed by: And so what if he were? Granted, thats not politically realistic as a comeback. A 2007 Gallup poll found that 94 percent of Americans said they would vote for a black candidate for president and 88 percent for a woman. In contrast, a Los Angeles Times poll in 2006 found that only 34 percent of respondents said they could vote for a Muslim for president. Even if a prejudice is directed to a matter of choice, like
Re: [Assam] So what if he were?
Question is IF Hillary or McCain or Obama are Muslims ? Should they say they are, even if they are not? Are you suggesting Obama should say he is a Muslim, even though he said he is not and wondering how his vote getting ability will fare then? DKD: No, that is not the question. What I was asking was why doesn't a candidate (Obama for example) in modern day America have the courage to say, I am a practising Christian. And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he/she says it, will he/she gain voters or lose them? You and I don't care whether the president is a christian, Muslim, Hindu or an atheist. But why does religion still play a part in US politics? Isn't there a large religious vote bank that the candidates don't want to rankle? Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: But why did you leave out the second half of my comment, And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he says it, will he gain voters or lose them? I'd like to hear your or others' comments on it. Dilip *** I am not sure I get it. Actually it should be NOTHING. Question is IF Hillary or McCain or Obama are Muslims ? Should they say they are, even if they are not? Are you suggesting Obama should say he is a Muslim, even though he said he is not and wondering how his vote getting ability will fare then? My guess will be that it would depend on a few things: A: IF Obama says now he is actually a Muslim or merely a closet one, then his credibility will tank and rightfully so; because he has declared a number of times that he is a Christian and not a Muslim. Under the circumstances, his vote getting ability will tank as well. And that would not be an unreasonable or unexpected eventuality. B: IF McCain or Hillary were to say they are Muslims, they will be lying, because it is widely known they are Christians, as far as we know that is. Again same credibility crisis and thus loss of votes, and rightfully too. So, the question is not clear enough for anyone to give a clear answer to. Perhaps we are attempting to get answers to a hypothetical situation, in which Obama or Hillary or McCain could be Muslims in real life masquerading as Christians in public. But what does that have to do with the situation in hand? At 7:13 PM -0700 3/9/08, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Obama may have to too. But I hope he would NOT. And if he gets the nomination and gets elected as the next president, without having to answer to such questions or charges, just like without having to wear an US Flag on his lapel or place his hand over his heart while saying the Pledge of Allegiance, it will mark a historic turn of the American nation to a truly sophisticated one. DKD: I hope your hope comes true. Religion has no place in governace in a secular nation. But why did you leave out the second half of my comment, And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he says it, will he gain voters or lose them? I'd like to hear your or others' comments on it. Dilip Chan Mahanta wrote: At 10:52 AM -0700 3/9/08, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Do you think Obama will have the courage to say, I am a practising Christian. *** It is NOT about COURAGE. Imagine you or I having to dignify an outrageous charge or scurrilous innuendo, every time a bigot or a fool or a charlatan makes it? Why should an US president's religion be an election issue? I know it becomes one, every time. But that is because candidates succumb to pressures from religious bigots . Obama may have to too. But I hope he would NOT. And if he gets the nomination and gets elected as the next president, without having to answer to such questions or charges, just like without having to wear an US Flag on his lapel or place his hand over his heart while saying the Pledge of Allegiance, it will mark a historic turn of the American nation to a truly sophisticated one. And so what if Hillary Clinton, John McCain or I were a Muslim?. If he says it, will he gain voters or lose them? Dilip From the NYT Op-Ed Columnist Obama and the Bigots By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: March 9, 2008 The ugliest prejudices in this campaign season are not directly about race. Barack Obamas skin color may cost him some working-class white voters, but its also winning some votes among blacks and among whites eager to signal their open-mindedness. Sexism seems more of a factor. Americans have typically said in polls that they are less willing to vote for a woman than a black, and Shirley Chisholm (a black woman who ran for president in 1972) always said that she encountered more prejudice because of her sex than her race. Yet the most monstrous bigotry in this election isnt about either race or sex. Its about religion. The whispering campaigns allege that Mr. Obama is a secret Muslim planning
[Assam] ETHNO-NATIONALISM - The Clash of Peoples
The article does not say ethno-nationalism is good but it admits that it is
here to stay for some more time. It also talks about why Americans cannot
understand this in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Dilip Deka
==
From the International Herald Tribune
ETHNO-NATIONALISM
The clash of peoples
By Jerry Z. Muller
Published: February 29, 2008
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Projecting their own experience onto the rest of the world, Americans
generally belittle the role of ethnic nationalism in politics. They also find
ethno-nationalism discomfiting both intellectually and morally. Social
scientists go to great lengths to demonstrate that it is a product not of
nature but of culture, and ethicists scorn value systems based on narrow group
identities rather than cosmopolitanism.
But none of this will make ethno-nationalism go away. Immigrants to the
United States usually arrive with a willingness to fit into their new country
and reshape their identities accordingly. But for those who remain behind in
lands where their ancestors have lived for generations, if not centuries,
political identities often take ethnic form, producing competing communal
claims to political power. The creation of a peaceful regional order of
nation-states has usually been the product of a violent process of ethnic
separation. In areas where that separation has not yet occurred, politics is
apt to remain ugly.
A familiar and influential narrative of 20th-century European history argues
that nationalism twice led to war, in 1914 and then again in 1939. Thereafter,
the story goes, Europeans concluded that nationalism was a danger and gradually
abandoned it. In the postwar decades, West Europeans enmeshed themselves in a
web of trans-national institutions, culminating in the European Union. After
the fall of the Soviet empire, that transnational framework spread eastward to
encompass most of the Continent. Europeans entered a post-national era, which
was not only a good thing in itself but also a model for other regions.
Nationalism, in this view, had been a tragic detour on the road to a peaceful
liberal democratic order.
Yet the experience of the hundreds of Africans and Asians who perish each
year trying to get into Europe by landing on the coast of Spain or Italy
reveals that Europe's frontiers are not so open. And a survey would show that
whereas in 1900 there were many states in Europe without a single
overwhelmingly dominant nationality, by 2007 there were only two, and one of
those, Belgium, was close to breaking up. Aside from Switzerland, in other
words - where the domestic ethnic balance of power is protected by strict
citizenship laws - in Europe the separatist project has not so much vanished
as triumphed. Far from having been superannuated in 1945, in many respects
ethno-nationalism was at its apogee in the years immediately after World War
II. European stability during the Cold War era was in fact due partly to the
widespread fulfillment of the ethno-nationalist project.
Although the term ethnic cleansing has come into English usage only
recently, its verbal correlates in Czech, French, German, and Polish go back
much further. Much of the history of 20th century Europe, in fact, has been a
painful, drawn-out process of ethnic disaggregation. The breakup of Yugoslavia
was simply the last act of a long play. But the plot of that play - the
disaggregation of peoples and the triumph of ethno-nationalism in modern Europe
- is rarely recognized, and so a story whose significance is comparable to the
spread of democracy or capitalism remains largely unknown and unappreciated.
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When the European overseas empires dissolved, meanwhile, they left behind a
patchwork of states whose boundaries often cut across ethnic patterns of
settlement and whose internal populations were ethnically mixed. It is wishful
thinking to suppose that these boundaries will be permanent. As societies in
the former colonial world modernize, becoming more urban, literate, and
politically mobilized, the forces that gave rise to ethno-nationalism and
ethnic disaggregation in Europe are apt to drive events there, too.
This unfortunate reality creates dilemmas for advocates of humanitarian
intervention, because making and keeping peace between groups that have come to
hate and fear one another is likely to require costly ongoing military missions
rather than relatively cheap temporary ones. When communal violence escalates
to ethnic cleansing, moreover, the return of large numbers of refugees to their
place of origin after a cease-fire has been reached is often
[Assam] KNOW THE TAX LAWS BEFORE YOU WORK
The following article will be of interest to the baby boomers in USA, especially the part at the end. If you have other tips like it, please share. Others may ignore it. Dilip Deka == Millions spend golden years making green 10:51 AM CST on Monday, February 25, 2008 By BOB MOOS / The Dallas Morning News Cecil Lawrence's friends tease him that he's crazy to work at his age. The 90-year-old glass salesman just laughs and suggests that they're even crazier to sit at home and watch soap operas. I guess they're content to be old folks, he said. Like Mr. Lawrence, about 2.7 million Americans are skipping retirement and working into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. Most remain on the job, retirement experts say, not for the money but for the personal satisfaction. The lifelong workers still account for only 10 percent of their generation, but the proportion of over-70 Americans who have retired retirement has edged up since the 1990s as people live longer, enjoy better health and hold less physically demanding jobs. And the number will only increase with the baby boomers. Seventeen percent say they expect to work indefinitely, though financial necessity will be a bigger reason for their passing up Golden Pond, according to the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Policy analysts who fear an entitlement crisis with the retirement of 78 million boomers welcome the trend toward longer working lives, saying it offers financial benefits for older individuals and the economy as a whole. Postponing retirement by just five years would boost the average worker's annual retirement income by 56 percent and add $1 trillion a year to tax coffers by 2045, enough to erase Social Security's deficit, says the Urban Institute's Retirement Policy Center. Older workers bear the burden of convincing businesses that they can remain productive, said William Zinke, a human resources executive who's created a nonprofit group, the Center for Productive Longevity, to change employer attitudes. Although age discrimination is illegal, it exists far more than we'd like to think, he said. Many employers view older workers as particularly expensive, either because they demand higher salaries or incur more health care costs than younger workers, said Gordon Mermin, a policy analyst with the Urban Institute. But by the time workers reach their 70s, many aren't looking for traditional health benefits, because they're covered by Medicare. Only 15 percent have employer-provided health insurance, and 14 percent have pension coverage, the institute says. Only 27 percent work full-time, while 38 percent put in fewer than 20 hours a week. Many businesses also worry that older workers are harder to train and will retire too soon for the investment in them to pay off. But older employees' loyalty, sound judgment and even temperament can make them good role models for younger workers, Mr. Mermin said. The key is an understanding employer who's willing to make some accommodations, said Cynthia Metzler, president and chief executive of Experience Works, a national group that provides training and employment services to older workers. Tax, pension and age anti-discrimination laws have discouraged employers from establishing formal phased retirement programs that allow workers to reduce their hours but stay on the payroll, Mr. Zinke said. But some employers do it informally. And plenty of older workers don't need a boss's approval. Among workers 70 and older, 42 percent are in business for themselves, the Urban Institute says. KNOW THE TAX LAWS BEFORE YOU WORK Some seniors complain that income tax laws discourage them from working. Once you're past your full retirement age, you won't lose any of your Social Security benefits just because you're working. But a portion of your Social Security benefits may become taxable. To determine whether you owe any federal income taxes on your benefits, the Internal Revenue Service looks at your combined income. That consists of your adjusted gross income (including wages from your job, pension payments and withdrawals from a 401(k) or IRA), any nontaxable interest income, plus half of your Social Security benefits. If this combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000 (or between $32,000 and $44,000 for a couple filing jointly), you may have to pay income taxes on 50 percent of your Social Security benefits. That doesn't mean you'll pay half of your benefits in taxes. What it does mean is that 50 percent of your Social Security benefits must be added as income when filing your tax form. If your combined income exceeds $34,000 (or $44,000 for a couple filing jointly), you may owe income taxes on up to 85 percent of your Social Security benefits. A tax adviser may be able to help you avoid this maddening situation: Say that on
Re: [Assam] KNOW THE TAX LAWS BEFORE YOU WORK
kudos to you, Mukulda. You have lived a full life and you are still enjoying it. I just hope I can do the same. Dilip mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: IT'S ME Hi everybody! MM Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:30:46 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] KNOW THE TAX LAWS BEFORE YOU WORK The following article will be of interest to the baby boomers in USA, especially the part at the end. If you have other tips like it, please share. Others may ignore it. Dilip Deka == Millions spend golden years making green 10:51 AM CST on Monday, February 25, 2008 By BOB MOOS / The Dallas Morning News Cecil Lawrence's friends tease him that he's crazy to work at his age. The 90-year-old glass salesman just laughs and suggests that they're even crazier to sit at home and watch soap operas. I guess they're content to be old folks, he said. Like Mr. Lawrence, about 2.7 million Americans are skipping retirement and working into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. Most remain on the job, retirement experts say, not for the money but for the personal satisfaction. The lifelong workers still account for only 10 percent of their generation, but the proportion of over-70 Americans who have retired retirement has edged up since the 1990s as people live longer, enjoy better health and hold less physically demanding jobs. And the number will only increase with the baby boomers. Seventeen percent say they expect to work indefinitely, though financial necessity will be a bigger reason for their passing up Golden Pond, according to the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Policy analysts who fear an entitlement crisis with the retirement of 78 million boomers welcome the trend toward longer working lives, saying it offers financial benefits for older individuals and the economy as a whole. Postponing retirement by just five years would boost the average worker's annual retirement income by 56 percent and add $1 trillion a year to tax coffers by 2045, enough to erase Social Security's deficit, says the Urban Institute's Retirement Policy Center. Older workers bear the burden of convincing businesses that they can remain productive, said William Zinke, a human resources executive who's created a nonprofit group, the Center for Productive Longevity, to change employer attitudes. Although age discrimination is illegal, it exists far more than we'd like to think, he said. Many employers view older workers as particularly expensive, either because they demand higher salaries or incur more health care costs than younger workers, said Gordon Mermin, a policy analyst with the Urban Institute. But by the time workers reach their 70s, many aren't looking for traditional health benefits, because they're covered by Medicare. Only 15 percent have employer-provided health insurance, and 14 percent have pension coverage, the institute says. Only 27 percent work full-time, while 38 percent put in fewer than 20 hours a week. Many businesses also worry that older workers are harder to train and will retire too soon for the investment in them to pay off. But older employees' loyalty, sound judgment and even temperament can make them good role models for younger workers, Mr. Mermin said. The key is an understanding employer who's willing to make some accommodations, said Cynthia Metzler, president and chief executive of Experience Works, a national group that provides training and employment services to older workers. Tax, pension and age anti-discrimination laws have discouraged employers from establishing formal phased retirement programs that allow workers to reduce their hours but stay on the payroll, Mr. Zinke said. But some employers do it informally. And plenty of older workers don't need a boss's approval. Among workers 70 and older, 42 percent are in business for themselves, the Urban Institute says. KNOW THE TAX LAWS BEFORE YOU WORK Some seniors complain that income tax laws discourage them from working. Once you're past your full retirement age, you won't lose any of your Social Security benefits just because you're working. But a portion of your Social Security benefits may become taxable. To determine whether you owe any federal income taxes on your benefits, the Internal Revenue Service looks at your combined income. That consists of your adjusted gross income (including wages from your job, pension payments and withdrawals from a 401(k) or IRA), any nontaxable interest income, plus half of your Social Security benefits. If this combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000 (or between $32,000 and $44,000 for a couple filing jointly), you may have to pay income taxes on 50 percent of your Social Security benefits. That doesn't mean you'll pay half of your benefits in taxes. What it does mean is that 50 percent of your Social Security benefits
[Assam] Family Reunion
Nice clean joke - sent to me. Hope you guys like it. Dilip === The other day I was at a family reunion and I met this really awesome girl who was not related to me. We got to know each other and became pretty good friends. Later on that day though I was thinking about her and something popped into my head. What if her and I were to get married one of these days? But then something else popped into my head. If we did get married, you know there is always going to be someone who is going to ask you where you met. We would just say, Oh, we met at a family reunion! And then you see the eyes of the person who asked the question pop out of his head! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Diversity in India?
You may not agree with everything in the following article but it makes
interesting reading.
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adsAX=False End If End FunctionThe writer spent considerable amount
of time in researching the information. However, the article says there
was/is a PM from Assam. Who is he? MM Singh?
=
From the TOI
US can learn diversity from India
10 Feb 2008, 0039 hrs IST,Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN
doweshowbellyad=0;
Be it Obama or Hillary, either way, a Democrat Prez this year will truly
break the mold (TOI Photo)
For a man who was once dubbed the best President the United States never
had, Adlai Stevenson came up with one of the most deliciously ironic quotes
about the highest office in the United States. In America anyone can be
President; that's one of the risks you take, he once said in mock
self-deprecation. A twice Democratic nominee for the Presidency in the 1950s,
Stevenson's intellectual vim and sparkling wit won him a legion of admirers,
but not the ultimate prize in US politics.
At a public meeting during his campaign, Stevenson was once greeted with a cry
from a man in the audience who said he would get the vote of every thinking man
in America. Thank you, but I need a majority, Stevenson responded dryly.
Mocked by the media and his opponents for wearing a worn-out shoe with a hole
in it during the campaign, he sardonically said, Rather a hole in the shoe
than a hole in head. In 1952, Richard Nixon called him as an egghead, a
sobriquet he carried with quiet pride and dignity as he paled into the
political twilight as the US envoy to UN.
Decades later, the myth that anyone can be the president of the United States
continues to be perpetuated (That's the problem, the comic George Carlin
quipped, adding to the make-believe). The truth is, there has been a pattern to
the US Presidency going back 232 years. You have to be white, male, and wealthy
to make it to the White House, going by the metronomic regularity with which
the world's greatest democracy has elected 43 presidents of similar pedigree.
Stevenson, despite being arguably the brightest man to run for presidency till
Al Gore went for it, would have also fitted the mold. Any other type of
candidate, until now, would have been in the realm of fiction. Indeed, the
writer Irving Wallace did fictionalize the scenario in his 1960s book The Man,
in which Douglass Dilman, a young black politician, is accidentally pitched
into the Presidency. But more of that, and how it has come to near-realisation,
a little later.
In contrast to the political monoculture that has given the United States 43
white, male presidents in 232 years, it is in India, one of the world's younger
democracies, that the truth of the statement anyone can go on to the highest
office in the land is being realized all the time. Consider this: in only 60
years and with 14 Prime Ministers, India has already elected a staggering
variety of chief executives - from a Kashmiri Pandit to a Punjabi Sikh, India
has seen a UP Thakur and Jat, an Andhra Brahmin, a Punjabi Khatri, a Karnataka
Gowda, and a half-Parsi, half-Brahmin pilot, among others at the helm.
It has even elected a widow, a widower, and a bachelor among its 14 PMs (the US
in contrast, counts only one bachelor among 43 presidents). Counting both
domicile and birthplace, India's 14 PMs span nine of India's now 28 states -
Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra (Rajiv Gandhi
Re: [Assam] FW: Rural India and the DHAN Foundation
Mukulda, I agree with you completely - development comes from within. First there must be the will to develop and second there must be means to do so. There is no harm if some outsiders bring in ideas and resources to stimulate the process. But will the efforts such as from DHAN be sustained? One of DHANs important initiatives is reviving ooranis -- oorani is a dug-out pond that traps rain water run-off and stores it for drinking water purposes in rural areas where ground water is either inadequate or unfit for use - Oorani must be the same as our Panikhowa Pukhuri. Almost every household in Assam used to have one of them for drinking water, with a Khaal for other uses of water. Later tubewells replaced the Panikhowa Pukhuris. Rain water storage, purification and distribution will definitely come into play in those remote rural areas where drinking water is hard to get from sub-surface. Dilip mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Development comes only from within.Always! Not from Dilli,Not from DC MM From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:29:42 -0600 Subject: [Assam] FW: Rural India and the DHAN Foundation Wonder which district in Assam has DHAN been to. Anyway, another good one to add to the list of organizations that are doing good things for the poor. JFYI From: Ram Narayanan [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 4:21 PMSubject: Rural India and the DHAN Foundation My dispatch of January 13, covering the visit of 24 Indian Americans to rural Tamil Nadu, was the first of a series on my impressions (and the impressions of my colleagues) of whats happening in rural India and what the Indian American community can do to lend a helping hand to make sure that rural India catches up with the rest of the country in economic progress over the next decade or two. An NGO which is very active in the villages we visited, was the DHAN Foundation with its headquarters in the city of Madurai. DHAN stand for Development of Humane Action. The DHAN Foundation is a professionally managed development institution which has been working, for over a decade and a half, with poor communities to improve their quality of life and reduce poverty. The Foundation believes in enabling communities to bring about significant changes in their lives by themselves. The enabling process requires highly motivated professionals. DHANs raison detre consists in: ** Mothering development innovations: Promoting and nurturing new ideas on different development themes, viz., microfinance, small scale irrigation, dry land agriculture, working with panchayats. ** Promoting institutions to reach scale: Encouraging exclusive thematic organisations to undertake development work with a sub-sectoral focus -- to ensure that quality benefits reach a large number of the poor.. ** Developing human resources: Bringing young professionals into the development sector and providing them opportunities to practice and develop relevant knowledge, attitudes and skills to work long term. DHANs guiding principles include: ** Engaging high quality human resources to work at the grassroots with the focus on enabling rather than delivery of services. ** Valuing collaboration with mainstream institutions and government to demonstrate effective ways of development interventions to build viable linkages between them and the people. ** Promoting peoples organisations at various levels to ensure entitlements and to build an effective demand system. ** Focusing on promotion of livelihoods to directly address poverty. ** Enriching the themes and retaining sub-sectoral focus as the strategy for growth. DHANs Programmes: Presently DHAN works with some 700,000 poor families in TEN STATES of India in the rural, tribal, coastal and urban contexts. The states are: Andhra Pradesh in 6 districts Assam in 1 district Jharkand in 1 distrct Karnataka in 5 districts Kerala in 1 district Madhya Pradesh in 1 district Maharashtra in 1 district Pondicherry in 2 districts Orissa in 2 districts Tamil Nadu in 19 districts. It has over 750 development staff, including 350 professionals, both men and women from varied disciplines working at the grassroots. It has pioneered in evolving new themes for addressing poverty and livelihood which are scaled up to reach large numbers of families. It currently operates two major themes in Tamil Nadu: **Kalanjiam Community Banking Programme with poor women and **Vayalagam Tankfed Agriculture Programme with small and marginal farmers dependent on tanks for their livelihood. The Kalanjiam Community Banking Programme has developed the federation model of peoples organization. The model places emphasis on establishing appropriate institutions and services owned and managed by poor women and building sustainable linkages with mainstream banking and government institutions. The women are now
Re: [Assam] What is Going in Maharashtra?
There is similarity between Assam and Maharashtra in this issue. There used to be one province called Bombay that included what are now called Maharashtra and Gujarat. The capital was Bombay city and it was dominated by non-Marathis, especially Gujaratis. The Marathis got the crumbs in the form of low skill jobs. Compare it to domination of Assam by Bengali baboos for many years and imposition of Bengali as the major language in Assam. Gujarat and Maharashtra were created on linguistic basis as recommended by the Kunjru-Panikkar commission. Bombay became the capital of Maharashtra. However Bombay, being a major commerce center of the west coast, remained in the hands of the non-Marathis who control the money. The Marathis always resented it and still do. Shiv Sena and its affiliates stoke the fire and gain political mileage out of foreigner eviction drives. The common man on the street becomes the target, the rich and powerful who actually controls the economy never gets touched. Thus it is a combination of economy, ethnicity/language and politics that produces the kind of disturbance now happening in Bombay. Aren't the same elements driving some of the sentiments in Assam? The political forces will not allow India to be homogeneous through all economic classes. Dilip Deka === Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: At 2:52 PM -0600 2/13/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote: Hi C'da: What am I missing? Or forgot that Indians, in general, are the most close and narrow-minded, prejudiced and racist people alive on the face of the earth? But that would not explain this, would it? They are of the same race. Is it cultural hegemony? Is it economic controls? And is this reminiscent of Oxomiya resentments? If so, are the Oxomiyas unique in their resentments, as some would have us believe here? Finally, where did the much touted great Indian Unity in Diversity disappeared , from its most cosmpolitan metropolis, unless it was another Indian myth? :-) In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:36:00 -0600 To: assam@assamnet.org From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Assam] What is Going in Maharashtra? I hadn't followed what has led to what I saw in the ToI article below. But I am very curious about claims of Indians in this forum that Mumbai is the MOST cosmpolitan of Indian metropolitan regions, where such conflicts as this does not exist. From recent outpouring of certain assamnetters' revulsion towards and condemnation of their fellow Oxomiyas, whom they perceive to be uniquely xenophobic, this news is certainly coming as a surprise. More so because it is coming from Mumbai. What am I missing? cm Maha exodus: 10,000 north Indians flee in fear 14 Feb 2008, 0030 hrs IST,TIMES NEWS NETWORK AGENCIES Print Save EMail Write to Editor NASHIK/PATNA: With violence against north Indians in this industrial town and adjoining areas showing no signs of abating on the second consecutive day, the number of migrants fleeing for their homes - mostly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - crossed 10,000, making it perhaps one of the largest exodus in the country from a single district in recent years. And ironically, on the second day of attacks, its first victim wasn't from UP or Bihar; he was from Ojhar, a mere 21 km from Nashik. Ambadas Haribhau Dharrao, 55, an employee of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, was fatally wounded when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists on Wednesday attacked and pelted stones at the bus he was travelling in. The violence started 10 days back when MNS activists attacked migrant workers as the Samajwadi Party held a rally in Mumbai. Since then, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has carried on a vitriol-laced campaign against north Indians, stoking chauvinistic feelings and appealing to Marathi pride. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] American politics and election are based solely on issues?
Did I hear somewhere in this net that American politics and election are based solely on issues? This article has another story. Viewpoint from Assam is welcome. Human nature is the same everywhere. It is more pronounced in some parts than the others. Dilip Black lawmakers rethink Clinton support By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 48 minutes ago WASHINGTON - In a fresh sign of trouble for Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of the former first lady's congressional black supporters intends to vote for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, and a second, more prominent lawmaker is openly discussing a possible switch. if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['UXlWJ9G_fy8-']='U=13bi4i73s%2fN%3dUXlWJ9G_fy8-%2fC%3d632904.11909405.12484041.1414694%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d5140062'; Rep. David Scott's defection and Rep. John Lewis' remarks highlight one of the challenges confronting Clinton in a campaign that pits a black man against a woman for a nomination that historically has been the exclusive property of white men. You've got to represent the wishes of your constituency, Scott said in an interview Wednesday in the Capitol. My proper position would be to vote the wishes of my constituents. The third-term lawmaker represents a district that gave more than 80 percent of its vote to Obama in the Feb. 5 Georgia primary. Lewis, whose Atlanta-area district voted 3-to-1 for Obama, said he is not ready to abandon his backing for the former first lady. But several associates said the nationally known civil rights figure has become increasingly torn about his early endorsement of Clinton. They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing private conversations. In an interview, Lewis likened Obama to Robert F. Kennedy in his ability to generate campaign excitement, and left open the possibility he might swing behind the Illinois senator. It could (happen). There's no question about it. It could happen with a lot of people ... we can count and we see the clock, he said. Clinton's recent string of eight primary and caucus defeats coincides with an evident shift in momentum in the contest for support from party officials who will attend the convention. The former first lady still holds a sizable lead among the roughly 800 so-called superdelegates, who are chosen outside the primary and caucus system. But Christine Samuels, until this week a Clinton superdelegate from New Jersey, said during the day she is now supporting Obama. Two other superdelegates, Sophie Masloff of Pennsylvania and Nancy Larson of Minnesota, are uncommitted, having dropped their earlier endorsements of Clinton. On Wednesday, David Wilhelm, a longtime ally of the Clintons who had been neutral in the presidential race, endorsed Obama. The comments by Scott and Lewis reflect pressure on Clinton's black supporters, particularly elected officials, not to stand in the way of what is plainly the best chance in history to have an African-American president. Nobody could see this in advance, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking black in Congress, said of Obama's emergence. He is officially neutral in the race, but expressed his irritation earlier in the year with remarks that Clinton and her husband the former president had made about civil rights history. One black supporter of Clinton, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, said he remains committed to her. There's nothing going on right now that would cause me to change, he said. He said any suggestion that elected leaders should follow their voters raises the age old political question. Are we elected to monitor where our constituents are ... or are we to use our best judgment to do what's in the best interests of our constituents. In an interview, Cleaver offered a glimpse of private conversations. He said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois had recently asked him if it comes down to the last day and you're the only superdelegate? ... Do you want to go down in history as the one to prevent a black from winning the White House? I told him I'd think about it, Cleaver concluded. Jackson, an Obama supporter, confirmed the conversation, and said the dilemma may pose a career risk for some black politicians. Many of these guys have offered their support to Mrs. Clinton, but Obama has won their districts. So you wake up without the carpet under your feet. You might find some young primary challenger placing you in a difficult position in the future, he added. Obama and Clinton are in a competitive race for convention delegates. Overall, he has 1,276 in The Associated Press count, and she has 1,220. It takes 2,025 to clinch the nomination. But the overall totals mask two distinct trends. Obama has won 1,112 delegates in primaries and caucuses, and Clinton has won 979 in the same contests in the AP count. The former first lady leads in the superdelegate
Re: [Assam] Crippled!-did you know?
How about a conspiration theory? A American software engineer terribly upset over outsorcing to India hired a Navy-Seal to go down the ocean and got the cables cut. == - Original Message From: mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org assam@assamnet.org Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2008 9:56:33 PM Subject: [Assam] Crippled!-did you know? What's Up with All the Slashed Internet Cables? As the pace of repair work picked up on three Internet cables in the Middle East this week, word that more damage has occurred to nearby undersea fiber-optic lines in the last 24 hours arrives. The slew of slashed cables has caused a frenzy of speculation on their causes in the blogosphere. As of today, Egyptian officials still had no explanation as to the cause of the damage to the first two lines, slashed a week ago, but they said there was no evidence that ship's anchors caused the breakage. The two new damaged lines being reported are to some of the same systems as were cut recently, namely the FLAG Europe-Asia and SeaMeWe-4 networks. Landline and satellite connections have ameliorated some of the outages in the Middle East and South Asia regions, but it is estimated that some 85 million Internet users have been adversely affected. According to one report, nearly 90 per cent of Internet traffic is routed through undersea cables in these parts of the world. Officials for the cable operators predicted that engineers working on repair ships at sea should be able to restore service in approximately one week for the earlier incidents. FLAG Telecom, operator of two of the damaged cables, told the Associated Press today that it is laying an entirely new fully resilient cable that will be able to withstand harsher treatment in underwater conditions. We are still treating this as a crisis, a FLAG spokesman told the AP. But the new cable will provide a diversity in routes and be more resilient. [See our earlier entry, Internet Problems Mount for Asia/Europe Connection for more details on last week's cable outages.] _ Post free property ads on Yello Classifieds now! www.yello.in http://ss1.richmedia.in/recurl.asp?pid=221 ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Local Elections
Why is it that the local parties couldn't do well even in local elections? Zila Parishad elections would be like County elections in USA, I'd think. The ZP elections should have been more oriented towards local issues, thus making them more favorable to the local parties. Where is the gap? Dilip Deka From the Sentinel: Congress steals the show Panchayat poll results By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Jan 29: Down from the 18 zila parishads that the ruling Congress had won in the last panchayat polls, the party nevertheless won 14 of the 18 zila parishads that went to polls in the State this time. The ruling party also won most of the seats for anchalik parishad members, gaon panchayat presidents and gaon panchayat members, though the AGP and the BJP fought strongly in some of the districts. Based on the number of Congress party candidates winning in their respective constituencies, the best performance has been seen in the constituencies of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Education Minister Ripun Bora and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain. The worst performance has been in the constituencies of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Narah and Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi. For the AGP, the best performance has been witnessed in the constituencies of Phani Bhushan Choudhury, Padma Hazarika, Pradip Hazarika and Sarbananda Sonowal, while the worst performance has been in the constituencies of party president Brindabon Goswami, Hiten Goswami and Atul Bora. AGP-P president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Hiranya Konwar are also the worst performers in terms of performance by party candidates in their constituencies. As for the CPI, Dhrupad Borgohain’s constituency has seen the worst performance. Meanwhile, with the victory of the Congress, a number of anti-Gogoi Congress leaders from Delhi to Dispur, who were ready challenge the Chief Minister in the event of poor performance of the party in the panchayat polls, have had to bite the dust. The Congress leaders who were vocal for Congress-AUDF merger have been silenced by the poor performance of the Badruddin Ajmal-led AUDF. Kamrup (Metro) goes to Congress By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Jan 29: The ruling Congress came out winner in Kamrup (Metro) in panchayat polls, the results of which were declared today. Of the five zila parishad (ZP) seats in the district, the Congress won as many as four, while one seat went to the AGP. Of the 21 gaon panchayat (GP) president seats in the district, the Congress won 14, followed by the BJP four and the AGP three. The Congress also maintained its winning spree in anchalik parishad (AP) member seats in the district by winning 12 of the 21 seats. Of the remaining nine seats, the BJP won five, AGP two, and AGP-P and the TGP one each. Of the 207 GP member seats in the district, the Congress won 116 seats, followed by the BJP 41, AGP 31, TGP 10 and others 11. It may be mentioned here that though the Congress won the panchayat polls in a massive way in Kamrup (Metro), yet the BJP seemed to have made a good inroad into the district despite the absence of any MLA there. Talking to The Sentinel today, BJP’s City District Committee president Jayanta Kumar Das said: “The results of the BJP were beyond expectations. We came second in Kamrup (Metro) despite the absence any MLA in the district. In most of the ZP seats, we were a close second, and this will have its impact in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in the State.” In Jalukbari LAC in Kamrup district, it is a clean sweep by the Congress. Barring three GP member seats, all the seats were won by the Congress. Cong sweeps in Tinsukia and Sadiya; Margherita goes to BJP From our Reporter TINSUKIA, Jan 29: Barring Margherita subdivision where the BJP dominated the scene, the Congress came out winner in Tinsukia and Sadiya subdivisions in Tinsukia district where the results of the panchayat polls were declared today. In Tinsukia subdivision, 10 of the 13 zila parishad (ZP) seats were won by the Congress, while the remaining three went to the AGP. Of the 53 anchalik parishad (AP) member seats in the subdivision, the Congress won 35, AGP 14, BJP three and Independent one. The Congress won 38 of the 53 gaon panchayat (GP) president seats in the subdivision, while the AGP got 11, BJP three and Independent one. Of the 530 GP member seats in the subdivision, the Congress got the lion’s share of 266 seats, followed by the AGP 139, BJP 87, Independent 22, CPI(ML) 11 and NCP one. In Margherita subdivision of the district, the BJP dominated the scene by winning three of the five ZP seats leaving one each for the Congress and the AGP. Of the 21 AP member seats in the subdivision, the BJP won nine, followed by Congress seven, AGP four and Independent one. The BJP won 10 of the 21 GP president seats, while the Congress, the AGP and
[Assam] SC: Are there castes among Muslims?
I saw this in the TOI and thought it is worth sharing for comments. Dilip SC: Are there castes among Muslims? 26 Jan 2008, 0124 hrs IST,Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN NEW DELHI: After Christian groups, a Muslim organisation has joined the quota race by challenging in Supreme Court validity of the 1950 Presidential Order limiting reservations to scheduled castes in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, and sought reservation benefit for Dalit Muslims. Though both Christianity and Islam prohibit practice of caste-system and consider everyone equal, the petitioners have hinged their demand on the recommendations of central government appointed commissions headed by Justice Ranganath Misra and Justice Rajinder Sachar. A PIL filed by Akhil Maharashtra Muslim Khatik Samaj on Friday stated that there were Dalits within Muslim community who needed reservation, a benefit extended to similarly placed persons in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. The petitioner said though Hindu Khatiks (those who slaughter animals) were included in the SC category, the Muslim Khatiks were not, despite being in the same social strata and facing similar discrimination. Muslim Khatiks are generally considered as 'Ajlaf' (the base strata of society), it said. Though the Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan issued notice to the Centre seeking its response on the issue, it asked the petitioner whether Islam permitted caste-system. Since when have the Muslims have started following caste-system? It is surprising. We thought that it had only rich and poor divide. The assertion that caste system is practised in Islam and that certain sections need reservation is new to us, the Bench said. Referring to the strict dictats of Quran prohibiting practice of any forms of caste system within Islam, Justice Balakrishnan said there was no such discrimination on the basis of caste among Muslims in Kerala, his home state. On Tuesday, the apex court had given six weeks time to the Centre to file its response to similar petitions filed by Christian organisations and individuals seeking extension of reservation benefit to Dalits within their community. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Transformer Installation in Assam
This is the second time we have seen a picture of unsafe installation of an electrical transformer. Is there a problem with the ASEB specification for transformer installation? Or was a short cut taken by the contractor who installed it? Best practice is to mount the transformer high on the pole. If not possible for whatever reason, a barrier needs to be placed around the installation. It is all common sense, one does not need a degree in electrical engineering. Dilip Deka A high voltage step-down transformer at a locality in Barpeta town which lies within the easy reach of children. Photo: Barpeta Correspondent ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] symbol of cruelty
You are absolutely correct. Sensitivity is lacking when the newspapers publish not only the picture of a suffering animal but also pictures of dead people lying on the street killed by the police or the militants. Several months ago, I was shocked by photographs of the FCI official's dead body lying in a pool of blood, and had a nightmare. Is it shock therapy and does it work? Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: But in this case, maybe, just maybe, it will wake up the Govt, and others who seem hell-bent to capture the limelight at the first opportunity. *** Limelight is absolutely a misnomer. It demonstrates an utter lack of sensitivity to blood and gore, a cultural void, which is not unexpected from the most violent society on earth: India. I am glad it was a front page story. However it could have been dealt with a bit of maturity that could be expected from civilized society. Perhaps my expectation is misplaced. At 8:02 AM -0600 1/21/08, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, In India this journalistic discretion is absolutely different. Maybe Indian news media is going thru a phase, and such standards be damned. Some examples: The Beltola incident - many newspapers TV were not ashamed to show a naked woman running around. In the tiger attack in the Guwahati Zoo, last month, it seems a number of TV channels showed live footage. There was only one newspaper (The Hindu) which said 'after a discussion with the editors', it was decided to publish only a black white photo, not color'. And now this gory sickening photo of the unfortunate rhino. But in this case, maybe, just maybe, it will wake up the Govt, and others who seem hell-bent to capture the limelight at the first opportunity. --Ram On 1/21/08, Chan Mahanta wrote: I have never seen a newspaper with a modicum of journalistic discretion publish something like this horrific picture on their front page. Oh my Country!!! *** Indeed! At 6:02 PM +0530 1/21/08, mc mahant wrote: Manoj, When I opened the Tribune in the morning- I thought-the beast/s who did that needed to be castrated. Later on --more rational thoughts came. To teach every citizen/human how vivisection needs to be practised onto ones near and dear ones first. And more thoughts I never opened the paper again . Oh my Country!!! Oh for the Indian Rupee! M'da Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:58:22 +0530 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] symbol of cruelty http://www.assamtribune.com/jan2108/Photo.html heart cries out to this wounded rhino at kaziranga national park. -manoj ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _ Tried the new MSN Messenger? It's cool! Download now. http://messenger.msn.com/Download/Default.aspx?mkt=en-in ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] zoo
A true Nalboriya would say Hahwr Baaha. Regarding the word for zoo - there is no real Assamese word for it since zoos didn't exist in Assam. Siriyakhana (sic?) was borrowed from Hindi. Is there any harm in calling zoo, a zoo, in Assamese. We have assimilated words like station, school, master, cup and glass into our language. Dilip mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In true Nalboriya: HAHOR BAXA(Not Hanhor Baanh) mm Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:12:57 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] zoo That is correct. Siriyakhana has been used for a long time. Is there a new one now? Dilip Deka bg wrote: CHIRIYAKHANAOn Jan 20, 2008 9:14 AM, kamal deka wrote: What is the correct Assamese word ( porivakha ) for zoo ? KJD ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org -- Babul Gogoi 011-29817150 / 9868182079 ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _ Tried the new MSN Messenger? Its cool! Download now. http://messenger.msn.com/Download/Default.aspx?mkt=en-in ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] zoo
That is correct. Siriyakhana has been used for a long time. Is there a new one now? Dilip Deka bg [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: CHIRIYAKHANA On Jan 20, 2008 9:14 AM, kamal deka wrote: What is the correct Assamese word ( porivakha ) for zoo ? KJD ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org -- Babul Gogoi 011-29817150 / 9868182079 ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Language processing tools in Assamese
The vowel signs do not show on the screen as expected. When are we going to see a software that we can use for Assamese script like the English script in Microsoft Word? It seems all software writers claim this is it, we have perfected it for Assamese script. Start using it and the agony begins. Am I being too critical? Dilip Deka Houston, TX, USA Buljit Buragohain [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Please check the Technology Development of Indian Languages (TDIL) website for language processing tools in Assamese http://ildc.gov.in/assamese /adownload2k.htm - Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Thank you, Mr Tata, for thinking of the common man!
The other thing - the Tatas.. arent't they Zorastrians, whose mother tongue is Parsee? - It used to be, several centuries ago. The Parsees in India are very adaptable people. Those who settled in Gujarat speak Gujarati and call it their mother tongue. We knew a Parsee family in Venezuela that originally came from Gujarat, migrated through Mumbai and USA to Venezuela. They are fluent in Gujarati, Hindi, English, and also in Spanish.The husband is a successful businessman and the wife is very active in the Indian community in Caracas. Dilip Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: By the way, in Ratan Tata's mother tongue Gujarati, 'nano' means small. And I thought the word nano originated from Greek Nanos meaning small/dwarf, and hence words like nanotechnology! The other thing - the Tatas.. arent't they Zorastrians, whose mother tongue is Parsee? :):) --Ram On 1/11/08, Pradip Kumar Datta wrote: Thank you, Mr Tata, for thinking of the common man! Sheela Bhatt January 11, 2008 visit: www.marketmantra.in http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jan/11sheela.htm Mr Ratan Tata, thank you very much! You have created history, not because you have created the cheapest car in the world but because you have touched our emotions, our hearts. Thanks a million. For more than 900 million Indians, who live ordinary lives, this is a rare moment when they feel like they are being taken care of by the rich and the mighty class. Your class, I mean the others who are amongst the richest Indians, must be feeling a little squeamish today as they saw the overwhelming coverage of you unveiling your pretty car in the Indian press and on television. Frankly, the best part of your endeavour is that you have taken terrific care to make sure that your car does not resemble a superior version of a Bajaj autorickshaw. That would have made us feel humiliated. Instead, you have done it with style, and class. Thanks again. The stock exchange might not reacted favourably to your history-making venture, but that is also the proof that Tata Nano is not just about money. It's about profits along with creating a great product. Very soon the Bajajs and the Munjals, the Japanese and the Koreans will also realize this. We are told that you may be making a humble profit of only Rs 4,000 per Tata Nano, but life in globalization is about ideas plus profit. In one single stroke you have created a new class within the Indian society. Overnight, my canteen manager Sitaram-ji, my driver's elderly father who is a retired army man, my grocery supplier Mr Arora, and all such nice people with decent but limited income can start dreaming. That's wow! Really! Till the 1990s, Indians were striving for roti, kapda, makan, water and roads. Then, the desires expanded. Consumerism started to find a foothold in the country, but glitzy acquisitions were still within the reach of only the fairly well heeled. But, now, I cannot but be amused as I visualize a supervisor stepping out of his Alto-deluxe and his salesman disembarking from his Tata Nano for an informal meeting at a Barista outlet. As expected, Bajaj Auto Ltd [Get Quote] managing director Rajiv Bajaj talked about profits the other day. He said: We have seen the car (Tata Nano) and it looks good, but I haven't heard them (the Tatas) say that it will be profitable. No one can be so off the mark. To be an industrialist in the new economy is not to be a new zamindar. It is about inclusive growth without losing out on innovation, technology and growth. Mr Tata, you have given shape to our secret desires. In all seriousness, India's hyper-energetic middle class and the impatient poor who want to break into the upper economic layer salutes you today. You have accomplished what CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat -- with his bagful of idealism -- could not do, or what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- with his five-page-long qualifications as an ace economist -- could not do, and what all Karl Marx-quoting hypocrites could not dream of doing. Tata Nano is the great symbol of Indian-ishtyle socialism. This is socialism suited for the 21st century. As a nano favour, Karat should write a letter to the United Progressive Alliance government recommending you for the Bharat Ratna because by thinking so big on behalf of those smiling and struggling Indians travelling awkwardly on unreliable two- or three-wheelers, you have given us something to boast about. For the first time, our favourite pro-people activist and Centre for Science and Environment director Sunita Narain looked out of sync on TV on Thursday when she talked about congestion, pollution and the other inherent problems 'caused by' the auto industry. Right now, there are about five million cars and 70 million two-three wheelers on Indian roads. In the coming five years there might not be more than 500,000 Tata Nanos in the Indian market, but there will certainly be 500,000 ordinary
Re: [Assam] Tata's Nano - any innovation or waste of consumer's money
The picture was of a Maruti Suzuki concept car. The Nano does not look as good but still looks good for a $2500 car. If you are interested, you can type in Tata+Nano in Google to see Nano pictures = Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: See the attached picture from NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/01/10/world/20080111INDIA_index.html The Nano is a good looking car. Certainly well designed considering Indian needs. But an auto in every Indian household is an absurd ambition, and having one will NOT improve the quality of life of the people, but worsen it many folds. To copy everything western or American , regardless of indigenous needs or suitability is not the sign of a progressive nation. But with Nano and other similar affordable vehicles coming up, sure the only option to move around in Indian cities will be to walk . even the bus will not move. That simply is my point too, Krishnendu. They need good and expanded roads, not cars. Everybody complains about it, but it has been sort of a status symbol to have atleast a Hyundai Santro in front of the house. Here, especially in Texas, businesses are bound to provide (if they want to survive) parking places to get customers, but in India that theme/consideration is not even there - and it's ok as long as the traditional way to go there is maintained - public transportation. One side of that tradition has been changed - more and more of those cars are coming up - but same old narrow and dusty roads are still there. It reminds me of the movie where Anil Kapoor wanted to be the CM for a month to change things into the right direction. There are pot holes and uneven roads in other countries, yes, but the road condition in the areas that my folks live in India is, in no way comparable to any place in the US. Thats my perspective only - and I believe its an unbiased, uncompetitive one - on what I see. We are a little spoilt here in Texas - everything is huge. But the pollution and road condition that exist in those cities in India is just not comparable. I love and am proud of the country that I'm originally from, but can't ignore the facts that my own two eyes could see. In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass - Lakshmana Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:31:19 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] Tata's Nano - any innovation or waste of consumer's money Alpana-ba Improving road condition and road to vehicle ratio is definietly one of the highest priority for India. However, street parking, public parking near markets etc are a common problem in Boston as well. The same goes true for Veranda's as well. In Boston suburbs 2 Bed condos with no balcony sell for 250K even in this dull real estate market. The price is much higher in city. In fact, my view on driving in America changed completely during my current stint in Boston (after the earlier stints in sleepy towns of upstate NY and in KY). Driving is a nightmare with red light jumping, lane violation, traffic jam, pedestrians (jay walking) etc. The only element missing is cows, authorickshaws and thelas :-) ... even giant potholes are common, particularly after winter. It takes me 50 mins to drive 10 miles from work to home even though both my work and home are in Boston suburbs (need not travel through Boston city). The plus is, now I am pretty confident that I can drive in India with ease :) But with Nano and other similar affordable vehicles coming up, sure the only option to move around in Indian cities will be to walk . even the bus will not move. From: Alpana B. Sarangapani To: Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:48:54 -0600 Subject: Re: [Assam] Tata's Nano - any innovation or waste pf consumer's moneyThis is good......it would be even better if road conditions were better. I've seen people having to park on the street (that includes posh areas in Delhi, MP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Assam, of course). Many don't even have a proper verandah, leave alone a space/garage inside their compound. A country where public transportation has been so good (that includes Taxis, Rickshwas, Auto-Rickshwas, 'Trackers' and what not!), more than private cars, the road space/condition needs to be taken care of first. And parking space near the markets? As you know!, that's another nightmare! If I was a current resident of India, I would still prefer going by a bus to places. But I understand the economy has been booming...the only thing is that every issue that contributes towards having a quality living needs to be taken care of, be it by the government itself (if that is not done by the government), or by the influential business magnates/tycoons/groups. My two cents' worth. In
[Assam] Colonial column?
Does someone in the net know who built the colonial column? I always thought it was an Ahom king. But looking at it today it does not appear to be so. Was it a british monument? Dilip Deka From the Assam Tribune: A couple enjoying a romantic evening under the shadow of the old colonial column on the Urvasi island in the Brahmaputra river front in Guwahati on Wednesday. UB Photos ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] A Question
Someone remembers his Pa-Phu series by Prem Narayan Dutta. I have always wondered why no Assamese movie has been made from one of the books. Dilip = --- Rajen Ajanta Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chandan: Kotha gohin hoise. Enete Dawrai mwsot a eta pak di sigaretot eta tan di kiba bhabot dubil Rajen - Original Message - From: bg [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 10:29 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] A Question Original Book: Matiro Manush Language: Oriya Author: KALINDI CHARAN MAHAPATRA Assamese Translation: Matir Manuh Year of Translation: 1962 Translator: Satyendra Nath Sarma Publisher: Sahitya Academy This information was given by Bijit Borthakur of Amolapatty, Nagaon. I have checked Sahitya Academy website, and found this info: - Matir Manuh (Matir Manish, Oriya) by Kalindi Charan Panigrahi) Foreword Harekrushna Mahtab Tr. Satyendranath Sarma Pp. 200 Reprint (1995) ISBN 81-7201-900-9 Rs 40.00 http://www.sahitya-akademi.org/sahitya-akademi/bklst01.htm cheers! On Dec 11, 2007 12:32 AM, Rajen Ajanta Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chandan; I was not sure about the author. That was why I put a question mark. However, I am clear about the plot. It resembles that of Good Earth which I have read as well as seen the movie. It is about a Chinese peasant how he started his life and family clearing new land etc. When you told that about the plot of Mati Aru Manuh, I remembered the plot now. At that time also I was thinking that Mati Aru Manuh was based on Good Earth. But I don't think it was mentioned anywhere. It was definitely not a translation of that book or any other book I think. It was definitely not Tolstoy. But who knows, I may be wrong. Let us se when someone find a copy of Mati Aru Manuh. I will check with a book stall in Guwahati. Thanks Rajen - Original Message - From: Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around theworld assam@assamnet.org Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 8:01 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] A Question Thanks Uttam. I was confused once more when I wrote to Rajen confirming it to be Jogesh Das, who probably was the author of another translated novel I read about the same time Daawor Aaru Nai--a war story. It will be interesting to find out about the origins of Maati aaru Manuh. Incidentally, The Good Earth story did not seem to be the origin. c-da At 4:29 AM + 12/10/07, uttam borthakur wrote: Chandan Da Matir Manooh is by Hitesh Deka, as confirmed by Paresh Malakar of Anwesha. Mati Aru Manooh to my belief is a translated piece and a Russian one at that. Like you, I have not read Pearl S Buck's Good Earth and there the characters' names are not what you say. And I am sure we did not have PSB's translated work at our place, only the English ones. Paresh says he'll trace the book if it was there in the first place. Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: K Very apt indeed. Never came across it myself. Very similar to Dhulikona Moi by the late Chandradhar Barua. c-da At 2:42 PM -0600 12/9/07, kamal deka wrote: Chandanda, your query in regard to the Oxomiya book Mati aru Manuh reminds me of a Oxomiya kobita , I read during my early school years.I don't know the name of the poet nor do I remember all the stanzas of the same.I vaguely remember a few lines , which are as follows: MATIR MANUH MATIT MILIBO DHUN PES KEO KORISE LAGIBO MISA GORBO MISA OBHIMAN MORILEY XOKOLU XOMAN SMOXANEI JOLONTO PROMAN KJD On 12/9/07, Chan Mahanta wrote: You are right Rajen-- the author WAS Jogesh Das. Now I remember. But I never read The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. I guess that is why could not make the connection. I will have to look up The Good Earth synopsis now, if not reads it some day. At 10:26 AM -0600 12/9/07, Rajen Ajanta Barua wrote: Chandan If I remeber, the novel Mati aru Manuh by Jogesh Das (?) may be based on the novel Good Earth by Pers Buck, because I rembered the similarity when reading the novel. Rajen - Original Message - From: Chan Mahanta To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around theworld assam@assamnet.org Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 8:35 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] A Question WK: No, it is not How Much Land Does a Man Need -- we knew that story well from our matriculation syllabus as well. I
[Assam] The Rise of Medical Tourism
Would you get your hip replacement performed in India when you go to visit your relatives? = The Rise of Medical Tourism QA with: Tarun KhannaPublished: December 17, 2007Author: Martha Lagace Executive Summary: Medical tourismtraveling far and wide for health care that is often better and certainly cheaper than at homeappeals to patients with complaints ranging from heart ailments to knee pain. Why is India leading in the globalization of medical services? QA with Harvard Business School's Tarun Khanna. Key concepts include: Medical tourism is a new term but not a new idea. Patients have long traveled in search of better care. Today, constraints and long waiting lists at home, as well as the ease of global travel, make medical tourism more appealing. Superior medical schools, a low cost of living, family preferences, and the barriers to foreign accreditation mean that Indian doctors may prefer to work in India rather than elsewhere. The medical services industry is evolving quickly. Khanna expects to see dynamics in China similar to those in India and in other parts of Southeast Asia. Tarun Khanna is the Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. More Working Knowledge from Tarun Khanna Tarun Khanna - Faculty Research Page About Faculty in this Article: Felix Oberholzer-Gee is the Andreas Andresen Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. What used to be rare is now commonplace: traveling abroad to receive medical treatment, and to a developing country at that. So-called medical tourism is on the rise for everything from cardiac care to plastic surgery to hip and knee replacements. As a recent Harvard Business School case study describes, the globalization of health care also provides a fascinating angle on globalization generally and is of great interest to corporate strategists. Apollo HospitalsFirst-World Health Care at Emerging-Market Prices explores how Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, a cardiologist, opened India's first for-profit hospital in the southern city of Chennai in 1983. Today the Apollo Hospitals Group manages more than 30 hospitals and treats patients from many different countries, according to the case. Tarun Khanna, a Harvard Business School professor specializing in global strategy, coauthored the case with professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Carin-Isabel Knoop, executive director of the HBS Global Research Group. The medical services industry hasn't been global historically but is becoming so now, says Khanna. There are several reasons that globalization can manifest itself in this industry: Patients with resources can easily go where care is provided. Historically doctors moved from Africa and India to London and New York to provide care. Now we are basically flipping it around and saying, 'Why don't the patients move? It's not as difficult as it used to be.' High quality care, state-of-the-art facilities, and skilled doctors are available in many parts of the world, including in developing countries. Auxiliary health-care providers such as nurses go where care is needed. Filipino nurses provide an example, perhaps. From a strategic point of view you can move the output or the input, explains Khanna. Applying this idea to human health care sounds a bit crude, but the output is the patient, the input is the doctor. We used to move the input around, and make doctors go to new locations outside their country of origin. But in many instances it might be more efficient to move the patients to where the doctors are as long as we are not compromising the health care of the patients. Khanna recently sat down with HBS Working Knowledge to discuss the globalization of health care in the context of India and Apollo Hospitals. Q: What led you to research and write this case? A: I came across the company during some of my travels in South India. It was so unusual to find first-world health care at emerging-market prices as the case says. Often better careby which I mean technologically first-rate care with far greater customer service and accessibilityis available in parts of India than in my neighborhood in Boston. Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Carin-Isabel Knoop, and I decided to write the case just because health care is such a primal thingit arouses a lot of emotions and insecurities. After all, it's one's life and health that one is dealing with. And the prospect of entrusting health care to a developing country had a pedagogical shock value, too. A lot of entrusting medical care to different locations is about a psychological fear of the unknown. For a long time I've been interested in studying world-class companies in developing countries. For me and my colleague Krishna Palepu, India has
Re: [Assam] Saw The Namesake
Gogol still rings in my ears. I also thought it is a good movie. At my age, the captivating scene was when the professor went on a trip and was hospitalized, his helplessness and the call to his wife. Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Watched the movie The Namesake the other night, a rare occasion for me, who likes to sleep more than watch movies and/or TV, at the recommendation of our native American friends. Beautiful! Very well crafted, acted,directed and obviously from an enormously perceptively and sensitively written book which I have not read. Having known several Bengali families quite well in Southern California in the 70s, and having also lived in Kolkata a little; many of the little nuances of the lives of Bengali immigrants portrayed faithfully and sensitively , the movie instantly struck a chord. The story also could be similar to the experiences of a number of Oxomiya immigrants as well in certain areas, even though I would not go so far as to suggest it is a typical Oxomiya immigrant's saga. Another fine creation from Mira Nair. Recommend it highly. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Entertainment
I bet you all will like these .
In a little town in New Mexico, this guy was on the side of the road
hitch hiking on a very dark and stormy night. The night was cold and
wet and no cars went by.
The storm was so strong, he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him.
Suddenly, he saw a car coming towards him and stopped. The guy, without
thinking about it, got in the car, closed the door, and only then
realized that there was nobody behind the wheel!
The car starts going again, very slowly. The guy looks at the road and
sees a curve coming his way. Scared, he starts to pray and begs for his
life.
Just before the car hits the curve, a hand appears through the window
and turns the wheel.
The guy, paralyzed in terror, watched how the hand appeared each time
the car approached a curve. Gathering his strength, he gets out of the
car and runs all the way to the nearest town.
Wet and in shock, he goes into a cantina, asks for two shots of tequila
and starts telling everybody about the horrible experience he just went
through. A silence enveloped everyone when they realized the guy was
crying hysterically and wasn't drunk.
About a half hour later, two other guys walk into the same cantina and
one said to the other, Mira, Pedro. That's the Pendejo that got in the
car while we were pushing it!
{ Mira = Look, Pendejo= Spanish slang for idiot}
ANOTHER:
A nice, calm, respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the
pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, I would like to
buy some cyanide.
The pharmacist asked, Why in the world do you need cyanide?
The lady replied, I need it to poison my husband.
The pharmacist's eyes got big and he exclaimed, I can't give you
cyanide to kill your husband. That's against the law! I will lose my
license! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will
happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!
The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband
at a fancy restaurant, having dinner with the pharmacist's wife.
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, Well now, that's
different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription.
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Re: [Assam] [asom] Aboriginal tribals disheartened Vs Tea Tribes
Isn't about time the ST and SC classifications and reservations are removed in India? Need to go to a financial relief system based on the economic status of a family, ST/SC or not. I feel this will produce a fairer and apolitical system to take care of those who need help. I understand many politicians have vested interest in maintaining the current system but aren't there even ten MPs who would start the movement to make a change? Definition of Oxomiya: How about making it as simple as - any Indian citizen who has lived in Oxom for say 30 years? If there is a possibility that some foreigners may pass off as Indian citizens, so be it. Definitely a Marwari family doing business in Oxom for 30 years is an Oxomiya. The stalemate in the definition issue is intolerable. This definition will automatically include all native hills and plains tribes and tea gardeners (see complaints below). All of these people are as much Oxomiya as the Baruahs and the Sarmas. Ravindra Nath [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Aboriginal tribals disheartened KOKRAJHAR, Dec 6: A section of Bodo intellectuals and former Bodoland movement leaders observed that the voice of Asomiya intellectuals in support of Adivasis has been disheartening for the aboriginal tribals of the State, such as Bodos. In an interview with The Sentinel, former ABSU leader and co-worker of Bodofa UN Brahma, DD Narzary said the Asomiya intellectuals always claimed the outsiders and immigrants of other countries as Asomiyas, forgetting the indigenous people of the State. He said the successive State Governments have sympathized wish of outsiders overlooking tribes like Bodos. The intellectuals of the State are not serious about the killings of indigenous people, human rights violations, gang rape on tribal women and molestation for which justice has not been done. He questioned why leaders like AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya refrained from calling Bodos and other indigenous people of Asom as Asomiya whereas they do not hesitate to call a Santhali girl as Asomiya. He expressed fear and apprehension that the State Government and Asomiya intellectuals would be bound to lend their voice to the new ST demand. Narzary strongly opposed the granting of ST status to six communities saying that the communities are well advanced in all respects and they have been enjoying political rights and advantages. He said both Adivasis and Rajbongshis have Cabinet ministers and good number of legislators in the Assam Assembly since long, but the indigenous tribals do not have such advantages. He also cautioned both Delhi and Dispur that the tribal would not be responsible for another unrest in the region. MP SK Bwiswmuthiary, while speaking The Sentinel from New Delhi, said the granting ST status to outsiders will not only affect the Bodos and other tribals, but also the Asomiyas as a whole will lose their rights. There will be a new power equation in the State politics if new communities are included in the ST list. Political power will not go to the hands of genuine Asomiya people because power sharing by outsiders will bring a drastic change in the political scenario of the State, Bwiswmuthiary said. The MP asked the Government of India and Government of Asom to announce the policy of reorganization of the State on a federal plan before granting ST status to the six-communities, saying that the process of Balkanization is yet to be completed. Former president of KDC, ABWWF, Ms Maloti Rani Narzary, in an interview with The Sentinel, said the tribals of the State are deprived of all facilities and rights. Both the Centre and the State Government, instead of fulfilling the demands of the tribal people, are going to accord ST status to the six communities ignoring strong opposition from indigenous tribal groups. She also attacked the AGP saying that the party opposed the inclusion of more communities in the ST list during PK Mahantas rule, but the party is now favouring ST status to the six communities. This is political opportunism, she said. President of All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS) Ranjit Kumar Borgoyary told The Sentinel that the Sangha had no option other than launching a vigorous movement comprising all tribal people of Asom. He accused the State Government for its failure to protect the tribal belts and blocks, without filling the back log posts lying vacant for many years. Working president of Federation of Bodo Youth (FBY) Jangshisu Brahma told The Sentinel that the federation would oppose the inclusion of six communities into the ST list at any cost and that the tribals would be adversely affected by the new ST formula for six communities. We wont allow Tea Tribes to get ST status: Tribal Sangha GUWAHATI, Dec 6: The crisis over the issue of ST status to the six communities of the State appears to be deepening as seven tribal organizations, including the All Assam Tribal Sangha
[Assam] Fwd: Beltola to Dispur
I just talked to a relative who was in the area that day. He was on the 8th floor of a flat complex being built. From there he saw the processionists destroy his car and his friend's car on the ground, and later he saw the local residents on the ground gather and attack the destroyers of property. He did not have the time or the guts to go down to the ground floor. He did say the violence was started by the processionists. Also he said that the reaction to the destruction was from the traders, their employees, the local residents and anyone who was victimized. Thus the account in the Agradoot seems authentic. Dilip Deka === Dilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I scoured through several newspapers to get a little more detail on the battle in Beltola. The English dailies from Guwahati did not have enough English to describe it and the national dailies did not have the room to cover it. I found the following website to be of some help. So I am sharing it with my NRA netters. I request the netters from Guwahati to tell us if this Assamese newspaper is stating the facts. I'd also like to know who the local residents of Beltola (who took part in the battle) are - the non-Assamese traders who occupy the streets, the original inhabitants of Beltola, or the Assamese middle class who migrated to Guwahati and bought land in the area. http://www.dainikagradoot.com/mainnews1.htm Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Fwd: Re: Fwd: steel plant?
Dilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:36:51 -0800 (PST) From: Dilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Fwd: [Assam] steel plant? To: Nayanjyoti Medhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] Nayanjyoti, You can't put everything in already overpopulated Guwahati. If closeness to railroad is a criterion, broad gauge tracks are available in many other places like Bongaigaon, Nalbari etc. that are begging for investment and development. I don't know what kind of a steel processing plant this one is. Definitely it is not a steel mill at Rs. 200 crores. Perhaps to produce structural steel or GI sheets? Are the products going to be used in Assam or re exported to the rest of India? With raw material coming from outside and products going back, Is it going to be competitive with other plants already in existence? If Assam was going to provide some innovative technology or cheap labor incentive to bring cost down, I could understand. To me it looks like another one time effort to keep Assam quiet, like the paper mills that did not need even a decade to go bankrupt. The same $200 crores probably could have been used in another industry relevant to Assam - oil, tea or food/vegetable processing. Dilipda Nayanjyoti Medhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dilip Da, Any particular reason why a Steel Plant should not be set up in Guwahati? I suppose it would be harmful for the environment but think of the jobs it would generate. And it won't even be robbing the state of its natural resources as Assam does not produce iron ore . Regards, Nayanjyoti Medhi On Nov 15, 2007 9:26 PM, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Why steel plant and why Guwahati? Dilip Rs 200-cr steel plant to be set up in city From Our Spl Correspondent NEW DELHI, Nov 14 â Union Minister for Steel, Chemicals and Fertilizer, Ram Vilas Paswan today announced a decision to set up a steel processing plant at Guwahati at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The Minister made the announcement while addressing the Editor's Conference. The decision is part of the Steel Ministry's move to set up 10 steel processing plants across the country. The Ministry is estimated to spend over Rs 2,000 crore, in this connection. The Detailed Project Report was reported to be ready and public sector giant Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is likely to take initiative to set up the processing units. The processing mill is slated to come up at Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, while Madhya Pradesh and Bihar will have two units each. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org -- Nayanjyoti Medhi Advocate Chamber: Satya Bora Lane, Dighalipukhuri East Guwahati-781001, Assam Phone: +91 361 2416960 +91 94350 43007 Fax: +91 361 2410728 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Nayanjyoti Medhi Advocate Chamber: Satya Bora Lane, Dighalipukhuri East Guwahati-781001, Assam Phone: +91 361 2416960 +91 94350 43007 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Fwd: Beltola to Dispur
I just talked to a relative who was in the area that day. He was on the 8th floor of a flat complex being built. From there he saw the processionists destroy his car and his friend's car on the ground, and later he saw the local residents on the ground gather and attack the destroyers of property. He did not have the time or the guts to go down to the ground floor.He did say the violence was started by the processionists. Also he said that the reaction to the destruction was from the traders, their employees, the local residents and anyone who was victimized. Thus the account in the Agradoot seems authentic. Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Mob strips woman protester in Guwahati - Times of India
Shame on Beltola residents who let it go to this extent!
Read the report from the Telegraph and see for yourself who have taken over
the streets of Guwahati, in this case the street vendors. Does that hold true
for all of Guwahati? I hope that is not the case in Uzanbazar where I grew up.
I suspect this is how the sequence/chronology went:
The front line of the processionists got violent, damaged property all along
and ran.
The business owners and their employees started revenge on the next batch of
processionists that consisted of the non-violent weaker members including this
woman.
The local residents and reinforcement of security forces got into action and
controlled the street mob to bring an end to the fury.
Unfortunately I felt many years ago this is how Guwahati will turn out to be
due to uncontrolled growth. What can I say?
Dilip Deka
===
FROM THE TELEGRAPH
Shame on Guwahati streets
A STAFF REPORTER Guwahati, Nov. 26: A young Adivasi woman ran
down a Guwahati street naked, stripped by ethnic rioters, while leering city
youths clicked away with their cellphone cameras.
As television today brought to Assam homes one more scene of Saturdays
street horror when hundreds of tribals were attacked over a 3.5km stretch of
the city police arrested the womans three tormentors.
The three had pounced on her like a pack of dogs and started stripping her.
All her pleas fell on deaf ears till they had stripped her naked. Only then did
they let her go, said a police officer quoting eyewitnesses to the mob
retaliation to a violent Adivasi students march.
The woman sprinted away from a large group of jeering men and ran on in panic
till somebody threw her a piece of clothing.
The sight left homemaker Ananya Baruah dumbfounded on her second-floor
balcony at Beltola, the epicentre from where the rioting spilled over several
localities.
She was running like mad. Some people were clicking pictures with their
cellphones. It was one of the worst crimes any civilised society could have
committed. I felt so helpless just watching. The girl disappeared into one of
the by-lanes.
The victim was probably a participant in the armed Adivasi procession in
demand of Scheduled Tribe status that had turned violent and damaged private
and public property, including cars.
As the police began dispersing the tribals, angry local mobs chased down the
stragglers among them. Adivasi men, women and children were dragged across
streets and mercilessly beaten up with the police refusing to intervene. The
violence left some 300 injured and a 12-year-old boy dead.
The ethnic conflict claimed a second life this morning. Santosh Kumar, 17,
was dragged out of a vehicle on a highway for defying an Adivasi-enforced
bandh that was yet to begin, and hacked to death.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi announced the arrests of the trio who had stripped
the woman and offered the victim Rs 1 lakh in compensation. Prasenjit
Chakravarty, Sandip Chakdar and Ratul Barman were nabbed on the basis of video
footage and eyewitness accounts.
Ratul, a waiter at Mahalaxmi Hotel in Beltola, is barely 18. The main accused
is Prasenjit, 28, owner of Dainty Fast Food restaurant in the same locality.
Sandip, 20, owns a paan shop near the hotel where Ratul works.
The charges against them range from outraging a womans modesty to attempt to
murder.
Gogoi announced a judicial probe into the violence by the All Adivasi
Students Association of Assam as well as the mob backlash. The state
government has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh for the families of the
dead.
Ram Dhar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage {
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma }infact it did happen ..
Please note - you may find this video content very very disturbing.
Really shocked to see this happening in our Gauhati.
CNN-IBN video-
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/53043/guwahati-residents-strip-beat-up-women-protestors.html
-
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:10:55 -0600
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: assam@assamnet.org
Subject: [Assam] Mob strips woman protester in Guwahati - Times of India
This news, IF TRUE, is a darn shame, and if it is NOT, then we should all
join hand in vehemently protesting to the TOI, and demand that the publish
clarifications prominently and apologize to Assam her people.
--Ram
Mob strips woman protester in Guwahati
27 Nov 2007, 0001 hrs IST ,TNN
SMS NEWS to 5 for latest updates
GUWAHATI: Like in most bandhs and protests, poor adivasi workers
from the once lush tea gardens of Assam did dent business and damage some
property as they marched through Guwahati to demand inclusion in the Scheduled
Tribes list which will help them get easier access to
Re: [Assam] IIT-complex = MIT, Harvard etc - an international resignation
The news story below should help dispel the myth that all IITians are successful and a degree from an IIT makes one invincible. Even Umesh may take his words back. I saw the news in the TOI. Dilip = Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Umesh: . And that IIT envy and your years of struggle to demolish it with a Harvard degree and really bury it with time in the US, does not seem to be working too well. Do you want to know why? I will be delighted to help out--just let me know. c-da = This IITian lived on the footpath 15 Jan 2007, 1319 hrs IST,TNN PUNE: His dishevelled looks and state of penury would barely ensure a second glance from passers-by near Sarasbaugh, where this 57-year-old man was seen begging for alms for over a year now. It was his habit of reading English newspapers on the footpath that caught the eye of a couple of roadside vendors. Inquiries by vendors and morning walkers led to the shocking revelation about the mans identity as Prafulla Madhav Chiplunkar, grandson of great freedom fighters Vishnushastri Chiplunkar and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and an IIT Delhi graduate. Yes, life can be full of surprises and Prafullas story is an example. While his illustrious lineage stands confirmed by close relatives, the latter also revealed that addiction to liquor has played a part in driving Prafulla to his current state. Life took everything from me in 2002. My wife Sureeporn and son Suprabhat were killed in a car accident in Thailand. Following this incident, there was no need to earn money and there was no goal, so I decided to start living on footpath, Chiplunkar said. When asked about his relatives in the city, Chiplunkar said, I got married to a Thai girl and faced the ire of my family members. I never saw them in my happy days, and I cant go to them in this adverse condition. His present condition came to light a few days ago, when two sunglass vendors observed that a clean shaven man was living on footpath and reading English newspaper everyday. They reported to some local groups, who informed Sanjay Dhongade of Dhankawadi village. At present Sanjay and his wife Sangeeta are taking care of Chiplunkar. About his maternal grandfather Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Chiplunkar said, I have played in his lap and was with him for the first 16 years of my life. But he never saw his paternal grandfather Vishnu Shashtri Chiplunkar, he added. Chiplunkar was born in Mumbai and studied in Delhi before joining IIT, Delhi. I did my chemical engineering degree from IIT, Delhi with B-I grade in 1971, he said adding that he got a job in a Gwalior-based company. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Beltola to Dispur
I scoured through several newspapers to get a little more detail on the battle in Beltola. The English dailies from Guwahati did not have enough English to describe it and the national dailies did not have the room to cover it. I found the following website to be of some help. So I am sharing it with my NRA netters. I request the netters from Guwahati to tell us if this Assamese newspaper is stating the facts. I'd also like to know who the local residents of Beltola (who took part in the battle) are - the non-Assamese traders who occupy the streets, the original inhabitants of Beltola, or the Assamese middle class who migrated to Guwahati and bought land in the area. http://www.dainikagradoot.com/mainnews1.htm Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving, guys. === The Parrot and Behavior Modification A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to clean up the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot, and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said to John, I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior. John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. Just as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, May I ask what the turkey did? HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Indian Cell Phone Myths
The fact that there is free enterprise in India in businesses like cell phone
,cars and information technology, itself tells you that the political systems
are changing and paradigms are being broken.
I agree India is not yet at the point where impatient netters want her to be
but think of all the impediments against progress. It is amazing that the trend
of India's progress is steadily upward by all counts.
If someone has a magic formula to fix India's problems in an instant, I am
sure GOI would be willing to listen. We would also be interested in hearing it
firsthand.
Dilip Deka
Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I do not take issue with the proven efficacy of REAL competition and
FREE market forces. But the keywords are REAL and FREE. In a land where the
make-believe is readily accepted in lieu of the real thing by its
intelligentsia EVEN when the truths are open for all to see and that need to
tell the world they are no push-overs as far as modernity is involved, the
nuances of the REAL and the FREE takes on huge importance. One only needs to
look at the ENRON saga. Are there Enron like goings on in the cellphone
industry in Assam? I don't know. But from the comments I heard from users from
Guahati to Dibrugarh to Namti to Tawang--I have to suspect there is.
The fact of Dhubri's or Guahati's or Namti's lack of paved roads, reliable
electricity or potable water or sanitation systems and the governments' failure
that it points to ought not to be issues to be forgotten or
explained away as mere ideology rooted failure of governance and thus
implied that it could be all remedied by the 'free market gods' is where the
fallacy is.
That Indian governance is dysfunctional has little to do with ideological
hang-ups but everything to do with deeply faulty systemic and institutional
structures that Indian intelligentsia has neither been aware of nor have been
willing to tackle.
At 9:07 PM + 11/19/07, Malabika Brahma wrote:
Soon Reliance and others will be forced to improve their service if they want
to survive and prosper. But they have achieved to provide at least
rudimentary service in 5/6 years of operation (in cell phones) which government
failed to provide for (take electricity) in last 60 years. My village in
Dhubri district does not yet have regular electricity, paved roads and clean
water supply (we rely on wells) after 60 years but does receive NextTel cell
phone signals. People who never had land phone lines had cell phones as the
first phone.
mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt;
FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } Cellphone Cos are like Indian IT Miracles.
Each one is a Benami shadow of likes of Eriksson/Siemens/Nokia/Motorola.Even
screws are imported.- mostly from China. Customs do not hold them for Minutes.
And they were/are being milked for Upfront+Below the Table n000Crores@ time for
licensing CeNtrallyat Delhi
Remember Pramod Mahajan's Brother fuming and shooting him dead
-You took 5000 crores and did nothing to US?
Currently there is something bigger happening-all Hush Hush:
Reliance trying to corner huge Spectrum(allowed to be a cOuntry's right by ITU
rules)and all the other players crying out loudYou cannot do that.
So they can Cheat the Economy as they like--Licensed to Kill.
{Compare mine --a few Welding/Sawing machines not released by Kolkata
CustomsWhere is it written--the address of the Party to be Notified?And of
course I have to be penalized for Demurrage that longer.As per Rules.
Nedfi--Oh they are Busy Developing Look East!!!}
mm
-
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:50:08 -0600
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Assam] Indian Cell Phone Myths
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass
ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;} As an addendum to my
previous response on the matter of the quality of private services as in
cell-phone, I would be remiss if I did not share what I heard during my recent
trip to Assam:
*** That service is uniformly bad thruout Assam. And the worst is the
darling of the private enterprise advocates: Reliance; so much so that there
was some kind of a 'Bandh' against purported Reliance deceit of consumers.
I was loaned a cellphone from a new service provider by a relative, which,
amazingly worked from my native village at remote Namti, but would not work
from some of Guahati's most important localities such as Beltola and Rajgarh.
*** Most surprisingly the cell phone service that generally is acknowledged
to be the most reliable across Assam is that provided by the Indian Govt.
operated BSNL, but at a cost. Apparently it is the most expensive of
Re: [Assam] From ToI/IGI Airport
It is time to turn to private sector for airport management in India. I read an article about an airport in Kerala that is being managed under private sector and how clean the airport is. How about assigning the airport management to Lalu Yadav? Apparently he made a lot of improvements in the railways. Dilip = Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Delhi's IGI Airport has become a nightmare ? Has??? It has always been so. Just getting worse. I was there a month ago. The parking lot is a nightmare. We could not push our luggage loaded carts to the car in the parking lot, because of the unbelievable pot-holes, all the way. Had to lift the cart up, with the help of all the young men waiting around for the opportunity to help out. Not that I grudge them. But IGI being the front door to the capital of a super-power wanna-be, the state of affairs IN and AROUND the airport and its amenities ( if one could call it that) boggled the mind. Someone explained a new parking lot is being built. I will believe it when I see it. All the renovation work going on in the passenger areas tell a tale of appalling infrastructure behind the ripped out finishes. No wonder the ceilings keep falling. And that tunnel out of the international arrivals area! It has no parallel. What seems to be India's problem anyway? But on a the brighter side, I was pleasantly surprised by a CLEANER Delhi, at least at the upscale neighborhoods like Defense Colony . The sidewalks were swept, no plastic bags and paper on the plants flanking them. The plants looked maintained. The taxi driver explained it is the upcoming Asian Games ( or is it the Commonwealth Games). It was a different story however, on the way to IIT Delhi. cm Click! IGI official escapes roof collapse 15 Nov 2007, 0508 hrs IST,TNN PrintSave EMail Write to Editor NEW DELHI: Delhi's IGI Airport has become a nightmare not only for passengers but also for those who are working there. On Wednesday morning, a lady officer had a miraculous escape when the roof of her newly renovated room collapsed on her. Aman Saini, assistant general manager of terminal-II, was working on her computer about 10.30 am when the false ceiling came crashing down, along with the airconditioning ducts. A senior official of the airport had to pull her out from under the debris. Even as preparations are on to make travelling more convenient during the foggy months, frequent complaints by people on the degraded condition of the airport at present has forced the ministry of civil aviation to sit up and take notice. Sources said that based on the complaints on dysfunctional toilets and other issues sent to the ministry, it was planning to conduct a surprise check at the airport in the near future. While Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) officials tried to downplay the incident and said that only a single panel had fallen and the official wasn't hurt, sources revealed that officials were appalled at the condition of the airport. The airport manager's room is newly constructed and if this is what happens to renovated rooms, one can imagine how it is elsewhere, said an official. We are lucky that the Amin escaped with scratches but to have the entire roof collapse on one's head can be a major shock and could have turned very ugly, he added. The old airport manager's room was recently demolished and the new one set up outside terminal-II. Strangely, with renovation on, there is no access to the room from inside and can only be reached from the city side. The room where the roof collapsed was a little way behind the main structure which is not frequented by people often. According to sources, the condition of the airport, specially during renovation, has made travelling a complete hassle. Recently, a passenger at the international departure terminal had a part of the false ceiling collapse on her head. She too, luckily escaped with minor injuries. Cases of people tripping over loose tiles and slippery floors is also becoming common. Sources also revealed that only one ladies' toilet was functional at the international departure terminal, and that too on the lower level. The maintenance of toilets at the international airport is with AAI and there are some issues between the GMR Group and AAI employees that is aggravating the problem, said sources. News on the airside is no better. Recently, civil aviation director general Kanu Gohain took a tour of the operations area at the airport to see the conditions after the recent spate of accidents. He is learnt to have reprimanded eight drivers who were found to be driving worse than Blueline drivers. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] NEDFi Haat at India International Trade Fair'07
on the highway or in open air haats in the hinterland. Quality of the goods are good as far as fabrics are concerned. Everything else is forgettable if not outright garbage. If I were to be the king of Assam, I would BAN the production of the red felt trimmed jaapis that have come to represent a debased state of Oxomiya craftsmanship and culture. They represent the most atrocious of craftsmanship and design, and is a DISGRACE to Oxomiya culture, craftsmanship and aesthetics. Just like the very poorly crafted Xoraais do. As a child I remember seeing far higher quality of craftsmanship all around us. But they are long gone from the Indianized plains. What remains of it can be seen today only in the back country homes of indigenous folks like we saw among the Monpas at Tawang , at Dirang. Ultimately the sorry and disgraced state of the Oxomiya crafts reflect NOT on the producers as much as it does on those who are expected to be its patrons: The Middle Class consumers, their TASTE and aesthetic sense or expectation of quality and their willingness )(( or absence of it) to PAY for QUALITY. The result is can be seen everywhere in its continued downhill trajectory. c-da At 11:09 AM +0530 11/18/07, Manoj Das wrote: One disease in this forum is - we jump into conclusions without knowing the facts. PSU bashing is the latest hobby for many. But let me tell you, Indian PSUs have repositioned and refashioned to compete the best in the world. I am proud to be a part of the PSUs, who are creating wealth for the nation. NEDFi is the only PSU doing such developmental activities in the country, now. In fact after IDBI has converted itself into a bank, it is the only such organisation left. NEDFi Haat participants get chance to participate in IITF to get a feel of the national market.. then on we give them chance to participate in Aggressive International Marketing Project for NER and enrich their product competitiveness by infusing design inputs by engaging world class designers from Philippines. Many of our participants of 2003 batch are now exporters. If you want to know from them directly, I'll give you their emails. M'da has participated in Autumn Fair at India Exposition Mart. He may share his experience, and tell us scopes for improvement. We are not claiming to be perfect here. Your inputs will definitely help us to improve. Only request is not to hang us ex-parte. Cheers!!! -mkd On Nov 17, 2007 10:18 PM, Dilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The bane of public sector versus boon of private sector? Probably the brain behind the Haat got a promotion and moved off, and now the concept does not have a champion. A government cannot be expected to run a business. PDVSA of Venezuela and PEMEX of Mexico are good examples of what happens when government starts running business. Dilip mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Reasons: No chain of demand on PERFORMANCE: By anybody At any level. Maybe termed Total lack of Accountability. What is Target?What was actual achieved? Need smaller autonomous focussed groups- again under demand on performance. Automatic checks on performance. Upgradation/Degradation of personnel without any fuss. Top to bottom. Otherwise remain a fourth grade nation- by Choice! mm - Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:20:22 -0600 To: assam@assamnet.org From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Assam] NEDFi Haat at India International Trade Fair'07 Hi Manoj: What do you know about the state of affairs at Nedfi Haat at Guahati? We were there two weeks back, and it appeared as though it has shrunk, its vendors' product quality gone down and it definbitely reduced in diversity. I was disappointed and depressed. Something is seriously wrong with the whole concept. It should have become more vibrant. But it looked tired, ready to expire. Just like Cottage Industries' Emporium at Dilli, which too has gone down in quality and diversity. c-da At 6:22 AM +0530 11/17/07, Manoj Das wrote: NEDFi has put up a pavilion like previous years at hall no. 1 to display exquisite products from NER. Please pay a visit to encourage our 35 exhibitors. For your information, there is no business hour and entry is open for general public from 10-8. The fair will close on 27th Nov. Warm regards -m k das- pavilion director ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org - Search from any Web page with powerful protection. Get the FREE Windows Live Toolbar Today! Try it now! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] NEDFi Haat at India International Trade Fair'07
The bane of public sector versus boon of private sector? Probably the brain
behind the Haat got a promotion and moved off, and now the concept does not
have a champion.
A government cannot be expected to run a business. PDVSA of Venezuela and
PEMEX of Mexico are good examples of what happens when government starts
running business.
Dilip
mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage {
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma }Reasons:
No chain of demand on PERFORMANCE:
By anybody
At any level.
Maybe termed Total lack of Accountability. What is Target?What was actual
achieved?
Need smaller autonomous focussed groups- again under demand on performance.
Automatic checks on performance.
Upgradation/Degradation of personnel without any fuss.
Top to bottom.
Otherwise remain a fourth grade nation- by Choice!
mm
-
Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:20:22 -0600
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Assam] NEDFi Haat at India International Trade Fair'07
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul,
.ExternalClass ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;}
Hi Manoj:
What do you know about the state of affairs at Nedfi Haat at Guahati? We were
there two weeks back, and it appeared as though it has shrunk, its vendors'
product quality gone down and it definbitely reduced in diversity. I was
disappointed and depressed.
Something is seriously wrong with the whole concept. It should have become
more vibrant. But it looked tired, ready to expire. Just like Cottage
Industries' Emporium at Dilli, which too has gone down in quality and diversity.
c-da
At 6:22 AM +0530 11/17/07, Manoj Das wrote:
NEDFi has put up a pavilion like previous years at hall no. 1 to display
exquisite products from NER.
Please pay a visit to encourage our 35 exhibitors.
For your information, there is no business hour and entry is open for general
public from 10-8. The fair will close on 27th Nov.
Warm regards
-m k das-
pavilion director
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[Assam] steel plant?
Why steel plant and why Guwahati? Dilip - Rs 200-cr steel plant to be set up in city From Our Spl Correspondent NEW DELHI, Nov 14 Union Minister for Steel, Chemicals and Fertilizer, Ram Vilas Paswan today announced a decision to set up a steel processing plant at Guwahati at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The Minister made the announcement while addressing the Editors Conference. The decision is part of the Steel Ministrys move to set up 10 steel processing plants across the country. The Ministry is estimated to spend over Rs 2,000 crore, in this connection. The Detailed Project Report was reported to be ready and public sector giant Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is likely to take initiative to set up the processing units. The processing mill is slated to come up at Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, while Madhya Pradesh and Bihar will have two units each. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] NYTimes.com: F.C.C. Planning Rules to Open Cable Market
Mukulda,
You are absolutely right on this one. To spread modern day education to the
remote schools, computer with free broadband connection is the easiest way.
Dilip
mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage {
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma }Dear Umesh,
You got me right!
Broadband Internet should be treated as public roads-free for all.
You can have Toll Expressways for profit--but give the masses the Basic version
--FREE.
Why else Education Cess-Higher Education Cess- Taxes?
Why so-called Sarva-Siksha -Mission?
Why UGC?
Why Free Computers to Matric 1st. Division wallahs?
To cover it up from dust-or play games with?
mm
-
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:58:43 -0800
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: assam@assamnet.org
Subject: Re: [Assam] NYTimes.com: F.C.C. Planning Rules to Open Cable Market
Mukul-da,
I am getting your logic perhaps. I have demand 100 perhaps then I would get 10
-- is that the approach in demanding free broadband internet in Assam -- which
is not available anywhere else (atleast not in US)
Umesh
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[EMAIL PROTECTED] Message from sender:
Would Rights groups demand of Assam Govt. to extend broadband though Cable/Aseb
Lines to all villages .NOW - as Dilip said -BeFORE elections. And would
Brindabon please help by making an Early-Bird announcement to that effect--And
would SAMUJJWAL speak upmy next agenda will be to get BB to all corners of
Assam -Free. They should-if the Govt. has to justify its existence--by
providing Internet to all the computers donated to 1st Div. Matric . And to
extend EDUCATION(State Subject Sarva Siksha Abhijan) to all.
WASHINGTON | November 10, 2007
F.C.C. Planning Rules to Open Cable Market
By STEPHEN LABATON
New regulations would aid independent programmers and rival video services,
officials said, and could lead to more diverse programs and lower rates.
1. Op-Ed Contributor: Exercise on the Brain
2. Basics: Dont Throw Out Your Broken iPod; Fix It via the Web
3. Humdinger of a Project: Tracing Slang to Ireland
4. Op-Ed Columnist: Rudy and Bernie: B.F.F.s
5. Op-Ed Columnist: Recession? What Recession?
» Go to Complete List
Advertisement
In Wes Anderson's THE DARJEELING LIMITED,three brothers (Owen Wilson, Jason
Schwartzman, Adrien Brody)set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to
find themselves and bond with each other. Their journey however, veers rapidly
off-course
Democracy�s Root: Diversity
I think the Assamnetters will like this article from the NYT.
Dilip Deka
===
Op-Ed Columnist
Democracys Root: Diversity function getSharePasskey() { return
'ex=1352437200en=f03842f270e7843cei=5124';} function getShareURL() {
return
encodeURIComponent('http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/opinion/11friedman.html');
} function getShareHeadline() { return encodeURIComponent('Democracy#8217;s
Root: Diversity'); } function getShareDescription() {return
encodeURIComponent('King Abdullah#8217;s path-breaking meeting with Pope
Benedict XVI surely gave many Saudi clerics heartburn. But as historic as it
was, it left no trace. '); } function getShareKeywords() { return
encodeURIComponent('Religion and Churches,Islam,Abdullah,Benedict XVI'); }
function getShareSection() { return encodeURIComponent('opinion'); } function
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function getShareSubSection() { return encodeURIComponent(''); } function
getShareByline() { return encodeURIComponent('By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN'); }
function
getSharePubdate() { return encodeURIComponent('November 11, 2007'); }
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: November 11, 2007
Last Tuesday, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met Pope Benedict XVI at the
Vatican the first audience ever by the head of the Catholic Church with a
Saudi monarch. The Saudi king gave the pope two gifts: a golden sword studded
with jewels, and a gold and silver statue depicting a palm tree and a man
riding a camel.
Thomas L. Friedman
The BBC reported that the pope admired the statue but merely touched the
sword. I think it is a great thing these two men met, and that King Abdullah
came bearing gifts. But what would have really caught my attention and the
worlds would have been if King Abdullah had presented the pope with
something truly daring: a visa.
You see, the king of Saudi Arabia, also known as the Keeper of the Two Holy
Mosques of Mecca and Medina, can visit the pope in the Vatican. But the pope
cant visit the king of Saudi Arabia in the Vatican of Islam Mecca.
Non-Muslims are not allowed there. Moreover, it is illegal to build a church, a
synagogue or a Hindu or Buddhist temple in Saudi Arabia, or to practice any of
these religions publicly.
As BBCnews.com noted, some Christian worship services are held secretly, but
the government has been known to crack down on them, or deport Filipino workers
if they hold even private services. ... The Saudi authorities cite a tradition
of the Prophet Muhammad that only Islam can be practiced in the Arabian
Peninsula.
I raise this point because the issue of diversity how and under what
conditions should the other be tolerated is roiling the Muslim world today,
from Lebanon to Iraq to Pakistan. More churches and mosques have been blown up
in the past few years than any time I can remember.
A senior French official suggested to me that maybe we in the West, rather
than trying to promote democracy in the Middle East a notion tainted by its
association with the very Western powers that once colonized the region
should be focusing on promoting diversity, which has historical roots in the
area.
Its a valid point. The very essence of democracy is peaceful rotations of
power, no matter whose party or tribe is in or out. But that ethic does not
apply in most of the Arab-Muslim world today, where the political ethos remains
Rule or Die. Either my group is in power or Im dead, in prison, in exile or
lying very low. But democracy is not about majority rule; it is about minority
rights. If there is no culture of not simply tolerating minorities, but
actually treating them with equal rights, real democracy cant take root.
But respect for diversity is something that has to emerge from within a
culture. We can hold a free and fair election in Iraq, but we cant inject a
culture of diversity. America and Europe had to go through the most awful civil
wars to give birth to their cultures of diversity. The Arab-Muslim world will
have to go through the same internal war of ideas.
I just returned from India, which just celebrated 60 years of democracy.
Pakistan, right next door, is melting down. Yet, they are basically the same
people they look alike, they eat the same food, they dress alike. But there
is one overriding difference: India has a culture of diversity. India is now
celebrating 60 years of democracy precisely because it is also celebrating
millennia of diversity, including centuries of Muslim rule.
Nayan Chanda, author of a delightful new book on globalization titled Bound
Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped
Globalization, recounts the role of all these characters in connecting our
world. He notes: The Muslim Emperor Akbar, who ruled India in the 16th century
at the
Re: [Assam] FW: [WaterWatch] Permanent structures on Yamuna riverbed to be demolished
That's spirit. If the citizens as groups protest, it will get done. The key of
course is follow-up.
Dilip
mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage {
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma }
Those who care for Guahati's health and IMAGE ought to force their
non-government to get the permanent structures at Bharalu bed-- demolished this
winter--NOW!-- and reduce the city foods down by at least 1.5 m.
And force these Govts - by LAW/BYLAW -all families/groups/municipal
Corporation to employ my Simple /Inexpensive/low-energy-consuming
ElectroCoagulating fecal-contaminant separators at the point of exit from
theirsinto Public Domain Bharalu.
And to those living downstreams- recipients of Guahati Shit- all the way to
Sea- I say Initiate Legal action to effect this NOW!
For this The Co-RESPONDENT should be Ministry of Environment and Forests(no
trees inside) GOVT Of India- maybe through the UNICEF/WHO/Pachauri-led IPCC.
mm
-
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:12:46 +
Subject: [WaterWatch] Permanent structures on Yamuna riverbed to be demolished
Permanent structures on Yamuna riverbed to be demolished
The Yamuna (removal of encroachments) Monitoring Committee has sought
demolition of all permanent structures erected in the Yamuna riverbed
by the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
In a report submitted on 30th October, 2007 to Delhi High Court,
retired additional district and sessions judge S.M. Aggarwal, the
convenor of the committee, has also sought that DDA and DMRC should be
penalised for damaging the river's eco-system by undertaking
construction of the massive Metro rail yard, a residential complex in
1.85 acres of the river bed, a huge Games Village Metro station along
with a mall by Parsvanath Developers and the Commonwealth Games Village.
Delhi High Court had appointed a committee on December 8, 2005, headed
by retired Justice Usha Mehra, to enforce the orders passed in this
regard by the High Court since 2003. The Yamuna -- Removal of
Encroachments Monitoring Committee, as it came to be known, was meant
to monitor the removal of encroachments on the river bed and flood
plains, specifically within 300 metres of the river banks.
On March 3, 2003, the Delhi High Court had observed: Yamuna river has
been polluted not only on account of dumping of waste, including
medical waste as well as discharge of unhygienic material, but the
Yamuna bed and its embankment have been unauthorisedly and illegally
encroached by construction of pucca house, jhuggies and places for
religious worship, which cannot be permitted any more... We,
therefore, direct all the authorities concerned, that is, DDA, MCD,
PWD, DJB as well the Central Government to forthwith remove all the
unauthorised structures, jhuggi es, places of worship and/or any other
structure which are unauthorisedly put in Yamuna bed and its
embankment within two months from today.
This order was flouted for over two years by the concerned
authorities, provoking a Division Bench, headed by the then Chief
Justice, to rule that the river bed was a water body (wet land) and
had to be preserved as such. Here is the relevant excerpt.
...it is required to be maintained as a water body by the DDA and all
other authorities. If the water body is not maintained as such and
construction illegally goes on unhindered, then it is high time to
take the officers of the DDA to task. As per the court directive, all
encroachments on the river bed were to be removed by the DDA and other
empowered agencies. But, the follow-up remained tardy.
The report has also recommended exemplary action against the Vice
Chairman of DDA for deliberate and willful violation of Delhi High
Court order directing that the river bed be maintained as a water body
or wetland by the DDA and all other authorities.
The environmental activists have sought immediate stay on construction
in the Yamuna river bed and arguments on this count will be heard on
November 20.
The committee submitted the report in the court of Justice A.K. Sikri
and Justice Rekha Sharma.
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Re: [Assam] Moving to St Louis
Good choice, Nayan. I graduated from Wash. U, St. Louis and lived in St. Louis for eighteen years. I still call St. Louis my hometwon, 18 years being the longest of my stay in one place. Forest Park separates the med campus from the main university campus. There are many apartments at both ends of the park, just for students and post docs. The university also has graduate student apartments on the main campus. Your best bet is to contact the International Students Office on campus. They helped me a lot in finding affordable accommodation, including shared accommodation. Chandan Mahanta lives in St. Louis suburbs and I am sure he will be more than happy to help you. Contact Chandan. Dilipda NayanJyoti Sarma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi all I am joining the Washington University School of Medicine as a postdoc from January, 2008. Currrently I am in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and I have completed my PhD from University of Southern Mississippi. I am planning to move to St Louis by January 2008. I need some information regarding an affordable one bedroom apartment close to my work place. I will be glad if somebody is willing to help me and also provide me some information about the place and our community. Thank you very much and look forward to hear back from you. Regards Nayan - Nayan Jyoti Sarma, PhD 118 College drive 7653 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406, USA Phone: 601-2662727 __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Money flows, NE does not grow! (The Sentinel, 03.11.2007)
To put that amount in perspective, it is about $21 billion for five years in my calculation. Am I right? The annual budget for the state of Texas is about $30 billion. For 5 years, the amount would be about $150 billion. What does the amount for Assam's five year plan mean? Is that the state budget for five years? Or is that amount for development mainly and there is some other fund available for day to day operation of the state? I keep hearing about this grant or that in hundreds of crores of rupees. Where does that fit in? Just trying to understand. Dilip Deka === Buljit Buragohain [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: DATELINE GUWAHATI/Wasbir Hussain Money flows, NE does not grow! Money literally flows into the North-east, and yet the region does not grow. Can you believe that during the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007), the Centre had allocated a whopping Rs 80,500 crore for development of the north-eastern states? If you choose to be polite and wont like to ask as to where has the money gone, you and I can well ask where is the development. Well, where have I got this fantastic piece of statistics? That New Delhi had provided Rs 80,500 crore to the region during the past five years was stated in a newspaper interview by Prof Atul Sarma, Steering Committee Member for the NE region set up by the Planning Commission for, you know what, the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Well, in the new Five-year Plan, the region could well get upwards of Rs 100,000 crore! Lets take a look at some of the indicators of development (or the lack of it) in the largest and most developed of the north-eastern states, Asom: Between 1960-61 and 1969-70 to 1970-71 and 1979-80, the Net State Domestic Product at the all-India level grew from 3 to 3.6 (current prices-decades of sixties and seventies). In the case of Asom, it fell from 4 to 3 during the period mentioned above. Similarly, the Gross State Domestic Product between 1980-81 and 1990-91 to 1993-94 and 1998-99 at the all-India level grew from 5.6 to 6.8. Again, in Asom, it fell from 3.6 to 2.7 during the same period. These are figures from the Planning Commission, the same agency that allocates funds to be spent by our law makers and the obliging bureaucracy, many of whom know only too well that they are not above board in their dealings. Now, look at the extent of people below poverty line (BPL): At the all-India level, the percentage of people below poverty line was 54.88 in 1973-74. This has, as it should, declined to 51.32 per cent in 1977-78, 44.48 per cent in 1983, 38.86 in 1987-88, 35.97 in 1993-94 and 26.10 in 1999-2000. Again, things have to be different in Asom. It has not always been declining. The percentage of BPL people in Asom has even increased in between! As much as 51.21 per cent of the people in Asom were those below poverty line in 1973-74. This, in fact, rose to 57.15 per cent in 1977-78, coming down to 40.47 in 1983 and 36.21 in 1987-88. But, in 1993-94, the BPL population in Asom grew to 40.86 per cent, again coming down to 36.09 per cent in 1999-2000. All said and done, there is nothing to cheer about on this front. The power scenario, or more specifically, the per capita consumption of power in a state goes to reflect a lot on the economic progress or development of the place. Lets look at the all-India per capita consumption of electricity (in KwH) over the years: in 1974-75, it was 174.9 KwH, and this rose to 354.75 KwH in 1999-2000. In Asom, it was 24 in 1974-75 and this saw an increase to just 95.5 in 1999-2000, the same figure as that of Tripura! Look at the figure for Orissa, not known anytime as an industrially advanced state: in 1974-75, its per capital electricity consumption (in KwH) was 69.2 and in 1999-2000, it rose to 354.6. The Eleventh Finance Commission had devised an infrastructure index for the year 1999. This index brings out a composite comparative profile of the availability of physical, social and institutional infrastructure in the states. Asom ranked 9th in the decreasing order, only marginally above Nagaland. Amongst all the states existing in 1999, Goa had the highest index for infrastructure. This means that Goa was the best-placed State in terms of infrastructure facilities. The other States with a high infrastructure index were Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana. Arunachal Pradesh, as also most of the other north-eastern states, had the lowest Index. To add to this gloomy scenario is the dismal social sector spending in the north-eastern region. In the expenditure on the health sector, for instance, Meghalaya recorded the highest fall: from 15.34 per cent of the total allocation in 1981-82 to 7.22 per cent in 1997-98. This being the case, the question arises as to what will the states do with the money that it gets in the Eleventh Five Year Plan, that too close to Rs 100,000 crore, if not more! The
[Assam] Miss Dimapur 2007 Benazir Ali
I think my email will draw a lot of comments. I am glad to see that there is a Benazir Ali among the contestants. and that she won the contest despite the discrimination against non-Nagas that exists in Nagalnd. I am assuming that the winner is not a pure Naga name. Where did I get the idea that Dimapur is in Nagaland and Nagas are very selective about who represent them in events like this pageant? Has Dimapur come to accept outsiders or does the winner have Naga blood that qualifies her? I am baffled and I'd welcome some input from netters who know more about Dimapur. Dilip Deka From the Assam Tribune Miss Dimapur 2007 Benazir Ali (centre) along with 1st runner-up Ayangla (right) and 2nd runner-up Watinaro smile for photograph during a photocall at Dimapur District Sport Council Stadium on Friday. UB Photos « Prev Next » ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] What has crude oil price got to do with price of tea in China?
A lot. China has a big say in the energy market now. === From the Oil and Gas Journal MARKET WATCH: Energy prices continue to crumble Sam Fletcher Senior Writer HOUSTON, Oct. 24 -- Energy prices continued to crumble Oct. 23 amid indications that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is boosting oil production to meet the Nov. 1 increase of 500,000 b/d that the group agreed to Sept. 11 in Vienna. The producing group has begun increasing October supplies in anticipation of Nov. 1, said analysts in the Houston office of Raymond James Associates Inc. Further driving oil prices down is the anticipation of an [US] inventory build, they said. The second high-level energy roundtable between China and OPEC ministers took place Oct. 24 in Beijing. Officials from both sides announced only that they had agreed to a third energy roundtable next year at the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna. However, Olivier Jakob, managing director of Petromatrix GMBH, Zug, Switzerland, said, The Chinese economic planning agency has been reported complaining to OPEC that prices are too high, and the Chinese voice has probably these days a greater weight than the same complaints emanating from the head of the US Department of Energy. Coincidently, OPEC sources are providing more sound bites of a possible supplemental increase [in crude supplies.] US inventories The Energy Information Administration said Oct. 24 that commercial US crude inventories fell 5.3 million bbl to 316.6 million bbl in the week ended Oct. 19, vs. expectations among Wall Street analysts of an 800,000 build. Gasoline inventories dropped 2 million bbl to 193.8 million bbl, while distillate fuel inventories decreased by 1.8 million bbl to 134.5 million bbl. The previous consensus among Wall Street analysts was for increases of 300,000 bbl in both categories. Propane and propylene inventories increased by 600,000 to 61 million bbl last week. Imports of crude into the US fell more than 1.3 million b/d to 9.1 million b/d during that same week. The input of crude into US refineries dropped 183,000 b/d to 14.9 million b/d with refineries operating at 87.1% capacity, down from 87.3% capacity the previous week. Nevertheless, gasoline production rose to nearly 9 million b/d while distillate fuel production fell to 3.9 million b/d. Energy prices The new front-month December contract and the January contract both lost 75¢ to $85.27/bbl and $84.46/bbl, respectively, Oct. 23 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On the US spot market, West Texas Intermediate was down $1.09 to $86.48/bbl. The November contract for reformulated blend stock for oxygenate blending (RBOB) dropped 2.45¢ to $2.11/gal on NYMEX. Heating oil for the same month declined by 1.11¢ to $2.30/gal. The November natural gas contract lost 13¢ to $6.76/MMbtu on NYMEX on forecasts of warm weather. On the US spot market, gas at Henry Hub, La., fell 13.5¢ to $6.36/MMbtu. Without the 'storm premium' built in during the Atlantic hurricane season, natural gas prices are likely to decline with high supplies and mild near-term weather forecasts reducing demand for gas, said Raymond James analysts. In London, the December IPE contract for North Sea Brent crude was down 42¢ to $82.85/bbl. Gas oil for November dropped $3.25 to $719/tonne. The average price for OPEC's basket of 12 reference crudes dipped by 12¢ to $80.11/bbl on Oct. 23. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Work Ethic in Assam
All major English newspapers in India are being published through Puja and definitely one day after. What happened to the English newspapers in assam? Puja is not even the main cultural or religious event in Assam. Does it in some way show the lack of work ethic in Assam or am I being too hard on Assam? Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From NY Times
You don't know rural Louisiana, Umesh, being in Wsahington DC. = umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Good to see an Indian American win something - regardless of his hate crime laws opposition -ofcourse noone iin his family will need to worry about it -- only the New Orleans' black natives need worry. Right? Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/us/19louisiana.html?_r=1oref=slogin Highlighting mine. cm An Improbable Favorite Emerges in Cajun Country Lee Celano for The New York Times Bobby Jindal, left, an Indian-American, is favored to win the primary election for Louisiana governor by enough to avoid a runoff. Article Tools Sponsored By By ADAM NOSSITER Published: October 19, 2007 FRANKLINTON, La., Oct. 17 - An Oxford-educated son of immigrants from India is virtually certain to become the leading candidate for Louisiana's next governor in Saturday's primary election. It would be an unlikely choice for a state that usually picks its leaders from deep in the rural hinterlands and has not had a nonwhite chief executive since Reconstruction. But peculiar circumstances have combined to make Representative Bobby Jindal, a conservative two-term Republican, the overwhelming favorite. Analysts predict Mr. Jindal, 36, could get more than 50 percent of the vote in the open primary, thus avoiding a November runoff and becoming the nation's first Indian-American governor. If he fails to win a majority, he would face the next-highest vote getter in the runoff. Louisiana Democrats are demoralized, caught between the perception of post-hurricane incompetence surrounding their standard bearer, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, who is not running for re-election, and corruption allegations against senior elected officials like William J. Jefferson, the congressman from New Orleans. Leading Democrats begged off the governor's race, and Mr. Jindal's opponents are from the second tier, trailing so badly in polls that Mr. Jindal has ignored most of the scheduled debates among candidates, leaving the challengers to take grumbling verbal shots at his empty chair. The prize is not necessarily an enviable one: Louisiana is the nation's poorest state, measured by per capita income; one of its unhealthiest; the worst in infant mortality; and the least educated. It is last in attracting new college-educated workers. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the police department in New Orleans still operates largely out of trailers, and neighborhoods are still trying to rebuild. The storms didn't cause all of our problems - they revealed a lot of our problems, Mr. Jindal said in a brief interview this week. It's an incredible opportunity to change the state. But he is not a natural fit for Louisiana. The state likes its governors to know the fundamentals of the Cajun two-step, speak some derivation of French patois, and at least get to a duck blind, regularly and publicly. But Mr. Jindal has labored assiduously to overcome the disadvantage of being a non-Cajun, Rhodes Scholar policy wonk whose given name was Piyush, and who has a penchant for 31-point plans. He is a born-again Roman Catholic who has suggested that teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution may not be out of place in public schools, favors a ban on abortion and opposes hate-crimes laws. Conservative views aside, the slightly built congressman is anything but a backslapping good ol' boy. He lost to Ms. Blanco in 2003 largely in places like this, Washington Parish, a hardscrabble rural area 70 miles north of New Orleans, where voters openly expressed unease four years ago about opting for someone of Mr. Jindal's race. In areas where the Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke won in the 1991 governor's race - here and in the deeply conservative parishes of north Louisiana - Mr. Jindal lost. But by Wednesday, three days before Mr. Jindal's second attempt at the governor's mansion, he was greeted here, if not with great warmth, at least without alarm. The congressman, tossing souvenir cups from a fire truck in a town parade, was met with shouts of Hey Bobby! from the rural whites lining the route. Mr. Jindal picked out familiar faces in the crowd, greeted the sheriff like an old friend and posed for a picture with man sporting a Confederate flag tattoo. For months, the congressman has cultivated the rural areas where he lost in 2003, witnessing in remote Pentecostal churches, neutralizing his image of being hyperqualified - head of the state health department at 24, head of the university system at 28 and under secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services at 30 under President Bush - that did not help him the last time. In one recent debate, Mr. Jindal boasted that he had made 77 trips to
Re: [Assam] Vibrant University, good business sense (The Sentinel, 20.10.2007)
Good to hear that DU is doing well. It just points to mismanagement by previous administrations at GU that set GU behind by many crores of rupees. I did only my high school and pre university education (old days)under GU but I do feel sad when I drive by GU from the airport. I am hoping that the current VC, whom I knew from childhood as someone with integrity, will turn things around. He is capable of doing it if internal politics in GU and Dispur does not derail him. Dilip Deka Buljit Buragohain [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: DATELINE DIBRUGARH/Wasbir Hussain Vibrant University, good business sense Dibrugarh University (DU) Vice Chancellor Dr Kulendu Pathak gave me a pleasant surprise during a conversation over dinner last fortnight. We have an accumulated surplus of around Rs 8 crore as of now, he told me when I asked him about his Universitys fiscal situation. First of all, I asked him that question because his counterpart at Gauhati University (GU) had put in his resignation a few days back, apparently fed up with the perennial cash crunch that has hit the Varsitys growth. Dr Pathak didnt elaborate, but the Universitys Registrar Dr Kandarpa Deka said that fiscal management initiatives, including austerity measures and efforts at resource generation, are the primary reasons for the surplus that the VC was talking about. I dont know much about the DUs internal matters, but I found the University vibrant, the location really scenic and lush, and the 500-acre campus neat and clean with well-paved roads. That itself is creditable, compared to the dilapidated environs of many institutions across Asom, GU included. Im glad I accepted the invitation from the Universitys Centre for Management Studies to participate in a panel discussion on the occasion of its annual extravaganza called Sanmilan. Well, before I talk a bit about the Management Studies Centre, I must say that the dinner venue was the nice little Guest House within the University campus. Im saying this because the sight of the GU Guest House, as one drives by, is saddening. The University started its Management Studies Centre on February 3, 2003 and is currently running three programmes: MBA, BBA and Postgraduate Diploma in Tourism Management. What is important, as the Vice Chancellor told me, was that all these courses are paid courses, and this has enabled the Management Studies Centre to be self supporting. If the students at the Centre are young and vivacious, the faculty is equally enthusiastic. Yes, the auditorium called Rangghar was fairly good, except for the poor acoustics. But, during events like these, organized by students and a group of young teachers, the sincerity of purpose and enthusiasm helps cover up minor shortcomings. Universities, particularly in states like Asom where funds have been a problem, must try and generate their own resources. For that to happen, these institutions must think out of the box and come up with courses that are job oriented, interesting and unconventional. The Management Studies Centre is one such initiative. Im glad that the Centre has roped in the expertise of people with imagination, initiative, resources and drive to be on its Board and steer it to success. People like industrialist Manoj Jalan or tea administrator Robin Borthakur have the experience and exposure behind them to do exactly this by being on the Centres Board. Now, coming to the topic of deliberation at the panel discussion organised by the Centre on the occasion: Unlocking the North-easts potential: Challenges Ahead. One way to unlock the regions potential, I would say unhesitatingly, is the initiative of the institutes of higher learning located in the eight states. We must come up with tailor-made courses that can provide employment avenues to our youths. Bringing out graduates and postgraduates is fine, but a state like Asom needs youths trained in tea factory management, tourism professionals, even mule and horse breeding (Manoj Jalan, who owns several horses, all thoroughbreds, told me mules are in great demand among the troopers in the frontier), professionals who can bring the self-help groups into some sort of an organised sector etc. It is futile waiting for an odd gas cracker to take shape. We need to cash in on our potential and move on. What we lack are workable location-specific projects that actually yield results. The Centre can come up with a list of such projects to start with. I quite liked what former State Chief Secretary H.N. Das said at the meet. He said Indias Look East Policy might succeed in acting as a bridge between the country and the neighbouring Asian Tigers, but the North-east could continue to remain the underbelly of this bridge unless its infrastructure gets a massive boost and the region is readied to reap the benefits. The North-east must learn to change and succeed under any conditions. Well, thats the
[Assam] A stepdown transformer
I found this interesting. Why is the installation considered dangerous? A stepdown transformer has to be installed where the consumption is. There appears to be ample space around the transformer. Is it the fear of electricity that prompted the picture and the report? Dilip Deka From the Assam Tribune A stepdown transformer installed in the heart of a thickly-populated area of Panpur in Jamugurihat may prove to be a cause of fatality any day. Photo: Itakhola Correspondent « Prev Next » ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] A stepdown transformer
I can't tell from the picture what the height is. I'd expect the height to be safe if designed by electrical engineers/designers. It is common to mount stepdown transformers on poles, at least in USA. The voltage on the secondary side can't be more than 440V in India. If the poles are not too high, there should be barrier around it, I agree. Electricity can be dangerous, however with proper precuations it can be safely used. Dilip Deka Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can electricity be fearful? Particularly when such high voltage seems to be located at arm's reach? At 5:43 PM -0700 10/17/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: I found this interesting. Why is the installation considered dangerous? A stepdown transformer has to be installed where the consumption is. There appears to be ample space around the transformer. Is it the fear of electricity that prompted the picture and the report? Dilip Deka From the Assam Tribune A stepdown transformer installed in the heart of a thickly-populated area of Panpur in Jamugurihat may prove to be a cause of fatality any day. Photo: Itakhola Correspondent « Prev Next » ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] MLAs blame it on bureaucratic red tape-Unused MLALAD funds (The Sentinel, 16.10.2007)
Did the MLA's even know that they had money to spend, allocated already? Will it be too much to expect them to plan ahead of time and prepare project reports so that they can demand the money from Dispur? But then planning is too much of a hassle - needs brain power-,and caring for the constituents is unheard of. The MLA's are busy playing politics and counting the rupees from the bribing contractors. What a shame! Wasn't there even a single MLA who knew his responsibility towards the constituents? Dilip Deka Buljit Buragohain [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: MLAs blame it on bureaucratic red tape Unused MLALAD funds By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Oct 15: Most of the MLAs of the State, cutting across party lines, have today blamed it on official bottlenecks and bureaucratic red tape for the non-utilization of MLA Local Area Development funds. The State Government is contemplating on taking back the unused MLALAD funds to the State exchequer as a huge amount of money released by the Government for the development of its 126 LACs remained unused. AGP-P president and former State Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, when contacted by The Sentinel today, said the Government releases the funds very late leading to non-utilization a huge chunk of them. An MLA naturally wants to develop his or her constituency, but it is the system that puts hurdles, he said. Mahanta is against making the MLALAD funds lapsable as he thinks that such a step will hamper development at the grassroots level. He said at the time of release of the second instalments of MLALAD funds the bureaucratic red tape is always more. Such an allegation was also levelled by AUDF general secretary and party MLA Hafiz Basir Ahmed Qasimi. He has demanded for an inquiry into the attitude of the district administration concerned, which, he said, is the execution authority of schemes submitted by an MLA. I have submitted all the schemes of my constituency within a month of the allotment of funds made by the Government, but still little has been done towards the implementation of the schemes, he said. CPI(M) State unit general secretary and party MLA Uddhab Barman also blamed it on the incompetency of the district authorities in implementing the schemes submitted by the MLAs. In many cases, the district authorities express their inability in timely monitoring of schemes due to shortage of manpower. Corruption at the district level cannot be ruled out, he added. The Government should rectify the system before going for any other measures, he suggested. AGP MLA Robin Banikya thinks that technical hurdles lead to the delay in implementation of the schemes. The MLALAD funds are not that huge, but the formalities involved are very complicated, he said. He also criticized the Government for the delay in release of the funds. However, BJP Legislative Party leader Mission Ranjan Das thinks that the MLAs should be blamed for non-utilization of funds. He said it is unfortunate that several MLAs are yet to use a single paisa of the funds released for the development of their constituencies. Besides, the beneficiaries of the funds have to be educated so as to ensure good results, he added. (The Sentinel,16.10.2007) - Save all your chat conversations. Find them online.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Eyeball the state's spending online
Remember the short thread of discussion we had on lack of accountability in Assam's revenue and spending related to the MLALAD? If you want an example of what I had in mind for discussion, you will find it in the news below. The state of Texas publishes every bit via a website -www.window.state.tx.us . You can even find out who does business with the state. Anyway, I posted it for general information. May be someone in Dispur or Delhi will notice it. Dilip Deka From the Houston Chronicle Technology News Oct. 15, 2007, 12:16PM Eyeball the state's spending online By JANET ELLIOTT Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau -- AUSTIN The online window to state government now allows viewers to climb in and rummage through the checkbook. Texas this month joined a handful of states and the federal government in posting detailed financial information on the Internet. Anyone with strong eyeballs and an investigative spirit now can search for pork or find out if their neighbor's business sells widgets to the state. The Where The Money Goes feature on the comptroller's Web site at www.window.state.tx.us is the result of legislation by a group of thirtysomething, tech-savvy lawmakers. Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, a technology consultant who founded the first company to register voters online, wrote the bill that required the online database. He modeled it after federal legislation passed last year. Texas joins Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Hawaii and Missouri in setting up searchable spending sites. It's really helpful for voters to be as educated as they can about how their taxpayer dollars get allocated, Strama said. It helps them see the enormous difficulty of decisions that we have to make in the budgeting process. Comptroller Susan Combs began planning for the portal when the legislation was introduced early this year. She got the site up and running at a cost of $310,000. During my first few days in office, I began the process of posting state agencies' expenditures on our Web site, Combs said in a news release. This new window into state finances gives taxpayers an even more detailed look at who gets their money and how much. Takes patience, luckThe home page contains a pie chart with the basic categories of the spending that ate up $74.5 billion in fiscal 2007. A click takes the browser to a page that allows searches by agency, payee and spending category. From the largest agencies and universities to the most obscure, line-item spending for the past few fiscal years is available. With a little patience and luck the search feature often freezes or gives an error message the curious can find out how much the state spends on food for prison inmates (nearly $81 million) or on lawyers for minors seeking judicial approval to have an abortion without telling their parents ($452,895). It also lists payments to tens of thousands of vendors, but only for the first few weeks of the 2008 fiscal year, which began Sept. 1. The payees are listed by first name, a strange twist that the comptroller's staff says was required because of the need to list both business names and individuals. The information can raise more questions that it answers. For example, why was Accenture LLP, the outsourcing giant that agreed in March to end an $899 million contract to oversee social services enrollment, recently paid $19.4 million by the Health and Human Services Commission? Providing a reality checkAn e-mail to Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for HHSC, produced this answer: Accenture isn't doing any work under the contract, but we're still working out final arrangements to officially end the contract. The payment you saw is for equipment computer equipment, phone systems, furniture, etc. that Accenture purchased under the contract and is still being used by state staff and other vendors. It's used for the services that Accenture was handling, such as ... health plan enrollment, that we need to continue without any disruption. Limited government groups said the Web site could help their efforts to curb spending. Twenty-three million sets of eyes can propose better ways, more efficient ways to operate our government, said Michael Quinn Sullivan, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. Sullivan said the site will provide a reality check when state agencies say they are running out of money. Last month the Texas Department of Transportation said dwindling funds will force it to delay or scale back $965 million worth of road construction work. For folks who question that, they can go through and look at how the agency is spending money, month in and month out, he said. Although the outlays appear staggering, advocates for low-income Texans like to remind the public that Texas ranks 50th in per capita spending. It sounds like a lot of money until you take into account how many people
Re: [Assam] Unused MLALAD funds to go to State exchequer(The Sentinel, 15.10.2007)
The ignorant fools in Dispur do not have any idea where money is coming from and where it goes. Is there anyone in Dispur who is keeping track of all the money earmarked for Assam and where it is supposed to be spent? I heard Tarun Gogoi say in Boston that a lot of the funds from Delhi are just promise, not real money. Whose responsibility is it to convert them to real money? I'd think the assam ministers and their IAS cadre have the responsibility. Wake up Dispur. Get on the ball. Blaming Delhi will take you only a short distance. The whole trip is more than that. Dilip Deka === Buljit Buragohain [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Unused MLALAD funds to go to State exchequer Not a single paisa of MLALAD funds was used during the fiscal 2006-07 in Dholai, Baitholangshu, Majuli, Dergaon, Jorhat, Bijni, Sidli and Dhemaji LACs By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Oct 14: Massive underutilization and unutilization of cash released by the Planning and Development Department of the Asom Government as MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) funds over the years has prompted the State Government to think to make the non-lapsable MLALAD funds lapsable i.e. introducing the system of the taking the unused money of the MLALAD funds back to the State exchequer. Besides exposing the lack of commitment on the part of the elected representatives of the State towards the development of their respective Legislative Assembly Constituencies (LACs), underutilization and unutilization of the released cash failed the very purpose of the MLALAD funds which had been introduced in the State by then Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia in 1994. According sources, the Additional Chief Secretary in-charge of P D Department has prepared a note stating that the unused MLALAD funds will go back to the State exchequer. However, the Additional Chief secretarys note is yet to be approved by the Chief Minister. The system prevalent at present is that the unused MLALAD funds are released for developmental schemes of the constituencies in the following financial year. According to sources, from fiscal 2002-03 to 2006-07, the State Government released Rs 17,640 lakh as MLALAD funds, but Rs 3343.42 lakh of this amount remained unused. In the fiscal 2006-07 alone, the State Government released Rs 3,780 lakh as MLALAD funds for its 126 Legislative Assembly Constituencies (LACs), but Rs 1283.42 lakh of the amount remained unused. The worst is that not a single paisa of MLALAD funds was used during the fiscal 2006-07 in Dholai, Baitholangshu, Majuli, Dergaon, Jorhat, Bijni, Sidli and Dhemaji LACs. Meanwhile, the P D Department recently informed the district administration that Rs 3,150 lakh was released for the 126 LACs of the State at the rate of Rs 25 lakh per LAC as the first instalment of the MLALAD fund for the fiscal 2007-08. The department, however, made it clear to the deputy commissioners that all pending schemes up to 2006-07 have to be implemented as per the standing guidelines, and the entire amount released by December 31, 2007 has to be used. If any funds of the previous years remain unused, that may be surrendered and deposited in the State exchequer, the P D Department said, and added: The deputy commissioners should furnish the reports of completion of works along with unutilization certificates in respect of MLALAD funds to it in due course. (The Sentinel,15.10.2007) - Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Federal Iraq
Though we have federalism in USA, the states have not exercised the rights a lot. The diversity is not that great for the states to go their own way. Also most people want to be an American first, then a Texan or a Californian. If federalism fits the needs in Iraq, why not? Who says power needs to remain in Baghdad? Taking it further, who says Delhi has to control all of India? Why can't there be federalism in India? Do some people including the central leaders think federalism exists in India already? Dilip Deka == Shiite leader backs Iraqi regional plan By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 56 minutes ago BAGHDAD - The son and heir apparent of Iraq's top Shiite politician came out strongly Saturday in favor of autonomy for Iraq's religiously and ethnically divided regions, a potentially explosive issue on Iraq's already highly polarized political landscape. if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['mOG1Q9G_fyg-']='U=13alc0ihj%2fN%3dmOG1Q9G_fyg-%2fC%3d569350.9807549.10816590.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4534689'; Ammar al-Hakim, who is being groomed to take over the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country's largest Shiite party, has been a firm supporter of federalism from the outset. But his unusually strident language appeared to signal growing impatience with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's inaction on key issues and his failure to bring fractured groups together. Addressing hundreds of supporters at the party's Baghdad headquarters, al-Hakim called on Iraqis to press ahead with the creation of self-rule regions, but cautioned that the country's unity must be safeguarded. Federalism is one way to accomplish this goal, he said. He said Baghdad's monopoly of power over decision-making and national wealth had turned the central government into a tyrannical and dominating body. I call on the sons of our nation to create their (self-rule) regions, al-Hakim said. The idea of breaking up Iraq into self-rule entities has gained traction in Washington after two lawmakers Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. proposed giving more control to ethnically and religiously divided regions. A nonbinding resolution to that effect won Senate approval last month, but Republicans supported it only after the measure was amended to make clear that President Bush should press for a new federalized system only if the Iraqis wanted it. Al-Maliki and other Iraqi politicians denounced the decision as an infringement on Iraq's sovereignty. But President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd and firm proponent of federalism, praised the resolution, saying it cemented Iraq's unity and opposed its breakup. Al-Hakim is the son of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the Supreme Council leader who was diagnosed with cancer in May and has been receiving chemotherapy treatment in Iran. The younger al-Hakim delivered the remarks in a sermon commemorating the start of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr feast that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. His father, the organization's patriarch, greeted well-wishers at the ceremony but did not address the crowd. The Supreme Council has been a staunch backer of federalism and wants the country's mainly Shiite and oil-rich south become a self-rule region similar to that established 16 years ago by minority Kurds in northern Iraq. The Iraqi constitution, adopted two years ago, provides for a federal system. A year ago, parliament pushed through a law allowing the formation of federal regions but not for 18 months. Regardless, federal regions cannot be formed before nationwide elections are first held for local councils. Those councils will decide on seeking union with other provinces to form a federal region. No date has been set for the vote because parliament has yet to pass legislation on the organization of local elections. The law is one of several Washington has been pressing al-Maliki's government to push through parliament to enhance reconciliation. Others would ensure equitable distribution of oil wealth and reinstatement of Saddam Hussein loyalists in government jobs. Al-Maliki has failed to achieve progress on the wanted legislation despite a major eight-month-old security drive in Baghdad and surrounding regions that was launched in part to give him the room he needs to make political compromises. The joint U.S.-Iraqi operation has reduced the level of violence but failed to stem it altogether. On Saturday, a spokesman said Iraqi forces clashed with suspected al-Qaida-linked insurgents during a four-day operation in a Sunni enclave in central Baghdad. Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman, said 48 gunmen were killed in the fighting, in which Iraqi army soldiers were supported by local Sunni tribesmen and other civilians who have turned against al-Qaida in
Re: [Assam] Find your candidate
Ramgopal, thanks for sharing the results. I also got results I didn't quite expect. At least it indicates that the test is not rigged. My input turned up the following matches: 1. Hillary Clinton 2. Barack Obama . . Last. Rudy Giuliani One's vote for president should not be based on party politics but issues facing the nation. A large number of American voters are not aligned with any political party and if they all would vote, the result would be interesting. Dilip Deka Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks C'da. I got some weird results - New Mexico Gov. Richardson, and Mitt Romney, not my first choices. Well! what can one say, your heart tells you one thing and your voting arm another. --Ram On 10/12/07, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Excellent site Ram. Thanx for sharing. c-da At 8:01 AM -0600 10/12/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Netters interested in US Politics and '08 might find this not only informative but be surprised by the results. Click on link below __ This is informative and quite brief and easy. You answer a few questions and click the Find Your Candidate button. The program then selects the candidate whose position on the issues is most like your own. You may be surprised at what you find. Click the link below. http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460 ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Letter of Reply from ULFA to Shantikam Hazarika
I have a comment on the genuineness of the ULFA letter. Supposedly the letter is written and signed by Rubi (with an i) Bhuyan. Note how the writer's name is spelt as Ruby (with a y) in the first paragraph of the letter. Are Ruby and Rubi the same person? Rubi, the author of the letter does not how to spell his/her name? Anyway the main point is - how can the netters assume that they are actually in communication with someone from ULFA and debating with the right people, when in reality some impostor is having fun at the expense of the gullible netters. This net has seen such invasion from pseudonames and impostors in the past and one can never be sure these days in the realm of electronic mail. Just a word of caution before the thread becomes two miles long. Dilip Deka umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For a moment I thought it was a letter of demand of ransom or bully money - common ploy used by bullies and mafia to brow beat a vigilant citizen. Not uncommon in urban Bihar or Mumbai's movie circles either. It doesn't seem to be any different to me. Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:X-YMail-OSG: L_aDRggVM1lY1TfXGmsAjJdRJ60mRHmQAlQUN.y1zbdzK07y3N0P3zEIb.fvkZQFoA-- Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:38:37 +0100 (BST) From: ulfa_ 1979April7 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Shantikam here To: Shantikam Hazarika [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Chzlrs: 0 Mr Shantikam Hazarika, Your relevant mail has proven that, your real intention is to destroy the National Liberation Struggle of Asom by attacking Ruby Bhuyan of the ULFA like a rabid dog biting people on the street indiscriminately. We thank you for revealing your design. We do not wish to insult you by trying to make you knowledgeable how the modern communications have made the world a small place. However, we are at a loss to make out why are you unaware of the aim of the ULFA¢s past Twenty-Eight years of struggle in Asom? Excepting a yokel, a person like you well versed in advanced technology, should not have to come up with such a view. The debate in question was not put forward in a manner of your requirement of ¡asked them in plain, straight forward English¢. You are trying to throw blows in the air just to sweep this deficiency under the carpet. We would like to remind you that the debate took place as a result of Nayan Parasar criticizing impertinently in the Asom On Line forum ¡the get well wish¢ statement of our Honourable Chairman Arobinda Rajkhowa when Dr. Mamoni Goswami fell ill. Criticism of a ¡Get well wish¢ cannot be ¡Honest,gentle, civilized¢. But you approving his subterfuge and attacking the ULFA with vindictive words have been noted in the net. You may not be aware that about ten years ago Prof. Jugal Kalita linking the ULFA website to the Assam Org site there was an objection raised by one Supratik Gupta. Following this there was a long debate between Arun Mahanta, a member of the ULFA¢s Central Publicity Group and Supratik Gupta. In this debate, Supratik was given detailed replies with unambiguous views the ULFA holds. Supratik Gupta was not satisfied with it, but, the ULFA was very frank in giving out replies. He wished to know what his status would be in a Sovereign Independent Assam to a person of Bangladesh origin. We must say that Supratik Gupta behaved like a gentleman. On the other hand your good man Nayan Parasar does not sound at all a gentleman, but a sycophant bent upon keeping Asom under colonial occupation forever. We are analysing of the reasons why should you be promoting the sycophancy of Parasar as something very honourable. If you really want a useful discussion, you are welcome to come forward in earnest. Do you think only your type are the ones who deserves respect? You do not have to instigate any one to have a debate with us. In this instant what has unfolded puts you in the same defiled platform as with Nayan Parasr and Utpal Borpujari. Otherwise we could have a meaningful dignified debate in the meantime. Instead of scornfulness and insulting, a simple request on the query would have an appropriate approach. Now, in trying to prove the mastery of English or lack of it, has pushed aside our willing to be engaged in a meaningful discussion from the original debate. There is saying, ¡Faith is all about belief and destructive criticism shakes such beliefs¢ and a similar response by yourselves has ruined the possibility of productive engagement in this instance. Why are you all trying to damage the Mahanta brothers now?Rubi bhuyan central publicity member,ulfa - Are you a hoarder? Then you'll love Yahoo! Mail with unlimited storage. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Against Assamese immigrantsto US ? From a Mr Barua
I have the same question for Umesh. Why does it need countering? Umesh, can you explain a little better? We all know Ricky. He doesn't mean any harm. Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That is so funny. It is our Ricky Baruah of Milwaukee, Wisconsin., son of Drs. Gita and Jiten Baruah. Why does it need countering? cm At 12:15 AM -0700 10/9/07, umesh sharma wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVz15QIjcRA shown to me by a proud parent - a Mr Barua last week. His son - a media whiz is the star of the video. About Indian/Assamese students/immigrants coming in recent times. I would suggest NRAs counter this by actively building support systems for students/workers from NE India . Umesh Umesh Sharma Washington D.C. 1-202-215-4328 [Cell] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info) www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used ) http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ - For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good this month. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] reply to C Da who thinks i lost my voice.
Huh? Come again. Nayan, You may think you lost your voice but you will get it back. But if you lose your mind, it will be hard to get it back. It still doesn't make any sense. Us bole to = ? in English or Assamese. Dilip Deka === Nayanjyoti Medhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: us = aami soory to have used hindi. that too cut copy paste from a hindi movie. but nevertheless, i meant to say that aami (us) xei bilak akhomiya june liberation nibisare aaru jun bilak akhomiyai prasna khudhile, xihotor verification koribologia hoi :) On 10/9/07, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I still don't get it though. Does it mean 'they say '? BTW, what is 'munnabhai hindi', is it some kind of cool talk, practised by the desi in-crowd ? And is it good or bad for Kharkhowas speaking like that? Does it signify an upward mobility, fitting in with those who matter? At 10:05 AM -0700 10/9/07, SANDIP DUTTA wrote: US BOLE TO...thats munnabhai hindi..you would have recognized it if you were familiar with the fact that now many Assamese speak it too. Rgds, Sandip ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org -- Nayanjyoti Medhi Advocate Gauhati High Court Chamber: Satya Bora Lane, Dighalipukhuri East Guwahati-781001, Assam Residence: 8, Chandan Nagar Bye Lane-2 Basistha Road, Guwahati-28 Assam Phone: +91 361 2416960 +91 94350 43007 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Fwd: Re: In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
I am glad I didn't have to do the search. Mala used her expertise as a
librarian.
It is a mixed bag in Houston. But you get the picture - these
American-Indians are working towards something they believe in. Durgabari does
not sound all that secular to me, but one of the office bearers, whom I met
first in Venezuela, told me the facilities are open to anyone who is ready to
pay the rent for an event. Will that include celebration of Eid at Durgabari ?
- I don't know. :-) If you are interested, please ask them by email. They
are a chatty lot.
Dilip
=
Alpana B. Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
From: Alpana B. Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world
assam@assamnet.org
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 18:38:08 -0500
Subject: Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE:
10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma }
Many:
Indo-American Association - http://www.iaahouston.com/
Inod-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston - http://www.iaccgh.com/
ICC - http://www.icchouston.org/boardofdirectors.html
Indo American Charity Foundation of Houston -
http://www.iacfhouston.org/html/aboutus.htm
Houston Durgabari - http://www.houstondurgabari.org/mambo/index.php
Houston Maharashtra Mandal - http://www.hmmhouston.org/
Houston Indian Cricket Club - http://www.hicconline.com/
... and many more, including the Consulate General's office -
http://www.cgihouston.org/
So C'da, what does it prove?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and
humble like a blade of grass
- Lakshmana
-
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 12:58:11 -0500
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul,
.ExternalClass ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;}
WHAT is the unity and how does it manifest itself in its diversity?
How many non-sectarian or pan-ethnic desi-orgs in Houston ?
we are Indians
*** That is akin to Jewish Americans going about proclaiming themselves
Israelis or Germans or Ukrainians or Russians. At least they have a commitment
to their adopted land :-).
At 12:41 PM -0500 10/2/07, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
Can they? Is it a DEFINITIVE proof? Haven't they been? What
else is needed? That they chant we are Indians everywhere they go, in
addition to having this unique type of unity in diversity?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and
humble like a blade of grass
- Lakshmana
-
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 12:26:32 -0500
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass
ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;} Since Indians cannot
unite as depicted by some
Can they?
Is it a DEFINITIVE proof?
At 10:21 AM -0700 10/2/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote:
The following article from the NYT caught my attention. Since Indians cannot
unite as depicted by some in this net, how do these first generation Indians in
USA manage to run an organization as written here?
Comments from netters, especially those in California who may know more about
the group, will help us all in understanding better. There may be organizations
like this in the east coast too.
Dilip
From the New York Times
In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
-
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 12:26:32 -0500
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass
ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;} Since Indians cannot
unite as depicted by some
Can they?
Is it a DEFINITIVE proof?
At 10:21 AM -0700 10/2/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote:
The following article from the NYT caught my attention. Since Indians cannot
unite as depicted by some in this net, how do these first generation Indians in
USA manage to run an organization as written here?
Comments from netters, especially those in California who may know more about
the group, will help us all in understanding better. There may be organizations
like this in the east coast too.
Dilip
From the New York Times
In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
[Assam] federalism plan
Federalism appears to be a political system that will work in Iraq in view of the diversity. How the senate proposal got miscontrued in Baghdad I have no idea. Reading the article, it crossed my mind - isn't it the same medication we need in India to stay united in diversity? Even the small countries in Europe are heading towards European Union for economic clout. It is not always politics that demand union, at times it is the economic needs. Do you have an opinion on it? You can write to the Houston Chronicle or for a starter try it in this net. Dilip Deka Viewpoints, Outlook Oct. 6, 2007, 12:10PM U.S. Senate's federalism plan the best option for Iraq By SEN. JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. and LESLIE H. GELB Washington Post -- The Bush administration and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki greeted the Senate vote two weeks ago on Iraq policy based on a plan we proposed in 2006 with misrepresentations and untruths. Seventy-five senators, including 26 Republicans, voted to promote a political settlement based on decentralized power-sharing. It was a life raft for an Iraq policy that is adrift. Instead, al-Maliki and the administration through our embassy in Baghdad distorted the Biden-Brownback amendment beyond recognition, charging that we seek to partition or divide Iraq by intimidation, force or other means. We want to set the record straight. If the United States can't put this federalism idea on track, we will have no chance for a political settlement in Iraq and, without that, no chance for leaving Iraq without leaving chaos behind. First, our plan is not partition, though even some supporters and the media mistakenly call it that. It would hold Iraq together by bringing to life the federal system enshrined in its constitution. A federal Iraq is a united Iraq but one in which power devolves to regional governments, with a limited central government responsible for common concerns such as protecting borders and distributing oil revenue. Iraqis have no familiarity with federalism, which, absent an occupier or a dictator, has historically been the only path to keeping disunited countries whole. We can point to our federal system and how it began with most power in the hands of the states. We can point to similar solutions in the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Bosnia. Most Iraqis want to keep their country whole. But if Iraqi leaders keep hearing from U.S. leaders that federalism amounts to or will lead to partition, that's what they will believe. The Bush administration's quixotic alternative has been to promote a strong central government in Baghdad. That central government doesn't function; it is corrupt and widely regarded as irrelevant. It has not produced political reconciliation and there is no evidence it will. Second, we are not trying to impose our plan. If the Iraqis don't want it, they won't and shouldn't take it, as the Senate amendment makes clear. But Iraqis and the White House might consider the facts. Iraq's constitution already provides for a federal system. As for the regions forming along sectarian lines, the constitution leaves the choice to the people of its 18 provinces. The White House can hardly complain that we would force unwanted solutions on Iraqis. President Bush did not hesitate to push Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari out of office to make way for al-Maliki, and he may yet do the same to al-Maliki. The United States has responsibilities in Iraq that we cannot run away from. The Iraqis will need our help in explaining and lining up support for a federal solution. With 160,000 Americans at risk in Iraq, with hundreds of billions of dollars spent, and with more than 3,800 dead and nearly 28,000 wounded, we also have a right to be heard. Third, our plan would not produce suffering and bloodshed, as a U.S. Embassy statement irresponsibly suggested. And it is hard to imagine more suffering and bloodshed than we've already seen from government-tolerated militias, jihadists, Baathists and administration ineptitude. More than 4 million Iraqis have fled their homes, most for fear of sectarian violence. The Bush administration should be helping Iraqis make federalism work through an agreement over the fair distribution of oil revenue; the safe return of refugees; integrating militia members into local security forces; leveraging the shared interest of other countries in a stable Iraq; and refocusing capacity-building and aid on the provinces and regions not scaring them off by equating federalism to partition, sectarianism and foreign bullying. To confuse matters more, the administration has conjured a bottom-up strategy that looks like federalism and smells like federalism but is, in reality, a recipe for chaos. Bottom-up seems to mean that the United States will support any group, anywhere, that will fight al-Qaida or Shiite extremists. Now, it always made
Re: [Assam] What a response!!
Gentlemen, I am sorry to say that it is degenerating into personal attack. Is there a need to continue it? let's stop and count how many are arguing for Assam's sovereignty in this net and how many are against. I count two for (not counting Rubi Bhuyan), and many against. What amazes me is how the big group that is against is allowing the two to rile them up. Is the big group trying to reach unanimity? Differences will always exist, and it is also a great quality to agree to disagree and move on. As for debating on facts, It does not seem to stick, on this subject. It looks like a cat and mouse game. Is the debate worth the hurt feelings it is causing? I have my doubts. How about you? Dilip Deka === Shantikam Hazarika [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Next time whenever any one has a query, the questioner would have to qualify each question with the rationale behind each question. I think I would give your argument to the Students' Union so that they can agitate that in future, every question paper in examinations must have a page explaining what the question setter had in mind while setting the question. Wah.When you have no answers to Uttam's questions, you first insist what is the purpose without which you are not willing to answer. But I' will give you one more chance to redeem yourself. We all make bad decisions every now and then. So, even though you have been evading the points I raised, you can correct yourself, and tell us, that Utpal's ploy was not a constructive one. A far better one would have been to engage in a sincere DIALOGUE, of give and take; ask, answer and vice-versa. I have much more important and better things to do than to redeem myself before you. Our purpose was a DIALOGUE, and that too of the sincere variety and the best way we could have started was by seeking answers to questions that are plaguing the minds of most educated, middle class Assamese people. You took the responsibility of holding the fort on their behalf while, as it seems, they have scooted, leaving you to hold the baby. Well, you deserve our pity, which we extend in unbound lots. Its not that we did not get all the answers. One we got right from the horse's mouth was the boundary of the Independent Assam, where curiously Bangladesh did not feature. Is it because the Independent Assam you are extolling would be a part of Bangladesh, so how does it matter? Second answer YOU gave was that the purpose behind all the mayhem, disturbance of peace, killing of innocent daily labourers, is to liberate Assam..obviously from the poor people who are being regularly killed, or to liberate Assam from peace and tranquility in which case it may be difficult to sustain the comfort zones in which the leaders (and their cohorts) are dwelling? Lot of netters have patience, I being sixty, do not have it. Also, time. Shantikam hazarika On 10/5/07, Chan Mahanta wrote: Dear Hazarika: I am sorry that you , a well educated man, a pillar of your society, is unable to deal with a very simple issue: *** Why can't Utpal or yourself, or anybody else, are able to tell us what objective they had? Why can't you admit the truth with the COURAGE of your convictions? Not that it is a secret. Anyone with half a working brain can see right thru it. And if it was not so, and had a more honorable objective, you and a bunch of others here in this forum would have come out baying for my blood, for having the temerity to doubt the inquisitors' integrity. They have NOT, only because they can't. And if you all had a good explanation, you would have come out swinging, telling the world how wrong I am in suggesting that a reasonable person could have concluded that Utpal's AIM was not solely for proving ULFA wrong and devalue their goals, and that they had no intention of engaging in a DIALOGUE, just an inquisition. But I' will give you one more chance to redeem yourself. We all make bad decisions every now and then. So, even though you have been evading the points I raised, you can correct yourself, and tell us, that Utpal's ploy was not a constructive one. A far better one would have been to engage in a sincere DIALOGUE, of give and take; ask, answer and vice-versa. The choice is yours. Best regards. m PS: I take all your accusations, wild and sad as they are, in good humor, and hold absolutely no hard feelings. At 6:30 AM +0530 10/5/07, Shantikam Hazarika wrote: I am not willing to get into an exercise of explaining the rainbow to the blind. If you do not have answers to the questions, just keep quiet, unless you have been appointed to deflect the main issues. It seems they have already run away from the filed, leaving their ilks of you to hold the illegitimate baby. Or, is it that you already know they do not have the answers or are not capable of answering legitimate questions which any normal human being
Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
I know for sure that ICC and IAA in Houston do just what they say in their
websites, they are not lying. The events they organize have nothing to do with
religion or region, and they provide forum for Indian culture open to
Houstonians of Indian origin and other Houstonians as well. IAA uses some of
the best cultural facilities in town and attract many non-Indians. I have been
to some of their events and was pleasantly surprised at the quality and
professionalism.
Regarding ICC - Houston Assamese ladies performed Bihu dance at least twice
at Indian Independence Day celebrations organized by ICC. Requests have come
from the organizers several other times since then.
Both organizations have approached members of the Assamese community to take
active part in running the organizations. As far as I know no one has opted to
join the board of directors or anything like that.
I posted the article on the California organization because the writer put a
different slant to it. comparing Indian and Jewish communities regarding
activism. Though I requested comments from the two coasts, no one has responded.
Dilip
Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I should have made it clear that I was not looking for web-links to
know about these orgs. But I hoped that there would be an understanding of
what we are attempting to establish. But since that did not register, no doubt
due to expediency, let me ask a more specific question, leaving no doubt about
what we are trying to determine:
How many of the orgs. do you know of personally Alpana? Are you a member or
office bearer? If you are, can you tell us WHO exactly are members of these,
what they do when they meet, and can you, with a straight face tell us that
these do indeed represent an inclusive and united Indian heritage mirroring
its diversity?
Be careful with your answer :-). I happen to know ALL about these, having
been a Board Member of one such orgs. for over four years now ( and unable
to leave due to peer pressure) with secular pretensions, what its membership is
and who actively support it, and why those who don't support it don't.
My LEADING question to Dilip was not out of ignorance :-).
At 6:38 PM -0500 10/2/07, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
Many:
Indo-American Association - http://www.iaahouston.com/
Inod-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston - http://www.iaccgh.com/
ICC - http://www.icchouston.org/boardofdirectors.html
Indo American Charity Foundation of Houston -
http://www.iacfhouston.org/html/aboutus.htm
Houston Durgabari - http://www.houstondurgabari.org/mambo/index.php
Houston Maharashtra Mandal - http://www.hmmhouston.org/
Houston Indian Cricket Club - http://www.hicconline.com/
... and many more, including the Consulate General's office -
http://www.cgihouston.org/
So C'da, what does it prove?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and
humble like a blade of grass
- Lakshmana
-
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 12:58:11 -0500
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass
ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;} WHAT is the unity and
how does it manifest itself in its diversity?
How many non-sectarian or pan-ethnic desi-orgs in Houston ?
we are Indians
*** That is akin to Jewish Americans going about proclaiming themselves
Israelis or Germans or Ukrainians or Russians. At least they have a commitment
to their adopted land :-).
At 12:41 PM -0500 10/2/07, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
Can they?
Is it a DEFINITIVE proof?
Haven't they been? What else is needed? That they chant we are Indians
everywhere they go, in addition to having this unique type of unity in
diversity?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and
humble like a blade of grass
- Lakshmana
-
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 12:26:32 -0500
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl, .ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass
ol, .ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;}
Since Indians cannot unite as depicted by some
Can they?
Is it a DEFINITIVE proof?
At 10:21 AM -0700 10/2/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote:
The following article from the NYT caught my attention. Since Indians cannot
unite as depicted by some in this net, how do these first generation Indians in
USA manage to run an organization as written here?
Comments from netters
[Assam] Farmers face Naxal threat for parting with land
I didn't quite understand what is behind this story. If the villagers are being
compensated and are willing to relocate, why do the Naxalites force them to
remain? What is the hidden agenda? Political?
Dilip
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Farmers face Naxal threat for parting with land [input] [input] [input]
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97546169; YAHOO.Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = 97546168; Farmers face Naxal
threat for parting with landKHAMMAM, October 2: In 223 villages in Khammam
district, farmers are facing Naxal threat for having given consent letters to
sell their lands to the Andhra Pradesh Government for the Polavaram project.
Though farmers in these villages had initially opposed the
Re: [Assam] What a response!!
Don't be afraid of the screamers and the preachers in the net. Say your piece when you want to. Dilip Deka uttam borthakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: When two parties talk, be it in catechism mode or a dialogue, it is inevitable that they would represent divers interests. Is there any pre-condition for proselytisation? Now, if the interests are so antgonistic that there is no point in beginning the discourse, then why should someone start a response cycle at all? Does Pakistan have to run a check on India while entering a dialogue or impose a pre-condition for conversion? Let everyone have his say. Each would find for himself, what is acceptable and what is not? I do not find any substance in the search for sincerity or any comment thereon. Intelligentsia or not, every human being capable of communicating through the net is intelligent enough to find what is good for him and what is not. What is saintly sermon for Mr. Laden may be blasphemy for Mr. Bush. Intelligentsia is not a defined monolith. What is intelligentsia for one may not be so for another. Is there any scope for normative preachings here? Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Before we pass judgement on the response, we also ought to be able to judge the QUESTION. What were the questions posed by Utpal designed to ? To help him and others decide, if what ULFA has been fighting for, Assam's sovereignty, is a sound and beneficial move for Assam? And if they are persuaded by ULFA's response that they are sound, Utpal and others would SUPPORT it? Or were they designed to extract an admission from ULFA, that their own notions and beliefs, that it is patently bad for Assam, never mind HOW or WHY they have concluded that their notions and beliefs are the truly wise and considered opinions? Is it therefore REASONABLE to evaluate INTENT for ULFA before submitting itself to the INQUISITION? Where is the ORDINARY integrity expected of the intelligentsia here, if one can misuse the English word under the circumstances? The sincerity of purpose? It is obvious that those who consider themselves the 'educated' and'wise', unlike ULFA, and who parade around wearing the garbs of pillars-of society do not think so and thus the eloquent outpourings of disappointment, not to mention the offenses to their genteel sensitivities . Not just that, the self-fulfilling prophecies too of the band of braves indulging in the hola gosot baagi kuthar mora enterprise, justification why their masters don't talk to them, or should not. What is missing from the exercises is a rudimentary element of AIM of GOALS. Never mind the need to explore the reasons WHY ten thousand plus Oxomiyas have given their lives. No doubt their lives were nearly not as valuable as one Sanjoy Ghosh's. Aimless exercises unfortunately lead to nowhere. With such pillars of society looking after its well-being, one hardly needs enemies to tear it down. cm At 11:19 AM +0530 10/3/07, shantikam hazarika wrote: It seems that some of us are being branded as part of an unhappy gang with their so-called education. And they would be 'selective' in answering their questions; which means they would only reply to 'sincere' questions, from 'real questioners' after their 'background check done'. Well, in case they have to do a background check in my case, let me tell you that my life has been an open book and if a background check is requird in my case, it simly shows how much these people are in touch with reality or the ground situations. Incidentally, let me also tell, that there has been enough background checks done about these people, their cohorts, sympathisers, beneficiaries, supporters, hangers one and what not. Lot of people already know who benefits from their actions, who are actually propping them up. For example when they killed Sanjay Ghosh, it did not require much background check to find out why they did so, what was the nexus behind that sordid deal and who would be the real losers if Majuli is genuinely saved in a very cost effective manner. Obviously, they are buying time to prepare some obfuscating response, what we may call saale bere kobowa reply in the name of background checks and what not. Also they have already said that they would ignore halfwit questions and questioners. How more selective can your comfort zone be... Interestingly, I was reading something today and I came across the follwoing phrase: The truth is that many terrorists are doing very well out of violence. Extortion rackets give them a lifestyle they cannot aspire in times of peace. They have money, excitement and status: what more you seek in life? Mantabya nisproyojan. Shantikam Hazarika Director, Assam Institute of Management PO Box 30, GUWAHATI 781001, India HOME PAGE: www.aimguwahati.edu.in
Re: [Assam] What a response!!
PS: O' Pai, Kelei baaru eneke mwk eneke 'chance' di thako, koswn. --- That is half the fun. Ene usotwa budhi xorute uzanbozarot xika. Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Don't be afraid of the screamers and the preachers in the net. Say your piece when you want to. If I had access to such insightful advice, I would SELL them, for a big fat fee, by the word. What a shame you give it away, for FREE. :-) PS: O' Pai, Kelei baaru eneke mwk eneke 'chance' di thako, koswn. At 9:09 AM -0700 10/3/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Don't be afraid of the screamers and the preachers in the net. Say your piece when you want to. Dilip Deka uttam borthakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: When two parties talk, be it in catechism mode or a dialogue, it is inevitable that they would represent divers interests. Is there any pre-condition for proselytisation? Now, if the interests are so antgonistic that there is no point in beginning the discourse, then why should someone start a response cycle at all? Does Pakistan have to run a check on India while entering a dialogue or impose a pre-condition for conversion? Let everyone have his say. Each would find for himself, what is acceptable and what is not? I do not find any substance in the search for sincerity or any comment thereon. Intelligentsia or not, every human being capable of communicating through the net is intelligent enough to find what is good for him and what is not. What is saintly sermon for Mr. Laden may be blasphemy for Mr. Bush. Intelligentsia is not a defined monolith. What is intelligentsia for one may not be so for another. Is there any scope for normative preachings here? Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Before we pass judgement on the response, we also ought to be able to judge the QUESTION. What were the questions posed by Utpal designed to ? To help him and others decide, if what ULFA has been fighting for, Assam's sovereignty, is a sound and beneficial move for Assam? And if they are persuaded by ULFA's response that they are sound, Utpal and others would SUPPORT it? Or were they designed to extract an admission from ULFA, that their own notions and beliefs, that it is patently bad for Assam, never mind HOW or WHY they have concluded that their notions and beliefs are the truly wise and considered opinions? Is it therefore REASONABLE to evaluate INTENT for ULFA before submitting itself to the INQUISITION? Where is the ORDINARY integrity expected of the intelligentsia here, if one can misuse the English word under the circumstances? The sincerity of purpose? It is obvious that those who consider themselves the 'educated' and'wise', unlike ULFA, and who parade around wearing the garbs of pillars-of society do not think so and thus the eloquent outpourings of disappointment, not to mention the offenses to their genteel sensitivities . Not just that, the self-fulfilling prophecies too of the band of braves indulging in the hola gosot baagi kuthar mora enterprise, justification why their masters don't talk to them, or should not. What is missing from the exercises is a rudimentary element of AIM of GOALS. Never mind the need to explore the reasons WHY ten thousand plus Oxomiyas have given their lives. No doubt their lives were nearly not as valuable as one Sanjoy Ghosh's. Aimless exercises unfortunately lead to nowhere. With such pillars of society looking after its well-being, one hardly needs enemies to tear it down. cm At 11:19 AM +0530 10/3/07, shantikam hazarika wrote: It seems that some of us are being branded as part of an unhappy gang with their so-called education. And they would be 'selective' in answering their questions; which means they would only reply to 'sincere' questions, from 'real questioners' after their 'background check done'. Well, in case they have to do a background check in my case, let me tell you that my life has been an open book and if a background check is requird in my case, it simly shows how much these people are in touch with reality or the ground situations. Incidentally, let me also tell, that there has been enough background checks done about these people, their cohorts, sympathisers, beneficiaries, supporters, hangers one and what not. Lot of people already know who benefits from their actions, who are actually propping them up. For example when they killed Sanjay Ghosh, it did not require much background check to find out why they did so, what was the nexus behind that sordid deal and who would be the real losers if Majuli is genuinely saved in a very cost effective manner. Obviously, they are buying time to prepare some obfuscating response, what we may call saale bere kobowa reply in the name of background checks and what not. Also they have already said that they would ignore halfwit
Re: [Assam] Gayatree's essay in NEWSWEEK
Sankumani, Beautifully written, very crisp English. I could relate due to similar experience in India. Looking forward to more from Gayatree. Dilipda sankumani sarma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Raiz, Gayatree Siddhanta Sarma who is originally from Jorhat, Assam has been writing regularly in different newspapers and magazines. One of her essays has been published in the latest issue of Newsweek magazine (Oct 8, 2007 issue). She teaches business at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. The link to the online version is here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21047614/site/newsweek/ Sankumani ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] slept like a baby?
Why is it that people say they slept like a baby when babies wake up like every two hours? Now, let's dissect this. 1. Is the questioner sincere in asking? 2. Is he a logical thinker? 3. Does he just want to break with tradition? 4. Is he trying to rattle you? 5. Is he trying to get your attention? 6. Would you call him a non-conformist? 7. Would you call his question trash? 8. Is there a hidden AGENDA? 9. Could he be an Assamese? 10. Does he fit your image of an ULFA leader? :-) Your resonse will be highly appreciated. There is no hidden agenda on my side. Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] An Excellent Piece from Outlook India on Sethusamudram
She (if she is a she) is absolutely right, especially in the conclusion that she draws. Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Web| Oct 03, 2007 http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071003fname=ramsetusid=1 Beyond Belief There's little evidence to suppose that the Sethusamduram project is going to bring untold prosperity to the region. It is being built, supported and opposed for all the wrong reasons. VAISHNA ROY Let's first establish that I am not religious. I am far more comfortable with Darwinian concepts of creation than theories that emanate from the navel lotus or the apple. So I feel no emotional outrage about the anti-Ram comments that have been spewing forth. The angst of the good Hindu is not mine. In fact, I should ideally be terribly thrilled that so many prominent people are taking up the cause of reason with so much vigour. But I am not thrilled. I am irritated. It riles me that people like M. Karunanidhi, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, should spout rationalism when it's clear that he is clueless about it. It riles me that historians should suddenly discover the absence of historical proof of Ram's existence when there has never been any from day dot. It maddens me when feminists now tell me that Ram is anti-women. All these people are suddenly crawling out of the woodwork and trying to jostle for a place on the sunlit stage of reason, convinced that their credentials to common sense need no examination simply because their arguments are pitted against the passion and fury of religion. The fact is, their arguments are vapid, and their position an ineffectual response to the situation. There is little doubt about the vested interests of almost everyone who is egging on the Sethusamudram Project. Let's take that as a given - there's little evidence to suppose that the project is going to bring untold prosperity to the region. But to cover up naked greed with the fig-leaf of rationalism is to assume that you can fool all of the people all of the time, a chancy call at any time. The first fact that any person of common sense has to acknowledge is that the staunchest rationalist cannot wish away religion. Ram is a god to millions in this country, and the Ramayana is considered not myth but gospel truth. And this is not going to change in a hurry. When eminent scholars now point out that the Ramayana is not a historical fact, they must realise that neither are Eden, burning bushes or Jibril's voice proven historical facts. They are underpinnings of faith, grand props in the fabulous game of make-believe that religion is all about. Therefore, to argue history to the faithful and expect them to accept it is ridiculously futile. Why, if we extend this debate to its logical conclusion, then the very basis of Israel is questionable. And that's a can of worms no one cares to open. As Marx said, to ask people to give up the illusory happiness of their condition is to ask them to give up a condition that requires illusions. We also have the grand Dravidian position, one that can't quite make up its mind about whether it's rationalist or religious. On the one hand, the men of science ask for Ram's engineering degree as proof of his existence, and in the same breath they tell you that their Tamilian brethren actually worship other, local gods, who no doubt have produced ration cards to convince this sceptical lot. Then, of course, we have the wacky arguments about Ram's personality. As much as any Dravidian, I admire Ravan whole-heartedly. He has all the scent of romance, the fine halo of hubris like Milton's Satan that the vacuous Ram lacks. But this is the realm of pure and legitimate literary criticism - how does Ram's chicanery in the epic ipso facto make the Ram Setu site the best place for a shipping channel? Or does his being anti-feminist somehow become reparation for the environmental damage? And that's what is so infuriating about all this absurd posturing. Where is the thread of logic? The vital issues at stake here are in another sphere altogether, and worth a far closer look. Why is this channel being built? Ostensibly, to shorten sailing times between the western and eastern coasts of India and thus create an economic boom. We have been told that it will chop off about 30 hours in the voyage from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal because ships won't have to go around Sri Lanka. In the first place, this is not a great reduction. Second, navigation experts point out that even this saving applies only to certain voyages, mostly local ones like that between Chennai and Tuticorin. Time saved by other ships, those originating in European or African ports, will be considerably lower - more like eight or four hours respectively. This is a significant point because the Draft Project Report for Sethusamudram envisages the bulk of the revenue (about 60 per cent) as accruing from vessels
Re: [Assam] What a response!!
Dear Uttam, That was too cryptic. Please explain proximity, other side and guiles of Uzanbazar. Would you? Dilip uttam borthakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sorry to interrupt. By proximity, I should have taken the cue from the otherside. Quirk of fate made me fall prey to the guiles of Uzanbazar. Dilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: PS: O' Pai, Kelei baaru eneke mwk eneke 'chance' di thako, koswn. --- That is half the fun. Ene usotwa budhi xorute uzanbozarot xika. Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Don't be afraid of the screamers and the preachers in the net. Say your piece when you want to. If I had access to such insightful advice, I would SELL them, for a big fat fee, by the word. What a shame you give it away, for FREE. :-) PS: O' Pai, Kelei baaru eneke mwk eneke 'chance' di thako, koswn. At 9:09 AM -0700 10/3/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Don't be afraid of the screamers and the preachers in the net. Say your piece when you want to. Dilip Deka uttam borthakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: When two parties talk, be it in catechism mode or a dialogue, it is inevitable that they would represent divers interests. Is there any pre-condition for proselytisation? Now, if the interests are so antgonistic that there is no point in beginning the discourse, then why should someone start a response cycle at all? Does Pakistan have to run a check on India while entering a dialogue or impose a pre-condition for conversion? Let everyone have his say. Each would find for himself, what is acceptable and what is not? I do not find any substance in the search for sincerity or any comment thereon. Intelligentsia or not, every human being capable of communicating through the net is intelligent enough to find what is good for him and what is not. What is saintly sermon for Mr. Laden may be blasphemy for Mr. Bush. Intelligentsia is not a defined monolith. What is intelligentsia for one may not be so for another. Is there any scope for normative preachings here? Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Before we pass judgement on the response, we also ought to be able to judge the QUESTION. What were the questions posed by Utpal designed to ? To help him and others decide, if what ULFA has been fighting for, Assam's sovereignty, is a sound and beneficial move for Assam? And if they are persuaded by ULFA's response that they are sound, Utpal and others would SUPPORT it? Or were they designed to extract an admission from ULFA, that their own notions and beliefs, that it is patently bad for Assam, never mind HOW or WHY they have concluded that their notions and beliefs are the truly wise and considered opinions? Is it therefore REASONABLE to evaluate INTENT for ULFA before submitting itself to the INQUISITION? Where is the ORDINARY integrity expected of the intelligentsia here, if one can misuse the English word under the circumstances? The sincerity of purpose? It is obvious that those who consider themselves the 'educated' and'wise', unlike ULFA, and who parade around wearing the garbs of pillars-of society do not think so and thus the eloquent outpourings of disappointment, not to mention the offenses to their genteel sensitivities . Not just that, the self-fulfilling prophecies too of the band of braves indulging in the hola gosot baagi kuthar mora enterprise, justification why their masters don't talk to them, or should not. What is missing from the exercises is a rudimentary element of AIM of GOALS. Never mind the need to explore the reasons WHY ten thousand plus Oxomiyas have given their lives. No doubt their lives were nearly not as valuable as one Sanjoy Ghosh's. Aimless exercises unfortunately lead to nowhere. With such pillars of society looking after its well-being, one hardly needs enemies to tear it down. cm At 11:19 AM +0530 10/3/07, shantikam hazarika wrote: It seems that some of us are being branded as part of an unhappy gang with their so-called education. And they would be 'selective' in answering their questions; which means they would only reply to 'sincere' questions, from 'real questioners' after their 'background check done'. Well, in case they have to do a background check in my case, let me tell you that my life has been an open book and if a background check is requird in my case, it simly shows how much these people are in touch with reality or the ground situations. Incidentally, let me also tell, that there has been enough background checks done about these people, their cohorts, sympathisers, beneficiaries, supporters, hangers one and what not. Lot of people already know who benefits from their actions, who are actually propping them up. For example when they killed Sanjay Ghosh, it did not require much background check to find out why they did so, what
[Assam] In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
The following article from the NYT caught my attention. Since Indians cannot
unite as depicted by some in this net, how do these first generation Indians in
USA manage to run an organization as written here?
Comments from netters, especially those in California who may know more about
the group, will help us all in understanding better. There may be organizations
like this in the east coast too.
Dilip
From the New York Times
In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism
Heidi Schumann for The New York Times
A dance class at the India Community Center in Milpitas, Calif., which was
created by Indian-Americans based on models by Jewish groups.
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encodeURIComponent('October 2, 2007'); } by NEELA BANERJEE
Published: October 2, 2007
When Anil Godhwani and his brother, Gautam, looked into creating a
community center for Indian-Americans in Silicon Valley, they turned to the
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco as a model.
Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image
Heidi Schumann for The New York Times
Rajiv Hora in a yoga class at the center, which promotes the variety of
Indian culture.
When the Hindu American Foundation began, it looked to groups like the
Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for guidance with its
advocacy and lobbying efforts.
Indian-Americans, who now number 2.4 million in this country, are turning to
American Jews as role models and partners in areas like establishing community
centers, advocating on civil rights issues and lobbying Congress.
Indians often say they see a version of themselves and what they hope to be
in the experience of Jews in American politics: a small minority that has
succeeded in combating prejudice and building political clout.
Sanjay Puri, the chairman of the U.S. India Political Action Committee, said:
What the Jewish community has achieved politically is tremendous, and members
of Congress definitely pay a lot of attention to issues that are important to
them. We will use our own model to get to where we want, but we have used them
as a benchmark.
One instance of Indians following the example of Jews occurred last year when
Indian-American groups, including associations of doctors and hotel owners,
banded together with political activists to win passage of the United
States-India Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Act, which allows New Delhi to buy
fuel, reactors and other technology to expand its civilian nuclear program.
Indian-Americans have taken a page out of the Jewish communitys book to
enhance relations between the homeland and the motherland, said Nissim B.
Reuben, program officer for India-Israel-United States Relations at the
American Jewish Committee and himself an Indian Jew.
The American Jewish Committee, like some other Jewish groups, has worked with
Indians on immigration and hate crimes legislation. It has taken three groups
of Indian-Americans to Israel, where they have met Arabs and Palestinians, as
well as Jews.
Many Indian-Americans, like the Godhwanis and others with the India Community
Center in Milpitas, Calif., have taken an avowedly nonsectarian approach in
creating institutions. But among Hindus, who are a majority in India and among
Indian-Americans here, some assert that a vital bond they share with Jews is
the threat to India and Israel from Muslim terrorists.
Some on both sides of the discussion feel that way, and take a stance that
is anti-Muslim or anti-terrorist, depending on your point of view, said Nathan
Katz, professor of religious studies at Florida International University in
Miami.
Most Jewish groups, however, have tried to avoid a sectarian cast to their
work with Indian-Americans. Instead, Jews said they were struck by the
parallels between the issues that Jews and Indians had faced.
It echoes 30 years ago, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the
Wiesenthal center. There is
[Assam] Parliament (Lok Sabha) Withering Away
I doubt whether some of the MPs are familiar with the constitution or are even aware that the government consists of three branches. Do the freshman MPs at least get some orientation in the first few weeks to understand the process of government? Probably some such training will help remove the stalemate. It is very hard to remove partisanship but it is possible to remove some of the hardness due to partisanship. There are issues where the nation comes above party politics and the debaters need to be aware of these. The parliamentarians of the past that the writer extols had this calber and the debates were meaningful. Also I have a question - the Parliament is called Lok Sabha today. What are the Members of Parliament called in Hindi, other than MP? Dilip FROM THE ASSAM TRIBUNE: EDITORIAL - Parliament withering away Poonam I Kaushish We have been through all this before. Year after year. Of how Indias Parliament is increasing being devalued. Crores of tax payers hard earned money being swept aside by the verbal torrent of puerile discourse that leads to walkouts, even near fisticuffs. Wherein the very protectors of this high temple of democracy have become its denigrators and destroyers. Of how in their collective wisdom our MPs have been spewing sheer contempt on Parliament, wittingly or unwittingly. Reducing it into an akhara, where politically motivated bashing has become the order of the day and agenda a luxury to be taken up when lung power is exhausted. Epitomising a cesspool of every thing that has gone wrong with India today! Testimony to this sharp decline was this years shortest ever monsoon session of barely 17 days with the longest daily adjournments and hardly any work, a mere 64 hours. Shockingly, the session, originally scheduled from 10 August till 14 September, was hurriedly cut short and adjourned sine die four days earlier. No, not because of lack of agenda or legislative business. But due to the proceedings being disrupted in both Houses on a daily basis thanks to the stand-off between the Opposition and the Treasury benches on the Indo-US nuclear deal. The former demanding a JPC on the contentious subject and the latter adamantly declining. With the result that Parliament further lost credibility and prestige. Leading a much anguished Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to State in his concluding remarks: It is extremely disturbing that the highest public forum in the country has come to a standstill which has raised questions about the utility of our system of Parliamentary democracy and about its future. Raising a moot point: Is Parliament becoming irrelevant? That we are slowly but surely heading towards disaster is obvious. What troubles one is the new dimension to this age-old malaise. That it does not strike a chord among our MPs. Who largely continue to drift along smugly without thinking of what they have done to Parliament. Of how they have mauled it and continue to do so. Most distressing is that there is no sense of outrage or shame. The legislative business transacted during the session illustrates how powerless parliament has become in stemming the mounting rot. Lets start with the Question Hour, the hyphen which links Parliament to Government and ensures ministerial accountability. Distressingly out of the 380 starred questions listed, only 35 could be answered. Thus, on an average about 2.05 question were answered per day. Why? The MPs were too busy rushing into the well of the House, raising slogans and preventing transaction of any business. Mindlessly, ignoring the fact that the hour, treated as sacrosanct in the House of Commons, belong to the private members and empowers them to push the Government and even its Prime Minister into the dock. Any member can ask any question within the framework of the rules. This, according to constitutional experts, is what makes the Westminster model of Parliamentary democracy superior to all other systems. The crucial Question Hour consequently got guillotined time and again, notwithstanding the midnight oil burnt by various ministries preparing for the answers. Not only that. Incredibly, four Bills were passed by the House without any discussion whatsoever due to continuous interruptions. No one cared that the bills failed to meet the conventional parliamentary requirement of three readings. The first reading is done when the Minister moves for the bills consideration and explains its philosophy and its broad parameters. Thereafter, the bill is closely thrashed out clause by clause in the second reading. The third and final reading is done when all the clauses and schedules, if any, have been considered and voted by the House and the Minister moves that the Bill be passed. Veterans recall Nehrus time when battles royal were fought during the second reading even over the placement of a
Re: [Assam] Parliament (Lok Sabha) Withering Away
You missed the point. India being united has little to do with behavior of MPs along party lines to the point of being hooligans. Reform will come with education - including educating the MPs on democracy and government. Wake up to reality Dilip. It is better late than never. - I am indeed awake and that is why I posted the article. But I do not believe that India has reached the point of dissolution. Progress has been made in many areas but there is room for growth in others. Unfortunately India does not proact but reacts. On a side note, secession of Assam is definitely not the salvation of the Assamese. Good morning to you, Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: But, but---India is UNITED, isn't it? What seems to be the problem? Clearly, it is time to give serious thought to rectifying the flaws in our system and urgent overhauling. NO! :-) Wake up to reality Dilip. It is better late than never. At 7:09 AM -0700 10/1/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: I doubt whether some of the MPs are familiar with the constitution or are even aware that the government consists of three branches. Do the freshman MPs at least get some orientation in the first few weeks to understand the process of government? Probably some such training will help remove the stalemate. It is very hard to remove partisanship but it is possible to remove some of the hardness due to partisanship. There are issues where the nation comes above party politics and the debaters need to be aware of these. The parliamentarians of the past that the writer extols had this calber and the debates were meaningful. Also I have a question - the Parliament is called Lok Sabha today. What are the Members of Parliament called in Hindi, other than MP? DilipFROM THE ASSAM TRIBUNE: EDITORIAL - Parliament withering away Poonam I Kaushish We have been through all this before. Year after year. Of how Indias Parliament is increasing being devalued. Crores of tax payers hard earned money being swept aside by the verbal torrent of puerile discourse that leads to walkouts, even near fisticuffs. Wherein the very protectors of this high temple of democracy have become its denigrators and destroyers. Of how in their collective wisdom our MPs have been spewing sheer contempt on Parliament, wittingly or unwittingly. Reducing it into an akhara, where politically motivated bashing has become the order of the day and agenda a luxury to be taken up when lung power is exhausted. Epitomising a cesspool of every thing that has gone wrong with India today! Testimony to this sharp decline was this years shortest ever monsoon session of barely 17 days with the longest daily adjournments and hardly any work, a mere 64 hours. Shockingly, the session, originally scheduled from 10 August till 14 September, was hurriedly cut short and adjourned sine die four days earlier. No, not because of lack of agenda or legislative business. But due to the proceedings being disrupted in both Houses on a daily basis thanks to the stand-off between the Opposition and the Treasury benches on the Indo-US nuclear deal. The former demanding a JPC on the contentious subject and the latter adamantly declining. With the result that Parliament further lost credibility and prestige. Leading a much anguished Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to State in his concluding remarks: It is extremely disturbing that the highest public forum in the country has come to a standstill which has raised questions about the utility of our system of Parliamentary democracy and about its future. Raising a moot point: Is Parliament becoming irrelevant? That we are slowly but surely heading towards disaster is obvious. What troubles one is the new dimension to this age-old malaise. That it does not strike a chord among our MPs. Who largely continue to drift along smugly without thinking of what they have done to Parliament. Of how they have mauled it and continue to do so. Most distressing is that there is no sense of outrage or shame. The legislative business transacted during the session illustrates how powerless parliament has become in stemming the mounting rot. Lets start with the Question Hour, the hyphen which links Parliament to Government and ensures ministerial accountability. Distressingly out of the 380 starred questions listed, only 35 could be answered. Thus, on an average about 2.05 question were answered per day. Why? The MPs were too busy rushing into the well of the House, raising slogans and preventing transaction of any business. Mindlessly, ignoring the fact that the hour, treated as sacrosanct in the House of Commons, belong to the private members and empowers them to push the Government and even its Prime Minister into the dock. Any member can ask any question within
Re: [Assam] What noooo is it India ?
In case it is a surprise, there are homeless people in many cities in USA. Also there are charity organizations who are helping the willing to move back to shelter and work. That is an example India needs to adopt. I know some NGOs are trying. There was an article about help in the slums of Guwahati in the Sunday's Assam Tribune. Dilip Krishnendu Chakraborty [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Check this --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Homeless_in_LA.jpg I am almost convinced this is a picture of India wrongly labelled. Afterall, when Citizens of US are more busy discussing issues of India, I am sure all issues of US have already been resolved :) Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the hottest shows on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Indian Political Boundary
In a federalistic system, the state decides how it wants to run its business -- right? In a few years states like Texas, Florida and Arizona will see Hispanic population as the majority, with Spanish used as the other language for running official business definitely, and may be other businesses too if they turn out to be import/export only. If the majority in a state decides to use Spanish for its business, won't the citizens of that state need Spanish to get ahead? In India, Hindi is spoken by more and more Indians. When I lived in India it was rare to find a person in the South speaking Hindi. When I interact with Indians working with us on global projects, I find even Indians from the South speak fluent Hindi. Where they learnt I don't know and I don't know if they were forced to learn. Dilip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It is slowly changing and clash of linguistic groups is bound to happen. *** Does that mean that unless an American learns Spanish, she might not be able to get ahead when that time arrives? *** And to extend the logic, will one have to learn Hindi to get ahead in India pretty soon, unless it is already so? At 12:39 PM -0700 9/28/07, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: If you leave out the Hispanics, you can say it is one language in USA. As we all know, USA will have to face the issue of two rival languages very soon. Also USA does not have an official language. The reign of English as the language is due to the fact that all immigrants had to learn the language to get ahead. It is slowly changing and clash of linguistic groups is bound to happen. Dilip barua25 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It is all one mother tongue, one language here. Not like India as a whole administered by a foreign language: English. Barua - Original Message - From: Krishnendu Chakraborty To: Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 9:12 AM Subject: [Assam] Indian Political Boundary Rajen-da First India was never such a big united country as it is now. Applying this logic, even US should be termed as a country that was never expected to ever be a country. Apart from European colonization the wars, grabbing of land from Native Americans and Speniards continued till late 19th century (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA#Native_Americans_and_European_settlers). Same goes true for Canada (even may be Australia). First India was never such a big united country as it is now. Even during the British Raj, there were many many independepdent states ruled by Maharajas, where prsent India is. Second, the South was never under any Indian kings except to some extent under the Moghols. * The map I see in wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurya_dynasty) shows that almost entire south barring present TN and Kerala was under Mauryas. Coming to point of Assam, Kamrup historically had a very close tie with rest of India ... reference Mahabharat. Culturally too, think about Krishna -- Kalika Purana mentions that the last of the Naraka-bhauma rulers, Narak, was slained by Krishna. As for never being ruled by any Indian King, the argument is same as I mentioned for US or Canada or many other countries. The Indian situation is same. It is one country because of one foreign language: English. Thus the historians have a point. Today, take away the English language fron India, the Indian democracy will collapese overnight. * This is a very new argument ... never heard this argument earlier! How many people in villages of India do you think can speak English ... I am not talking about proficient but at least Pigin English? A guess will be less then half of Indian Population speaks English. People adapt languages because of convenience. Imagine, had you been a villager of Assam, would you care to learn English? Or say if you spend most of your life in Delhi or UP, can you avoid learnig Hindi even though you might be a Hindi hater? The issue under discussion is : India is the country that was never expected to ever be a country. The above point which some historians are trying to make is this. First India was never such a big united country as it is now. Even during the British Raj, there were many many independepdent states ruled by Maharajas, where prsent India is. Second, the South was never under any Indian kings except to some extent under the Moghols. Then the Marathas were also out. Old Kamrup, that is present Assam and NE were never under any Indian kings, nor under Ashok, nor under the Guptas, nor under the Moghols. This came under India only under the British. Today India is one country not because of any unity but because of its diversity which cannot be defined under any political science. Imagnice Europe under one country because of one foreign language (say) Hindi. Can one imagine? The Indian situation is same. It is one country because of one foreign language: English. Thus
Re: [Assam] Indian Political Boundary
If you leave out the Hispanics, you can say it is one language in USA. As we all know, USA will have to face the issue of two rival languages very soon. Also USA does not have an official language. The reign of English as the language is due to the fact that all immigrants had to learn the language to get ahead. It is slowly changing and clash of linguistic groups is bound to happen. Dilip barua25 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It is all one mother tongue, one language here. Not like India as a whole administered by a foreign language: English. Barua - Original Message - From: Krishnendu Chakraborty To: Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 9:12 AM Subject: [Assam] Indian Political Boundary Rajen-da First India was never such a big united country as it is now. Applying this logic, even US should be termed as a country that was never expected to ever be a country. Apart from European colonization the wars, grabbing of land from Native Americans and Speniards continued till late 19th century (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA#Native_Americans_and_European_settlers). Same goes true for Canada (even may be Australia). First India was never such a big united country as it is now. Even during the British Raj, there were many many independepdent states ruled by Maharajas, where prsent India is. Second, the South was never under any Indian kings except to some extent under the Moghols. * The map I see in wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurya_dynasty) shows that almost entire south barring present TN and Kerala was under Mauryas. Coming to point of Assam, Kamrup historically had a very close tie with rest of India ... reference Mahabharat. Culturally too, think about Krishna -- Kalika Purana mentions that the last of the Naraka-bhauma rulers, Narak, was slained by Krishna. As for never being ruled by any Indian King, the argument is same as I mentioned for US or Canada or many other countries. The Indian situation is same. It is one country because of one foreign language: English. Thus the historians have a point. Today, take away the English language fron India, the Indian democracy will collapese overnight. * This is a very new argument ... never heard this argument earlier! How many people in villages of India do you think can speak English ... I am not talking about proficient but at least Pigin English? A guess will be less then half of Indian Population speaks English. People adapt languages because of convenience. Imagine, had you been a villager of Assam, would you care to learn English? Or say if you spend most of your life in Delhi or UP, can you avoid learnig Hindi even though you might be a Hindi hater? The issue under discussion is : India is the country that was never expected to ever be a country. The above point which some historians are trying to make is this. First India was never such a big united country as it is now. Even during the British Raj, there were many many independepdent states ruled by Maharajas, where prsent India is. Second, the South was never under any Indian kings except to some extent under the Moghols. Then the Marathas were also out. Old Kamrup, that is present Assam and NE were never under any Indian kings, nor under Ashok, nor under the Guptas, nor under the Moghols. This came under India only under the British. Today India is one country not because of any unity but because of its diversity which cannot be defined under any political science. Imagnice Europe under one country because of one foreign language (say) Hindi. Can one imagine? The Indian situation is same. It is one country because of one foreign language: English. Thus the historians have a point. Today, take away the English language fron India, the Indian democracy will collapese overnight. That is the point. Barua - Original Message - From: Krishnendu Chakraborty yahoo.com To: Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 8:45 AM Subject: [Assam] Indian Political Boundary Rajenda What can be the point here. I see from Wiki that the Maurya India is close to today's India This was followed by Invasions by Greeks, Sakas etc when it again got disintegrated. That is because they historians and thought leaders. This is a good topic one can debate long. I think they have their points. Barua - Original Message - From: Rajib Das To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world ; post.harvard.edu Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 8:34 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Book review : India After Gandhi- Bengal democracy I fail to understand why SOME historians (and thought leaders) continue to insist that India is a country that was never meant to be. The exact political boundaries are new (as in 60 years old) - but there is enough political thought through the course of history - before the Brits came in or even before the Islamic invasion of India - to warrant the idea of India. --- Rajen Ajanta Barua wrote: Umesh:
[Assam] Oil Industry Institute in Rae Bareilly, UP?
I don't know how many of you saw this article in the Hydroprocessing magazine or whether you subscribe to the magazine. Rae Bareilly? - What does it have to do with oil industry? Those in this net who lick Nehru/Gandhi boots - time for you to think. Why didn't Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan or Orissa get the honors of hosting this institute? Did Tarun Gogoi pay obeissance, as you say, Ma'am. Dilip Deka == Engineers will be trained in specialized petroleum courses such as energy exploration and refining activities Jeetha DSilva and Gayatri Ramanathan Mumbai: Facing a stubborn labour shortage, the energy sector plans to groom its own talent: by launching educational institutes. The industry has taken the first steps to start a handful of institutes for petroleum engineers and to train them in both upstream (oil and gas exploration) and downstream (refining) activities. These initiatives, also supported by the government, could sharply increase the number of students graduating with skills specific to the oil and gas sector, starting in 2009. So far, most Indian petroleum engineers have trained either at the Indian Institute of Petroleum at Dehradun in Uttarakhand , or at the Indian School of Mines at Dhanbad in Jharkhand. Over the next five years, the need for trained geoscientists for exploration operations alone is pegged at 6,181, said a study conducted by consultant firm PricewaterhouseCoopers for Petrofed, an association of public sector oil companies. The shortfall will be about 2,844 geoscientists. The current surpluses in some categories of geoscientists are also poised to change into an acute shortage as early as next year. According to the same study, the overall gap between availability and requirement of trained energy industry manpower in India is projected to be about 36,000 by 2019 with existing institutes unable to meet this increasing demand for technical manpower in the petroleum sector. While the number seems small, compared to much larger shortages that other industries such as the outsourcing industry dish out, many of these jobs in the petroleum sector are highly specialized with shortages having a major impact in a sector that is a national priority. The education initiatives mark the first of their kind for energy studies, with the largest being the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, structured along the lines of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). The institute is being set up in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, with an investment of some Rs500 crore, funded by the government and public sector oil companies. Oil marketer Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) is spearheading the initiative on behalf of all the PSUs, said D.M. Reddy, executive director for BPCL human resources. He said once the institute is fully operational, it will have seven programmes offering bachelors in technology, six integrated masters degrees, eight masters in technology, along with MBA and 12 post-graduate diplomas and PhD programmesall related to oil and gas. Reddy, who is also the president of the board of trustees appointed by the ministry of petroleum to anchor the institute, predicts the instituteto commence in Rae Bareli and New Delhi in 2008will emerge as the only one to comprehensively address the talent needs of the oil and gas shy;industries. There is already a big gap (between) demand and supply for trained engineers in exploration and production (EP) which will only widen with a growth in demand, he said. The institute will mitigate this talent crunch. He said the institute expects to enroll 2,400 students, with 900 graduating every year. Located on a 125-acre campus, it hopes to collaborate with foreign institutes for both student and faculty exchange. A new course has also been launched at IIT Bombay, focusing on specialized skills for the petroleum industry. Earlier, we had a post-graduate programme in geo-exploration and some of these graduates would join the oil and gas industry, said P.K. Saraswati, head, department of earth sciences. But, because of the growing demand for specialized skills, we decided to launch an M.Tech programme in petroleum geosciences from this year onwards. The IIT course is supported by energy company BG India Ltd, a part of BG Group Plc. The company will provide funds for visiting faculty from global institutes in the field as well as fund two students. It will also support the institutes laboratory to develop facilities in petroleum geoscience. IIT Bombay may look at expanding its scope of collaboration with the industry for this programme. This course cannot be offered in isolation. We have to work with the industry, said Saraswati. In addition, a few private institutes, such as the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Dehradun and
[Assam] Language again?
English language is confounding to people all over the world. You will get a kick out of some of the signs in the following excerpt. The funnier ones are later. English written in some of the national Indian newspapers indicates that India will soon join the ranks, though India claims to be proficient in English. I do not claim to be a master of English language but I resent the fact that despite a slow degradation of English in India, the business protagonists keep claiming that India is an English speaking country. Dilip Deka = Signs Written in English Discovered Around the World On a French passenger jet: Live West Under Your Seat. In a Tokyo hotel: Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such thing is please not to read notis. In a Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable. In a Leipzig elevator: Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up. In a Belgrade hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk. In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily. In a Yugoslav hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid. In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Monastery: You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday. In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers: Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension. In a Swiss mountain inn: Special today: no ice cream. On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for. On the menu of a Polish hotel: Salad a firm's own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion. Alongside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs. Two signs from a Mallorcan shop entrance: English well talking. Here speeching American. At a Bangkok dry cleaners: Drop your trousers here for best results. Outside a Paris dress shop: Dresses for street walking. Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own ass? At a Rhodes tailor shop: Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation. Similarly, from the Soviet Weekly: There will be a Moscow exhibition of arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years. A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: It is strictly forbidden on our Black Forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose. In a Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose. In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists. In a Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time. In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar. At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable foods, give it to the guard on duty. At the office of a Rome doctor: Specialist in women and other diseases. At an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here. At a Tokyo shop: Our nylons cost more than common, but you'll find they are best in the long run. A Japanese information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner: Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself. From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage, then tootle him with vigor. In a Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man. In a Tokyo bar: Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts. In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions. On the door of a Moscow hotel room: If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Gauhati: Church into car park??
Isn't this old news? The date says April 2007. Local pressure from Guwahati citizens apparently killed the govt. proposal - there will not be a parking lot. From what I remember, the pressure was not so much for religious freedom but for sentimental reasons to preserve history and architecture. I don't think congress govt.'s religion policy or Guwahatians' protection of religious minorities had anything to do with the issue. Dilip Deka = umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Is this possible under Congress Govt? http://christianpersecutionindia.blogspot.com/2007/04/baptist-church-in-assam-to-be-made-into.html Umesh Sharma Washington D.C. 1-202-215-4328 [Cell] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info) www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used ) http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ - For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good this month. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Rising Above the Party Line
The chief minister of West Bengal deserves credit for rising above party line for the benefit of his state. Can we expect Assam's chief minister to do something similar if and when the need arises? Dilip == From the TOI Buddha readies red carpet for two US firms 21 Sep 2007, 0046 hrs IST,Saugata Roy,TNN KOLKATA: Ignoring the shindig by his comrades in New Delhi against PM Manmohan Singh cosying up to Washington under a nuclear blanket, West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is scouting for land for two US companies, holding firm to his line against blind anti-Americanism. The two companies that want to set up base in West Bengal are FreightCar America and GE Group, a firm that flaunts its expertise in infrastructure ranging from transportation to nuclear power. The two companies will ink joint venture deals with Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) soon to produce special purpose high capacity aluminium-body wagons. Bhattacharjee and many top CPM leaders in West Bengal are increasingly beginning to display in public their discomfort with party boss Prakash Karat's uncompromising hostility towards the Indo-US nuclear deal and the UPA government. Earlier this week, the CM, who has earned popularity for trying to kickstart the state's sagging economy, told a newspaper that he didn't buy the anti-US line. The biggest foreign investor in a country like Vietnam is the US. Now, isn't Vietnam a communist country? he said. On Thursday, Chris Rogot and Charles Magolski from FreightCar America called on Bhattacharjee seeking 100 acres of land around Titagarh, near Kolkata, for the proposed $35-million investment in the state. They were accompanied by TWL chairman J P Chowdhury. Companies using rail wagons can take these aluminium freight cars on lease, Chowdhury said. Company officials have already opened a dialogue with the railway ministry and will carry out a feasibility study soon. Other than producing wagons, TWL has to its credit setting up of nuclear, chemical and biological shelters. Few days ago, CEO of GE Equipment Services, Alan J Juliano, met the CM and showed interest in areas from social infrastructure to power generation. In a presentation, GE Group offered to set up a manufacturing unit for hydrogen-fuel car cells. These cells are beginning to be introduced in hybrid cars for the West. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] What Do You Think? Are Elite Business Schools Fostering the Deprofessionalization of Management?
A number of netters will find this article interesting. Dilip What Do You Think? Are Elite Business Schools Fostering the Deprofessionalization of Management? http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5759.html___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Who will bell the Cat?
In stead of buying arms, can ULFA funds bell such cats? I hear there is a lot of cash in ULFA's hands to go around. If ULFA can prove it can improve Assam's lot despite India, may be there is a case for them to survive and sustain. Don't you think the people in assam will line up behind them if they can really lead Assam out of the current despair? CPI has established itself in W. Bengal by showing the leadership. Dilip Deka = - Original Message From: mc mahant [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; assam@assamnet.org Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 9:28:33 PM Subject: [Assam] Who will bell the Cat? A link for India's Rapid Progress:Who will bell the Cat? http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9779928-1.html?part=rsstag=feedsubj=Crave Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click here!___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Devolution of Power
There are two topics below. They may seem unrelated at first glance. If you read deeper, you will see the relation that it is the government officials who want to hold on to their power and thereby do not empower the citizens who are quite capable of handling some of the functions currently being handled in Dispur or New Delhi. Dilip Deka From the Sentinel Panchayats on Paper One of the most vital prerequisites of a healthy democracy is the devolution of power right down to the grassroots level. Unless there is empowerment of people down to the lowest level of the administrative set-up, we can have democracy only on paper. What is central to the idea of democracy, therefore, is that there has to be complete decentralization of all subjects except a few vital ones like currency, defence, foreign relations, immigration and so on for democracy to mean anything for the people who ought to be at the centre of things. But even 60 years after Independence, there is a very strong vested interest that insists on not delegating to the panchayats even the powers that were committed to them. This is because a large section of the political executive and the bureaucracy feel that if the State government were to give away to the panchayats even half the powers committed to them, they would be bereft of all power and would cease to matter to the people any more. This is the very opposite mental attitude to the one that believes that the state should wither away if there is good governance. It is also militates against the concept of a good teacher who should have no regrets about becoming redundant after he/she has inspired the student to be an avid learner. Devolution of power to the panchayats also means a considerable loss of income from bribes in the corridors of power. Be that as it may, the Asom Governments reluctance to hand over power to the panchayats constitutes a serious breach of promise. This is particularly significant considering that the Tarun Gogoi government has always been particularly vocal about the devolution of power to the grassroots level. This should be all too evident from the item on Efforts to Revitalize the Rural Infrastructure on page 10 of the Congress manifesto which says (this is a free translation from the Assamese) that according to promises made, the party has established three-tiered panchayat elections and involved the panchayats in the development process and the entire responsibility for development, with 29 subjects, has been given to panchayats. In actual fact, this has not happened because the State government is quite unwilling to part with all the powers to panchayats. Things have come to such a pass that though the government has set up a cabinet sub-committee under Dr Bhumidhar Barman to ensure the devolution of powers to panchayats in respect of these 29 subjects, the committee seems quite unwilling to expedite the devolution of power to panchayats. In other words, the formation of the cabinet sub-committee would seem to be no more than a charade for public consumption. And even though the State government prepared the activity mapping under pressure from the Union Minister for Panchayats and Rural Development, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, there has been virtually no devolution of powers to panchayats so far. The choice for Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is obviously very clear. He can turn our State into what looks exactly like a banana republic by keeping all political power with his cabinet, or he can opt for a real democracy by sincerely empowering panchayats. No Locals for NE Trade Lately, the Union Government has begun to bend over backwards in promoting trade between Indias Northeast and countries like Bangkok. In March this year, DONER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar led a delegation of businessmen from the Northeast to Thailand. This was reciprocated by the Thai Commerce Minister leading two high-level delegations to India, one to attend the 3rd Northeast Business Summit in New Delhi and another subsequently to the Northeast. It is in the fitness of things, therefore, that a Northeast Investment Week is being planned to begin in Bangkok on October 2, 2007. While all this is very well, what the people of the Northeast would like to know is why entrepreneurs of the Northeast should always be denied the trade already being generated as a result of such exchanges in the form of air travel, arrangement of accommodation in Bangkok etc. We know for a fact that local travel agents had made a bid for the air travel bookings and for the arrangements for hotel bookings in Bangkok. Those who have travelled abroad extensively with local travel agents handling all their travel arrangements will vouch that they provide as good service as any travel agent in the metropolitan cities of India. The crucial question is: why should the organizers of
