Northeast heading for drought?

Courtesy : Sindh Today

In India’s northeast it has rained a little, but way too little. The weatherman has no pleasant news for states in the region, saying it may be heading for drought that will affect autumn as well as winter crops. “The rainfall during the current monsoon season in Assam and Meghalaya is scanty (around 50 percent deficit) while in the remaining states – Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh – the rainfall is deficit (roughly a 40 percent shortfall),” said Dilip Saha, director of the Agartala meteorological department.

These states together are called the seven sisters, though strictly speaking, Sikkim is also considered part of the northeast. Saha told IANS: “At the moment we are unable to predict whether the rainfall would be normal during the remaining period of the monsoon.” The monsoon period is from June to September in the hilly region and witnesses early flash floods. The Assam government had last week declared more than half the state – 14 of its 27 districts – as drought-hit, saying agriculture was badly hit due to scanty monsoon rains.

Last month, the Manipur government declared the entire state drought-hit. A drought-like situation has been declared in Nagaland following a 37.15 percent drop in normal rainfall that has adversely affected the cultivation of paddy and other crops. “Northeastern India, where the economy is primarily based on agricultural activities, is normally dependent on the southwest monsoon rain as irrigation facilities on an average have been extended to only 40 percent of cultivable area,” said an official of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Shillong.

“Farmers in most parts of irrigation-deficit northeast have not been able to sow paddy seeds due to lack of sufficient water in the fields,” he said. The worst deficiency of rain was recorded in 2001 between June and August when several parts of the region reeled under a drought-like situation.

“The agriculture and horticulture department officials in close coordination with the ICAR scientists have been monitoring the situation day by day and trying hard to get the maximum benefit from the existing irrigation facilities,” said Subrata Shiv, an agricultural expert working for the Tripura government. He said that the sowing of both autumn and winter crops would be affected by the shortage of rainfall.

“The situation will be alarming if the rains don’t come in the next one week,” Shiv told IANS. The soaring temperatures coupled with high humidity and power cut has thrown life out of gear in most parts of the northeast in the past few days.

“We have been forced to slash power supply because there is a fall in generation and we decided to go in for power cuts as we do not get electricity as per our demand,” said Dipak Ganguly, chairman and managing director of the Tripura power corporation. “The power supply in the entire northeastern region has been reduced due to a fall in generation of the hydro-electric projects in the region,” said Ganguly.

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AIR Shillong forays into internet space

Courtesy: Radio Music

To make its presence felt over the web, All India Radio's Shillong station has launched a website, www.airshillong.org in May 2009. Commenting on the purpose of launching a website, AIR Shillong station director N Shadap says, “The website was launched in the last week of May. This is to enable transparency and enable people to know what our initiatives are. It would keep the listeners updated about programmes on a daily basis and increase our listenership base.”

The website has an updated commercial rate card for advertisers to keep a tab on the advertising rates online. There is a categorisation of programmes for spot buys and sponsorship of in house programmes with rates varying according to the duration. The website also mentions the rate of booking and rates for hiring the AIR studio in the Meghalaya capital.

Airshillong.org has information on the concessions available for different advertisers, like a 15 per cent discount to state and central government departments, 15 per cent to public sector undertakings, 50 per cent for spots on blood donation, leprosy, cancer, AIDS etc.

The website was outsourced and was designed in coordination with the AIR officials. Still working on adding more content to the website, AIR Shillong plans to integrate interactivity with listeners in the near future. AIR Shillong is one of the few stations to have ventured into an individual website for their station after the Information and Broadcast Ministry resolved in late 2008 to create website for each AIR station.

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Daughter of a Shillongite in fray for next year’s Miss America

Courtesy: The Telegraph

Shillong is excited about a success story unfolding in the US. Katherine Joy Putnam Dkhar, a 22-year-old American student born to a Khasi woman from Shillong and already crowned Miss Louisiana 2009, is also in the running for the crown of Miss America 2010 to be held in Las Vegas in January.

No wonder relatives and family friends here are excited about the forthcoming event and consider the Louisiana win of “one of their own” — a proud moment for Meghalaya. Her winning the Miss Shreveport crown was also a huge morale booster for her.

The eldest of the six children born to Louisiana-based Rev. Byron Wayne Putnam and Heather A. Putnam Dkhar, the student of the University of Louisiana in Monroe also won a scholarship of $10,000. Heather, a full-time church musician, is originally from Jaiaw Langsning locality in Shillong and has been visiting Shillong once a year since moving to Louisiana in 1983.

Katherine, who is of mixed parentage (her father is an American), was baptised in Shillong where she also has a house at Kenche’s Trace in the Laban area. The Miss Louisiana contest is primarily a scholarship programme that lays emphasis on scholastic achievement as well as talent and the ability to relate to people from all walks of life.

The secretary of Fashion Society Shillong, Wanisha Lyngdoh, said they were hopeful of Katherine doing well at the mega pageant. “She has a different look among the contestants and the way she answers the judges’ queries and the confidence she exudes are added advantages,” Lyngdoh added.

She should know. The Society organises the annual Miss Shillong pageant and looks forward to felicitating Katherine once she comes to Shillong. A. Pathaw, a college student here, said Katherine would be an inspiration for many talented girls from the Northeast and encourage them to dream big. “We look forward to the moment she wins the Miss America crown,” she said.

In an email interview to The Telegraph, Heather said it was a great moment for the family and Katherine’s hard work had paid off. She had been taking training for the Miss Louisiana title for the past three years, Heather added.

“Katherine has the right spirit and apt attitude to represent the state of Louisiana well this coming year in the Miss America pageant, and we feel this is an incredible platform for her to influence the lives of young people everywhere.”

“Her father and I have been her coaches to encourage and inspire her. She has worked extremely hard this past year in every phase of the competition. Katherine had an excellent pageant director and mentor who saw to it that she had everything necessary to prepare for the competition.”

Quoting Katherine after her win, her aunt Bethleen R. Dkhar, who is in Shillong, said: “It’s almost surreal — I can hardly believe it, I worked so hard and had the support of so many wonderful people. I am so thankful to God. Yes, I have been training for the Miss America pageant since I started the Miss Louisiana pageant, so I am ready to go. Let us go to Las Vegas!”

Besides her grace and beauty, Katherine also attracted the attention of the judges with her talent in playing the Halleluja Chorus on the piano.

The Miss Louisiana pageant was telecast live all over the state of Louisiana. Success, according to Katherine, “is not the destination, but finding joy in the journey”. The journey has just begun for Katherine as well as for her relatives and wellwishers back in Shillong.

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75 glorious years of St Anthony’s College

Courtsey: The Shillong Times

St Anthony's College, Shillong is heading for another milestone as it is going to celebrate its platinum jubilee this year. Founded in 1934, the institution has grown from strength to strength for the last 75 years to cater to the educational need of indigenous people of the northeastern region.

The need to set up this prestigious institution was felt during the colonial days since there was no degree-level college in Shillong at the time. There was only Cotton College, Guwahati for students of the whole region. Students had to take admission into Cotton College or colleges in other parts of the country to pursue their higher studies, which was a huge problem.

The Salesians of Don Bosco took note of this problem in 1983. The then Provincial Fr Louis Mathias and Fr Joseph Bacchiarello, who was the Headmaster of St Anthony's High School, took initiative to embark on the venture of starting a new college in the region. They were encouraged by the then DPI GA Small who was also a member of the Senate of Calcutta University which was to give approval for a new college.

Finally, in 1934, Fr Bacchiarello started the first year Intermediate classes in the small classrooms of the wooden-floored Assam-type structure which housed St Anthony's High School. The second year classes started in 1935. Two distinguished teachers who offered their services at a very nominal honorarium helped Fr Bacchiarello. He was also greatly assisted by Theodore Cajee, Assistant Headmaster of the school.

Fr Bacchiarello was transferred in 1935 and Fr Igino Ricaldone SDB took charge as the Principal. He succeeded in getting University affiliation for the college.

Fr Ricaldone built the ground floor of a concrete building, thus beginning the expansion of the college. He opened the Science and Commerce sections, both at the Intermediate and Bachelor's degree levels.

During the World War II the college building was occupied by the military and so the school and the college had to run on a shift basis. The school functioned from 7 am to 11.30 am and the college from 12 noon to 4.30 pm. The BA classes started soon and the number of students increased dramatically. The college was outstanding in athletics. Its football and hockey teams were the usual winners in the tournaments organised by Shillong Sports Association. Fr Ricaldone opened Honours classes in the Arts subjects.

Meanwhile, in 1940, Fr NJ Kenny began his association with the college as English teacher. In 1948 Fr Kenny became the Warden of the College Hostel and occupied that post for 16 years besides being a Professor in English. Fr Ricaldone was transferred in January 1952 and Fr DJ Wollaston succeeded him as the Principal. He added the first floor to the concrete building constructed by Fr Ricaldone. Honours classes in Science began during that time. It was a time of consolidation marked by good discipline and excellent University results. The student strength of the college rose to more than 1200, a period of total harmony and steady growth.

Fr Joseph Arokiaswamy was appointed Principal when Fr Wollaston was transferred in 1958. A man of immense experience in educational matters, he was Principal for nearly 24 years, a period of further expansion of the college. He opened new departments and began the teaching of almost all the Honours subjects. He took personal interest in further improvement of performance of the college, and students of the college began to figure prominently and frequently in the list of the University exam toppers. Fr Joseph built the Boys' Hostel and 10 family cottages for the staff.

He completed the Science Block of the new college building on the new campus and nearly completed the Arts Block. However, it was his ill health which compelled Fr Joseph to relinquish his post by the end of 1981.

In 1982, Fr Paul Petta became the Principal of the college. He completed the Arts Block in a few months and shifted the entire college to the new premises during the winter of the same year. The college celebrated its golden jubilee in 1984-85.

In 1986, Fr Stephen Mavely SDB was appointed Principal of the college and was in that position for sixteen years during which the college witnessed further expansion and development in many fields.

In the filed of studies, the college continued its tradition of excellence with visibly improved results in the various University examinations. Fr Stephen started pisciculture as a Graduate Programme up to the Honours level. Computer Science was introduced as a Graduate Programme up to Honours level and also as a Post-Graduate Diploma programme.

He took on himself an intense improvement programme and the college campus received a total face-lift. The botanical garden was set up.

Facilities in the college and the campus further increased and improved. Fr Stephen computerised the college administration and furnished and equipped the college conference hall.

The Diamond Jubilee Annex, an imposing and elegant multi-storeyed structure which houses the college's chapel, auditorium, library, canteen and Counselling Centre, was completed in 1994.

The introduction of the first Post-Graduate Programme, MSc in Biotechnology, in 2005 under the leadership of the present Principal of the college Fr Ioannis Warpakma further strengthened the effort of the college to relevantly serve the need of people of the North- East, Meghalaya in particular. It was for the first time that a college affiliated to the North Eastern Hill University was allowed to open PG courses.

With the aim of cultivating and nurturing the innate love for music that is woven into the fabric of life and culture of the people of the North-East, the Department of Music was created in 2005. The course was designed to empower the people through a process of discovering, documenting and preserving the rich but less known musical traditions.

In the same year, career-oriented courses, approved by the UGC, were introduced with the aim of adding employable skills to students.

The pressing need to prepare young people for the booming IT industry and self-employment prompted the college to introduce the MCA programme in 2007.

At present (2009), St Anthony's College has 28 Honours Departments along with other career and employment-oriented courses like PGDCA, CCNA, OCA, DCA, DOEACC "O" level, RHCT, RHCE, 9 UGC-approved courses and 11 certificate computer courses. Among the Degree courses 10 programmes are professional in nature. St Anthony's College is the only College in Meghalaya to have de-linked the Plus Two.

From its humble beginning in a makeshift wooden structure near Don Bosco Square to its present enviable stature of imposing infrastructure and outstanding output, St Anthony's College has managed to produce many stalwarts who are the pride of the region.

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Shillong Club to make way for plush hotel

Courtsey: The Shillong Times

The Club legacy left behind by the British is set to be replaced by a multi-storied hotel if some members of the Club have their way. An agreement between Managing Committee of The Shillong Club and a private consortium for constructing a plush 100-room hotel is under way. It is learnt that about two and a half acres of land out of the 2.30 lakh sq ft is to be handed over to the consortium in a 'clandestine' manner for constructing the hotel.

Sources close to Club informed that the tennis ground would be the first casualty. This would take away the only recreation space that many enjoy. They say that it is not the brief of any Club to construct a five-star hotel and mar the beautiful landscape. They also wonder how the builders plan to evacuate the sewage or whether all that will be dumped into the Ward's Lake. Said one member, "We have got several letters form the Forest Department which is manning the Ward's Lake about the garbage and sewage that is let loose into the Lake and we have no answer to that"

Veteran members of the Club maintain that this Club is not just a building but a heritage site that ought to be given a facelift without destroying its original look. "It appears that some of our members are hell bent on erasing this last vestige of beauty from Shillong's memory soon", they said.

When some Club members got to know of the deal they requisitioned an Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EOGM) to seek clarification from the Managing Committee (MC) that is currently running the affairs of the Club.

But in an interesting turn of events, the clique in the MC has approached the Court to get a stay order on the EOGM. It was only when the matter came up for hearing in the Court that the original minutes of meetings that were withheld from members, actually came out in the open. Till then the EC was circulating minutes that were manipulated. In those minutes, some salient features of the agreement between the Club and the consortium to hand over 90,000 sq ft of land was not clearly mentioned.

Incidentally, the Shillong Club had earlier parted with 6 acres of land for the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) parking lot. The Shillong Club land is on lease from the Government of Meghalaya and to that extent, permission from the Revenue Department of the Government is mandatory. But no such permission was sought before alienating the land for the hotel project.

Members informed that the term of a Managing Committee is only one year but the present one is into its third term and no election has been held. "According to the Constitution the term of the present MC is null and void. They should not be taking decisions which affect the Club in the long term", a member disclosed Interestingly, such a reputed club does not have any website and proper email ID.

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Vienna Chamber Orchestra to perform in Shillong

Courtesy: The Hindu

As part of the celebration of 60 years of India-Austria diplomatic relations, the world-famous Vienna Chamber Orchestra will be performing here on March 11. The western classical orchestra, one of the leading cultural ambassadors of Austria, will perform along with the Shillong Chamber Choir.

The organisers said a mosaic of classical pieces from Mozart, excerpts of music from the eternal 'The Sound of Music' will be dished out besides medley of Western-Khasi music set to the orchestra tunes from the folk opera Sohlyngngem composed by Neil Nongkynrih.

Seventeen members of the orchestra will represent the Veinna Chamber Orchestra, which has been under the leadership of music icons like Yehudi Menuhin and Alfred Brendall.

The Musical Director of the Veinna Chamber Orchestra, Joji Hattori, a renowned concert violinist, will render some solo pieces at a concert which will be held at the Aurobindo Auditorium here, a happening place for rock music in the country.

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IIM Shillong's maiden batch gets 100% winter internship

Courtesy : Economic Times

IIM Shillong’s 64-strong maiden batch has witnessed 100% placements for its winter internships, with some 35 companies across sectors making a total of 79 offers to students.

Top contenders to pick up students from IIM Shillong included Deloitte, E&Y, KPMG, and PwC. A number of students also opted for media and advertising firms which included the likes of Ogilvy & Mather, Viacom, Warner Brothers and Euro RSCG, among others. On the marketing front, recruiters included AC Nielsen, Cadbury and ITC.

The students will be undergoing a two-month internship in January-February. IIM Shillong however, declined to comment on the stipends offered.

While students showed a reluctance to join traditional i-banking biggies, core banking and asset management companies including Citigroup, HDFC, Standard Chartered, Axis Bank, Tata AIG, SBI Cap, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SREI-BNP Paribas were among those who turned up for the process.

Other leading companies at the institute included Barclays, Deutsche Bank, HUL, TATA Capital, Eicher Motors, and GE India. Technology consulting drew keen interest as well, with Siemens, Bosch, and Headstrong participating.

Manufacturing and supply chain companies like Ford, Honda, Lafarge, Hero Group, Cargo Partners made their presence felt on campus as well. PSUs included ONGC, NTPC, and Power Finance Corporation.

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NEIGRIHMS better than AIIMS

Courtesy: Shillong Times

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Dr Ambumani Ramadoss has said the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) of Shillong is better than Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The Minister said this while addressing Editors' conference here on Wednesday.


Dr Ramadoss, however, admitted that the institute was facing a serious faculty problem as specialist doctors were unwilling to go there. "The government is trying to provide extra incentives to the doctors to serve in the region," he said. He, however, ruled out the possibility of opening of another AIIMS-like institute in Northeastern region.


The Union Minister said besides malaria, tuberculosis, cancer and HIV have taken heavy toll in Meghalaya and other Northeastern states, adding "the state governments have failed to tackle the menace of vector-borne diseases".


"The rise in cases of malaria and failure of the government to control the same is largely due to the change in climate, remoteness and inaccessibility of the affected areas," he said. "At the same time the Union Health Ministry is giving attention to the N-E region," Dr Ramadoss said adding that one Joint Secretary, who visits the North-Eeast every month, had been appointed to look after the region.

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EMRI service launched in Meghalaya

Courtesy : Shillong Times

Patients in East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills districts will now have excess to free emergency services. What they need to do is just dial 108 and an ambulance will be at their doorstep. The project called "108 Emergency Response Services (ERS) ambulances" or "Wheels of Hope" was flagged off by Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy in the presence of Health Minister Dr Adviser Pariong and Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) officials here on Monday.


This is the first project undertaken by the government under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Meghalaya is the ninth state in the country to see the launch of such emergency response services. A total of 15 state-of-the-art ambulances, worth about Rs 15 lakh each, will be at the service of the people. The ambulances are well-equipped to deal with all types of emergencies. Initially, the emergency services would be operational in the two districts of East West Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills. The project would cover the entire State soon.


The ERS centre is located at the Neurological Building, MIMHANS, Lawmali in the city. The centre is equipped with latest technology and infrastructure with 117 personnel. 108 is a toll-free number and it functions round the clock. An individual, particularly a patient, can dial this number from his landline or mobile phone at any time to get urgent help during any emergency, be it medical, police or fire incident. On receiving the call, emergency response teams from the ERS centre would provide free pre-hospital assistance to the person concerned through ambulance service.

Speaking at the inaugural function at the Aurobindo Institute Hall here, Dr Roy said the free emergency services would cater to the poor people of the State. Stating that the State Government was pursuing the PPP model in people's interest and that it should not be seen as "sellout of the public assets," the Chief Minister said "The PPP model is meant to strengthen and improve the services to the people. We cannot avoid PPP which is a modern day need. Health is a major concern and the poor people should get proper treatment."


Health Minister Dr Pariong said the 'Wheels of Hope' would help people of rural areas. He also said the government was trying its best to improve all the hospitals in the State, including PHCs, CHCs and dispensaries. EMRI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Venkat Changavalli lauded the Meghalaya Government for making the initiative possible within 88 days of signing the MoU with EMRI. According to the agreement, the State Government would provide 95 per cent of the funds and EMRI would chip in with five per cent to run the project.

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