[Assam] 'ULFA had traced me to Philadelphia?': Assamese Tea Baron's
Umesh HP Barooah is a big name in Assam and India. One of the greatest Assamese entrepreneurs we can be proud of.In Indian context he is fit for Padmabhsushans, Vibhushans etc like Chabarias, Mittals, Tatas, Godrej etc. But then he is from Assam-so no such recognition till now. regards Chittaranjan - Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles. Visit the Yahoo! Auto Green Center.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] 5000 suspected Bangladeshis have entered Assam from A.P.
Bdeshis make a beeline to Lakhimpur From our Correspondent NORTH LAKHIMPUR, July 14: Following the operation clean drive launched by the All Arunachal Students Union and Arunachal Nisi Students Union against illegal Bangladeshi nationals in Arunachal Pradesh, over five thousand suspected Bangladeshis have entered Lakhimpur district leading to tension among the people of the district. Earlier the AAPSU and ANSU directed the suspected foreign nationals to leave Arunachal within July 15. Meanwhile, some suspected Bangladeshis have also reportedly been harassed by the students bodies today. A huge procession was taken out at Itanagar and Naharlagun today against the presence of illegal Bangladeshis by the two students unions with the slogan of Bangladeshi hotao Arunachal bachao, renting the air. Meanwhile, the Papumpare Deputy Commissioner has already issued an eight-point caution to AAPSD for conducting the operation clean drive peacefully. On the other hand the Arunachal Chambers of Commerce and Industries took objection to harassment of legal citizens and door to door checking in the name of the drive. In the meantime the Asom Government continues to play a deaf and dum role over the matter. - Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] 'ULFA had traced me to Philadelphia?': Assamese Tea Baron's
i guess you are right. awards help bring recognition - but you might be knowing that even with India's top award Bharat Ratna - Bismillah Khan had t beg for help in his old age - thru the press . One has to come up the hard way - having dealt with ULFA and now talking about it - HP Barooah-da probably knows it very well. Umesh chittaranjan pathak [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Umesh HP Barooah is a big name in Assam and India. One of the greatest Assamese entrepreneurs we can be proud of.In Indian context he is fit for Padmabhsushans, Vibhushans etc like Chabarias, Mittals, Tatas, Godrej etc. But then he is from Assam-so no such recognition till now. regards Chittaranjan - Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles. Visit the Yahoo! Auto Green Center.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma Washington D.C. 1-202-215-4328 [Cell] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info) www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used ) http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ - Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit now.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Film: Darkness of Century by Sadananda Gogoi at New York Film Festival
Dear Netters, An Assamese film: "Darkness of Century" directed by Sadananda Gogoi is going to be screened at the prestigious New York Film Festival on 21st, July 2007 at 6:45pm. It makes us all proud that an Assamese film is going to be screened at such a big event. I wish Sadananda all the best and hope he brings success by winning an award to take back home. I would also like to request all our fellow Assamese living aorund the world and especially from USA: New Yorkers, Boston, Texas, Washington, Los Angeles etc to come and see this film. Website: MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "_javascript_" claiming to be http://www.nyfilmvideo.com/2007/ny-july/filmads/darkness-of-century/index.htm Thanks Rini Kakati Darkness of CenturyDirected by Sadananda Gogoi SYNOPSIS: Arup and Rupali in love, wants to get married. Parents of the girl against their marriage because Arup belongs to lower cast. Girl's father bribes an Astrologer to predict that any one of them would die if they get married. But Arup, Rupali get married. Later the girl becomes a psychological patient for the affect of Astrologer's prediction and she commits suicide just to save her loving husband from unnatural death.What's the most memorable email you've ever received? Tell Hotmail about it! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Korean Wave in Asia - culture - wiki
working for a Korean American education group I am certainly interested in Korea -esp. since many of my students have come very recently from Korea . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083002985.html Korean Man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_wave Korean Wave Umesh Umesh Sharma Washington D.C. 1-202-215-4328 [Cell] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info) www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used ) http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ - New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] mainland vs northeast in delhi
At 6:44 AM -0700 7/14/07, SANDIP DUTTA wrote: These kind of discussions are not going to help one single NE person who may or may not face the kind of discrimination we talk about. *** We are missing the point. Prevention of tyranny of the majority is not the aim here. That is the responsibility of the 'great Indian democracy' . But ours is to point out its dysfunction and to educate our people about what NOT to expect from it. Assam.org cannot change the way Haryanvis think about NE, atleast for the time being. This is a practical situation on the ground. As we cannot change the fact that Haryanvis dominate the Delhi police and have little or no knowledge about NE, we have to be a bit more judicious for the time being instead of thinking like we were in the middle of Kohima. *** Why should Kohima be foreign to Dilli, if Dilli claims Kohima to be its integral part? Is this not an utterly untenable proposition? BTW, Isnt the Ulfa targetting Hindi speakers for similar racist reasons - and blowing them with bombs? *** ULFA and its actions are RESULTs of Indian policies and attitudes that remain unchangeable as you point out yourself. They are NOT its causes. Rgds, Sandip Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't see anything wrong in discussing the issue. In fact it should be discussed. But I agree with most of the points made here. Very well said! . If it is true, then a Gujarati considers a Bihari mainstream and a Bihari considers a Tamil mainstream; but they all consider us as not of the mainstream. *** And what that means is that we are different. It is a fact. We ought to be secure about it, and not seek to be like them :-). If this basis is correct, why should we beg to be included in that mainstream? In that case, we are distinct from them as a class, because, we have a different/ vibrant/ rich identity, if not politically, then definitely culturally. And we are, and should be, proud of that. *** Exactly! The only thing that remains is 'discrimnation' by Delhi authorities towards our boys and girls studying there. When the entire country pride itself in baring itself to the western influence, why our guys should be singled out for special treatment on the plea that certain rape or other untoward things happened to a few of them. Such things happen to lots of Delhi students, western or domestic tourists. *** There is a major MYTH here, however. The so-called 'westernization' of Indians cannot be further from the truth. Even a very large percentage of the so-called NRIs living in the west are NOT really westernized and live sheltered lives, divorced from the life of the communities where they do, hopelessly attempting to hold on to what they consider Indian--which, incidentally, varies widely from one group to the other, while each ethnic group remain largely divorced from others from the same 'India' they came from . The parochialism is brutal. Perhaps worse than what it might be in some more pluralistic of Indian metropolitan environments. Westernization in India is, at best, a mindless copy of the most superficial of traits of what is considered 'western', usually as created by Bollywood or as registered from fleeting images on the internet today. The only thing that remains is 'discrimnation' by Delhi authorities towards our boys and girls studying there. *** It really is a manifestation of the attitude that pervades the general Indian outlook: That numbers rule. My way or the highway. While it argued that it is an universal human trait, the difference lies in to recognize the rights of the numerical minorities, protecting them with FUNCTIONING institutions of state: Constitutional safeguards backed up with law enforcement, and effective conflict resolution mechanisms, like courts of law. The entire question thus boils down to one point: whether Delhi authorities should presecribe dress code or should gear themselves up to provide safeguard to the people---dressed, undressed or scantily dressed, without discrimination? *** Exactly! I believe, we should tell them to mind their business and not waste our own time and energy on this issue. *** Here I differ. Unless it is discussed, people will remain uneducated about its, and so will its ramifications. Indian intelligentsia's absence from dealing with these issues is the reason they remain operative. At 1:21 PM +0100 7/14/07, uttam borthakur wrote: Is there any point in pursuing this discussion? There is an assumption here that INDIANS, other than NORTH EASTERNERS, consider other Indians mainstream, but do not have the same attitude towards the North Easterners. If it is true, then a Gujarati considers a Bihari mainstream and a Bihari considers a Tamil mainstream; but they all consider us as not of the mainstream. Why is that so? If this basis is
Re: [Assam] A must watch video of Indian idol
Someone, who does not understand any Hindi, from another e-mail list, asked for an explanation of the following post: Hi All You logon ki silence for this long is deafening and dar-o-fying me. To break the ice, here is something to take note of: HOW BIHAR WAS WON Jab tak rahega Samosa me ALOO.. Tab tak rahega Bihhaar me LALLoo. BY LALOO. From your Northern Bhai Since no one came up with a response, yours truly took to the stand, with the following: ** Awright ! Since those who know Hindi well won't come to your aid, allow me, the pidgin-Hindi speaker , to take a stab . If I mess it all up, it will be the fault of the those who are supposed know better than to let this happen :-). Laloo Prasad Yadav, the clownish 'low-caste' ex-chief minister of the Indian Bihar state; corruption infested,perennially flood ravaged and supposed to be poverty ridden; widely known to be a master of nepotism, convicted of certain crimes and suspected of all kinds of corrupt practices; is a critical partner of the current Indian coalition government at Delhi . He is the minister in charge of Indian Railways, a critical component of the Indian economy and of immense importance to the daily lives of most Indians, barring only the elite. Very widely, and perhaps fondly to many, known just as Laloo, a rustic name common in the lowest strata of society of the region, is the object object of much ridicule and derision among the Indian upper-crust, the upper castes and the intelligentsia; not to speak of the neo-rightist Indians riding the wave of the an expanding economy or the fans of the great Indian democracy and its promoters abroad. Compound that with the two OO's in his name , widely associated in India with with 'gwlla' s( spheres or circles in Hindi) -- zeros -- the concept of which was developed by the ancient Indians -- and all forms of euphemisms of emptiness and negativism, to his already 'funny' name. Mind you here, us 'desis', even grown up ones, also take a lot of delight in making fun of people with unusual names, not to mention those like Lalloo, that rhyme with 'aloo' ( potato -- a spherical object representing zero and a lowly vegetable, staple of the poor). But Laloo remains a widely popular politician to the vast numbers of the unwashed- the poorly educated, illiterate, low-caste poor and disenfranchised of Bihar, left out of the shining India's leap into modernity and prosperity. And he, I heard, has turned Indian Railways from a money loser to a money-maker in a few short years, has introduced people friendly improvements to the railways, not to speak of bringing new respectability to the ancient, disposable, earthen cup used by lowly rail travelers to drink their tea from by promoting it as an earth friendly measure, bringing attention from such temples of higher learning as the Indian Institutes of Management and the Harvard MBA School Thus the limerick ( sorta, kinda) - Jab tak rahega Samosa me ALOO.. As long as there is 'aloo' ( potato) in a 'samosa' ( implying forever- for who can imagine one without potato?)) Tab tak rahega Bihhaar me LALLoo. There will remain a Laloo in Bihar ( meaning of course corrupt, poor, uneducated and backward ) ( BY LALOO.) - is an expression of desi-intelligentsia's angst, oblivious of the reasons how, a clown without a degree from an institution with any pedigree, rules ! Never mind the facts that full forty percent of Indian MPs are either accused or convicted of various criminal acts, that corruption is a way of life that long ago lost the deterrence of shame even amongst the most highly educated or the devout of society; that north, central, south and west Indian elections are largely fought over CASTE lines where ISSUES do not feature--only pandering do. While elsewhere even though the abomination of caste does not rule, pandering and SYMBOLS do. Also never mind the fact that the law-enforcement and adjudication system are totally dysfunctional thru-out the length and breadth of the country; cannot hold anyone in power accountable, with even those accused of the most heinous of corrupt practices routinely laugh all the way to the bank, with the courts backlogged by over thirty years now. So on and so forth. Thus the popularity of the limerick about Laloo, with a touch of literary levity; while lightly amusing, is really yet another tragic expression of their discombobulation over their own frustrations and sense of
Re: [Assam] mainland vs northeast in delhi
More American than an American. AND/OR *** What such high qualifications of the vaunted meritocracy of desi-babudom really mean. At 4:21 PM +0100 7/15/07, uttam borthakur wrote: More American than an American. Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Robin Hibu, himself a North-Easterner (from Nagaland) and an IPS from Arunachal Pradesh cadre *** Doesn't that explain everything :-)? At 2:08 PM +0100 7/15/07, utpal borpujari wrote: what is most unfortunate is that the booklet has been authored by Robin Hibu, himself a North-Easterner (from Nagaland) and an IPS from Arunachal Pradesh cadre. An advisory to students is not an unwelcome step, but the way it has been done is the most insensitive way to do it. The least Delhi Police and Hibu (again, he being from the NE) could have done was to consult representatives of organizations of NE students in Delhi (every state/ethnic community from NE has its own student body in Delhi), as well as prominent NE people residing in Delhi. - Utpal Borpujari / New Delhi Message: 2 Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:43:02 -0700 (PDT) From: xourov pathok http://uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[EMAIL PROTECTED]YY=87407y5beta=yesy5beta=yesorder=downsort=datepos=0view=aMailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com claiming to be MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com claiming to be [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Assam] mainland vs northeast in delhi To: http://uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[EMAIL PROTECTED]YY=87407y5beta=yesy5beta=yesorder=downsort=datepos=0view=aMailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com claiming to be MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com claiming to be assam@assamnet.org Message-ID: http://uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[EMAIL PROTECTED]YY=87407y5beta=yesy5beta=yesorder=downsort=datepos=0view=aMailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com claiming to be MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from uk.f514.mail.yahoo.com claiming to be [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 having been in delhi for sometime as a student, i see it is getting worse. x http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070712/asp/frontpage/story_8048182.asphttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1070712/asp/frontpage/story_8048182.asp Right intentions, wrong message - Delhi police accused of dividing India into ?mainland? ?Northeast? NISHIT DHOLABHAI New Delhi, July 11: Delhi police?s advisory to youths from the Northeast studying in the capital is being seen by most as segregating the region from the so-called mainland. The minister for development of the northeastern region (DoNER), Mani Shankar Aiyar, had only recently discouraged the use of this syntax. ?There is no mainland, you are the mainland,? he had told a reporter in Shillong. Aiyar was unavailable for comment on the booklet released by Delhi police, but those who responded seemed to cringe at the thought of someone advising students from the region to change their food habits, customs and manner of dressing to assimilate into the ?mainstream?. Dipankar Gupta, professor of sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said the police?s advice not to create a ?ruckus in the neighbourhood? by cooking ?smelly dishes? and dress decently was gratuitous, to say the least. ?The police come up with these advisories, but there is no implementation. There should be a departmental memo of some sort that if a person from the Northeast is harmed, punishment will be stringent,? Gupta said. Moses Kharbithi, who is doing his MPhil at JNU, said the advisory was tantamount to undermining the ability of Northeast students in New Delhi to assimilate. ?I wonder if they have given such booklets to students from the South,? he said. Kharbithi said the fact that the booklet was well-intentioned could not mask the sense of discrimination. Asom Gana Parishad MP Arun Kumar Sarma and his Congress colleague Kirip Chaliha said there was no denying the need to spruce up security for students from the region in view of some incidents in the recent past. But commenting on food habits and clothing was unfair, the duo said. ?How can one tell somebody what to eat and how to dress?? Sarma asked. Chaliha said he would take up the issue with the authorities. To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/uk/taglines/default/security_centre/*http://uk.security.yahoo.com/Yahoo! Security Centre. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Uttam Kumar Borthakur 5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox.
Re: [Assam] 'ULFA had traced me to Philadelphia?': Assamese Tea Baron's
The article says he did the Harvard MBA as the 1949 batch Umesh Manoj Das [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: He did MBA from Harvard in 1956, I guess. On 7/15/07, chittaranjan pathak [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Umesh HP Barooah is a big name in Assam and India. One of the greatest Assamese entrepreneurs we can be proud of.In Indian context he is fit for Padmabhsushans, Vibhushans etc like Chabarias, Mittals, Tatas, Godrej etc. But then he is from Assam-so no such recognition till now. regards Chittaranjan - Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles. Visit the Yahoo! Auto Green Center. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma Washington D.C. 1-202-215-4328 [Cell] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info) www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used ) http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ - What kind of emailer are you? Find out today - get a free analysis of your email personality. Take the quiz at the Yahoo! Mail Championship.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] From NY Times
Who's Sorry Now? By MAUREEN DOWD Published: July 15, 2007 WASHINGTON There's not much lately that we'd like to import from China. Certainly not the yummy steamed buns stuffed with shredded cardboard soaked in a caustic agent used to make soap. Or the tasty toothpaste laced with an antifreeze ingredient. Or the scrumptious seafood with a chemical kick. Or those pet foods with kibbles and bits of poison. But there is one thing made in China we could use: mea culpas of high officials. Zheng Xiaoyu, a top regulator who helped create China's Food and Drug Administration, accepted $850,000 in bribes from drug companies and became enmeshed in the mistakes that flooded the market with dangerous drugs. Before he was executed Tuesday, he wrote a short confession titled How I Look on My Mistakes. Thinking back on what has happened these years, I start to see the problems clearly, he wrote in prison. Why are the friends who gave me money all the bosses of pharmaceutical companies? Obviously because I was in charge of drug administration. I am confessing here that I loosened self-discipline, ignored the bottom line, he said, adding that he had to confess his mistakes as an act of saving my soul. We would skip the execution - although perhaps there should be ranch arrest for W., and Cheney could do community service passing out condoms at Gay Pride festivals. But it is time for the lethally inept duo running the country to do some painstaking self-examination and confession. Just as the Communist Party helped the late Mr. Zheng compose his thoughts, I volunteer to ghost-write our leaders' self-scrutiny: How I Look on My Mistakes, by George W. Bush The people trusted me with an important position. I didn't live up to expectations. I let Dick supersize the executive branch and cast Democrats as whiners and traitors. Why did I not suspect that Dick might be power-hungry when he appointed himself vice president? Why did I let him take over my presidency and fill it up with warmongers? I was so afraid to be called a wimp, as my father once was, I allowed Dick and Rummy to turn me into a wimp. I should never have allowed Dick to conspire with energy lobbyists and steer contracts to Halliburton. A tip-off should have been when Dick kept giving himself all the same powers that I had. Or when he outed that pretty lady spy. If only I had kept my promise to go after the thugs who attacked us on 9/11, because now I've made Osama and Al Qaeda stronger. I know my false claim about Al Qaeda's ties with Iraq led to Iraq's being tied down by Al Qaeda. I see now that my bungled war on terror has created more terror, empowered Iran and made America less secure. Oh, yeah, and I'm sorry I broke the military. I stained the family honor when I ignored the elders of the Iraq Study Group. I should not have worried that I would be seen as kowtowing to my dad's friends. The Oval Office is not the right place for a teenage rebellion. I should not have picked that dimwit Brownie, and I should have trusted the gut of anyone besides that goof-off Chertoff to keep the nation safe. And what was I thinking when I said Harriet Miers should be a Supreme Court justice? That was loony. I'm sorry I made the surgeon general mention my name three times on every page of his speeches. That was childish. How could I have let Dick bring in his best friend, Rummy, my dad's old nemesis? Dummy Rummy let Osama escape at Tora Bora, messed up the Iraq occupation and aborted a mission to wipe out top Al Qaeda leaders because he was protecting Musharraf, who was protecting Al Qaeda in the tribal areas. Even though I promised to get rid of dictators who helped terrorists, I ended up embracing a Pakistani dictator who helps terrorists. I'm embarrassed that the Iraqi Parliament is taking a monthlong vacation in the middle of my surge. Could I have set a bad example when I rode my bike in Crawford while New Orleans drowned? I'm sorry I keep pretending Iraq will get better if we stay longer. It wasn't very nice of me to push the surge when I knew it couldn't work. I just wanted to dump the defeat on my successor. I wish Hillary the best of luck. If I had left the gym long enough to read about Algeria or even one of T. E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom, then I might have not gotten bogged down in Iraq and let North Korea, China and Russia slide. Being the Decider is so confusing. I regret stealing the presidency and wish I could give it back. How I Look on My Mistakes, by Dick Cheney Buzz off.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Historian duo in mission to save forgotten satras
Historian duo in mission to save forgotten satras - Priceless manuscripts and artefacts found in seven monasteries near Sankardev birthplace SARAT SARMA Manuscripts being sorted out for preservation. Picture by Sarat Sarma Nagaon, July 15: In a state where the words army and operation mean only one thing, a history lecturer and an antiquity expert have formed a two-man army to launch an operation that is about preserving rather than destroying. Operation Satras is an attempt to save the priceless legacy of 15th century Assamese saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardev in and around his birthplace, Borduwa, from slipping into oblivion. Biman Hazarika of Dhing College and New Delhi-based museologist Bijoy Bhuyan intend to cover seven Vaishnavite monasteries (satras) Kubaikata, Ai Lakhi, Aibheti Nasatra, Salaguri Leteri, Bali, Kuji and Ali Pukhuri Patekibori during the course of their mission to save priceless manuscripts and other items dating back to the 17th-18th century. Kuji and Alipukhuri Patekibori are in Morigaon district and the remaining five in Nagaon district. All these satras are close to Borduwa, from where the Bhakti cult spread across the region. Largescale encroachment and years of neglect by the government have led to the pitiable condition of these religious institutions. Till half a century ago, most of these satras were both culturally and academically rich. Our plan is to make the local villagers aware of the necessity of preserving the cultural and religious resources of these institutions. Through them we plan to save manuscripts, relics, sculptures and other objects, Hazarika said. Bali Satra was established by Sankardevs most revered disciple, Damodardev, while Salaguri Leteri Satra owes its existence to Krishna Kanta Ata. The origin of the other satras have not been documented. Hazarika said encroachment was the biggest threat to Patekibori and Kubaikata. Patekibori has no more than two hectares of land left, one-fourth of the original area. Kubaikata has only a yard in front of its temple. Bhuyan, who teaches at Delhi Public School in New Delhi, has been making regular trips to Assam to continue the mission. It helps that both Bhuyan and Hazarika hail from Nagaon. Although Majuli island in Jorhat district is considered to be the cradle of the satras, the monasteries that were set up across the state after his death are no less important to culture conservationists like Bhuyan and Hazarika. The duo believes that these satras are on the verge of extinction because of government apathy and general ignorance about their importance. We have already found seven precious items at Kubaikata. These include a drum made of brass, a wooden statue of Lord Vishnu, a wooden pitcher and some manuscripts. These are in the process of being restored for scientific preservation with the co-operation of villagers, Bhuyan said. He pleaded for help to take the mission forward. If people come forward to help us, I think our mission can cover all the religious institutions of Assam. http://telegraphindia.com/1070716/asp/northeast/story_8062227.asp - Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Dhemaji flash flood-Editorial (The Assam Tribune, 16.07.2007)
EDITORIAL Dhemaji flash flood The flash floods that have affected over 50,000 people in 130 villages in Dhemaji have brought to the fore the urgent need among the States to share flood-related data. The State Government has ordered a probe to ascertain the causes of the flash floods amidst mounting apprehensions that the catastrophe was induced by the sudden release of excess water from dams in Arunachal Pradesh. That there had been no heavy rain in the catchment areas of the rivers in Arunachal to cause a flood of such magnitude only gives credence to the suspicions concerning Arunachals hand in the disaster. The State Government must take up the matter with its Arunachal counterpart immediately, and if needed Arunachal must be held accountable for this act of gross negligence. While releasing excess water from a dam, it is imperative that the information is passed on to the downstream State in advance so that it is not caught unawares by the flood. And more importantly, there are strict guidelines for release of excess water in a manner that does not cause any serious flash flood. One may recall that Assam being a downstream State, it had to bear the brunt of flash floods at least a couple of times in the recent past when China and Bhutan had released excess water from dams without providing any prior information. It is time the Government of India took up the issue with neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Tibet and China, which have effectively contributed towards aggravating the flood problem of Assam. While recurring floods have been a perennial menace in Assam, the problems get compounded in the event of a flash flood, which ensures more devastating consequences. Rescue and rehabilitation are also rendered very difficult under such circumstances. Proper monitoring of rivers, sharing of flood prediction intelligence with neighbouring States and countries, and a well-organised flood relief distribution system could go a long way in minimising the effects of the floods, which often tend to catch the people unawares. The complex and peculiar nature of the floods in the State makes it clear that the scourge is not going to be mitigated in the near future. What has compounded the matter is the tendency of the authorities to tackle it with routine, short-term measures, whereas the situation calls for a long-term, holistic approach. Water experts feel that a paradigm shift in the approach to address the problem is necessary for a permanent solution to the problem. (The Assam Tribune,16.07.2007) - Heres a new way to find what you're looking for - Yahoo! Answers ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
