Thats correct. It does say though that its a large publishing house etc. I don't know of any large publishing houses in the NE. But who knows, it could well have been a group from the NE.
On 5/16/05, Rajib Das <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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 Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu 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
