An Indian militaryman's point of view

Only after Independence and re-organisation of the States was a semblance of real Government authority and administration brought into these far-flung areas. This was strongly resented by the newly educated elite of the tribal societies, who construed the efforts of the Government as an encroachment on their tribal way of life and freedom. Thus, on the basis of racial, cultural and religious differences from the majority stock of the plains, insurgency in the NE India came into being. Issues of ideology are by and large irrelevant to the insurgency movements of the NE region. The single predominant factor that has withstood the test of time in this regard is either ethnic (such as in Assam and Tripura) or tribal as in Nagaland. It has also been seen that, within a particular State, insurgency by one set of tribals raises its head, finds roots and spreads and then dies with an agreement with the Government. Thereafter, in the same geographical area, another lesser tribe/sub tribe undergoes the same cycle. This in Mizoram, once Lushai insurgency came to an end, we have the Hmars up in arms. In the same manner, the Naga insurgency once spearheaded by the Semas has now passed into the hands of the Konyaks in Northern Nagaland and the Tangkhuls in Southern Nagaland and NE Manipur with the once dominant Semas and Angamis relegated largely to the side lines. Similar to the Bodos, the Karbi Anglongs of Assam are showing all the signs of the itch to raise yet another movement. Thus it is evident that even if, at the point of origin ideology had any role to play, in the long run it is the ethnic and tribal perceptions that truly matter. The insurgency in our NE states first manifested itself in Nagaland and thereafter mushroomed to other areas. The insurgency in Nagaland has thus, in a sense, been an umbrella for all other insurgencies in the region. It is essential to know the historical context leading to these insurgencies.  The map of the NE has been altered with new lines drawn to recognise new political and administrative realities. The names of these entities have changed; the Naga Hills has become Nagaland, the Lushai Hills has changed to Mizoram and the North Eastern Frontier Agency, still known to many simply as NEFA, has become Arunachal Pradesh. The jungles of SE Asia sweep down from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh across seven other nations – Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Malaysia and Vietnam-spanning political boundaries regardless of physical frontiers. Ethnic coalitions, oral traditions and lifestyles based on respect for nature have mattered more in these regions than frontiers. Here men and women, with common origins but different nationalities, share a racial, historic, anthropological and linguistic kinship with each other that is more vital than their links with the mainstream political centers, especially at Delhi, Dhaka and Rangoon, or Yangon, as it is known today. It is this affinity that has played a role in the unrest and insurgencies that have long troubled the NE of India. Affinity and Identity; these, more than any other factors, have represented the principal compulsions that triggered the Naga, Mizo, Meitei, Tripuri and Assamese affirmation of separateness from the non-Mongolian communities that dominate the India subcontinent. India's NE is a misshapen strip of land, linked to the rest of the country by a narrow corridor just 20 kms wide at its slimmest, which is referred to as the "Siliguri Corridor". This region has been the battle ground for generations of sub-national identities. The anthropological composition of the inhabitants of North Eastern India presents a kaleidoscopic variety. Descendants of Aryan and Dravidian stocks co-mingle with the Indo-Burmese and Indo-Tibetan strains. Owing to its geographical isolation from the rest of India and the relative primitiveness of the tribal societies existing here, the region remained virtually cut off from the rest of India. From time immemorial till the near eclipse of the British Raj, and even to this day, this situation of isolation has continued in one form or the other. To give a fair account of the feeling of non-"Indianness" of the tribal peoples, it is essential to understand that the phenomenon is more or less reciprocal with the rest of India being largely ignorant of the problems and privations of the peoples of NE India. One striking example of the psychological aloofness of the Indian people from this region is the massacre at Nellie in 1976. This incident in which over 3000 men, women and children were slaughtered in one go, could engage Indian media attention for barely two weeks.  There is now a perceptible change in attitudes. The sheer scale and intensity of the ongoing political violence in Assam and the resultant continuous media coverage has brought about a situation where the rest of India is now aware of the existence of the region. Similarly, the opening of roads and related means of communication in the region has served, in conjunction with the spread of education, to bring about an awareness of the rest of India. The veritable flood of Hindi movies and their popularity in the region have also assisted in no small measure in this slow but sure process of absorption in the Indian mainstream. www.eastarmy.nic.in

Border Areas Of Manipur Still In A Time Wrap

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Despite the ongoing aggressive campaign to develop the interior border areas of the country, it is a pity that people living in the frontier villages of south east Manipur still have yet to see the trickling-effect of the ambitious Border Area Development Program being implemented by the Union Government of India. Tales of neglect and total lack of administration are abound along Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur as discovered during a rural area reporting initiatives conducted in the border areas of South east Manipur. What is even more disturbing is the wide spread practice of opium cultivation which the marginalized farmers of the area have taken to, compelled by trying circumstances. There is no doubt that the landscape of Manipur is enchanting, especially when one proceeds deeper in the interiors. However the picture post-card image betrays the real stories of the people living in these highlands, far away from the cities. Maybe that's why their concerns are never addressed. The dictum, 'out of sight, out of mind' could be the official justification. The first stop after leaving Imphal is the sleepy village of Joupi village in Chandel district of Manipur. The villagers disclose that there is an acute water scarcity in the village. Although the village kids are excited to see new faces with flashy equipments stepping into their village, a close look at them tells of their pitiable conditions. Malnutrition, lack of health care programs is glaring. Luckily, thanks to Assam Rifles that literally controls the village, the road up to Hengshi is very good in comparison but the happy story ends at Holezang, a villages comprising of only 5 houses and said to be the last post under the control of Indian security forces, posted to contain the growing insurgency. Beyond this village, the paramilitary forces have no presence and armed rebels are said to call the shots. Although there was neither electricity nor water supply, thanks to the solar energy technology, the youngsters of Holezang could enjoy a local video film on a TV set after the day's hard work in the fields. In the morning, the rural reporting team had to proceed on foot as it is the only available mode of travel with roads abandoned and lying disused, scarred by the violent unrest of the times. After hours of trekking in the hilly terrain, the next stop was the fairly large village of Sehlon, located in close proximity with Myanmar. With a population of 500, the village is most suited for coffee and ginger plantation. Unfortunately due to want of proper marketing and transportation facilities, these ventures have not become economically viable. As warned by the security forces, in Sehlon village we countered underground cadres, who the villagers say were the only people who came to their aid in troubled times. During an interaction, the Chief of Sehlon said the shortcomings of his and adjourning villages are too many to enumerate but the most serious ones are in the field of education, health care and electricity. 'It is as if the government has completely forgotten us and the same story goes for every village in the surrounding areas. In the field of medical, food - we've to rely on Burma. No representative of the medical dept has ever set foot in the village. Even in the field of education, we've only one teacher assigned to our village but that too have not bothered to report for duty. Fearing for the future of our children, we've engaged some educated youths of the village and run a private school' said the village chief. With the administration, literally turning a blind eye, armed cadres are seen performing unfamiliar roles with concerned parents approaching them for medicine and health-care. The underground cadres gladly comply when a worried mother, carrying her sick boy, sought for medical advice and medicine for her boy. The 3 years old is diagnosed of suffering from malaria. He has not eaten in days and has high fever. The young cadres after carefully examining the boy, prescribed medicine and advice the mother how to nurse her son back to health. Most of the time, the armed rebels are their only hope for medicine. This kind of story is reported to be common as the area is malaria prone. Probably for those in military service, be it the state forces or the radicals, civic action program are an inevitable way to garner trust and public support. As the team moved on after a night halt, little hamlets of few houses that dot the cloudscapes set the media wondering why these villagers prefer to lived in these treacherous terrain even when most places are unfit for rice cultivation. The reason was shocking. With no one to turn to in times of their needs, villages in this remotest part, perched at high altitudes, almost hidden perpetually by mist, had no other option but to harvest opium to ensure their rice supply from Burma. The villagers disclosed that one kg of opium is exchanged for 6 bags of rice or for 8000 rupees. Sometimes a kg of opium gets as much as 20,000 rupees. Large areas of forest are burned for poppy cultivation, oblivious to the invisible state authority. Ngankho Ngamkhomang, a village chief said, 'because our fields are not suited for rice cultivation, we've taken to opium trade as our only source of income. Before, we used to grow mustard for its seeds and other cash crops but the earning was marginal due to lack marketing facilities. We had to start poppy cultivation because we need rice to eat. The Burmese from across the border offer to exchange their rice for opium and give us poppy seeds. With government ignoring us completely, this is our only means of procuring rice.' Fortunately, all the poppy growing villages in this part of the State had a way to prevent opium-use amongst its folks. If a person is caught using opium, the family is instantly prohibited to cultivate opium anymore. Lured by the lucrative opium trade, marginalized hill farmers from other districts have started abandoned their paddy fields and are migrating to this part just to grow poppy. A mate farmer who migrated for Saikhul village in Senapati district said he couldn't resist the temptation of growing opium and becoming rich quickly. 'Growing poppy is fairly easy and requires less labour but the income is truly amazing. It makes sense for a marginalized farmers like me to come to this part of the state and grow poppy to fulfill our family needs' says young Mate. Although scenic beauty at every turns speaks of the tremendous tourism potential of the State, one cannot avoid noticing the deprivation of the people, especially of the children. To everybody's surprise, a spent-artillery-shell fired by the Indian forces during an encounter with the rebels is an improvised school-bell for a privately run school. Alarming as it maybe, the sound of this artillery bell has the desired effect on the 20 odd kids that attend this private school run by a single teacher who is still in her teens. Even though Vienei Kim wanted to pursue higher studies after completing her matriculation, she couldn't afford due to economic constrains. Her contribution and her desire to kindle the light of education in this far flung area are truly admirable and put the government to shame who have failed miserably, especially of providing education to every child in the country. 'In our village the government has not set up any educational facilities. That's why I've to help teach these students' says Kim. Although she is supposed to be paid 70 rupees per student, she hardly complains when most parent fail to honour their words at the end of every month. Kim goes on teaching her 20 odd students undeterred for it is not for the money but the conviction that education is their only hope for a bright future that constantly drives her. The story of these people who inhabit the periphery areas in the south east of Manipur, bordering Myanmar is surely a sorry tale of neglect and abandon. Despite their helplessness and literally caught in the crossfire between the guns of the Indian security forces and the insurgents, every night these villagers pray that their government will come to their aid some day and take care of their. But the impending question when will their prayers be answered. Bachaspatimayumin Sunzu contributed this article in the E-pao site.

Manipur's Aruna Devi wins Mumbai marathon, organisers 'miss' her

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Shivani Naik Posted: Jan 19, 2009 at 0345 hrs IST

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L Aruna Devi finished the Mumbai marathon in 3 hrs 9 minutes 59 seconds — faster than all other Indian challengers, but was too washed out by the effort to realise that she wasn't among the three women who figured on the podium and picked the medals.

Apparently, volunteers in charge of ushering the winners completely missed that an Indian — running with thousands of others from Africa, Europe and Asia — had run past the tape-line, and instead mobbed Indresh Dhiraj as the Indian winner a good five minutes after Aruna Devi should've been swooped upon for clinching the honours.

Officials don't deny that this blatant oversight could've been a result of volunteers — mostly college students from Mumbai — failing to recognise the 31-year-old Manipuri as an Indian, and mistaking her for a "foreign runner" owing to her North-east features.

Bruno Goveas from Procam International, the event's promoters, said, "It's likely that the volunteers confused her for a foreigner, so we missed her. There was a goof-up."

The official result-list — which records the timings from the electronic-chip, and has details like bib number, name and nationality — averted a bigger blunder, when organisers admitted to the mistake and went looking for the real winner.

Aruna Devi, an Eastern Railway employee posted in Kolkata, said: "I knew I had won, but I had no energy left after finishing the race. Initially nobody came forward to offer water. Then one Didi (a volunteer) took me to resting room for athletes, and gave me a massage. When I felt all right I asked around, but I was told the medal-ceremony was over."

Besides not climbing the podium, Aruna Devi — running only her second full-marathon, and the first in Mumbai — also missed receiving the $2,500 prize-cheque in full view of the thousands of cheering spectators.

Officials, though terming the fiasco unfortunate, said they hadn't figured out how it happened. Adille Sumariwala, leading the technicals officials' team, said, "We always had the names right on our result sheets. I'm trying to find out how the mistake happened and I'll do a post mortem on the volunteers' actions. But there are so many agencies operating at the finishing line. Volunteers don't know all athletes by name and face, hence the confusion. She has got the cheque and medal now." Why the officials didn't notice that three different runners were escorted to the podium, remains unanswered.

Source: The Indian Express

Style over substance fallacy

Style over substance is a logical fallacy which occurs when one emphasises the way in which the argument is presented, while marginalising (or outright ignoring) the content of the argument. In some cases, the fallacy is employed as a form of ad hominem attack.

Here are some examples of the fallacy and how it is used.

Example One

    * Person 1: Who needs a smoke detector? No one ever has a fire in their house, smoke detectors are a waste of money!
    * Person 2: What?! You'd rather save a bit of money than ensure your family's safety? Don't you care whether they burn to death, you idiot?
    * Person 1: I don't have to take your insults! Go away!

The fact that Person 2 insulted Person 1 does not alter the validity of Person 2's argument, nor does it excuse the hasty generalisation fallacy that Person 1 has employed.

Example Two

    * Person 1: This website says that cars made by Ford get more miles to the gallon than cars made by Vauxhall.
    * Person 2: That website is amateurish - look at the way it's designed! This other website is much more professional-looking, so it's probably more accurate.

The website Person 2 refers to may or may not be more accurate than the one that Person 1 was referring to. However, Person 2 is using the appearance of the first website alone to try and dismiss it as a reliable source of information, without properly analysing the content. This could also be considered a "Cum hoc ergo propter hoc" argument.

Example Three

Sometimes, outright non-responses or "stonewalls" are used as a part of style over substance. For example:

    * Person 1: Communism by definition and practice is in direct conflict with the principles of Anarchy. How can you consider yourself to be an Anarchistic Communist?
    * Person 2: "So Person 3, we should disband the government and make institutions that give money to the poor!"
    * Person 3: "Yeah, no government is the best government, let's have those institutions control everything!"

Example Four

The baseless denial/unreasonable doubt is often an argumentative tool that accompanies circular reasoning, ad hominem or the no true Scotsman fallacy.

    * Person 1: Candidate X has been skimming funds from the city! , I have receipts of his transactions and even photos taken of him drilling holes in the town safe!

    * Person 2: Your receipts are faked! And for all what you know, he could have been cleaning the safe or that could have been a picture of his twin brother!

    * Person 1: But Candidate X is the only boy in his family, and these were printed with the city's official seal!

    * Person 2: That could have been planted there by Candidate X's opponents! They're known to be sneaky, because no true member of our party could do something like that!

Example Five

Stonewalling and mocking an unfamiliar concept, usually a form of equivocation.

    * Person 1: Reverend X, you claim the end is coming because it's mentioned in your book "Diuretics", isn't that a bit of circular reasoning?

    * Reverend X: (In a confused manner) You know what's circular reasoning? When the end comes, you'll be walking in circles trying to reason how you missed out on knowing the end came!

This may also be considered as a variety of a red herring fallacy.










Notes:

Logical fallacy:
A fallacy is a component of an argument which, being demonstrably flawed in its logic or form, renders the whole argument invalid (except in the case of 'begging the question' fallacy). In logical arguments, fallacies are either formal or informal. Because the validity of a deductive argument depends on its form, a formal fallacy is a deductive argument that has an invalid form, whereas an informal fallacy is any other invalid mode of reasoning whose flaw is not in the form of the argument.

Ad hominem
An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin: "argument to the man", "argument against the man") consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or appealing to a characteristic or belief of the source making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim. The process of proving or disproving the claim is thereby subverted, and the argumentum ad hominem works to change the subject.

Hasty generalization
Hasty generalization is a logical fallacy of faulty generalization by reaching an inductive generalization based on insufficient evidence. It commonly involves basing a broad conclusion upon the statistics of a survey of a small group that fails to sufficiently represent the whole population.[1] Its opposite fallacy is called slothful induction, or denying the logical conclusion of an inductive argument (i.e. "it was just a coincidence").

Correlation does not imply causation
Correlation does not imply causation is a phrase used in the sciences and the statistics to emphasize that correlation between two variables does not imply that one causes the other. Its negation, correlation proves causation, is a logical fallacy by which two events that occur together are claimed to have a cause-and-effect relationship. The fallacy is also known as cum hoc ergo propter hoc (Latin for "with this, therefore because of this") and false cause. By contrast, the fallacy post hoc ergo propter hoc requires that one event occurs before the other and so may be considered a type of cum hoc.

No true Scotsman
No true Scotsman, or the self-sealing fallacy, is an ad hoc style fallacy of equivocation and question begging. It was advanced by philosopher Antony Flew in his 1975 book Thinking About Thinking – or do I sincerely want to be right?

Equivocation
Equivocation is classified as both a formal and informal fallacy. It is the misleading use of a term with more than one meaning (by glossing over which meaning is intended at a particular time).

It is often confused with amphiboly; however, equivocation is ambiguity arising from the misleading use of a word and amphiboly is ambiguity arising from misleading use of punctuation or syntax.

Red herring
Similar to ignoratio elenchi, a red herring is an argument, given in reply, that does not address the original issue. Critically, a red herring is a deliberate attempt to change the subject or divert the argument. This is known formally in the English vocabulary as a digression which is usually denoted as "red herring".

The term red herring comes from the time when criminals would use fish to lead sniffer dogs off the trail.

Henzoonaha

Long long ago, far away in a village remote
There lived a young boy, wild and free
People talks about him, his might and his strength
Henzoonaha was his beautiful name.

In a village not far away, there lived a young girl
Whose eyes sparkled like fireflies
Her hair as dark as night and as straight as Henzoos spears
Lairourembi was her maiden name.

Rumours spread in the village remote
People talked about a love affair
That of Henzoonaha and Lairourembis
'So divine and so true' they murmured.

Lairourembi was the bony and beautiful one
Henzoonaha was he- the son of a widow
And rumours had spread in the village, wide and far
'They are so much in love' thats what people said

On a day so bright, Henzoonaha behold his beloved
'I would come and meet you' he told his lady love
Wait for me in the night of 'lampta-thagja'
Well count the stars and watch the sun rise from the hill

They promised they would meet
On the dark and deep night of 'lampta-thangja'
The love-bound, the beautiful and the brave
-Henzoonaha and Lairourembi were their names.

The widow that his mother was, she wondered
'Why does my left eye flicker too much?'
'Is any evil looming around anywhere?'
'Oh dear crows- why do you crow so much?'

With motherly love in her eyes she had whispered
'Oh sweet brave child of mine, the night is so dark;
Remember, evils dwell in the dark and they feed on our souls
Tonight stay safe beside your old widow mother'

But, as the night got darker and deeper
To meet his dearly beloved Lairourembi
Stealthily Henzoonaha left the house;
In defiance of his mothers words.

To quench the thirst of his love
To fulfil the promise that was made
Of a meeting pure and divine
He stepped out in the deep dark night

Waiting in the cold and creepy silence
In the hollow shadows of the dark night
Were many voices and images unknown
Sharoi Ngaroi- were their evil names

The evil spirits chased Henzoonaha
Blocked his path and blinded his eyes
Voices and spirits followed him
Like shadow so hollow and ghostly
Henzonaha whispered Lairourembis name
His feeble voice assured 'I am coming to meet you'
Fought the spirits with his strength and might
And ran as fast he could towards his lady love

But so evil and cruel the spirits they were
They laughed at Henzoonahas plight
Took hold of his strong black hair
Pulled him down in the icy cold ground

Henzoonaha fought with the demons unseen
Oh the evils- they strangled his hands from behind
Chocked his heart and the spirits danced over his body
The body that was of Henzoonaha

Evils dispersed and died with the coming of the sun shine
But there lied in the eaves of his own house
The beautiful body that was of a widow's son
The body that was of beloved Henzoonaha

What a story evil and disastrous
Evil does exist, and they exist in the dark
They loom around for evil opportunity

Like a shadow, like a voice, like an image
In forms shapeless and deformed
In words, in actions, in thoughts

What a scary and interesting story it is
Evil does exist, and they get hold of you
When you least expect them

What a story evil and interesting
Learn a lesson if you must
Evil exist also in defiance and disobedience

What a story worth listening
Always heed advice that of the elders
In it lies the wisdom that will help fight the evils.


This piece was contributed by Yaiphabi Thoudam at e-pao.net.