The first Space Tourist: Dennis Anthony Tito

Dennis Anthony Tito (born 8 August 1940 in Queens, New York) is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket, although he himself opposes being called "tourist" and asks to be called an "independent researcher" since he performed several scientific experiments in orbit.

Tito has a Bachelor of Science in Astronautics and Aeronautics from New York University, 1962 and a Master of Science in Engineering Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute satellite campus in Hartford, Connecticut. He is a member of Psi Upsilon and received an honorary doctorate of engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on 18 May 2002 and is a former scientist of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1972, he founded Wilshire Associates, a leading provider of investment management, consulting and technology services in Santa Monica, California. Tito serves an international clientele representing assets of $12.5 trillion. Wilshire relies on the field of quantitative analytics, which uses mathematical tools to analyze market risks - a methodology Tito is credited with helping to develop by applying the same techniques he used to determine a spacecraft's path at JPL. Despite a career change from aerospace engineering to investment management, Tito never lost his interest in, and commitment to, space exploration.

Through an arrangement with space tourism company Space Adventures, Ltd., Tito joined Soyuz TM-32 on 28 April 2001, spending 7 days, 22 hours, 4 minutes in space and orbited Earth 128 times. Tito performed several scientific experiments in orbit that he said would be useful for his company and business. Tito paid a reported $20 million for his trip, although close friends suggest it was much less, as low as $12 million.

Tito met immense controversy from NASA before the launch, primarily Daniel S. Goldin, NASA director from 1 April 1992 to 17 November 2001, who considered him "un-American" for using the Russian Soyuz as his ticket to space. When Tito arrived at the Johnson Space Center for additional training on the American sections of the ISS, Robert Cabana, NASA manager, sent Tito and his two fellow cosmonauts home, stating "...We will not be able to begin training, because we are not willing to train with Dennis Tito." Although attacks against his trip were spearheaded by NASA executives, his trip was widely supported by NASA astronauts, civilians, and media both in the United States of America and Russia.

Tito was appointed to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners in the 1990s and led the board to support the landmark 1994 state ruling protecting Mono Lake from excessive water diversions by the city.

Since returning from space, he has testified at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space and the House Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Space & Aeronautics Joint Hearing on “Commercial Human Spaceflight” on 24 July 2003.

The British Bang in Heligoland: The biggest non-nuclear single detonation in history

Heligoland is a small German archipelago located in the North Sea that consists of two islands: the populated main island of Hauptinsel and the smaller island of Dune. Hauptinsel is commonly divided into three geographic sections, the last of which came into being in 1947, when the Royal Navy detonated 6,800 metric tons of explosives on the island, actually changing its shape. The "British Bang" was the biggest non-nuclear single detonation in history.

History

The German Bight and the area around the island are known to have been inhabited since pre-historic times. Flint tools have been recovered from the bottom of the sea surrounding Heligoland. On the Oberland prehistoric burial mounds were visible until the late 19th century and excavations showed skeletons and artifacts. Moreover, prehistoric copper plates have been found under water near the island; those plates were almost certainly made on the Oberland. In AD 697, Radbod, the last Frisian king, retreated to the then-single island after his defeat by the Franks as written in the Life of Willebrord by Alcuin.

By 1231, the island was listed as the property of the Danish king Valdemar II. Traditional economic activities included fishing, hunting birds and seals, wrecking. It was very important for many overseas powers for piloting overseas ships into the harbours of Hanseatic League cities such as Bremen and Hamburg. Moreover, in some periods Heligoland was an excellent base point for huge herring catches. As a result, until 1714 ownership switched several times between Denmark and the Duchy of Schleswig, with one period of control by Hamburg. In August 1714, it was captured by Denmark, and it remained Danish until 1807.

In 1807, Heligoland was seized by the British during the Napoleonic Wars. It became a center of smuggling and espionage against Napoleon. Thousands of Germans fled to Britain and to the King's German Legion via Heligoland. In 1826, Heligoland became an official "sea bath" and soon it became a popular tourist resort for upper-class people. The island also attracted artists and writers, especially from Germany and even Austria who enjoyed the freedom of the British ruled island, e.g. Heinrich Heine and August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben. It was a refuge for revolutionaries of the 1830 and 1848 German revolutions.

Britain gave up the islands to Germany in 1890 by virtue of the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty. During this time, it also gave up its interests in Madagascar to the French in return for those countries surrendering their claims to the African island of Zanzibar (now a part of Tanzania), largely so the British could intervene there to suppress the slave trade. A "grandfathering"/optant approach prevented the Heligolanders (as they were named in the British measures) from forfeiting advantages because of this imposed change of status.

Under the German Empire the islands became a major naval base. As such, during the First World War the civilian population was evacuated to the mainland. The first naval engagement of the war, the Battle of Heligoland Bight was fought nearby in the first month of the war. The islanders returned in 1918 but during the Nazi era the naval base was reactivated. Lager Heligoland, the Nazi labour camp on Alderney, was named after the island. Werner Heisenberg first formulated the equation underlying his picture of Quantum mechanics while on Heligoland in the 1920s.

During World War II the islanders remained on the main island. There was a large allied air raid on the island on 15 October 1944 destroying many of the buildings of the Unterland. Then on 18 April 1945 over a thousand Allied bombers attacked the islands leaving nothing standing. The civilian population was protected in rock shelters. The 128 people killed due to the Allied bombers were mostly anti-aircraft crews. The islands were evacuated by the British after the Germans surrendered the following night.

Why did the British bomb the island?

From 1945 to 1952 the uninhabited islands were used as a bombing range. On 18 April 1947, the Royal Navy detonated 6,800 tonnes of explosives ("Big Bang" or "British Bang") creating the biggest non-nuclear single detonation in history. The blow shook the main island several miles down to its base thereby changing its shape. Mittelland was created as a result of the explosion. Heligoland was bombed by Royal Navy engineers in an attempt to destoy the fortifications built during the NAZI era. It is said that the British would not have been too displeased if the entire island had been destroyed. In 1952 the islands were restored to the German authorities who had to clear a huge amount of undetonated ammunition, landscape the main island, and rebuild the houses before it could be resettled.

Present Status

Heligoland is now a holiday resort and enjoys a tax-exempt status as it is part of the EU . However, it is excluded from the EU VAT area and customs union. Much of the economy is founded on sales of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and perfumes to tourists who visit the islands. There is also a search and rescue (SAR) base of the German Navy on Heligoland.

References

Alcuin, Life of Willebrord.

Alex Ritsema, Heligoland, Past and Present, 2007.

George Drower, Heligoland - The True Story of German Bight and the Island that Britain Betrayed, 2002.

William George Black, Heligoland and the Islands of the North Sea,1988.

The Pride of United States of Asia: Lajong FC

Lajong FC from "Scotland of the East" (Shillong, Meghalaya) have qualified for the first division I-League 2009-2010 after they blanked Pune FC 2-0 in a fourth round match of the second division I-League at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Gurgaon. Lajong FC owner Larsing Ming Shwyan as well as coach Schangpliang were happy that their club has become the first team from the Northeast to qualify for the I-League first division. Keeping the spirit of United States of Asia(Northeast India), the Taneebrotherhood also salute the team and hope they will perform in the first division I-League. If Shillong can replace Bangalore as the rock capital of India, why not we replace Kolkota, Mumbai or Goa and make Northeast as a Football destination. It is sad to hear that Shillong could not organise these second division I-League due to poor ground condition. The Northeast India have contributed a lot to the Indian state in terms of Sports especially Football. The Indian skipper itself is from Sikkim in Northeast India. But how come a state like Haryana that doesn't play soccer have a better ground in Gurgaon to organise the match. Its the right time for the United States of Asia to wake up and have our own Football League and make this Rainbow Country a Soccer destination at par with the UEFA Champions League. All the champions of the states of United States of Asia (Northeast India) will compete for the Champions trophy through a Champions League.
Its possible !!!
I personally dream it to happen...

6000 year old cave in Taneeland

Atonu Choudhuri (2008) "On the trail of a 6000 year old cave:Members of Adi tribe trek for 12 hours to find limestone and granite cavern", Telegraph, 7 April 2008.

Pasighat (East Siang), April 6: The tale of a group of explorers trekking through dense forests and rugged mountain trails in search of a 6,000-year-old cave seems the stuff that legends are made of.
A team from the Adi tribe, which believes that the cave was the source of water for the first man and woman on earth, set out on an expedition to find the elusive subterranean structure in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district. The group, known as the Paator Gumin Heritage Preservation Society, comprised Taduram Darang, Tapum Taki, Tanyk Tamuk, Tanam Padung, Taling Padung, Tayam Padung, Takom Tayi, Tasi Taloh, Tagom Moyong, Tasak Moyong, Talak Padung, Beja Padung, Tangyat Kanyi and Tayang Padung.

“It was a daunting task for us. We found the 300-metre deep cave made of spectacular limestone and granite of yellow, blue and black hues and inhabited by large bats after a perilous 12-hour journey,” said 42-year-old Darang, an executive engineer with the power department.
The group began its journey to the highlands of Monggang Ponrung, nearly 80km from Pasighat, the headquarters of East Siang district, on April 1.
The members of the expedition were all from Kebang village, 1,580 metres above sea level. After a daylong arduous trek, the team stumbled on a tunnel that led them to a vertical cave made of limestone and blue granite.
The area, known as Monggng Ponrung near Kebang village, had once borne the brunt of the atrocities committed by the British army during the Anglo-Abor War in 1911.
The team spent more than five hours deep inside the humid cave.
“We were exposed to a new world. After entering the cave, we found more than 40 chambers. Many of the chambers were as big as cinema halls with high roofs. In many places, the roof was decorated with beautifully sculpted figures, rocks and limestone structures. Much of the ground was made up of limestone and silt, making our progress difficult,” Darang said.
The team spotted rock bridges, with water trickling down limestone ridges that formed stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes.
N. Tiwary, a rock scientist with the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), who has spent more than 14 years in the Northeast, said going by the size, shape and pattern of the kind of limestone that were found in the cave, it is clear that the cave is more than 6,000 years old.
With the Hiyit stream, a tributary of Yembung, flowing nearby, the cave is a geologist’s and tourist’s paradise.
The team has moved the state government to preserve the cave.
“We have already contacted the authorities to take steps to preserve the cave and turn it into a tourist attraction,” another member of the team said.

The war cemetery at Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh:More graves than any other war cemetery in Northeast India

Atonu Choudhuri(2008) "Monumental neglect of war graves: Discovered in 1997, Jairampur cemetery gets entangled in red tape", Telegraph, 29 January 2008.

Jairampur, Jan. 28: A conservation law that judges the importance of a place of historical interest by its antiquity has ensured that the region’s largest World War II cemetery — undiscovered till 1997 — remains in obscurity.
The Arunachal Pradesh Monuments and Architecture Preservation Act, 1990, stipulates that any structure or place of historical importance can be “officially protected” if it is at least 100 years old. Since the seven rows of graves tucked away inside a forest along the Jairampur stretch of the Stilwell Road are only 62 years old, they must — going by the book — wait another 38 years for their place in the sun.
Nobody seems more distressed by this monumental tale of neglect than the man who led the team that discovered the graves of around 1,000 Taiwanese, American, Kachin and Indian soldiers, engineers and workers who died in the line of duty.
Tage Tada, an archaeologist and the director of the research department, combined scraps of historical data and traced the graves to a place 30km from the famous Pangsau Pass (Hell Pass) in Changlang district, bordering Myanmar. It was an area only the bravest of villagers had ventured into previously and Tada’s team was the first to officially confirm the presence of graves of World War II vintage there.
The Jairampur site has more graves than any other war cemetery in the Northeast, including Kohima War Cemetery. One of the epitaphs in Chinese and English reads: “Major Hsiao Chu Ching, Company Commander of 2nd Company of 2nd Battalion of 10th Regiment, Independent Engineers of Chinese Army stationed in India, died in December 1943.”
The inscription on Ching’s grave, still legible, states that he was born in July 1913 in “Wei Country of Hapeh Province”.
Does Ching’s family now know where he lies? Very unlikely, given the fact that the Jairampur graveyard has not even been officially accorded the status of a war memorial.
“A little effort from the government could have saved this cemetery from decay and destruction. The Centre has officially recognised the other four war memorials — two in Imphal and one each in Kohima and Guwahati. Strangely, the one with the most number of graves is wallowing in neglect,” Tada said.
In all likelihood, the Jairampur graveyard was set up when the Stilwell Road (Ledo Road) was being constructed from India to Kunming in China via Myanmar to facilitate easy transit for the Allied Forces. Fatigue, calamity, scarcity of food and diseases like malaria killed many of the soldiers and workers during that period.
Some of the graveyards are of Adi (Abor), Mishmi and Jaintia soldiers who fought for the Allied Forces, but there is very little evidence left of their antecedents. Researchers blame the Assam Rifles, which helped in the discovery of the graves, of mishandling some of the evidence that was available.
“One of the challenges was to retrieve the surface evidence but some of these were destroyed by Assam Rifles personnel during excavation,” Tada said.

Racism in India

Copy of "An appeal for protest" by Assamese Students' Association, Delhi,India.

On the wee hours of last week's Saturday, two girls from Manipur in Gurgaon, Phase I area were abused sexually and physically by their landlord and two accomplice.

These criminals drunk and with a criminal intention knocked on the girls door at 2 am in the morning demanding that the door be open. The girls dial up 100 but was met with no response. A friend was then called to help them. But these people roughed up their friends and scared them away. After that they barged in the girls room and started demanding sexual favours.

When protested,they were roughed up with long iron sticks. The girls were repeatedlyassaulted with the sticks and again and again these criminals wouldsay things like "SEX" and "RAPE YOU". It was the most inhumane sightas the girls tried to cover themselves with blankets, but to no use.They were threatened not to complain.

The police manipulated the reportand molestation was not reported. Neither the culprits were bookedunder ST/SC clauses, because of that the culprits got bailed easily and are roaming scot free.The police deliberately cut off the lines mentioning sexual assault and the ST/SC clause. Moreover when the police took the girls to the hospital, they were demanded around 2000 rupees for the treatment. This is the justice system in response to an assault on a person from Northeast.

The appeal is to achieve justice , lobby for it to show that whichever part such injustice are being done, people collectively protest against it till the culprits are booked and justice being done. All are participating in a joint rally on the streets of Gurgaon, Phase I tentatively on 22-23 of December to show the strength of the people standing for these innocent victims.

We welcome all individuals, association and forums.

KUMAR GAURAV DUTTA
President, ASAD

RANJAN ENGTI
Vice President. ASAD

MANAS PEGU
Gen. Secy. ASAD

PHOTOS OF THE VICTIMS

THE NORTHEAST INDIA, POPULATED BY PEOPLE OF MONGOLOID ORIGIN ARE VICTIMS OF RACISM IN THE SO CALLED "the Largest Democracy of the World, India".

See also: Alan Gray(2008), "Landlord beats two Northeast Girls with sticks to yield sexual favor," NewsBlaze, 16 December 2008.

Expedition to Hadap Dite

The Arunachal Times, 17 December 2008.

PASIGHAT, Dec 16: As a part of year-long celebration to commemorate 150 years of Bitbor Mimak (Anglo-Abor war of 1858) a twelve-member expedition team from Kebang village led by Take Moyong and Tajong Darang, both veteran in mountaineering and hunting, had finally made it to the summit of Hadap Dite at 11.20 am on Dec 6 last, It was a three-day expedition from Dec 5 to 7.

The brave warriors of Kebang village led by Lomkom Darang had comprehensively defeated and beaten back a British punitive expedition led by Capt. Lowther in the battle that took place at Goyiing foothills just three miles away from the erstwhile Kebang (Kumku) village on March 25, 1858.

Earlier, attempt to scale the peak had to be abandoned twice, in January 2008 and April 2008 respectively due to inclement weather.

The team departed from Kebang (Sole) village on Dec 5 last at 09.20 am and camped at Tanyo Rapar on Dec 6. It departed from the base camp at 7 am and after 4 hrs arduous trekking reached the tip of the Hadap Dite at 11.20am. After enjoying the enchanting panoramic views of the far and wide mountain ranges, the team left for their base camp at 1600 hrs and reached it safely at 1800 hrs.

Hadap Dite, which is the highest peak of a vast stretch of mountainous ranges is located in the Western side of Kebang village and in the Northern side of Yemsing village. In the far Western side of the peak, Tadin, Kombo, Aalo town and Jini village of West Siang district are located. And in the Northern side Tarak, Lokpeng, Koreng and Pangin under Pangin circle of East Siang district are located.

It also happen to be the first peak to be scaled by the British Army for Trigonometric survey after the fall of Kebang village in the Poju Mimak ( Anglo-Abor war of 1911). And the peak was last visited by a team of Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Dec.1964. The people of the area are afraid to go up the peak as they are dreaded by DIMI, a semi-spiritual monkey like arboreal animal believed to be inhabiting that area.

The Expedition was initiated and sponsored by Paator Gumin Heritage Preservation and Research Foundation (PGHP&RF), Kebang, which is trying to rediscover the glorious past of Kebang village and immortalize the contributions and sacrifices made by their forefathers in the freedom movement.

Whose land is it?

Beijing, November 11: China on Tuesday angrily rejected India's assertion that Arunachal Pradesh is its integral part, insisting that Beijing never recognised the ‘illegal’ McMahon Line and that the status of the border state was ‘never officially demarcated’.
Deeply regretting External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that Arunachal Pradesh was part of India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said New Delhi has not taken into account the ‘historical facts’.
"We deeply regret the Indian side's remarks, that take no regard of the historical facts," Qin said when asked to comment on Mukherjee's comments on Sunday in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh that the state was an integral part of India and that China was "aware" of it.
"China and India have never officially settled demarcation of borders, and China's stance on the eastern section of China-India borders is consistent and clear-cut," Qin said at a regular bi-weekly news briefing.
"The current Chinese government, as well as previous ones, has never recognised the illegal "McMahon Line," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Qin as saying.
"India knows this," Qin said, referring to the McMahon Line, the demarcation line drawn on map referred to the Shimla Convention in 1914. Although China disputes its legal status, the McMahon Line is currently the effective boundary between China and India.
Mukherjee had also said that "China is often making claims on Arunachal Pradesh, but Arunachal Pradesh has a special place in our heart."
"People of Arunachal Pradesh regularly elect two representatives to the Lok Sabha and there is an elected state assembly carrying out the responsibility of administration like any of other 27 states. The question of parting company of Arunachal or any of its part does not arise," he had said.
As for the pending boundary issue between China and India, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that China is willing to find a solution, which is "fair, reasonable and acceptable" to the two sides, through peaceful and friendly negotiation in the spirit of mutual understanding and adjustment.
Mukherjee's rejection of the Chinese claim on Arunachal Pradesh follows recent declaration of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a visit to the state that Arunachal was 'our land of rising sun'.
This is the second time within a week that Beijing has reacted sharply to Mukherjee's remarks on China.
On November 7, China had rejected an apparent 'China threat' remark made by him during a speech.
India says China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq kms of Jammu and Kashmir including 5,180 sq km illegally ceded to Beijing by Islamabad under the Sino-Pakistan boundary agreement in 1963. On the other hand, China accuses India of possessing some 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.


“Arunachal boundary is illegal, angry China tells India”, Agencies, Posted: Nov 11, 2008 at 1747 hrs IST, Website-http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Arunachal-boundary-is-illegal-angry-China-tells-India/384291/

Who is responsible for the 30 October serial blast in Assam?

"Assam blast: Govt says ULFA behind it,ULFA says RSS",Agencies,Posted: Nov 11, 2008 at 2106 hrs IST,Website-http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/NDFB-ULFA-behind-serial-blasts-Assam-Govt/384343/

Guwahati, November 11: The Assam government on Tuesday held NDFB and ULFA responsible for the October 30 serial blasts which claimed the lives of 84 people.
“Involvement of some active members of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) has come to light during the course of investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT),” an official statement said in Guwahati.
“The involvement of ULFA in the conspiracy of carrying out the serial blasts in the state has also come to the fore during investigation,” it said.
Claiming that there has been “significant progress with regard to the investigation”, the government said “the main culprits who have perpetrated the crime have been identified and all efforts are on to apprehend them.
“Probable involvement of other agencies and organisations are also under investigation and the police have so far arrested eight persons,” it said.
The statement, however, makes no mention of the government’s earlier claim that Bangladesh-based HuJI could be responsible for the blasts by taking local help from ULFA and NDFB.
The NDFB, a dominant Bodo militant group, is currently under unilateral ceasefire with the Centre.
RSS involved in Assam blasts: ULFA
The banned ULFA alleged that RSS was behind the deadly October 30 blasts in Assam and ethnic violence in Bodo Territorial Administered Districts (BTAD).
The blast claimed 85 lives while 55 people died in the ethnic violence in BTAD areas.
In an e-mail statement, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa further alleged that Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah was an agent of RSS and was blaming ULFA to cover up his involvement in the blasts.
"Whether Sarmah is in Congress or AGP, he is in reality an RSS agent and to cover up his involvement is making misleading statements like ULFA and Jehadi are the same," he said.
Rajkhowa claimed the ULFA has enough evidence to prove RSS's involvement in the October 30 blasts in four towns of Assam, including Guwahati.
"A few months ago, the ULFA in its mouthpiece Freedom had mentioned about the secret directive sent by RSS to carry out blasts in different parts of the country but the state government took no steps in this direction," he said.
Moreover, the recent blasts in different parts of the country and the subsequent arrests have also proved that RSS and BJP are involved in blasts in states ruled by non-BJP governments, Rajkhowa alleged.
He said that ULFA has never targeted indigenous Assamese population and has no links with jehadi or any other religious fundamentalist organisation.

AAPSU questions Centre & state's stand on Chakma refugees

ITANAGAR, Oct 05: All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) vehemently condemns the abduction of six members of the Mishmi community from Kathan village under Lohit district on October 4, said AAPSU president Kanu Bagang.
He alleged that the people were abducted by the Shanti Vahini a militant outfit of the Chakmas.
According to Namsai ADC R K Sharma two hundred Mishmi students were picked up by the refugees while on their way to Kathan village for a social work.
He informed that six Mishmi students who were held back are safe. They were released after intervention by the police at 11.30 this morning.
Sharma further informed that six persons were kept in Anandapur under Changlang district.
The abductees are Kunang Kri, Pravin Tayeng, Bhimsi Poul, Bajongso Kri and two other names are yet to be confirmed, Bagang added.
Chakmas are never confined to their designated camps, Bagang said and added that the refugees have illegally encroached the reserved forest area and the Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary over the last four years and involved themselves in criminal activities.
It is unfortunate that the state government who is aware of the situation is allowing the Chakma inhabitants to grow in numbers. The president further lamented that Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary has been destroyed.
Why is the Congress government both in the state and Centre not working for the interest of the people and safeguarding the sanctuary which is of national importance.
The abduction and murders of the local people over the years speaks of the total failure of the Central government mechanism against illegal migrants, Bagang said.
He demanded that the Chakmas be evicted from National Wildlife Sanctuary within one month. He warned that the union will take its own course of action if the government fails to fulfil the demand.
Bagang further question as to why the International Human Rights Organization support such refugees who have not only encroached the area of other indigenous tribes but have either murdered or harassed them.
He said that the lack of political will by both the state and the Central government have resulted in refugees stepping out of line against the locals.
Chakmas have failed to gain sympathy from the local populace due to their criminal based activities, the president further said.
AAPSU will never allow illegal Chakmas to settle in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, he said and added that the lacuna lies in the political leaders who cannot take a stand.
The people need to wake up and understand the situation they face today. They must also be aware of the situation they will be facing in the near future if action is not taken against the illegal migrants, Bagang said.
Foreigners abducting locals is not only humiliation to the indigenous community but also a stab on the back, general secretary Ojing Tasing said.
Both the state and central governments are not serious to solve the burning Chakma refugee issue, he added. The general secretary further demanded that the refugees be deported from Arunachal Pradesh within one month.
There are records of Chakmas killing a Circle Officer in Deban in 1996, attacked a Forest Range Officer who was on eviction drive duty in 1997 and murdered a Zilla Parishad Member in Dyiun in 2003.
Tasing questioned as to why the GOI is supporting the refugees with criminal mentality. Why is the Center insisting that Chakmas be settled in Arunachal Pradesh, he further questioned.
The general secretary also question as to why the state government is a mute spectator. AAPSU strongly protest against the illegal encroachment of Chakmas in Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary, he added.
Tasing informed that the union was still not aware if the six abductees have been released.
The general secretary also said that issue of Chakma is raised only during the state assembly election.
AAPSU hoped that the present government would find a solution and solve the vexed issue, he added.
Tasing further questioned as to why not one elected representatives have raised their concern over the refugee outfit abduction people in its own home grounds.
Arunachal Congress (AC) condemned the abduction of innocent people by the Chakmas.
AC president Er. Chau Tan Manpoong condemning the heinous act informed that the apex members of AC will be on official tour to find out the situation. He urged the people to come together and fight against the outsiders.

The Arunachal Times, 6 October 2008.

ACR raises questions on forest rights and refugee issues, AAPSU reacts
ITANAGAR, Oct 6: Arunachal Citizens Rights (ACR) expressed concern at the reported abduction of hundreds of indigenous Mishmis and forceful confinement of six by Chakmas at Anandpur in Changlang district is a grave indication of the confrontation between the local people of Arunachal Pradesh and unsolicited settlement of Chakma refugees in the state by the Union Govt. A problem for which, a solution is long overdue.
'The alleged encroachment into NamdaTaneebrotherhoodpha Wildlife Sanctuary by the Chakma settlers and the inaction of the Govt to confine them to their designated camps is another serious concern that the Govt is sleeping over. Had the encroachers been indigenous people, the authorities would have swiftly evicted them without thinking twice. But the failure to take any action on the refugees, who have encroached into a Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a National Park and a Tiger Project, and even after reports of abduction of local people under gun-point exposes the 'fear of the unknown' harbored by the authorities. While the incident proves the extremities that the Chakma settlers are willing to resort to, inaction on part of the Govt exposes its weakness in dealing with a situation that has now become only an election issue.
At the same time, criticism is equally liable on the state govt and its leaders for failing from all fronts on this particular issue.
'AAPSU isn't wrong in pointing out what is stopping the state govt to take up the issue with the central govt. Both the govts are of the Congress. Till now the state govt should have been able to convince the central leaders on the gravity of the issue and find a solution. It always takes a serious incident like a murder of a circle officer and a ZPM, assault on a forest officer or abduction of hundreds of people under gun-point for the authorities to take notice. Noticeably and unfortunately the authorities have, as of now, grown lethargic to such incidents, said its chairperson Bamang Tago.
The Govt could very well pursue the matter with central leaders all the time, not waiting for an unsavory incident to occur. Continuous talks, persuasions, representations and resolutions in this regard would have at least made the Center take notice and may be finally give a decision in favour of the indigenous people of the state. But the state govt and its mandarins have just failed to do so.
When a cabinet sub-committee was constituted by the state govt to study the Chakma issue, a ray of hope had flickered in. Unfortunately, the committee is yet to come out with a solution. If it is not possible for the committee to arrive at any conclusion on the issue, its existence on paper is a farce and better to do away with it.
On the other hand, the central govt has failed to live up to the expectations of the people not only of Arunachal Pradesh but of the whole North East. It has passed several acts and enactments formulated by people sitting in the cozy rooms of New Delhi without taking into confidence the people who would be actually affected by the enactments, particularly those of the indigenous communities. Even when consulted, recommendations from indigenous societies have hardly found any place in the final draft of the bills later passed without much deliberation by the Parliament. One such bill passed recently that has a major impact on the indigenous people of the North East is the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006. Objections and recommendations from civil societies and intellectuals from the region were never incorporated in the final bill. The state govt hardly had any say in its formulation. It won't be wrong if a perception is made that the state govt didn't even go through it.
The first objection in the Act in question is that it does not define what it means by 'Other Traditional Forest Dwellers'. In a state like Arunachal Pradesh where all tribes come under the 6th Schedule proclaiming them as scheduled tribes, the identity of Other Traditional Forest Dwellers becomes very vague. Does it mean all those coming from outside the state, including the Chakmas and Hajongs, settled in the forests as rightful traditional forest dwellers with rights on forest lands that traditionally belong to the indigenous people? Big question that was never thought of by the state govt.
The Act then provides rights over forest land to all forest dwellers including those called as 'Traditional Forest Dwellers' besides the scheduled tribes, who have been occupying the land till before December 13, 2005. Now, 2005 is comparatively a very recent year, which means almost all the Chakma and Hajong refugees as well as people from other states of the country residing in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh (which is almost 80% of the total land) would have right over the land occupied by them and the resources from it. The Act, in a sense, is contradictory to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 already in force in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Another initiative of the Central Govt that goes against the interest of indigenous people is the EIA Regulations, which takes away the right of the state from its forests and natural resources.
If the state govt doesn't have any say on its forests and natural resources, how can it safeguard the interests of its people? Hoping the same from the central govt is expecting a lot from an unexpected quarter.
The state govt has to wake up from its deep slumber and stand up to such regulations and enactments that would go against the interest and welfare of its indigenous people before it is too late, a statement read.
On the other hand, All Arunachal Pradesh Student's Union (A.A.P.S.U) expressed grave concern over the statement made by police that the police department have no knowledge of the abductions of students in connection with the kidnapping of 6(six) students leaders from Kathan village in Lohit district by Chakma refugees on October 4 last as carried in certain local dailies of the state.
The union decry's the loose statement and is at loss of words to describe the version of the police department when the whole of the state came to know about the unfortunate incident within a short span of time.
We are apprehensive that such loose comments would embolden the criminal activities and are often used by these refugees in national and international forum as documents to argue their point.
The union urged upon the officials who are at the helm of affairs to have the audacity and courage to spell out the truth and tell the whole world what these refugees are up to and the dangerous real life Dramas these people are enacting in the guise of Refugees.

The Arunachal Times, 7 October 2008.

PPA blames Congress and BJP for refugee problem
The Arunachal Times, 7 October 2008.

ITANAGAR, Oct 6: The abduction of indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh by the refugee miscreants is unfortunate and shameful act, said People's Party of Arunachal.
Six people were kept in the custody of Chakma refugees in Changlang district. These people were subsequently released after the police intervened.
Instead of being grateful to the indigenous people for giving them temporary shelter, they are inflicting violence against host, which is intolerable said its general secretary Dr Ashan Riddi
'The National Parties are the responsible for suffering of our people today. The Indian National Congress imposed burden of refugee to Arunachal Pradesh and the BJP is trying to legalize our suffering by enrolling refugee in Electoral Roll. The national political parties took advantages of ignorance and innocence of our people. The Indian National Congress has been ruling at Centre and State for long period, but there is no sign of any initiative to resolve the refugee and border issues. This is because of lack of assertiveness to protect own regional interest by our people' it said.
Our leaders have become blind followers of their respective bosses in Delhi and have so miserably failed to address all our vital issues.

The Peoples struggle for Social Justice at NERIST,Arunachal Pradesh

Introduction

North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology(NERIST) was brought to standstill by organizations, namely, Students Union NERIST (SUN), NERIST Arunachalee Employees Welfare Association (NAE-WA), NERIST Employees Union (NEU) and NERIST Technical Staff union society with its indefinite strike from today, i.e.26 September 2008, demanding termination of Ashok Singh. “The academic activities and administrative functioning of NERIST were totally crippled due to indefinite strike” according to NAEWA sources, observed the Arunachal Times.

Why the NERIST Registrar Ashok Singh should go?

SUN, the student body of NERIST had submitted a memo to NERIST director demanding termination of Singh on Aug 25 last. It had demanded the termination of Singh from the institute within 30 days over the various charges. The SUN alleged that “the NERIST registrar did not fulfill the age criteria for the post at the time of his joining, got his son admitted into NERIST without proper documents, made himself the sole authority for taking law and order into his own hands directing police force to enter the institute and create havoc inside the campus and physically harassed the students through outside elements”. However, “the alleged is still in office while no determinate decision has been concluded by the committee formed to overlook the matter”, it said. Further, the Union said that “the indefinite strike will continue until Ashok Singh is terminated”.

View of the People’s Party of Arunachal (P.P.A)

According to the Arunachal Times, “the People's Party of Arunachal (P.P.A) appreciated what it termed the bold step taken by the NERIST Arunachalee Employees Welfare Association (NAEWA) by filing case against the Registrar, NERIST under Prevention of Atrocities Act and Rules”. “This move would set the example to tribal people who are subjected to various forms of racial discrimination and atrocities in other Central Institutions and other parts of India”, the party said. “The tribal people particularly Arunachalees face different kinds of racial discrimination and atrocities in mainland India and in various Central Institutions. The North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) is only one example where the tribal people are suffering atrocities from their authorities. This move is a kind of attempt to assert the dignity and self-esteem of the tribal people”, the party release added.

Conclusion

The revived Peoples’ Party of Arunachal, the first regional party of the state that had merged with Janata Dal (JD) in 1989, should start fighting right from the bottom to boost its support base as a real regional party. As such, its support for the Peoples struggle at NERIST is in the right direction. The honour that PPA receieved from the indigenous people of the land during the time of Late Bakin Pertin and Tomo Riba needs to be revived. To do it, the present leaders should not deviate itself from the peoples struggle. In doing so, definitely the young generations would follow their elders in keeping the fundamental basic human right to “live with dignity”.
Its fight should look beyond just competing the Parliamentary and State Assembly elections in 2009, to boost its support base. PPA should “stand for the interest of people” as it is a “Party for the people”. In maintaining so, obviously it will turn out to be a ‘Party by the people” because of its popular mass base. If the MNF in Mizoram, Nagaland People’s Front or the Sikkim Democratic Front can do well, “Why not the Peoples Party of Arunachal?” The coalition base politics in India has thrown up lots of opportunities which can be explored and tapped according to the “Peoples Interest”.

Reference
NERIST shut demanding registrar’s termination, The Arunachal Times, 26 September 2008

Arunachal Congress and the issue of refugee

The Arunachal Congress (AC) was born during 1995 because of the refugee issue in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. The then Chief Minister Gegong Apang in a public rally at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Naharlagun formed the AC with the support of the people. During this movment, all the Indian National Congress (INC) legislatures of the Arunachal State Assembly resigned from the INC membership and became part of the newly formed AC Party. The main objective for the formation of AC was to fight aginst the Indian Governments attitude towards the refugee issue in Arunachal Pradesh. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are fed up in giving shelter to the refugees for the last five or six decades. The refugees have started to marginalize and challenge the local indegenous people forgetting that they are the one who have sheltered them in times of trouble. The Indian Government was not in a position to shelter these refugees which can be seen from the fact that they were transferred from the Indian state of Bihar to its present location. The Indian Government had violated its own law by keeping away the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) as per the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873. Keeping this in mind, the Arunachal Congress celebrated its 13th Foundation Day vowing to continue the struggle against foreigners.
But a big question needed to be answered is “Whether its fight is genuine or not?” “Who is this Jivan Gurung whom they have appointed as General Secretary?” He seems to be a Gorkha or a Nepali. If he is a Gorkha, Gorkhaland is where he should play Politics not here. Nepali...Nepal is his homeland.
The Arunachal Congress should be very careful in doing its homework. Otherwise, its nothing but would be like selling off our own homeland in the long run. “Politics is the medium through which we unknowingly start to give legitimacy to what we actually are against.”

Reference
Tayeng,Ojing (2008),”Arunachal Congress vows to continue the struggle against foreigners 13th Foundation Day celebrated”, The Arunachal Times, 21 September 2008.

e-Arik for the farmers

e-Arik web portal connects rural farmers, The Arunachal Times, 16 October 2008.
PASIGHAT, Sept 15: Access to appropriate agricultural information is a difficult task for the rural tribal farmers of Arunachal Pradesh State. The region's geographical remoteness, inadequate transport and communication facilities in rural areas, difficult terrain and inadequate technical work force in the rural developmental departments make the information and advanced farm technological access of rural farmers become distant reality.
Considering dismal information dissemination scenario, the e-Arik (e-Agriculture), the DSIR sponsored research project of College of Horticulture and Forestry, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat hosted a web portal (http://www.earik.in/) for the rural farmers of Arunachal Pradesh. The portal provides information on agriculture, rural development, education, health, governance and other related areas. Further, weather forecasting link, market information, farm training and demonstration announcements.
Agriculture section provides information on khasi mandarin cultivation and management aspects, Bordeaux mixture preparation and their uses in khasi mandarin orchard, powerpoint slide show on integrated diseases management, post harvest technology of khasi mandarin, production and post harvest management of ginger. The e-Arik portal also provides information on developmental departments such as; agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and veterinary, fisheries, farmers training centre, state soil testing laboratory, district rural development agency. Education section provides information on central government scholarships for ST students such as; scheme of post-metric scholarships, central sector scholarship scheme for top class education for ST students, research fellowships and national overseas scholarships. Health section provides preliminary information on Aids awareness and malaria awareness. Governance section provides application forms for issue of income certificate, ST certificate, trade licence and building assistance. Extras section provides information on Telephone directory of East Siang district.

Traditional Gate

Entry gate sans aesthetics by D. Bosai, The Arunachal Times, 16 September 2008

ITANAGAR, Sept 15: The entry gate or welcome gate to any place is an important and significant structure. It depicts in brief the culture and identity of the people living in that place. Little wonder then, in depth research is necessary to select proper and right materials and the best architects of the land should be involved to construct such an entry gate.
Opinions and views of social scientists and academicians and thinkers should be sought before creating such an important structure. However, the entry gate to the state capital, Itanagar at Banderdewa is bereft of all aesthetic material that depicts the cultural identity of the tribals of Arunachal Pradesh. An entry or welcome gate must not only be a feast to the eyes of the beholders but must necessarily carry a meaningful message. No doubt, the structure at Banderdewa is huge and stands dominantly towering over the ambience of the place. Surely a huge amount must have been spent and great effort must have been put in to erect it. But the monumental effort apparently seems to be an effort in futility as the gate has little to offer in terms of displaying the spirit and life style of the tribal people of the state. In other words, this huge structure is serving little or no purpose. In fact many feel that in many ways the mithun gate at Itanagar was better than the present entry gate at Banderdewa.
There is no dearth of traditional artifacts in the state for inclusion in such a structure like podum (Nyishi head gear), ngama joan (traditional hat of the Monpas), pasong (spear of the Noctes and Wanchos), kong (gong of the Khamtis, Tangsas and Singphos), Nara (cane bag of the Adis) and traditional cane hat of the Gallos, Tagins, and Idu Mishmis. Inclusion of these traditional articles in the gate will not only enhance the beauty of the gate but will add meaning and substance. Even the exotic animals and birds of the state like mithun, yak, hornbill etc. can also be symbolically used as they are dear to the tribals.
Our engineers and architects need to take a leaf from the book of the Nagas. In Nagaland most private and government buildings and even churches are built with an ethnic touch. The traditional gates there need to be seen to believe. They are so magnificent and depict the Naga way of life very vividly. A casual glance at the entry gate to Kohima located between Dimapur and Kohima will tell you without doubt that you have entered Nagaland. The Nagas may be in news for all the wrong reasons today, but we must admit that they have preserved their tradition jealously and with great success. Sadly, we the Arunachalees do not have even a false pride of being what we are, leave alone genuine pride. Erecting traditional gates depicting the traditional practices of our society can be a small step to show to the world that ‘we love and care for our ethnic traditions’.

(The writer is a DIPRO, Khonsa)

Patkai Autonomous Demand Committee

The Tanee Brotherhood always supports the rights of indegenous people around the world for self-determination "within or outside a state or national boundaries". It is the fundamental human right of the indegenous people of Tirap and Changlang to demand for the Patkai Autonomous Council.
Therefore,the Tanee Brotherhood supports the Patkai Autonomous Demand Committee because it is their natural human right to determine for themselves "What they want ?" or "Where they ought to be ?"
After all, its their land.

Parivar's Plan

By VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNA, Frontline, Volume 25, Number 19, September 13-26 2008.

The Sangh and its affiliates have achieved greater coordination at this point of time.

PTI

Sadhus at the VHP-sponsored Dharam Sansad held in Allahabad in February 2006.

ON December 24, 2007, when top leaders of the Sangh Parivar were celebrating the remarkable thrice-in-a-row victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat under the leadership of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, its cadre attacked Dalit and tribal Christians in Kandhamal district of Orissa. The general reaction to the attacks was one of shock and disgust, but the higher echelons of the Sangh Parivar interpreted them as bearing a unique organisational message to the top leadership. Implausible as it may sound, it was felt that one of the Sangh Parivar outfits, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which was once described as the ideological sword arm of the Hindutva combine, was giving out a message that it was carrying out the tasks assigned to it in a larger Hindutva initiative.

“In a sense it was also a message from another Gujarati leader of the Sangh Parivar, VHP’s international general secretary Praveen Togadia, not to be carried away by the election victories scored by the other Gujarati, Narendra Modi,” commented a senior Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader from Uttar Pradesh. Togadia had fallen out with Modi during the run-up to the 2005 local body elections in the State on account of the Chief Minister’s refusal to accommodate some of the close associates of the VHP leader in the candidates list. Since then, Togadia steadfastly kept away from the BJP campaign in Gujarat, and the two leaders even stopped communicating with each other. Moreover, dominant sections of the VHP led by Togadia often subjected former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and Modi to criticism for deviating from the core Hindutva ideological path. Togadia even maintained that these leaders had succumbed to the trappings of power and needed to make earnest attempts to overcome that.

“It was in this context that the symbolism of the December conflict in Orissa was perceived at various levels of the Sangh Parivar,” the RSS leader said. “It was as though the VHP was reminding the Sangh Parivar leadership that behind every election victory of the BJP, credited normally to the political sagacity of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Advani or to the development initiative of Narendra Modi, there are scores of ideology-driven initiatives such as the one in Orissa,” he pointed out. The Orissa moves were led by Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, a veteran VHP leader, who was considered close to Togadia.

It is not known whether this interpretation of the Orissa riots was formally acknowledged by the Sangh Parivar leadership, but it is certain that there have been efforts in the past six months for a rapprochement between Togadia and Modi. The former’s comments about the Chief Minister during a visit to Ahmedabad in early August bears testimony to this. Togadia, who visited the city soon after the serial blasts, said he clearly supported the line pursued by Modi in addressing the threat of terrorism in Gujarat. When mediapersons asked him about the turnaround in their relationship, the VHP leader maintained that “fights take place between brothers and even spouses but ultimately they all belong to the same family”.

Jayanti Barot, BJP general secretary and Rajya Sabha member, supported this argument by explaining that even when Togadia and Modi had differences of opinion, they worked to achieve a common goal. “What you see as differences are actually the varied streams of a unified strategy,” she added. Barot’s opinion is corroborated by activists of other Sangh Parivar outfits such as the RSS, the BJP and the Bajrang Dal.

According to the RSS leader, it is true that the Sangh Parivar constituents, especially the BJP, went through a period of intense ideological confusion and organisational upheaval in the last months of 2004 and a good part of 2005. “But all that has been more or less rectified, and the Sangh Parivar is functioning like a good orchestra these days. The rectification process was initiated between the last months of 2005 and early 2006 through a series of organisational initiatives. There may be some hitches even now in terms of fine-tuning, but the rampant confusion is a thing of the past and there is greater coordination among the different units at this point of time,” the leader said.

The course correction measures aimed at reviving coordination and concerted action among various Sangh Parivar outfits were launched by the RSS leadership after its October 2005 national executive at Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh. By the time the National Council (Pratinidhi Sabha) met in February 2006 at the organisation’s headquarters in Nagpur, these efforts had advanced considerably and the leadership even outlined an action plan (Frontline, March 10, 2006). The action plan signified a qualitative shift in emphasis from internal, organisational matters, which had manifested themselves as constant wrangling within the Sangh Parivar on ideological and organisational questions, to external socio-political goals, evolving in the form of a revived pursuit of the core Hindutva agenda along with a neoliberal economic agenda and attempts to exploit the differences among secular forces.

A series of programmes that were held at that time as well as some significant political interventions by the RSS exemplified this shift. The programmes included the VHP-sponsored “Dharam Sansads” (religious parliaments of sants and mahants) held in different parts of the country, including in Orissa’s Puri district, and the Shabari Kumbh Mela organised at Dangs in Gujarat. These programmes evolved a clutch of ideas and plans to advance the ideological, organisational, political and realpolitik interests of the Sangh Parivar. Each segment had diverse strategies, all cumulatively aimed at enhancing the Sangh Parivar’s support base.

The Dharam Sansad meetings – the Puri meet was held on February 18 and 19, 2006 – passed a 13-point Hindu charter, which was described by the Sangh Parivar leadership as the “core ideological blueprint” of Hindutva initiatives in the future. The charter included oft-repeated Sangh Parivar demands such as a ban on cow slaughter, purification of the Ganga, and imposition of the common civil code, but its central piece was the decision to develop a Hindu vote bank to counter the alleged Muslim vote bank. The plan was “to develop a Hindu vote bank to pressure all political parties to protect and advance the interests of the Hindu community, cutting across barriers of caste”. In concrete terms, this meant the creation of a block of Hindutva volunteers in each booth of the country, who would support and work for the candidate who gives in to Hindutva demands.

The Shabari Kumbh Mela was professedly an event “to promote self-respect and confidence among the Vanvasis [the Sangh Parivar terminology for Adivasis] as well as to resist and revert the conversions to Christianity engineered by missionaries”. The presentations at the mela argued that organisations of Muslims and Christians were working in a planned manner to effect a demographic shift. It was in the context of this conference that many RSS leaders, including sarsanghachalak K.S. Sudarshan, exhorted the Hindu community to ignore the concept of family planning so that India did not become a “society dominated by Muslims and Christians”.

Sudarshan also exhorted leaders of Sangh Parivar outfits to evolve campaign plans highlighting this issue. These campaigns were to follow broadly the blatantly communal slogan of the VHP, pehle kasai phir isai. Roughly it means the first priority is to tackle and coerce Muslims into submission and then Christians.

Organisationally, the initiatives undertaken between October 2005 and February 2006 witnessed repeated expressions of intent to enhance the importance of organisations such as the VHP and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and cut the BJP leadership to size. It was also decided to evolve a collective leadership in the BJP in order to ensure that the party did not lose its ideological moorings but at the same time adopted such political postures that it was able to wean away regional and smaller parties from the secular fold. This go-ahead for realpolitik also reflected a clearance to the pursuit of neoliberal policies opportunistically.

NEOLIBERAL HINDUTVA

RSS cadre at the Walpur Bagoria Mela grounds, about 60 km from the district headquarters of Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. The RSS has played a major role in the Bagoria festival in the tribal belt.

According to the Uttar Pradesh RSS leader, the evaluation of the Sangh Parivar leadership in early 2008 was that all the diverse political, organisational, ideological and realpolitik operations were going on more or less smoothly. Gujarat has shown that neoliberal Hindutva is a workable proposition. The realpolitik initiatives since February 2006 led to a significant political victory in Karnataka, too. There, the differences among secular parties were exploited well by the BJP to come to power on its own.

The Sangh Parivar leadership is also of the view that collective action has been facilitated to a great extent by the elevation of Rajnath Singh to the top leadership of the BJP and the dilution of the Advani-Vajpayee stranglehold over the political arm. Within the RSS itself, the authority exercised by sarkaryavah (general secretary) Mohan Rao Bhagwat over organisational and political matters is acclaimed to have contributed in a big way in setting things in order.

A number of Sangh Parivar activists, including veteran RSS leaders, told Frontline that the Sangh Parivar leadership had evaluated the Orissa project as one that was on course. The operations in Orissa were essentially following the Shabari Kumbh Mela’s directives and Togadia was closely involved in its execution. Here, too, a kind of neoliberal Hindutva is at work. “Gujarat was the original experimental lab of the Hindutva agenda. That has more or less stabilised as a Hindutva bastion under the able leadership of Narendra Modi, and now we are looking forward to Orissa. Though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik belongs to a non-Sangh Parivar party – the Biju Janata Dal – he has been more than cooperative in helping us advance our agenda,” a senior RSS leader from Jharkhand told Frontline.

He added that in South India, the Sangh Parivar hoped to repeat in Kerala the big gains of Karnataka. The BJP has not been able to win even a single Assembly seat in Kerala so far. “Our students movement, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, is making big gains on the campuses of the State and the number of people who are disgruntled with the corruption and infighting in the two mainstream parties of Kerala, the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is increasing day by day.” But the Sangh Parivar leadership’s clear assessment is that Orissa will be the first State to follow Gujarat as a Hindutva model.

See for a series of articles of the Sangh Parivar's violent campaign against Christians in Orissa as a part of a political project-

Frontline, Volume 25, Number 19, September 13-26 2008

Continuous violation of human rights in Taraso

Panchayat leader appeals for solution to boundary dispute, The Arunachal Times, 7 September 2008.

ITANAGAR, Sept 6: VI Taraso Zilla Parishad Member Nabam Eka appealed to the governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Asom to initiate steps to solve the problem of boundary issue permanently.
The people of Taraso are ready to support and cooperate with the two state governments in bring about an early out come.
Eka thanked the journalists of Asom for visiting the area to collect first hand information about the culture, economic and social aspects of the people living in Arunachal Pradesh.
Interstate journalists visit should be encouraged so that a unique bond of friendship and unity amongst the two states is strengthened, he said.
There is continuous violation of human rights in Taraso, the ZPM said and added that the government of Asom is terrorizing the peace loving people of the border area of Arunachal territory with police force, CRPF and Forest personnel.
Recalling the recent evection carried out in Dullung-Ramghat village under Taraso circle and the massive destruction of properties by the Asom Forest department along with the CRPF and Asom police, Eka said violation of human rights have been taking place repeatedly since 1992.
Despite such terrorizing act the people of Taraso is maintaining peace and harmony with the people of Asom by celebrating Nyokum and Bihu festivals jointly, he further added.
Though the natives of Taraso have been dwelling in the area before 1914 yet the government of Asom has been claiming the land, the ZPM said.
He further stated that the Asom government has never maintained status quo between the two states as agreed.

Tani Human Rights Council-http://tanibrotherhood.wordpress.com/

Culture of Taniland

Is it Westernization, Sanskritization or "Neo-Hinduism" ?

Innocent people of Taniland should not be fooled by the Sangh Parivar in the name of preservation of tradition and culture. Our identity is based on our ethnicity, not on religion as the Indian state do. The whole of North East India (United States of Asia) base their identity on ethnicity not on religion. So, you'll here the words like Meitei, Naga, Khasi, Kuki, Ahom, Bodo, Monpa...The Westerners might be Christians but when it comes to identity they are the German (Deutsche) and so on.

The partition of British India into Pakistan and India shows us how religious based identities can divide people of the same ethnic group. We Tani's should be aware of propagandas made by the Hindutva forces in Taniland, in the name of culture to divide us. Looking the future ahead, the Tanibrotherhood stands for fraternity and brotherhood among the Tani's, irrespective of whatever faith one belongs to.

We are Tani's, that's our identity.

Cultures grow and are not static.

Faith, religion, a personal matter.

Son and daughters of Tani, the first life known.

Let communal fascist forces come,but we are Tani's.

That's our Identity and need no preservation.

No preservatives required, we are not pickles.

An identity which won't perish, looking for.

We are Tani's, that's our identity.