The report does not mention the delhi based NGO. Wouldn't be surprised if those running the show would be from the NE as well.
--- Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Incidents like these give NGOs a bad name. Moreover, > there seems to > some patronizing attitude toward the NE by Delhites. > This is just > shameful! > If they were organizing events of this nature, they > ought to do their homework. > > --Ram > __________ > > Issue Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 > Help! We are from the N-E > SHILLONG NOTES / PATRICIA MUKHIM > It has become fashionable for sundry organisations > based in New Delhi > to do something for the people of the Northeast. It > almost seems as if > the natives are such a helpless lot that they are > incapable of doing > anything for themselves. > > Recently, a New Delhi-based non-governmental > organisation (NGO), > claiming to be a publishing house and a non-profit > organisation, > invited creative writers from the region for a > three-day meeting. Two > prestigious schools, the Assam Valley School and > Maria's Public > Schools, were also included among the invitees. The > schools responded > in the hope that they would have a wonderful > opportunity to interface > with other students from equally prestigious schools > in Delhi. They > were deeply disappointed as the school that > participated was not what > they expected it would be and they learnt nothing > from the interface. > > Assam and Manipur had a big contingent of creative > writers, artists, > filmmakers, theatre personalities and journalists > attending the > function. Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland > had one > representative each. Prior to the event, the > organisation had hyped > things up so much that several sponsors and donors > agreed to pool > funds towards the projected expenditure for the > three-day event. > Sponsors included DoNER, ONGC, the Union culture > ministry and the > North Eastern Council (NEC). So keen were the > organisers to make the > event a high-profile one that they also invited two > mediapersons, one > each from Meghalaya and Manipur. > > Those who responded to the call did so with the > expectation that the > event would bring them face to face with policy > planners and other > reputed writers of the capital. Nothing of the sort > happened. Except > for a few members belonging to the organisation and > New Delhi-based > students from the Northeast, there was hardly anyone > from Delhi. > > So, in retrospect, this was another of those vain > attempts to > ostensibly flag critical issues of the region to a > Delhi audience, > except that it turned out that almost all of the > speakers in the panel > and also in the audience were people from the > Northeast. Yet again, > people from the region are talking to themselves, > about themselves and > for themselves. It just did not make any sense at > all. We could have > had a similar gathering at any of the capital cities > of the region at > very little cost. And we would not have required a > New Delhi-based > organisation to do the planning for us. We could > have done that > ourselves. > > For an event of that stature, one would have > expected the metro media > to be attending in full strength. But that, too, was > missing. The > event received little or no coverage at all. On the > whole, the episode > was a big letdown. Things turned out to be even more > nightmarish when > the organisation refused outright to refund the > airfares of > participants they had specifically invited to be on > different panels. > In fact, the entire event was so badly organised > that people had to be > suddenly pulled out from among the audience to > become panellists for > sessions they were ill-prepared for. > > P.A. Sangma was asked to come for a session that was > to start at 10 > am. He arrived on the dot and sat through the > session that he was a > panellist of, giving an incisive over-view of the > Centre's perception > of the Northeast, which was well taken by the > audience. > > After the two-hour session, Sangma took leave > because he had a > Parliament session to attend. Without taking > cognisance of the MP's > hectic schedule and his more important duty of > sitting in Parliament, > the organisers suddenly announced that Sangma would > also chair an > afternoon session where school students would engage > in a mock > parliament. Sangma was taken aback! He was not told > of this > arrangement, he said. And he could not justifiably > remain absent from > Parliament for the whole day. This blatant > disrespect for protocol and > the propensity to take for granted anyone who is > from the Northeast > was amply demonstrated by the organisers, showing > yet again what scant > respect the mainstream really has even for political > stalwarts from > the Northeast. > > Another session, which was supposed to be attended > by about 40 people > from different universities of Delhi, also had a > lukewarm response. > There were precisely eight people from Jawaharlal > Nehru University and > Delhi University who attended. The rest were all > northeasterners. > Those who came did so because they were previously > connected to the > region. There were no curious or interested > spectators who would have > wanted to learn something more from the panel > discussions. > > The organisers made everyone believe they were > actually hosting the > event on a shoestring budget. Hence, people were > expected to rough it > out in a guesthouse with no air-conditioner, in the > unbearable heat of > Delhi. > > They were asked to share a room that was just about > 10x10 in size. > Food was literally rationed out, and it was purely > vegetarian. > Northeasterners are supposed to put up with this > kind of treatment in > the national capital because they cannot expect any > better. The very > fact that people were invited to come to New Delhi > was seen as a great > favour done to the untamed natives. So they had > better not complain! > This ludicrous show has taught every invitee to the > function a lesson. > > Unfortunately, the Union government, with its > plethora of departments, > never learns from mistakes. The emergence of > organisations like DoNER, > which are based in Delhi and seem to be flush with > funds, has also > made them a happy hunting ground for organisations > looking for easy > funding. DoNER seems ready to comply with anything > that appears like a > remote attempt to "showcase the Northeast", as if > the people here are > specimens to be dissected by the more evolved > species of humans who > live in New Delhi. > > A report in a Meghalaya-based local newspaper on > Sunday, May 15, said > DoNER would use the Indian Institute of Management > (IIM), Lucknow, to > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
