Naga framework agreement remains an inside job between the signatories

Isak Chishi Swu will be interred today at his village of Chishilimi, north of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. This will formally end a weeklong mourning for the chairman of the Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagalim, the largest Naga rebel group, and the largest rebel group in India after Communist Party of India (Maoist).

What happens now to the framework agreement for peace that this rebel organisation signed with the Government of India last August?

Several things, and all were in play even before Swu died in a New Delhi hospital on June 28, aged 87, for all purposes chaperoned by the government, with which NSCN (I-M) fought a bitter war till 1997. A ceasefire took hold that year.

It has always been an uneasy ceasefire, and an uneasy year since the framework agreement was signed.

The faction chaired by Swu and his colleague and real power centre, Thuingaleng Muivah — the M in I-M — the Ato-kilonser, or prime minister to Swu’s Yaruiwo, has continually trained, recruited and rearmed. Its headquarters at Camp Hebron — landmarks of this group that mixes Christianity, socialist ardour, and brute power have biblical references — hosts much of its army and administration, the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim. It’s a short drive southwest of Dimapur, Nagaland’s commercial hub.

Flags here proclaim Nagalim: A light-blue background striped with red, yellow and green, and topped by a white six-pointed star of Bethlehem. Clocks proclaim Nagalim Time. Thus far it’s Indian Standard Time, but Nagalim maps an idealistic geography that includes, besides Naga homelands in Myanmar, all of Nagaland, Naga homelands in vast areas of Manipur, and handsome slices of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Nagalim remains on the agenda for negotiations.

From here NSCN (I-M) runs a parallel administration from across all Naga areas in India. Personnel intercede in development projects and elections. Such “national workers” monitor the flow of funds that Naga citizens — even government officials — and businesses operating in Nagaland contribute every month, quarter or year. It makes a mockery of the governments of India and Nagaland, and has co-existed because an uneasy peace with occasional skirmishing is seen as better than war.

While Swu increasingly focused on prayer, Muivah focused on building and maintaining the organisation, and appointing loyalists to key posts. It’s an organisation with an estimated 5,000 armed cadres, with some numbers in camps in Myanmar — preparatory ground in case the framework peace agreement heads south.

Because it could.

NSCN (I-M) is only one faction. There are breakaways of the original NSCN formed in 1980, and several breakaways of the original NSCN (I-M), besides pale shadows of organisations like the once-overarching Naga National Council led by Angami Zapu Phizo. (That iconic leader in various degrees helmed Naga nationalist interests from 1929 till his death in 1990.)

These factions are in various stages of ceasefire and neutrality with government of India, but are not signatories to NSCN (I-M)’s August 2015 agreement. Certainly not the K or SS Khaplang faction of NSCN — die-hard enemies of I-M — which broke away from a 14-year ceasefire with the government in March 2015. Based in Myanmar, Khaplang read the wind drifting I-M’s way and opted to secure his base in Myanmar while still foraying into Nagaland. Till it broke ceasefire, NSCN (K) like all other groups maintained camps designated by government of India. All groups attempt to strenuously mirror the commanWhile the leaders of all groups, even Khaplang, have eulogised Swu and spoken of the nobility of the Naga cause — including legitimate anger at genocide against the Naga people sanctioned by India’s government — the sobering truth is that there can be no lasting Naga solution without reconciliation among Naga factions. Or, they are neutralised as to be made toothless.

Leaders and cadres of these rebel groups also need to be ‘mainstreamed’ within the Naga structure variously in politics, administration, some in paramilitaries, others pensioned off or provided seed money to fund businesses, and younger cadres provided retraining or education. A gesture has been made. On June 15, all legislators of Nagaland offered to resign en masse to pave that way.

The dynamics are further complicated by inevitable leadership struggles in all rebel structures. For instance, Muivah is 82. A power play within NSCN (I-M) has been the talk for at least two years. Disarray may provide plum pickings for India, but if a next-gen leader perceives greater power and influence in a state of continuing conflict, he will choose it.

Moreover, Nagalim is more than Naga perspectives. Take Manipur, particularly the perspective of plains-dwelling Meitei (the Nagas, Kukis and other tribes occupy the hills, 90% of the territory). Many Meitei leaders suspect that an ongoing hills-versus-plains stand-off is pure I-M, and underwritten by the Indian government. This feeling is sharpened by the fact that several I-M leaders, including Muivah, are of Naga tribes in Manipur, and could logically look to secure a power base here. This is plausible if seen through the complex lens of tribalism. Muivah is Tangkhul, a tribe with its homeland in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. He is seen by many in Nagaland as an outsider. Swu, who was Sema (or Sumi), from ancestral lands in Zunheboto district in Nagaland, provided Muivah a veneer of acceptability that is now somewhat diminished.d and control structure of NSCN (I-M). Imagine this crossfire of administration.

And finally, the framework agreement remains for all practical purposes an inside job between the signatories. The public and other players remain in the dark. In effect, there is little beyond two signatures and stated intentions to move forward. Nagaland’s future, and that of much of its neighbourhood, depends on this rubble-strewn road where all travelers will need to behave like saints.

Sudeep Chakravarti is the author of several books, including Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land, a commentator on issues related to conflict, a columnist, and consultant to think-tanks

Source: Hindustan Times, 4-07-2016

Your Good Deeds Are Your Best Friends

Ezekiel Isaac Malekar





A certain man had three friends: two of whom he loved dearly , the other he but lightly esteemed. It happened one day that the king commanded his presence at court, at which he was greatly alarmed, and wished to procure an advocate. He went to the two friends, whom he loved. One flatly refused to accompany him, the other offered to go with him as far as the king's gate, but no farther. Desperate, he called upon the third friend, whom he least esteemed; and that friend not only went willingly with him, but also so ably defended him before the king that he was honourably acquitted.Similarly , every man has three friends, when Death summons him to appear before the Creator. His friend, whom he loves most, namely his money , cannot go with him a single step; his second, relations and neighbours, can only accompany him up to the cremation burial ground, but cannot defend him before the Judge, while his third friend, whom he does not highly esteem ­ his good deeds ­ go with him before the king, and obtain his acquittal.This story is narrated by Joseph Hertz in his Daily Prayer Book.
Hayim Halberstem said, “In my youth, I thought to convert the youth, I thought to convert the whole world to God. But soon, I discovered that it would be enough to convert the people who lived in my town; and I tried that for a time, but did not succeed. I realised that my programme was still too ambitious and I concentrated on the persons in my household.I could not convert them either.Finally it dawned on me. I must work upon myself, so that I may give true service to God, but i did not accomplish even this.“
Often, our good ideas and objectives are dissipated because of more alluring alternatives that present themselves before us, using up our limited time, energy and resources. The irony is that the pursuit of noble and worthy aims seldom carries with it financial gains. So we often are tempted and change our course of action and replace our intentions with more `profitable' activities.
The greatest legacy , footprints on the sands of time, that one can leave behind are a trail of good deeds, which alone can justify one's mortal existence. The habit of procrastination kills good intentions. It takes a strong will, inspiration and great enthusi asm to start any enterprise and more so for an understanding of that which is of spiritual value rather than of material value.material values are not to be But material values are not to be despised since these may be harnessed to ethical objectives. The moment a good intention is born, it must be executed immediately . What is the point of good intention if it is not executed?
Each person is an artist that creates his own personality . His character creates the image that he presents to others. By our own deeds and thoughts, we can make this image of infinite beauty or we can make it ugly. Before it is too late, let us make good deeds our best friend.
“A man is known by three names.The first is the name which his parents give him; the second is the name by which others call him, and the third is the name by which he is identified in the true record of his life, from Birth to Death.“ ­ Midrash (The writer is priest and honorary secretary , Judah Hyam Synagogue, New Delhi.)

The Source be With You

MANI BHAUMIK





Some feel that religion and spirituality are nothing more than superstition. But why throw the baby out with the bathwater? Everything comes from one source but we can't communicate with that. So, we came up with this idea of having icons we can relate to; behind them was a bigger, deeper meaning. But over time, we forgot about the Source. Nature and creator comprise wholeness, the essence of spirituality .How would you define God?
In two words: creator and sustainer. We need a new name for God; I call it the Source, but I suppose it's not catchy . The Source is in microcosm; it is intimately connected with our being. A single cell has all the material to make trillions of cells that your body requires.And it is all developed from a single cell and that blueprint continues to be in that cell. So is the universe, the blueprint of everything, which was there when the universe started -it is still present in the universe.
Is consciousness quantifiable? Scientists have no clue where consciousness comes from.I'm aware of you and you're aware of me. You may experience it but that's not science.We have no scientifically established idea of consciousness.There is another school -to which I belong -which says consciousness is an inbuilt quality of awareness.
It's the self-interaction capability . The brain commandeers that universal potential, `aham bhramasmi' (`I'm part of Brahmn'). We don't have an instrument to measure consciousness, but we can measure its physiological manifestation.

I Am Rich, But Not Attached To Money

Mani Bhaumik





My first moment of epiphany was when i looked up at the stars and felt the presence of something powerful. But that was in my childhood and i had left all that behind me. After years of excitement and hard work, i had everything to be happy about. The problem with excitement is that one excitement needs a bigger one to be satisfied. I thought that people live happily as long as they had enough money , but i could still feel an emptiness in me.There was a party at my house one day. After the guests had left, i was alone beside the swimming pool. My thoughts strayed to my growing up years in India. In those days, though my stomach ached with hunger and my pulse throbbed with the anxiety of an uncertain tomorrow, i never walked alone. All around me was the undeniable presence of that living web from which all things are born and continually unfold. That moment, i knew the cause of my unhappiness at once ­ `That' presence was missing. I was satisfied with what i had, but i wasn't happy. That's when i decided to get to the bottom of this feeling of unhappiness. Over a period of time, i found myself asking the question: Who am I? I was in a rat race like most other scientists who don't have the time to think. Moreover, i had my poverty to overcome.
After achieving my goals, i thought i would be happy but i wasn't. I felt that i should know more about my Indian spiritual heritage. I remember what M K Gandhi said, “Happiness is an inside job. It can't come from the outside.“ But gradually i became a sceptic scientist and my motto was to not take anyone's word for it. I decided to study religion and did so for 10 years. What i found blew my mind. I realised that there is a higher power just like the Brahmn that vedanta describes and it pervades all space without exception.
I resolved to pledge myself to working in concert with others with a common desire to forge a new alloy of spirituality and science, strong enough to withstand the centrifugal forces of our age.
The fact is, we need to believe in a higher power that is universal, and much bigger than us. In all spiritual traditions, we have the desire to communicate with that entity .piness doesn't come from Happiness doesn't come from science; it comes from experience and clarity. When my mind is clear, i feel one with the Source. That's how i got back my peace of mind. Money is necessary; you can't renounce everything and go to the Himalayas. For spiritual progress, renunciation is not required.Attachment is what causes problems, and you need to guard yourself against it. I may have all luxuries, but i'm not attached to them. I can enjoy a luxurious life; i can take it or leave it.
We have 5,000 years of tradition; Buddha says that attachment causes suffering. Relieving suffering by renunciation is not the right way; you don't have to renounce everything and go away , although it is easy to do so.

TN top tourist draw for 2nd straight year

Himanshi Dhawan

New Delhi





Tamil Nadu has topped the popularity charts for both domestic and foreign tourists for the second year in a row, beating Maharashtra and other favoured destinations like Goa and Kerala.TN received 4.68 million foreign tourists in 2015, a tad higher than 4.66 million in 2014. Domestically , it continued its winning streak since 2013 with 333.5 million Indians visiting in 2015, according to tourism ministry data. Tamil Nadu's rise as a top-ranker for Indian and foreign travellers is surprising and could possibly be attributed to Indians working and studying abroad and non-resident Indians coming to visit family and relatives,“ an industry source said.
Maharashtra came second with 4.41 million foreign tourists, thanks mainly to Mumbai's busy airport that acts as a gateway for India. Uttar Pradesh, with the famous Taj Mahal, attracted 3.1 million tourists and is in the third place while Delhi with 2.38 million foreign tourists came in fourth.
Others states that are in the top 10 included West Bengal (1.49 million), Rajasthan (1.48 million), Kerala (0.98 million), Bihar (0.92 million), Karnataka (0.64 million) and Goa (0.54 million).Goa returned to the top 10 after a year's gap.
The contribution of top 10 states was about 88.4% to the total number of foreign tourist visits in the country during 2015.
Domestic tourists by far overshadowed foreign tour ists' flow with 1432 million tourists in 2015 as compared to 1282 million in 2014, registering a growth of 11.63%.
Besides Tamil Nadu, the top 10 states that Indians travelled to include Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.

Source: Times of India, 1-07-2016

Assam’s Majuli becomes India’s first island district

The Assam Government has granted district status to Majuli, a 400 square kilometres island in the Brahmaputra River. With this it becomes India’s first island district. Decision in this regard was taken by the state cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati. With this erosion-troubled Majuli island will become the 34th district of Assam. Earlier it was sub-division of Jorhat district. About Majuli island Geographical occurrence: The fluvial riverine island is formed by the Brahmaputra river system. It is the world’s largest mid river delta (island) system. The island is surrounded by Subanisri River in the North, main Brahmaputra River on the South and kherkatia Suli, split channel of Brahmaputra River in northeast. People and Culture: Majuli island is mostly inhabited by Mishing tribal people. It has been the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture initiated by saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva in 15th century. The island had some 65 satras (monasteries adhering) to Vaishnavism. But large numbers of them were relocated to the mainland after being washed away. The main surviving satras include Garamurh, Dakhinpat, Kamalabari, Auniati and Bengenaati. Flora and Fauna: Majuli island is a rich environmental hotspot harbouring. It is home of many rare and endangered avifauna species including migratory birds. Erosion: Due to erosion of river-bank of the island it has shrunk from about 1250 sq km in 1891 to about 515 sq km.

Source: currentaffairs.gktoday.in, 29-06-2016

MGNREGS provided just 49 work days on average

he rural job guarantee programme provided only 49 days of work on an average across the country in 2015-16 when drought in several states affected farm output and crimped income.

Rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, though, highlighted this number as a record.

Only 10.1% of the total households that had been provided employment had been able to complete 100 days of work as stipulated by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, according to a Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) outcome report by the rural development ministry.

And the number of households that had completed more than 100 days of work in areas where a drought had been declared was 283.5 million or 5.9% of the total, the outcome report said. Activities under MGNREGS, including building check dams and village ponds, resulted in 46.43 hectares of land being brought under irrigation, the report said.

Ordinarily, in a year of scanty rain, those engaged in agricultural activities—farm labour and even small farmers—would have been unemployed and looking for jobs and even migrating in search of work.

The year 2015-16 was the second consecutive year that rains had failed. At least 11 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Karanataka have declared a drought. Last year, the central government announced an extension from 100 to 150 days for work under MGNREGS for areas declared as affected by a natural disaster.

It was to stem distress migration and suicides among farmers and alleviate rural distress that MGNREGS was introduced in 2006.

The programme guarantees up to 100 days of unskilled work in a year to every rural household and has been credited with raising rural household incomes. It has been a key source of livelihood for millions of rural households.

“The average of 49 days of work is a record,” rural development minister Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi.

MGNREGS has had a record of never completing 100 days a year since its inception, said Himanshu, associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and visiting fellow at Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi, and a Mint columnist.

“It is only 2% or 3% of the people who complete 100 days of work in a year. The reason for that is that some state governments are proactive, some are not, some pay wages on time, others don’t. So, there are a number of factors for this,” Himanshu said.

“Also, the number 49 days is an all-India average; so it is not correct to compare this with 100 days in a year,” he said.

Another reason for MGNREGS to clock an average of 49 days is because wages under the scheme have fallen below other wages stipulated by states; so the priority will be to go for better paying daily wage jobs, he said.

According to the report, the number of households that demanded employment in 2015-16 were 53.5 million and of these, 48.2 million had been prov i d e d with work. The total person days—or the number of people multiplied by the number of days they had been provided work—stood at 2.36 billion in 2015-16, the report said.

The number of jobs undertaken for asset creation under MGNREGS in the past decade stood at 32 million, of which 23 million were completed, the report said. Land development and irrigation works topped the list of activities under the MGNREGS, it said, followed by water conservation and maintenance and development of traditional water bodies.

Source: Mintepaper, 29-06-2016