Author: editor

Fabled Orissa: A Critique

Discussion

By Brundabana Mishra

Under the edifices of the three principal subjects, “Firstly, how Orissa had achieved legendary status in the ancient time; secondly how those achievements and glories vanished and how the province cleared ways for its invaders; and finally how the present generation has forgotten the fabled past and succumbed to the foreign imposed subjugation from where it never managed an escape till the present time”, Saroj Kumar Rath developed his article “Fabled Orissa: From Glory and Grandeur to Colonisation”. Nevertheless, the author has fall short of certain points and as he encompassed millennia for his study, he fail to address all his hypotheses in historical context. The author had set a new chord to the rhythm of the costal Orissan history not to the “fabled Orissa”, which he claimed. Nonetheless, somehow he fails to provide fine-tuning to his musical accord of “from glory and grandeur to colonisation”. When the author talks about Orissa from the past to present the first and foremost point which need to be analysed are: What was and what is Orissa at least in the sense of geo-political boundary? How it became present Orissa? In the historical context who represented Orissa? Secondly, when the author raised the most vital point how Orissa lost her glory, the chronological sequences and factor that played vital roles to the colonisation of Orissa are conspicuous by its absence. Thirdly, the author accused the present generation for forgetting the rich history of their ancestors but he never provided adequate reasons to prove his hypothesis. By looking in to the content and context of the article, I would like to divide my critical observation into two parts. The first part will be supposition to the author’s imagination and contextualization of Orissan history and the second part will be a critical approach with valid reasons on the observation, hypotheses and question raises by the author.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12754501

Stigma and Identity Construction of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Manipur

Note

By Hoineilhing Sitlhou

Ever since the first patient of HIV/AIDS was detected in Manipur in 1989-1990 among the injecting drug users, the disease has been associated with groups that are marked out as social deviants. Given this association and the fact that the disease has no effective treatment, sufferers faced social rejection and discrimination. The disease was seen as a consequence of life style choices and PLWHAs were denied access to the ‘sick role’. HIV/AIDS acts as a metaphor for moral and physical contamination. The infection confers on the individual a spoilt image and identity. This is reflected in the level of stigmatisation and discrimination directly faced by those affected and vulnerable to it; as also the way PLHAs construct their identities in the light of their infection with the virus. It is also relevant to an understanding of the ways in which treatment of people dying of HIV/AIDS are being organised.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12754475

Indigenous Agriculture System of Kukis in Ukhrul District

Note

By Lh. Seitinthang

Agriculture has a vital place in the economy of Manipur with 52.19 percent of the workers in the State engaged as cultivators and agricultural labourers. For centuries the knowledge of agriculture among the Kukis is stored in people’s memories and activities, expressed in the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs, dances, myths, cultural values, beliefs, rituals, chief laws, local languages, taxonomy, agricultural practices, equipments and tools. The study was conducted among the Kukis in Ukhrul district of Manipur to investigate indigenous knowledge of agriculture systems. The main objectives of the study include the activities and responsibility of “Lompi” and the way of the Kuki beliefs in gods and the reasons and process of the agriculture festivals like “Chang-ai”, and the advantage of the use of indigenous knowledge of agriculture integrating with modern technologies.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12754456

Perception of Health Care Option and Therapy Seeking Behaviour of Tangkhul Nagas

Article

By R.K. Jeermison

Despite increasing attempts to centralised Folk Medicine and integrating with the mainstream medical system, this un-professionalised medical system is miles away to be accepted as a significant healing method in urban based modern society and among biomedical practitioners. Traditional Medicine (TM) in India under the acronym “AYUSH” have tried to make its presence felt in the global market. But as TM is restricted to AYUSH, this has overlooked a major underlying substratum of Folk Medicine that largely invokes natural and supernatural agents as the cause of illness. This calls for further investigation on the scholarship of alternative medicine in India.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12754435

Som: A Decaying Traditional Institution of the Thadou

Article

By Lalgin Chongloi

Creating distinct identity from others, the Thadou one of the Kuki tribes of Manipur is endowed with a beautiful, varied and colourful culture and customs which makes them unique. Like many tribal groups of Northeast India, the Thadou also once had Som (dormitory) for boys where a group of young boys would sleep together at night and were being imparted the significant fundamental practices of healthy social living. Thus, Som acts as an institutional centre for learning in the traditional society of the Thadou. However, the isolation of the simple Thadou society was broken with the advent of British rule in Manipur and the western culture and world views were gradually diffused in the minds of the Thadou. Eventually the Thadou are drifting away from their traditional ways of life. As such, Som was badly affected. This paper attempts to highlight the significant role played by Som in the traditional society of the Thadou and also aims to explore the factors which might have been responsible for discontinuation of Som.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12754419

Fabled Orissa: From Glory and Grandeur to Colonisation

Article

By Saroj Kumar Rath

Orissa also known as Kalinga had a fabled past. Recorded history of the province authenticates those fairytale-fabled histories. From travelers to raconteurs and from potentates to commoners of yore years have described Kalinga’s history in such word character that the reading of the same makes one believe that the fabled past of Orissa is a living reality even today. Their narration about the glory and grandeur of Kalinga led the readers believe as if the fabled land still exists. However, suddenly the great civilisational existence gave way to slavery of mind and body as in surprising turn of events the whole populace subjugated to foreign invasion. The colonisers became colonised without an iota of a resistance. The province, which conducted itself admirably during peace and peril for millennia had succumbed to simple trickery and to a few mitigating forces of foreign and domestic origin. In this article, I have discussed three principal subjects. Firstly, how Orissa had achieved legendary status in the ancient time; secondly how those achievements and glories vanished and how the province cleared ways for its invaders; and finally how the present generation has forgotten the fabled past and succumbed to the foreign imposed subjugation from where it never managed an escape till the present time.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12754407

Jiten Yumnam, Development Aggression Rethinking India’s Neoliberal Development in Manipur, Yaol Publishing Limited, London, 2021

Book Review

Reviewed by Khullakpham Ruqaiya

The book is a must read book for anyone who is interested in development politics in Manipur, one of the states in the north-eastern region of India. Manipur is known for conflict-prone situation due to multiple inter and intra-ethnic conflicts coupled with problems of insurgency and low economic growth. The Indian state after adopting the Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization policy in 1991 intensified the course for a neoliberal model of development. The trajectory of development that the postcolonial Indian state pursues is to bring security to its conflict-prone situation. However since three decades, the neoliberal agenda of development was best reflected in the formulation of the Look East Policy (LEP) rechristened as the Act East Policy (AEP) to realise the region’s strategic location and utilize its untapped resources by initiating development projects aimed for increasing connectivity with the neighbouring South East Asian nations. Therefore, a critical examination of the neoliberal developmental intervention and a study of its implications in the region are highly necessary and this enlightening book strikes at this juncture to explore and analyse the practices of development in the region.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12784642

Dynamics of Land Use and Trends of Agriculture in Sikkim

Article

By Anjuli Gurung and Abdul Hannan

Sikkim is a Himalayan state, where more than 64% of its populace still depends on agriculture and its allied sectors. As land plays an important role in agriculture, it is vital to comprehend how the land use change makes an impact on the growth of agriculture in Sikkim. State experienced different farming practices over the period of time. Before the merger with Indian union in 1975, there was a traditional farming practice in Sikkim. But with the merger, state got influenced by ‘Green Revolution’ which introduced chemical based farming (conventional farming). However, during the year 2003 state government took an initiative to convert all the cultivable land into organically cultivable land and became fully organic state in 2016. With the changing pattern of agriculture, land use pattern also get influence. The study found that the net sown area has decreased in all the districts except the east district during 2010-11 from the year 2005-06. Net sown area has decreased, however, there is an increase in the area of current fallow and culturable waste land. The forest area has also increased in Sikkim during 2010-11. The number of operational holdings of all the classes has decreased except the large class. The operated area of all the class has decreased except the medium class. The number and area of irrigation holdings has decreased in north and east district, however, there is an increase in the irrigation status in south and west district. The cropping intensity has also increased in 2010-11 from 2005-06 in Sikkim. The secondary source of data has been used for the study.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12784620

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Across the Chicken Neck: Travel in Northeast India

Book Review

By Kekhriesituo Yhome

Across the Chicken Neck is a book written by Nandita Haskar, a human rights lawyer and activist, someone who has an in-depth understanding of the Northeast India. In many occasions, she had represented the Northeast’s insurgent groups fighting against the Indian state for “self-determination”. In her previous writings, Haskar has critically voiced her opinion against the Indian state for the use of military power to suppress the movements in the Northeast. In her attempt to understand more about the Northeast, Haskar along with her husband, Sabestian Hongray decided to make a journey through the region, in their scorpio car. This book narrates the exciting, at times tiring, and sometime chilling experiences of the lone couple journey from Delhi traversing up and down the Eastern Himalayan mountains and back to Delhi.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12772483

Rural Infrastructure Development through Community based Social Organisation: A Case Study of the Awang Sekmai village in Manipur

Article

By Doreshor Khwairakpam, R. Shankar and Mahua Mukherjee

The settlement infrastructure in most of the rural areas across the country is not well developed as compared to urban areas. Various Five Year Plans of Union Government undertook numerous schemes and programs considering the rural infrastructure development in both physical and social sectors, though objectives under such schemes and programmes are rarely fulfilled Community participation in rural development schemes bring greater success in addressing appropriate issues with quality delivery. Social organisation plays a very important role in the overall development of rural life. The Awang Sekmai village from Imphal-west in Manipur is an example where a traditional social organisation namely Awang Sekmai Schedule Caste Development Committee (ASSCDC) is actively involved in the social and economic welfare of villagers. This organisation plays a very important role in infrastructure development, economic growth and self sustaining livelihoods for the villagers. This paper is about the ASSCDC, its organisational structure, role in rural infrastructure development and other social initiatives like sports in the Awang Sekmai village. The methodology of this research paper includes group discussion, interviews, field observation and household survey.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12772447

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