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Election Dates For 15th Lok Sabha

Thursday, March 5, 2009

New Delhi: The Election commission on Monday announced dates for the 15th Lok Sabha elections , which will be held in five phases from April 16 to May 13. In Mizoram, it will be on April 16.

The polls are scheduled as follows:

Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh will have polls on all five dates.

Bihar: April 16, 23, 30 and May 7.

Maharashtra: April 16, 23, and 30.

West Bengal: April 30, May 7 and 13.

Andhra Pradesh: April 16 and 23.

Assam: April 16 and 23.

Karnataka: April 23 and 30.

Madhya Pradesh : April 23 and 30.

Manipur: April 16 and 23.

Orissa: April 16 and 23.

Punjab: May 7 and 13.

Jharkhand: April 16 and 23.

Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep will have a single-phase poll on April 16.

Goa and Tripura will have one-day poll on April 23.

Gujarat, Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu will have one-day poll on April 30.

Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan will have a one-day poll on May 7.

Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Puducherry will have polling on May 13.

Tipaimukh Dam Development or Destruction- I

By David Buhril

The “development projects” that are damming the rivers of the North East has inevitably come to be a part of the larger global discourse about large dams. This series of article looks into the complexities of Tipaimukh dam. David Buhril wishes to thank Panos South Asia for supporting this research initiative.

Far away from the idyllic flow of the Tuivai and Tuiruong (Tipaimukh) rivers, authorities cornered in power corridors gave a nod for environmental clearance of the controversial Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric Multipurpose Project. While South Asia’s biggest economy wanted to harness the hydroelectric power, little did the Tipaimukh villagers of the indigenous Hmar people, who would be affected by the foreign decisions, know about the impact of the decisions that has already put a go-ahead stamp for the mega structure to overtake their rivers, land, livelihood, culture and resources. Their lifeline has been made to cut them off from the channels of representation, which should otherwise be made inevitable when they would be directly affected by the decision that was passed without their knowledge. The power of the decision makers who are not aware about their independent survival cultures would go a long way to usher a turbulent change that would negate the chance of their survival and continuity as people. Tuiruong, the river that feeds their everyday life, interlinks them with their tribesmen in the upper stream as well as the down stream would be dammned in the name of development that has remain elusive in their life. The indigenous Hmar people, once again, realised that they are being excluded from control over the decisions and regulative institutions that will not only change the course of the river, but also their life.

While the emerging international standards and good corporate practice increasingly recognise pre-existing natural and community water and land uses, to respect indigenous rights and to negotiate prior informed consent of the traditional land owners, the unconsulted decisions for environmental clearance wholly negates their existence as human being. Far from the negotiation table and power corridor that negates them, Tipaimukh villagers are worried and confused lot. “Tuiruong flows like the blood that keeps us alive. The endless talk for damming the river has brought us nightmares as we are never told what the structure would be like. Besides, everything that has been happening against us are being decided outside us. We are worried. Moreover, the Government of Manipur will be sending forces to built the dam. We don’t know what they are all up to,” Thanghlei of Lungthulien village said.

The attempt to secure energy in these fringe geography has already insecure indigenous people who were put at the altar without any democratic consultations. This has severed the the Tipaimukh villagers whose ancestral land and resource were being targeted as urban fodder. With their cultural and identity footprints firmly attached to Tipaimukh, the proposed Tipaimukh dam has come to represent an imperialist-like character that the forgotten people are yet to come to terms with.

Much before the undisturbed sequence of repeated acts of survival see the structure that will rise to dictate them, the recently passed environmental clearance is seen as a more potent force than Christianity that first reached the Hmar people in Tipaimukh’s Senvon village in the year 1910. The Tipaimukh villagers wonder whether they will continue to figure as survival indigenous societies when the act and decisions of the State go against them.

The Tipaimukh villagers in the fringe hills and mountain of Tipaimukh hardly know that their land and resources are being targeted to quench India’s growing energy needs. The proposed Hydro Electric Multipurpose Project that is designed to generate 1500 MW by damming the two rivers in seven years and three months is not merely a battle between development and environment, but a bigger battle between the “promise” and disguise of “development” and the impact it would have on stable indigenous community and their livelihood system.

For a community that has not seen the other side of their existence, the dam builder, North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) attempts to light up the dark world outside them does not come close to wake them to the need for sacrificing their land and resources. After the decades of their mishandled experiences by the Government of Manipur that has severely failed to respond to their quest and aspirations for welfare and development, the indigenous communities of Tipaimukh have realised that the ebb and flow of their lives depends on Tipaimukh, which never fails them.

The Tipaimukh villagers are unaware about the promise of the 15.9 billion M3 reservoir capacity of the proposed dam, which will be the largest reservoir in the country. “We don’t trust a government that has repeatedly failed us. We trust our soil, rivers and nature that has been a blessing for us. The Government or State is just a mistake. They don’t exist for us”, Lalchunghnung, a villager from Tipaimukh’s Senvon said. While the Government's decision has already outside the traditional land dwellers, the survival prospects of the indigenous people are left at mire in the name of “development.”

Part-II Coming Soon...

Cong pulls out of Naga peace meet

Kohima, March 2: The Congress today pulled out of a “consultative meeting” organised by the government to push forward the ongoing Naga peace process after blaming a ruling constituent, the Nagaland People’s Front, of causing a defection in the party.

Four Congress MLAs — Kejong Chang, Azheto Sumi, Aloh Konyak and Deo Nukhu — quit the Assembly recently to join the NPF.

The Congress cited the defection, allegedly engineered by the NPF, the main constituent of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, as the primary reason to stay away from the meeting, slated for March 5-7.

The meeting, convened by the state government’s “peace affairs committee”, will be attended by Nagas living abroad, Naga support groups, Naga representatives from Myanmar, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, various tribal hohos, civil societies, church organisations, political parties and representatives from Naga rebel factions.

PCC president K.V. Pusa said the party had received an invitation to attend the meeting but the recent resignation of four of its legislators from the Assembly to join the NPF, has forced the party to rethink its participation.

The party directly blamed the NPF for the defection of four of its members.

Pusa said the Congress would continue to work for an amicable solution to the Naga issue and thanked the various Naga organisations for their concern over the issue.

Former chief minister K.L. Chishi also warned the government that weaning away Congress policymakers would jeopardise the Naga peace process.

Though the Opposition Congress was of the view that the long-drawn Naga political problem has to be resolved through peaceful and democratic means, party insiders said the state government had also failed to take them into confidence before conceptualising the proposed meeting.

The Opposition said a major political party like the Congress has been kept in the dark, which amounts to ignoring it as a whole.

It further said the working and concept papers and the agenda of the meeting were not circulated along with the invitation cards.

Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), which is active in brokering peace in the state, also said that trying to pull down each other would create more divisions in the Naga society.

Rev. Zhabu Terhuja, the outgoing general secretary of the powerful Nagaland Baptist Church Council, appealed to the Naga policymakers against indulging in such activities.

The peace affairs committee chairman, T.M. Lotha, urged the Congress to participate in the meeting. He said the proposal was the outcome of the meeting with various Naga organisations.

Lotha said the meeting was called for a common cause and to discuss and evolve a consensus on the Naga political issue.

Source: The Telegraph

The Curious case of Benjamin Button

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

What would you do if your life begins from where it is supposed to end? This curious question is the central theme of the recently Oscar-winning romantic fantasy film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Benjamin (Brad Pitt), born in 1918 with all the features of an old man — wrinkles, cataracts and arthritis — is abandoned by his father to be looked after by Queenie (Taraji P Henson). With each passing day Benjamin’s mind grows older and his body younger.

At about twelve, Benjamin meets Daisy (Cate Blanchett), also about the same age, but they are poles apart in appearances — one an old man (at least from the outside) and the other just a child. Despite this, deep inside, they have affection for each other.

When they finally reunite after going their separate ways, Benjamin looks old enough to be Daisy’s father.

However, keeping aside their contrasting lives they take a path what most people would imagine unthinkable — marriage and then starting a family. Will their love be stronger than the laws of human nature? Altogether, the very concept of true love takes a new twist at this stage and the film actually comes up with a brilliant presentation, subsided by a gratifying script giving us a dispassionate look at life from two extremes.

The most noticeable feature of this film is the outstanding makeup and special digital makeover on both Pitt and Blanchett to meet the requirements of the transitional characters of the different stages of their lives. Pitt and Blanchett also add their classic acting skills giving us an unusually touching film.

Pure fantasy, yet, a simple tale of love and age is set to test your outlook towards life.

English (U/A)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P Henson, Tilda Swinton
Director: David Fincher

The Pink Panther 2

Steve Martin once again mumbles and fumbles as French Inspector Clouseau entrusted with the task of tracking down international thief known only as ‘The Tornado’. Clouseau is made to work with a ‘dream team’ of international investigators from Britain (Alfred Molina), Italy (Andy Garcia) and Japan (Yuki Matsuzaki).

Oh! our very own Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also makes her entry into the team, but which country she represents is strangely not clear. What follows is a series of slapstick humuor with virtually no funny lines. Despite the ‘dream team’ cast of big stars the film fades away for want of a sound script and an engaging plot. Even Martin’s acting credibility seems to be at stake on most occasions. No matter how good he is at playing the disaster-prone Inspector Clouseau there’s not much he could do except tag along helplessly. Even Ash looks totally out of place while trying to fit into her important role.

If there is one reasonable answer as to why Ash had to pick a role in this film, it could only be to fulfil her desire to be part of a ‘dream’ project involving the comical Martin.

The innocent gimmicks in which Inspector Clouseau re-enacts how the Pope’s ring could have been stolen on the Vatican Palace’s balcony is perhaps the only time one can get hold of the witty gag.

Director Harald Zwart must have forgotten that even a slapstick comedy needs substance, style, good script and melodrama.

There is no reason why one should not skip this pointless calamity.

The Pink Panther 2
English (U)
Cast: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jeremy Irons, Lily Tomlin
Director: Harald Zwart


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