Workshop on Archaeology of NE India concludes

Workshop on Archaeology of NE India concludes



by Dayanath Singh
   

The Archaeological Survey of India as a part of its 150th anniversary celebrations organized a two days regional conference on archaeology of North Eastern India recently in Guwahati. Scholars from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur Meghalaya and Nagaland participated in the celebrations.

The earliest inhabitants of the northeastern region are assigned to the middle Pleistocene period as attested with the findings of paleoliths from its different arts including Daphabum area of Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh, Khangkhui cave site, Songbu and Tharon cave of Manipur, Tilla site in Tripura, Rongram Valley of Garo Hills, Meghalaya. The region has also attested the prevalence of upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic cultures. The Mesolithic culture is not very prominent in the entire north-eastern part of the subcontinent whereas the upper Paleolithic culture is followed by occurrence of characteristic Hoabinhian culture akin to same assemblage of China and South-east Asia. The region under discussion also had a rich presence of megaliths occurring in the form of raised upright monoliths or menhirs and horizontally laid table stones. The tradition of erecting the megaliths is still continued in many parts of the region among the Naga, Khasi, Jaintia and Karbi tribes.
Since these findings occur in isolation from hilly terrain and flood plains amidst deep forest they are mostly secondary in nature and their cultural horizon is to be assessed in chronological frame work. A scientific dating is also to be probed which is the need of the hour. The data obtained by various scholars on the prehistoric researches assist in evolving a chronological frame work pertaining to the North-east region.

As far as historical archaeology is concerned, there are very few sites found excavated in this region as yet. Recently structural evidence encountered at Ambari excavation in Guwahati from the lowest level appears to be of Sunga-Kushana period. It is first time that an antiquity of the site has been pushed back to the Sunga-Kushana period in the region. However, the water logging at this level hampered further probing. Since the region is referred in epics and Purana’s as Pragjyotishpur occurrence of material culture pertaining to the much earlier period in further excavations cannot be ruled out.

The workshop aimed to delve upon the recent prehistoric and historical investigations carried out by various eminent scholars in this region. It made them to share and interact with each other their valued opinions, views and theories and also assisted in establishing well defined chorological frame work pertaining to the prehistoric and historic times prevailed upon in bygone era in this region.

In the inaugural session Regional Director (Eastern region),T J Baidya welcomed the participants. Dr Gautam  Sengupta, DG,ASI, New Delhi stressed on need to improve the coordination with the local communities  and research scholars towards better preservation of the historical monuments situated in various parts of the northeastern region. Addressing the participants as the chief guest Prof J N Phukan of Gauhati University suggested for the need of taking aggressive and affirmative action from the side of Archaeological Survey of India to stop encroachments near the centrally protected monuments. In the presidential address, ASI, New Delhi, Director A K Sinha emphasized the need of including more monuments/sites from the NE region in the centrally protected list.

On the first day of workshop ten papers were presented. A K Sharma, Archaeological Adviser, in culture department, Govt of Chhattisgarh presented his paper titled Heritage of North East India which highlighted the rich archaeological heritage of NE India as evident from the excavations at Sekta in Manipur, Bhaitbari in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya and explorations conducted in  Nagaland. Dr Promita Das of Gauhati University in her paper Historical archaeology of Kaili-Jamuna valley of Assam presented a glimpse of the material remains I the form of temple ruins, stone and terracotta sculptures of an ancient flourishing kingdom in the Kapili- Jamuna valley. Dr Projit Kumar Palit of Assam University, Silchar described the inscriptional evidences regarding the patronage of Buddhism in early North East India in his paper Inscriptions of Tripura: a Root of Buddhism in Early North-East India. Dr Watijungshi Jamir, of Kohima Science College , Nagaland in his paper Megalithic Monuments of the Angami Nagas presented the living megalithic traditions among the Angami Nagas. Dr M Manibabu, of Manipur University in his paper Pottery making ceramic ecology and system paradigm; an example of Processual.

Archaeological study from Manipur attempted to identify a series of feedback mechanisms related with the culture as well as the environment that favors or limits to the origin, development and continuity of the craft of pot making among an indigenous mongoloid population inhabited in the valley of Manipur, the Andro. A search for recurrent associated elements within the structured symbolic practice of erecting megaliths in Cherrapunjee in relation to their contextual meaning was presented by Dr Sukanya Sharma, of IIT, Guwahati in her paper Megaliths of Cherrapunjee. In his paper Some collections of

Terracotta Plaques, panels and art Motifs in the archeological museum, Sri Suryapahar, Bimal Sinha of Sri Suryapahar Archaeological Museum showed the terracotta plaques and art motifs preserved in the Archaeological Museum, Sri Suryapahar in Goalpara district of Assam which throw light on different cultural aspects of life as depicted in these plaques during the historical past in the region. Dr Aokumla Walling, of Nagaland university highlighted the relationship between oral tradition and archaeology in Nagaland in identification of archaeological sites.. Arup Bordoloi of Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra presented a paper on Buddhism in north east India and a few significant monuments from Assam. Dr Ceicil Mawlong, of NEHU, Shillong highlighted different types of Khasi Megaliths I her paper Khasi Megaliths: Problems and Prospects.

In the second day of academic session eleven papers  were presented. Prof Alok Tripathi of Assam University, Silchar presented a paper on Archaeological Excavations in northeast India in twentieth century. Prof L Kunjeswori Devi of Manipur University presented the prehistoric archaeological remain in her paper recent discoveries of stone age culture of Kathong Hill Range, Chandel, Manipur. Dr Vinay Kumar of ASI, New Delhi presented his paper on Megalithic Culture of Northeast India. Dr H N Dutta, director, directorate of Archaeology, Assam gave a brief outline of the rock-cut caves excavated along the course of the river Brahmaputra in Assam in his paper rock-cut caves along the River Brahmaputra. Dr Tiatoshi Jamir,  highlighted the potential of a community based archaeology in Nagaland from his recent work at Chungliyimit in Tuensang district of Nagaland in his paper ancestral sites, Local communities and Archaeology in Nagaland: Towards a collaborative Archaeology at Chungliyimit. The other papers presented were A Preliminary investigation at Tiyi Longchum Wokha, Nagaland by Dr R Chumbeno Nagullie, Japfu Christian College, Kohima, Stone age culture of Arunachal Pradesh by Dr Tage Tada, of Arunachal Pradesh Nayarit Deori of Arunachal Pradesh Megalithic Tradition in Nagaland: A study among the Lotha Nagas of Wokha district by Dr Jonali Devi of Cotton College, Guwahati Ethno-Archaeology of Shell fishing and Lime Production :Prospect for North-East by Dr Tilok Thakuria of NEHU, Archaeology of the Sacred contextualizing Ganesha in early Assam by Dr Rena Laisram of Gauhati University. The two day conference concluded with valedictory function chaired by Dr R D Choudhury, former DG, National Museum, New Delhi

Glitz beauty parlour in Bangalore

By Bidya Sapam

Perched midway between Bangalore's Kodihalli and Indiranagar neighbourhoods, the Glitz beauty parlour has been shut for the last several days. There is little surprise in finding out why. A favourite for locals, it normally buzzes with activity every evening. And the six women who run it are from Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, two states in northeast India.

Credit: Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri

United they stand for peace & harmony

Hindustan Times
August 19, 2012


Please stop this. It’s hugely disappointing to see this happening after 65 years of Independence. Targeting soft people, those who have left homes to study or make a living, is a terrible thing to do and for the sake of protecting the unity of my country, I hope the administration at all levels act fast. I have played and led the national team and we always believed in the idea of one India.

Bhaichung Bhutia is a former India football captain and hails from Sikkim.


They are the flag-bearers of the North East who have won laurels for India in sport. The recent exodus of NE residents has left them concerned and anguished. Whatever is happening is not right. People from the North East who are away from home are there either for studies or work. The government needs to sort this out immediately. We play for the country and we are proud to win laurels for India. We don’t think we are representing a particular area. This regionalism has to stop immediately.

Jayanta Talukdar is an archer from Assam who is employed with Tata Steel. He represented India at the London Olympics.

Those who are thinking of leaving everything and returning home need to stay put. India is a great and unified country. They are also Indians and it is their right to study or work anywhere in the country they want to. This is a shameful thing for the government and it should act immediately to restore peace. Regionalism is petty and this is not good for the country.

Tarundeep Rai is an archer from Sikkim who is with the Indian Army. He won silver at the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010 and represented India at the London Olympics.

For me, Bangalore till recently was about a capacity crowd cheering India as we upset the UAE, then coached by famous Frenchman Henri Michel. It hurts to see this happening, Indians being made to feel unwanted in parts of India, but it’s only a handful of people who are creating mischief. I understand the anxiety of families whose loved ones are away and I hope this passes at the earliest.

Renedy Singh is a former India midfielder from Manipur who is now  captain of I-League club Shillong Lajong Football Club.

I have not been following the incident much. But all I could gather talking to my friends and relatives is that whatever is happening is quite upsetting. For us sportspersons, representing the country is of paramount importance. We always think of India and not our region when we go abroad. I think the authorities should do whatever they can to stop the exodus from different places of the country.

Dingko Singh is a 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold medallist, who works for Indian Navy and is now a coach. He is from Manipur.

When I stepped on the podium during the Olympics in London, I represented India and not any region. Everyone called me an Indian and I am proud to be an Indian. The country is vast and diverse. Whatever is happening is quite disturbing and is definitely not good. I hope this will end soon. Every Indian should live in harmony. Let’s all come together and give peace a chance.

Mary Kom is a London Games bronze medallist who works with Manipur Police.

Origins of the father of computer science

by Sriram V.

source: The Hindu

Alan Turing had a strong Madras connect through his parents

This is the birth centenary year of Alan Mathison Turing, the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. With his concepts of algorithm and computation, demonstrated with the theoretical construct of the Turing Machine, he ushered in a revolution that is ongoing. He had a strong Madras connect through his parents.

The Turing family was of ancient Scottish descent and several members had done their bit for the establishment of the British empire. Robert Turing was perhaps the first, for in 1729, he was appointed surgeon’s mate at Fort St. David, Cuddalore.

His brother Dr. John was surgeon of the East India Company’s ship, The Greenwich. Robert later became presidency surgeon and served in Madras from 1753 to 1762. Another John Turing and his brother William joined the Madras civil services in the 1760s and served till the 1780s.

Captain James and Major Robert Turing served the Madras Army in the 1790s. Major Robert succeeded the family’s hereditary baronetcy and his son, yet another John, was a writer in the East India Company, posted at Vishakapatnam where he died in 1801.

Alan’s father Julius, from the same lineage, passed the ICS in 1896, his specialisations being Indian law and the Tamil language. He joined duty in Madras. In 1907, at Dublin, he married Ethel, daughter of Edward Waller Stoney, the chief engineer of the Madras Railway Company (MRC), headquartered at Royapuram.

Stoney designed the Tungabhadra bridge, wrote treatises on mountain railways and bridges and also patented the Stoney silent punkah wheel, an early improvement of the traditional punkah. He amassed a huge fortune and lived at 1, Nungambakkam High Road. Stoney was the first shareholder of Spencer & Co. and after retirement, became a director there. His elder brother F.G.M. Stoney was also an old MRC hand. He retired early to England owing to ill health and there made a lasting name for himself as a hydraulics engineer, specialising in sluice design.

Julius and Ethel’s first son John was delivered at the Stoney bungalow in Coonoor. Their second child, Alan, was conceived in Orissa, then a part of Madras Presidency. The baby was delivered in England on June 23, 1912, and destined to never see India. The boys were left with relatives and friends while the parents sailed back and forth from India. In 1926, the Madras connection was severed forever when Julius Turing resigned from the ICS in a huff, incensed over A.Y.G. Campbell being appointed chief secretary of Madras.

Alan was to have a brilliant academic career at Cambridge and during World War II, did path-breaking work in decoding German ciphers. The end of the war, however, was to see him prosecuted for homosexuality , then a criminal offence, and subjected to chemical castration. Turing died in 1954, aged 48, from cyanide poisoning, whether by intent or accident is an unsolved mystery. 

Only woman officer in entire brigade guarding china front

By Mukesh Kaushik
Nathu La (Indo-China border)
 Sunday, Aug 19 2012 IST
source: Indian Express


In one of the most difficult terrains of India's military front facing a formidable and unfriendly neighbour like China, Captain Swati Singh is the only woman officer in the entire brigade who has become eyes and ears for hundreds of troops providing them real time critical information. Captain Swati Singh is posted in 63 Brigade of the Indian Army which is deployed in eastern sector in Sikkim near Nathu La pass overlooking China. Her duty in the Brigade is to keep alive lines of communications for the troops posted in her area.

She is the one who donned the military uniform after refusing a very lucrative career of a multinational software company and accepted the challenge of serving in the Indian Army.

"I was being offered a post of software engineer by Infosys, but in the meanwhile, I cleared the exam of the services and without giving any second thought I opted for the latter" she said proudly, in an interview to UNI.

Captain Swati Singh is the first generation military officer in her family with her younger sister also an engineer but she has opted a private job in Larsen and Toubro. Captain Swati hails from Lucknow, a city of Nawabs from where she did her engineering in Babu Banarsi Das Institute of Technology. Her father, who works for the Central Water Board, inspired her to join the Indian Army, she said.

"I joined army two years ago and I was commissioned in 17th Div in Sikkim. For the past one year, I am in this brigade and despite being the only woman officer I never felt alone or awkward here," She said. Her Brigade Headquarter is in Thegu near Nathu La and it stakes at least 5 hours of bumpy motor ride to reach out to Gangtok. "Life is not easy in military but that is what I was fully aware of when I decided to join the army," she said adding that it was her own decision to take up the challenge and serve the nation.

Captain Swati said, "Had I joined the Infosys, I may be serving in bustling and lively city like Bangalore but that would certainly not have given me the same kind of satisfaction I draw here while performing my duty in this inhospitable terrain." Wishing that more and more girls should opt for joining Indian army she said, "Terrains or training may be difficult but our organisation is certainly very caring and friendly for the women officers." UNI MK BDP 1212 NNNN

-- (UNI) -- 19DR5.xml

 

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Press Release: Exchange Programme of Sikkim Studies at Jamia takes off

 

The Sikkim Studies Programme of the Centre for North East Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia is supported by the Government of Sikkim and was launched in April 2011 by Shri. Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister of Sikkim.  The Sikkim Studies Programme  has envisaged an Exchange Programme to facilitate researchers from Sikkim to come to Jamia.

 

The first three-month fellowship of the Exchange Programme has been awarded to Mr. Jayanta Madhb Tamuly, a PhD Candidate at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies and Management, Sikkim University, for his proposal “Damming/Damning Teesta: A Study on the Social and Environment Issues”. He will work under Prof. Sanjoy Hazarika at the Centre for North East Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia.

 

Mr. Tamuly joined on 1 May 2012 and will be primarily conducting library related research at various libraries as well as interviewing stakeholders, media and water specialists etc. The focus of Sikkim Studies Programme includes among others: Green Governance, including Climate Change and its impacts; Social Stress and Coping Mechanisms; Borders and International Trade and Look East Policy.

 

 

 

Media Coordinator

Jamia Millia Islamia

Prime Minister's remarks at Golden Jubilee Convocation of IIT Bombay

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed the Golden Jubilee Convocation of IIT Bombay in Mumbai today. Following is the text of Prime Minister’s Speech: “I am delighted to be here at your prestigious institution on this auspicious day. I wish each one you a life of purposive action and professional fulfillment. Standing here this afternoon, my thoughts go back to those early days after Independence when our national leaders built great institutions of learning to help lay the foundations of a new India. The Indian Institutes of Technology were part of this great nation building effort. I salute the memory of all those who dedicated their lives to building this and other such great institutions of academic excellence. The IITs have become an integral constituent of what is known as ‘Brand India’, like our nuclear science institutions, that Dr Kakodkar has dedicated his life to, like Mr Premji’s Wipro and Mr. Narayanamurthy`s Infosys and like so many other centres of research and teaching that have given several generations of young Indians new opportunities that my own generation could only dream of. Today, as we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of IIT Bombay, we feel a sense of pride. But that pride must be tempered by the concern that we still do not have the required number of such institutions to offer adequate developmental opportunities to all our bright young women and men. Every year when I see how many hundreds of thousands of students apply for admission to these institutions, and when I see how high have become the minimum cut-off marks for admission, my heart is pained by the limits we are placing on the opportunities available to our youth. That is precisely why our government took the initiative to expand the opportunities for higher and technical education in India. During the last eight years Indian higher education, as well as secondary and technical education, have experienced a quantum jump in terms of the investment being made and the number of seats being created for students. I compliment my colleague Shri Kapil Sibal for leading this effort. Our government has opened new IITs, new IIMs and new institutions for teaching and research in the sciences. We have increased investment in school education. We have increased scholarships for the disadvantaged sections of our society. I am happy that IIT Bombay has made research a priority. I am told that a number of centres in the institute are engaged in research on several important areas. These include the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education, the 1 Megawatt National Solar Thermal Test Facility and the Indo-US Clean Energy Centre for Photovoltaics. I am sure these efforts will result in very useful outcomes. As India’s economy becomes bigger and more developed, so too must our knowledge base. A developing country like ours has to catch up with other more developed nations and this ‘catch-up’ process depends vitally on our ability to harness human resources for development. Another challenge is to ensure that the investment we make in higher education in fact contributes more directly to nation building. Here the IITs face an immediate challenge of making their curriculum more relevant to our needs. I am aware that this is a subject of much lively discussion among your faculty and alumnus. How do we incentivize our engineering graduates to bring their professional knowledge to bear more directly on our development processes? This would be in keeping with the vision for IITs that Pandit Nehru articulated when he laid the foundation stone of IIT Bombay. He said, that the role of the IITs would be, and I quote, “to provide scientists and technologists of the highest caliber who would engage in research, design and development to help building the nation toward self reliance in her technological needs”. Many of our best IIT students have, over the years, migrated abroad in search of better opportunities. I do not grudge that. Some of them have returned home to serve our Motherland. Some do so from where they are, in some of the best institutions of the world. A large number of our IIT graduates move away from their core disciplines into management, finance, marketing and even the civil services. Without doubt, they have much to contribute in their new fields of work. The students graduating today have a long list of IIT Bombay alumni to inspire them. Each of the preceding 49 Convocations of this great institution has seen the graduation of a very talented group of young men and women. They have made important contributions in a wide range of disciplines and have added lustre to the global image of India. Several of them have risen to top positions internationally including Arun Netravali, former head of Bell Laboratories, and Nitin Nohria, the current Dean of Harvard Business School. One of our brightest Cabinet Ministers, Shri Jairam Ramesh is an alumnus of IIT Bombay, as is Shri Nandan Nilekani who carries the enormous responsibility of implementing India’s ambitious programme for providing all its citizens with a Unique Identification number. India needs millions of engineers and millions more of technically qualified workers and skilled professionals. There was a time when engineers like M. Vishwesharayya and K. L. Rao provided leadership to our power projects and irrigation projects and were regarded as national leaders. Today India needs national leaders from the fields of engineering and science. Not just politics, sport and cinema! Friends, India is on the move. And so, you enter a world of opportunities. How you make use of these opportunities, how you shape them, how you create new opportunities for newer generations of our youth will shape the future of this ancient land. I know that in the recent past we have lived through a period of excessive pessimism and negativism. Some of this is natural. Our society has been experiencing a ‘revolution of rising expectations’. Hopes are high, but are often not realized. This breeds cynicism. The challenge before you is to retain your sense of hope and optimism even as you surmount the hurdles you face and overcome the challenges that are posed. When I look back at my own life I am humbled and gratified by the distance my generation has travelled. I studied in the light of a kerosene lamp in a dusty village that had no power, no school or college. I had to walk miles to school. In all these matters, there has been an enormous improvement in the 65 years of independent India. Even then, the progress that has been registered has often fallen short of the expectations of our people, particularly the youth. In some ways, the enormity of the task ahead of us as a nation is daunting, but our achievements so far give us confidence and hope. India’s journey, as indeed IIT Bombay’s journey, these past 65 years, is a matter of great pride. After half a century of zero rate of economic growth, from 1900 to 1950, we managed to register 3.5 per cent growth for three decades after Independence, from 1950 to 1980. But from 1980 to now, over the subsequent three decades, we have nearly doubled that rate of growth. In 2003-08 we showed that we can march forward at an even higher rate of growth of 9.0 per cent. These are not just numbers. They translate into employment opportunities for newer generations. They create new incomes and new possibilities. They help increase the government’s revenues so that we can invest more in education, in health care, in eradicating poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. I know that in the past year India`s economy has slowed down. But this is not an inevitable or irreversible outcome. The fundamentals of our economy are sound and with greater effort being made to mobilize all the latent physical and human resources, we can go back to the growth rate of 8 to 9 percent per annum achieved from 2003 to 2008. The large investments in the development of human resources that we have made in the last 8 years would facilitate that outcome. Science and technology have to play a major role in the transformation of our economy. The educated youth of our country have to lead the process of social and economic change. I am confident that young people like you will take the flag from our hands and march forward. I am confident that your generation will make us proud. I am confident about the future of India, because YOU are that future. As you enter a new phase of your life never forget those who have made it possible for you to be here today. Your parents, your family and friends, your teachers and the society around you that has enabled you to receive good quality education and build the foundation of your professional life. May your path be blessed. Jai Hind!” **** SH/SM (Release ID :86346)

Govt tells Armed Forces to re-draw plan to raise strike corps for China border

Govt tells Armed Forces to re-draw plan to raise strike corps for China border


by  PranabDhalSamanta : New Delhi, Sun Aug 19 2012, 02:01 hrs
Indian Express

The plan to raise a new mountain strike corps for the China border in the eastern sector is now back to the drawing board. The government is learnt to have sent back the proposal, asking the three service chiefs to jointly come up with a plan involving all three forces.

The rethink has come almost a year after the government gave its in-principle clearance to set up the strike corps, which eventually took the shape of a CCS note that was awaiting finance approval. It was estimated that the new corps would cost about Rs 65,000 crore with fresh accretion of 89,000 soldiers and 400 officers.

The plan was forcefully piloted by former Army Chief Gen V K Singh, who had projected it as critical to launch a counter-offensive into Tibet in case of a “Kargil-type adventure” by China.

Even then, questions were raised on whether this step would end up being more provocative than effective in the long run. But the Army had cited China’s overall aggressive military build-up and intelligence that Beijing was rehearsing plans for a local military offensive by way of specific exercises in and around the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Finance Ministry had raised questions on the longevity of the China threat. While the expectation was that the government would push this into the new 2012-13 financial year, sources said, there has been a sudden rethink at the highest levels.

Insiders clarified that the government has not gone back on developing a credible preparedness level against China’s rapidly expanding military profile on the borders, but it does want a relook at the strategy from all possible sides. For this purpose, sources said, it was felt that the Chiefs of Staff Committee comprising the three service chiefs was the right forum to take a fresh look and suggest a comprehensive plan.

Another provocation for returning the proposal was that the government did not want the Army, Navy and Air Force to send separate proposals on countering China. It is learnt that the government felt there was a need for more coordination.

The new strike corps was to come up Panagarh, West Bengal, along with two more divisions. An independent armoured brigade along with an artillery division were to be part of the set-up. Already, two divisions are being raised in the eastern theatre along with the newly-created Arunachal Scouts battalions.

Remembering India’s capitulation on Tibet

Prime Minister Nehru, the current Dalai Lama, President Rajendra Prasad and the 10th Panchen Lama in 1956 at New Delhi at the 2500th anniversary of the birth of the Buddha

Ajai Shukla

Business Standard, 9th Aug 11

An article in The New York Times last Saturday speculated that Beijing would try to legitimise its hand-selected (and therefore illegitimate) Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, by sending him to study in the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe at the somewhat advanced age of 21. Xiahe is in China’s Gansu province, but in the Amdo region of traditional Tibet, which the communists carved up between five Chinese provinces bordering the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Gyaltsen Norbu badly needs the credibility of Labrang Monastery; he was declared the 11th Panchen Lama by Chinese authorities, six months after they arrested the 11-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who had been declared the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, following traditional Tibetan practice. Most Tibetans believe Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (often called “the youngest political prisoner in the world”) is the legitimate 11th Panchen Lama, while Gyaltsen Norbu is disparaged as “the Chinese Panchen Lama”.

This typically clumsy Chinese manoeuvre is a mere sideshow to the big story in Tibet, which is a six-month long security lockdown that has gone largely unreported in the world press. The lockdown, which has involved mass repression of Tibetans and hundreds of preventive arrests, was triggered by Beijing’s determination to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the “peaceful liberation of Tibet”, which took the form of the 17-Point Agreement (full form: Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet).

The 17-Point Agreement, through which Lhasa bowed to Beijing’s sovereignty on 23rd May 1951, was India’s capitulation more than Tibet’s. After the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) marched into Tibet in October 1950 and destroyed the Tibetan army, India’s army chief, General (later Field Marshall) KM Cariappa declared that India could spare no more than a battalion (800 men) to block the Chinese invasion alongside the Tibetans. Then New Delhi refused to back Lhasa’s request for the United Nations to adopt a resolution against the Communist invasion. With global attention focused on the Korean War, and with India hoping to mediate between China and the US-led coalition, India feared that sponsoring Tibet’s reference to the UN would damage its leverage with China. And with Washington and London allowing New Delhi to take the lead on this issue (India, after all, was most affected by events in Tibet) China was allowed to subjugate Tibet unopposed.

New Delhi’s submissiveness obtained even less for India than it did for Tibet. The first words of the first clause of the 17-Point Agreement (“The Tibetan people shall unite and drive out imperialist aggressive forces from Tibet”) directly targeted India. New Delhi was the “imperialist” force that maintained --- continuing British practice since 1903 --- a military garrison in Gyantse, Tibet, across the Himalayas from Sikkim. Three years later India formalised its capitulation to Beijing. The Panchsheela Agreement of 1954, which recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, bound India to withdraw its entire presence from Tibet.

Some of the ground ceded in that diplomatic blunder has been gradually clawed back by India. This began in 1959, when India granted refuge to the Dalai Lama and permitted the setting up of a Tibetan government-in-exile. Tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees that have trickled in over the years and continue to do so even today have set up a support base for an alternative government to the Beijing dominated one in Lhasa. Hundreds of Tibetan monks have been allowed to set up an ecclesiastical eco-system, central to Tibetan politico-religious belief, which parallels the Tibetan system that they left behind. In and around Bangalore and Mysore are the mirror images of the mighty monasteries --- Sera, Ganden and Drebung --- that were smashed during China’s “democratic reforms” and the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Not least, India retains a core of Tibetan fighting capability in the secretive Establishment 22, manned by Tibetan volunteers who would be more than happy to be unleashed against the Chinese in their homeland.

These steps, though, are just enough to annoy China without doing what would be necessary to seriously worry Beijing. India’s reluctance to flash its teeth, and to instead keep reassuring Beijing that the Tibetan exiles are on tight leash, does little to keep alive the sense of hope that Tibetans here need for continuing their fight. New Delhi’s willingness to carry out preventive arrests of Tibetans on the eve of Chinese visits creates apprehension that India can be pressured in the same way as Nepal, which China pressures into brutal police repression of Tibetan exiles.

Nor has Tibet’s global icon, the Dalai Lama, struck any strategic notes in his quest for international support. Brushed off by New Delhi like a distant relative who has stayed too long, and avoided by foreign leaders as a political minefield, His Holiness has been reduced to engagement with second-rung celebrities like Richard Gere and support from dodgy divas like Paris Hilton and Sharon Stone. His marginalisation has been carefully orchestrated by Beijing, which reacts ferociously whenever any head of government proposes meeting the Dalai Lama. And when anyone risks Beijing’s ire, as President Obama did in meeting the Dalai Lama last month, the conversation always begins with a careful public repudiation of Tibetan independence. Sadly, India, despite all the levers it holds in Tibet, follows that same cautious path.

The hopelessness that has seeped through the Tibetan exile community in India manifests itself in a growing rejection of the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Path”, which involves a non-violent engagement with Beijing about Tibetan autonomy rather than independence. India’s many angry Tibetan youngsters are held back for now by their enormous respect for the 14th Dalai Lama, but his passing on will create a problem for China that will be far more potent than the legitimacy of the 11th Panchen Lama. If New Delhi looks ahead and calibrates its response inventively, it may go some way towards recreating the leverage in Tibet that it lost in the 1950s.

2006 ARTICLE ON Nathu La : handshake over the Himalayas

by Ajai Shukla

Business Standard: 6th June 2006

Dateline: Nathu La, Sikkim

The road starts winding upwards even before leaving Gangtok. We will climb more than 8000 feet in the 55 kilometers that separate Sikkim’s capital from the towering 14,000 foot border post of Nathu La. There was little army visible in Gangtok, but the road to the border is full of military signposts. Nathu La has long been one of the most heavily defended borders of India. It was here, in 1967, five years after the 1962 humiliation, that India signalled that it could stand up to China. When a party of Indian jawans, who were fencing the Nathu La pass, came under Chinese fire, India struck back, killing over 200 Chinese soldiers in six days of full-scale battle. The same strand of wire over which that battle was fought still separates two of the world’s major armies.

But Nathu La is increasingly a symbol of cooperation, rather than confrontation. The young Chinese post commander on the pass smilingly posed for photographs with us. A few yards away, history was being created: a single bulldozer knocked away a slim wall of frozen earth between the brand new roads that both countries had taken up to the pass, creating in one blade sweep the first road connection between India and China. Gangs of workers are fencing the 7 kilometres stretch from Nathu La to India’s newly built border trading post of Sherathang. Work has already begun on a new two-lane highway from Nathu La to Sherathang that will carry truckloads of goods to and from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Actual trading at Sherathang is scheduled to begin in July 2006.

Sherathang Border Trading Post, perched beside the high-altitude Manju Lake, was born out of China’s first concession to India on the border dispute, during Prime Minster Vajpayee’s visit to Beijing in June 2003. With typical Chinese obliqueness, Beijing proposed a trading point at Nathu La, in effect admitting that it was the border between India and China. Sikkim, thus, was recognised as a part of India. But a trading post at Sherathang had to overcome entrenched prejudices. The Indian army has long opposed the construction of roads from the Sino-Indian border into the interior. The logic: China could use them as logistics arteries for invading India. Nor has Beijing been historically enthusiastic about opening up sensitive areas like Tibet and Xinjiang to foreign trade and, by extension, meddling. 

But China, under the pragmatic Deng Xiao-ping, first saw the inevitability of border trade for these regions. Deng’s philosophy of zhoubian zhengce (periphery policy) envisaged the development of the China hinterland by developing trade linkages with the countries with whom they shared borders (zhoubian guojia, or periphery countries) rather than relying on prosperity trickling across thousands of kilometres from the prosperous eastern seaboard of China. First implemented through the South China Growth Triangle and the Greater Mekong Basin Growth Triangle, this policy is now being embraced for its western provinces --- Xinjiang and Tibet --- as well.

There was little choice for Beijing but to allow those provinces to look outwards for trade and growth. A breakdown of FDI that flowed into China from 1987-97 indicates that the inland provinces in the west got only 12.4% of the total, with a per capita FDI of just USD 3.8. Compare that with the coastal provinces that garnered as much as USD 33.5 in per capita FDI. There was clearly more danger in poverty-fuelled unrest in the inland provinces than from opening out to neighbouring countries. 

Any residual reluctance in Beijing or New Delhi was over-ridden by Gangtok’s enthusiasm. A study team constituted by the Sikkim government has projected that trade through Nathu La could cross Rs 200 crores by 2007, Rs 2200 crores by 2010, and Rs 12,000 crores by 2015. For local economies, short of manufacturing and production resources, this trade flow would have a transformative effect on both revenue and employment. And so, Gangtok has created, in a four month burst of construction, all the infrastructure required for trading to begin. In 29 spanking new administrative blocks are the immigration and customs facilities, bonded warehouses, quarantine facilities, offices for chambers of commerce, display shops, a branch of the State Bank of India, a post office, and what is touted as the highest cybercafé in the world. And RITES has been given the consultancy for planning a permanent infrastructure.

Gangtok believes that trading through Nathu La is in a different league from the other local trade agreements that India has with countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh. The only other road, the Lhasa-Kathmandu highway, is 500 km longer than the Nathu La route to the plains of India. And when trade linkages shake off the shackles of xenophobic nationalism, the road to Sherathang will also become for Lhasa, the road to Kolkata, providing the Tibet Autonomous Region with a port connection. And for the north-eastern states of India, an increasingly prosperous Tibet will be a closer and more lucrative trading market than the north Indian markets. A similar logic drives Beijing’s support for the Stillwell Road that could someday connect Kunming in China with Assam, through Myanmar.

The 1962 war had destroyed centuries-old trade linkages carrying benefits across these borders. Now, if New Delhi and Beijing handle their border areas with the confidence of major powers, these linkages could come alive again.

Chidambaram cited the example given by the State Bank Chairman that car sales picked up momentum after the reduction of EMIs. SBI was selling 400 cars per day when the EMI was Rs 1,766 per lakh per month for seven years loan. The sales jumped to 700 cars per day, when the EMI was brought down to Rs 1,725. It shot up further to 1,200 cars, once the EMI was further reduced to Rs 1,699.

15 AUG, 2012, 06.41AM IST, SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR,ET BUREAU 

Independence Day: Why Partition was a good thing for India

source: Economic Times

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Utopians wish Partition had never happened. Supposed realists say Partition was inevitable. I would go a step further and say it was desirable.

Today we celebrate the 65th anniversary of India's independence. Some mourn it as the 65th anniversary of India's partition, which killed a million people and forced 10 million to flee across borders for safety.

Utopians wish Partition had never happened. Supposed realists say Partition was inevitable. I would go a step further and say it was desirable.

Had the British left without Partition, Hindu-Muslim antagonism would have escalated into civil war, leading ultimately to an even bloodier Partition. The civil war would have converted India into a hotbed of Hindu communalism and violence, with secularists sidelined as traitors or worse. Partition, warts and all, has been a better outcome.

Some well-meaning Hindus want the two countries to unite again. They have no idea how utterly insulting the suggestion seems to Pakistanis. For Pakistan, Independence Day celebrates independence from Hindu dominance no less than British dominance. To suggest returning to an undivided India means, to them, a return to Hindu dominance. This is as insulting to most Pakistanis as suggesting a return to the British Raj would be to Indians.

Partition was not inevitable. One myth fed to youngsters is that Britain forced Partition on India. That's wrong. After arguing for years that Hindus and Muslims could work together, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel failed the acid test of working with the Muslim League when the British put them together in the interim Cabinet of 1946-47.

Muslim League finance minister Liaqat Ali riled Congress ministers by holding up financial sanctions for even minor things they proposed. Liaqat then presented a high-tax budget in 1947 to soak businesses that had made huge profits in World War II. Congressmen interpreted this as an attack on Hindu businessmen by a Muslim finance minister.

This was an unwarranted, communal interpretation: the high taxes fell equally on Hindu and Muslim businesses. Yet, Congress stalwarts concluded it was impossible to work with Jinnah, and that a clean Partition would be better. That's how Partition happened, through the voluntary agreement of both the Congress and the Muslim League.

Today, we are used to coalition governments kowtowing to minority partners. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi kowtowed to the Left Front in 2004-09 and to Mamata Banerjee after 2009. In retrospect, it seems amazing that Nehru and Patel could not put up with Liaqat's needling. If only they had kept their cool and accommodated the Muslim League, some people argue, Partition would have been avoided, and the subcontinent would have been a far better, more peaceful place.

Sorry, but this totally ignores the desire of Muslims for a nation of their own, and their willing to make great sacrifices for that end. A Pakistani once told me that every time they hear of a communal riot in India, they thank Allah that they achieved liberation from Hindu domination and hypocritical crap about secularism.

Editorial The Hindu:Please come back

19

Howsoever intangible the source or origin of rumours, their effect on normal, everyday life can be devastatingly real. As students and workers from Assam and other north-eastern States flee south Indian cities fearing ethnically-targeted violence, India’s tenuous social fabric is once again under severe strain. Mysterious calls and text messages about impending attacks in retaliation for the violence against Muslims in Assam have spread panic among people from the northeast working or studying in south Indian cities. Apart from a handful of minor incidents in Bangalore, there was no violence on the ground there or in any south Indian city that saw thousands of people from the northeast quit jobs and leave their studies midway to return home. That rumours could set off such panic speaks to the sense of insecurity that the young migrants lived under. While people from the northeast had no difficulty in getting jobs and gaining admission to educational institutions in the south, they have discovered that their distinctive physical features always marked them out as outsiders. They filled a gap in the market economy, but found no social acceptance beyond their immediate environment. A few months ago, Richard Loitam, a student from Manipur, died under mysterious circumstances after he was assaulted by college mates over a trivial issue. Well before the current crisis, his death caught the headlines and unsettled migrants from the northeast in cosmopolitan Bangalore.

For all the technical means at their disposal, the authorities concerned do not appear to have expended much energy in trying to trace the source of this sinister rumour-mongering. Many of the SMSs circulating contain fabricated information about attacks by Muslims on people from the northeast, including killings, suggesting there are unknown individuals and groups out there actively trying to create panic and drive a wedge between these two minority groups. The intelligence agencies must spare no effort to identify these elements. Reassurances of security aside, what the panic-stricken people need are immediate, evident steps on the ground that enhance security and ensure peace. Over the long-term, ‘mainland’ India needs to be more welcoming toward its fellow-citizens from the northeast. Discrimination and harassment at the workplace and at educational institutions can breed deep insecurity, which could then, at the slightest trigger, lead to panic situations. There should be zero-tolerance of prejudice against ethnic or other minorities. This is the assurance with which every effort must be made to bring all those who have fled in the last 72 hours back to their homes, jobs and studies in the south. 

Railway facilitates lives in Tibet

By Da Qiong in Lhasa and Li Yao in Beijing (China Daily)

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has passed safety and environmental tests and brought economic prosperity to formerly inaccessible Tibetan areas.

Around 550 kilometers of the 1,956-km railway on the world's highest plateau is laid on permafrost. Linking Xining, capital of Qinghai province, and Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, it has transported more than 52 million people and 240 million metric tons of goods since it became fully operational in July 2006.

In 2011, Tibet received 8.6 million tourists, up from 1.8 million visitors in 2005. Tibet's tourism industry generated 9.7 billion yuan ($1.53 billion) in revenue in 2011, five times the amount in 2005.
Qinghai attracted 60 million tourists, bringing revenue of 35 billion yuan, in the past six years.
Tibetan nomads and farmers are benefiting from businesses such as home inns, restaurants and tour guide services. More than 236,000 people work for the tourism industry in 1,363 companies in Tibet.
Pasang Dondrub, a Lhasa resident, makes a living by accompanying tourists during their tours of Tibet. His business has boomed because of the increasing number of tourists brought by the railway.
He earned 60,000 yuan from May to October 2011, three times his yearly income before 2006. With 20 years' experience, he is frequently recommended to new clients, and sometimes the number of calls is overwhelming.

His nephews, Purbunamgyl, Dradul and Gunganamgyl, have joined the car rental business and each earned about 50,000 yuan during the six-month peak season last year.

They often pick up guests at Lhasa Railway Station. "Each time I see a train arriving, I tell myself the railway has brought me friends from across the country and a good income," Pasang Dondrub said.
Purbu Dondrub, head of Liuwu village, which is separated from Lhasa by a river, said villagers used to take ferries or climb mountains to go to the city. Now the village is included in the new Liuwu district where Lhasa Railway Station is located. Participating in the construction of both the station and the new district, Purbu Dondrub said his household income has jumped to 50,000 yuan from 2,000 yuan before 2006.

The railway also facilitates communication and exchange of goods between Tibet and other parts of China. Specialty goods, such as barley wine, mineral water and yak meat, as well as Tibetan medicine, incense and carpets, are popular outside the region.

"The railway ended the era of supply shortages in Tibet," said Liang Chunming, a solar power businessman in Tibet.
Liang, from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, used to worry about shipping goods to Tibet. Without the railway line, shipment could only be done on a small scale and took a long time.
Since the railway was completed, transportation costs and the damage rate have been reduced and the sales volume significantly increased, allowing his business to continue to boom, he said.
Geleg, 23, from Lhasa's rural suburbs, is a third-year student at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. After a summer vacation at home, he took the train back to school on Aug 13, a 42-hour trip costing 180 yuan at the student discount rate.
Ten years ago, it took him more than four days when he traveled to study in East China's Zhejiang province. His father drove a truck and dropped him off in Lhasa, where he took a bus to the airport and flew to Chengdu, Sichuan province. He then traveled by train to Zhejiang province.
For years, he did not go back home during the winter and summer vacations because he could not afford such trips.

"The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has greatly helped students like me," Geleg said.
During the construction of the railway, planners and construction companies worked hard to protect the plateau's fragile ecology, biodiversity and rich ethnic traditions.
To ensure the normal migration of wild animals, 33 special passages were built along the railway. All passenger trains leaving or entering Tibet are equipped with an advanced system to collect waste and sewage to prevent pollution.
Contact the writers at liyao@chinadaily.com.cn and daqiong@chinadaily.com.cn

Of the 90,000 Tibetans taking refuge in India, 30,000 live in different settlements in Karnataka. The Bylakuppe settlement in Kodagu district alone is home to over 20,000 Tibetans

Tibetan Plateau much older than though

Tibetan Plateau much older than thought, new study finds

Researchers' radioactive dating finds high topography began maybe 30 million years ago





The rise of one of the highest, flattest places on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau in China's Sichuan province, began much earlier than thought, according to a new study.

"Our study suggests that high topography began to develop as early as 30 million years ago, and perhaps was present even earlier," Penn State researcher Eric Kirby said in a statement.
Most researchers believe the high mountains in eastern Tibet developed during the past 10 million to 15 million years as deep crust beneath the central Tibetan Plateau flowed to the surface, thickening the Earth's crust and causing the area to rise, Kirby said. But Kirby and his colleagues used radioactive dating to find the uplift began twice as early.

The study may help scientists better understand the complicated processes going on beneath the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau, with an average elevation of about 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), lies at the intersection of the most vigorous collision of continental plates on the planet, where the Indian continental plate rams into the Eurasian plate and dives beneath it.

Kirby looked at samples taken from the hanging wall of the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault, the primary fault responsible for the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan. The researchers used a variety of dating methods, including uranium-thorium radiometric dating, to tease out the ages of the rocks, which tells when they formed and gives clues to when they lifted. This method determines the age of a material by measuring the relative abundance of uranium-234 and thorium-230. The former decays into the latter at a known rate, and by looking at relative levels of each in a given rock layer, scientists can guess the age of the rocks.

The results of the testing, detailed Aug. 5 in the online edition of the journal Nature Geoscience, suggest rocks in the area formed about 30 million to 50 million years ago while undergoing intense erosion. After the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates began about 50 million years ago, portions of the Tibetan plateau began to lift.  As the collision progressed, material from the lithosphere (the solid outer shell of the planet) below the surface crust was pushed toward the east, toward modern-day China. But exactly how and when this happened is a matter of debate. This study suggests this process started earlier than some have assumed.
"These results challenge the idea that the topographic relief along the margin of the plateau developed entirely in the Late Miocene, 5 to 10 million years ago," Kirby said. "The period of rapid erosion between 25 to 30 million years ago could only be sustained if the mountains were not only present but actively growing at this time."
source: msnbc.msn.com

“India will be poverty free if it adopts the idea of Sikkim”

Source: iSikkim & Sikkim Mail 

Gangtok, August 17, 2012:

The Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling announced introduction of e-textbooks and teaching materials from the next academic session, free education to the orphans and the physically challenged children belonging to BPL families, seat reservation for primitive tribes in higher education from the next academic session and pension for unmarried women above 45 year during the occasion of the 66^th Independence Day celebrations organized at Palzor Stadium.
Further, some of the major announcements made by the CM on the day was the formation of Primitive Tribe Development Board, Employment Security Commission and Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry Development Board, enhancement of the daily wages of the laborers from April 2013 and enhancement of existing monthly financial assistance of Rs. 800 and Rs. 1500 to Rs.3000 per month to Worls War veterans and widows of two World Wars are some of the major announcements made by the CM.
Likewise, the CM in his address also announced of cash award of Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 50,000 to the State toppers in the CBSE class X and XII board examinations, enhanced incentives for undergoing PhD and Post Doctorate courses, conduction of aptitude test for children, introduction of pre-primary classes in all Government primary Schools from the next academic session, specialized coaching for local Sikkimese graduates for IAS and allied services coaching in renowned coaching centers in the country, banking probationary services, Defense service in the country, banking probationary offices services, Defense services officers cadre, Aeronautical Engineering, Space Engineering and Aerospace engineering, Music, Dance and Sports etc every year, additional cash incentives of Rs. 2 crore, Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 50 Lakhs to the local Sikkimese winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Olympics, in addition, those securing Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Olympics shall also be appointed in the Lowest Gazetted post in the State Government, establishment of sports academy for archery, boxing and football, training to the youths in the different sectors in order to develop marketable skills and professional expertise among them, upgrading the existing Capacity Building Institute and Livelihood Schools into world class training centres like the Finishing Schools in the developed nations, implementation of CATCH programme in all the schools across the state to assess health status of the children and carry out preventive medication, upgrading the Hotel Management Institute in the state and strengthening it for facilitating training of Sikkimese youths at larger scale, enhancement of the daily wages of laborers from April 2013, pension for unmarried women above 45 years of age as part of social security measures, and, enhancement of existing monthly financial assistance of Rs. 800 and Rs. 1500 to veterans and widows of two World Wars to Rs. 3000 per month.
Adding further, the CM also listed the most backward and remotest villages of the State which he announced to develop together with other developed villages to make Sikkim a totally developed state. The list includes 30 villages of west, 22 of south, 21 of east and 10 of north Sikkim.  In total, 83 villages of the state will be developed. Highlighting the developments Sikkim has witnessed under the SDF government and remarkable achievements CM Chamling threw an essay writing competition among the students on Sikkim and announced of awarding Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 to the top 3 essay writers along with 4 consolation prize of Rs. 10,000.
Similarly, preparation of State and District disaster management plans, formation of State Disaster Response Force and transforming all the schools in the state as disaster safe structure are the prominent features of the proposed Road Map and strengthening of Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority as announced by the CM. As affirmed by the CM, some of the other proposed Road Map and Strengthening of Sikkim State Management Authority are Sikkim State Disaster Management Policy, Sikkim State Disaster Management Plan, District Disaster Management Plans for four Districts, Gangtok Urban Disaster Management Plan, City Disaster Management Plans for all cities, using the Gangtok Urban Disaster Management Plan as a model, setting up an effective “Fire Safety System”, Model Village Disaster Management Plans, subsequently to be implemented across all villages of the state,  formation of Sikkim State Disaster Response Force, and, State School Safety Programme, making all schools disaster safe structurally as well as through capacity building activities. In addition, National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction Management shall be organized on 17^th-18^th September this year which shall also mark the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake last year.
Adding further, the CM also called on the students to develop a sense of ownership towards the state and at the same time urged the people of Sikkim to contribute  towards progress and prosperity of the Nation at large. The State government desires to give equal, best and standard education to all the students of the state. Academic degrees are not sufficient for leading a good quality life but the knowledge on life and living is the essence of good living. Fundamental Rights do not give the right of parallel standard of living thus we need to improve our living standard by ourselves said the CM and also assured of 100 percent electrification, drinking water provision and housing scheme across the state.
Likewise, he notified that the State Government is working for upliftment of the underprivileged people of the State through various initiatives and said that India will be a poverty free country if it adopts the idea of Sikkim. “We know there are challenges ahead. The global scenario is likely to upset our 12^th Plan projection in Sikkim and also nationally. As free citizens, left to our own destiny, we must devise ways to power up the economy through our collective commitment. Like we enjoy equal rights and privileges as citizens of this great nation, we also shoulder great responsibility towards progress and prosperity of the Nation,” he asserted.
“Through our hard work and our unwavering commitment, we can transform India into the most developed Nation. And I am confident that based on our historical legacy, the people of Sikkim as part of the larger Indian entity, will contribute immensely towards progress and prosperity of the Nation at large”, the CM said.
During the occasion, the CM after unfurling the Indian Tricolor received the Independence Day salute. The 66^th Independence Day Celebration saw parade by Platoons of Indo Tibetan Border Police, Seema Shasastra Bal, Sikkim Armed Police, Indian Reserve Battalion, Sikkim Police, Sikkim Home Guard, NCC Platoons from Sir Tashi Namgyal SSS, Tashi Namgyal Academy, West Point SSS, Brihaspati Parsai SSS, PNG School, Bharat Scouts and Guides and Brass and Pipe Bands from Indian Army, Sikkim Police and TNA.
The ITBP Platoon walked away with the best Platoon Trophy while PNG School walked away with the best NCC/ Scouts and Guides Trophy. Likewise, the Sikkim Police Band was handed over with Consolation Trophy.
The State Level 66th Independence Day Celebration in the capital also witnessed Band display by Indian Army and Sikkim Police along with drill display by the students of Modern SS, West Point SSS, Burtuk JHS, Rongay JHS, Upper Syari JHS and Enchey SSS. Colourful cultural programmes were also presented by the artistes from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Heritage and the students of Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Tadong Senior Secondary School, PNG School and Livelihood School.
Ten government employees  were conferred with the State Meritorious Service Award for their dedicated and exemplary services, while Sub – Fire Officer of Singtam Fire Station, ST Lepcha was presented the Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Service which was conferred on him on the occasion of Independence Day, 2011.
Similarly, the CM also  released Sikkim Biodiversity Action Plan published by Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department, Village Development Action Plan and MGNREGA-Building Sikkim published by the Rural Management and Development and Booklets on Dairy Farming, Piggery Farming and Poultry Farming-Layer and Broiler-published by Animal Husbandry Livestock Fisheries and Veterinary Services Department. The official website of Animal Husbandry Department, www.sikkim-ahvs.gov.in was also launched during the occasion.
Sikkim Mail

PM said miscreants spreading rumours that have led to people belonging to North East flee from Bangalore, Pune and other parts of the country, should be brought to book and noted that at stake is not just unity and integrity of the country, but also communal harmony.

Officials estimate the number of people from the North East, including students, residing in Bangalore in the range of 2.5 lakh and 2.75 lakh.

"...The mischief mongers and anti-national elements behind the electronic campaign to create panic should be urgently investigated by the authorities," the resolution read out by Chairman Hamid Ansari said.

• 

On Wednesday night, 6,900 passengers headed home in two special trains and the Guwahati Express. Depending on the demand, two more special trains are likely to be run on Friday. Thanks to the rumours (about natives of the Northeast being under threat), security firms, BPOs, restaurants and hotels, beauty parlours, colleges and schools, where they can be found in substantial numbers, wore a deserted look on Thursday. This, despite assurances from the Karnataka government, police, concerned citizens and representatives of Muslims, that they need not be scared.

Lalrokhuma Pachau, Karnataka DGP who hails from the Northeast, also appealed to people not to listen to rumours.

RSS workers in all localities in the city to reach out to people from the Northeast and to assure them security

Calling people from the Northeast among the “most pleasant tempered” in the service sector, Tabrez Ahmed Iqbal, who is part of a group of owners of a Chinese restaurant chain with as many as 30 outlets in the city, said 90 per cent of his 1,400 employees belonged to the region.

“Out of the 1,200 employees in our hotel chain, as many as 400 are from the Northeast... They are central to our operations and now they are leaving,” said Junaiz K, COO and general manager of the Empire Group of Hotels that has properties all around Bangalore.

Thursday, 16 August 2012 7:11 PM

 

PRESS RELEASE

            The Sikkim  Government has taken a very serious view over the situation arising over the reported news of attack on the North Eastern people residing in Bengaluru and Pune.

            In order to ensure safety of Sikkimese residing in these cities,  the Chief Secretary of Sikkim, Mr. Karma Gyatso, IAS, spoke to Mr. S.V. Ranganath, IAS, the Chief Secretary of Karnataka.  Mr. Gyatso conveyed the Sikkim Government’s concern about the safety of Sikkimese to his counterpart.  In response the Chief Secretary of Karnataka gave full assurance as regards the safety of Sikkimese in Bengaluru.  He also assured the State Government of Sikkim that the law and order  in Karnataka was under control and therefore there was no reason to worry or panic as regards to safety of life and limb.

            Shri Karma Gyatso has also requested the Hon’ble Speaker, Shri K.T. Gyaltsen to take up the issue with the Karnataka Government during his visit to the State which is scheduled for 18^th of September, 2012.

( K.S. Tobgay ),

                                                                                         Secretary, IPR.

Data source: The Financial Times *First quarter of 2011

Stick to the basic of value investing.

What industry will be the next growth driver in the 21st century and what do you see that supports that? " legendary value investor Warren Buffett was once asked. Can you guess what answer he must have given? He simply said, "We don't worry too much about that." He went on to elaborate with the example of the automobile and the airplane industry. It was impossible back in the 1930s how much these two industries would impact the world. They have indeed been a great boon for society. However, for investors both these sectors have been absolute disasters. Of the 2,000 automobile companies that had mushroomed during that period, only a handful have survived. The fate of the airline industry has been even worse, with perpetual losses of billions of dollars.

The fate of a much-touted emerging sector has reaffirmed that Mr Buffett's wisdom has no expiry date. We are referring to the solar energy equipment sector. It goes without doubt that the world has little choice but to gradually switch towards sustainable and renewable energy sources. And solar energy is definitely a sector with very high potential. But does a high growth sector necessary translate into shareholder wealth? In this case, the answer seems to be no.

The global solar photovoltaic demand surged from a little over 7,000 megawatts (MW) to nearly 20,000 MW in 2010. And as per certain estimates, the current global demand stands at about 30,000 MW. But you would be surprised to know that the Indian solar manufacturing sector is on the verge of collapse with over 80% of the units shut down. In fact, not just India, the sector is facing severe headwinds across the globe. What's the reason? The answer is extreme optimism. Currently, the manufacturing capacity is two times the demand. Over enthusiasm about the industry's high growth prospects led players to set up huge capacities. But in recent times, the sector has been facing the brunt of the crisis in the Eurozone, one of the main markets. Dormant demand in India coupled with intense competition from Chinese counterparts made matters only worse.

Whatever be the fate of the solar equipment manufacturing industry, there is one very crucial lesson that investors need to take home. Be very careful while putting your money in the so-called 'new age' sectors purely on basis of huge growth potential. At best, avoid investing in sectors that do not have a sufficiently long operating history. Another important lesson is to let go of the urge to predict the future. Stick to the basic of value investing. Invest in stocks with strong fundamentals, solid past track record and sufficient future growth visibility
By J Mulraj