Lost innocence…?

Life is indeed strange and wonderful..in both ways..The cut-throat competition, the fast paced way in which the world is racing like a mad dog race..with deadlines to meet, people to be pleased, kids to be raised, family to be looked after, career to be nurtured..one has very little, in fact no time for emotions. Things can, however, turn a new leaf and a new chapter in one’s life… a new assignment, a surprise gift, a long break…or perhaps a long lost friend…

It was a pleasant surprise when I came across a long lost friend, after a long period of some 20-22 years…We were childhood friends and

For the love of a child…

Most of my friends have by now got married, started a family and doing relatively well. A few are still unmarried…initially out of choice due to pursuits of studies, career etc, but later on simply because it has become harder to find a suitable partner!! However, the sad and worrying part is that an increasing number of young couple are having difficulties bearing a child. Even among my close friends, there are at least three of them who are facing these problems. Initially as it is not a nice thing to be discussed and also because of work and other related commitments, the issue was not discussed..but after some of them have tried their best, consulted doctors and experts, taken medicines/treatments and have not been successful..it has come out of the closet now and it is really sad to see the pain and desperation in their eyes…

One of them had been undergoing several treatments, most of them exorbitantly expensive ones, for a long time now, mostly at facilities in the northeast-both in our native Manipur as well as in other areas like Guwahati, Shillong etc. However, without any success. On the other hand, another friend of mine is a brilliant doctor working in doctor and he did his post graduation in the All India Institute of Health and Family Welfare, the premier institute relating to

Cooling Off

The heat is becoming unbearable each passing day, and with the summer holidays of the kids already on, I thought we may as well hit the hills..So, we set off for Manali. As we didn’t have much time to plan, all our forest rest houses have been booked by the time I made my enquiries. Even most of the hotels have also been fully booked. After much effort, one of the guys managed to find a cottage and conveyed the news. The last time I visited Manali was some 11 years ago and so I was a little apprehensive as to what the journey would be like, especially the condition of the roads. Fortunately, the roads are very good and in fact repair and expansion was going on in many places. In fact the first part of the journey, right from Kharar to Ghanauli was a tiresome one even though it covered the “plains” area of the journey, because of the many diversions, repairs,dusts,blockades…etc all due to the expansion/widening works going on.Guess it would be a great ride after about a year when the works are completed. Anyway, the rest of the journey was a smooth one, at least as far as the roads are concerned.

But in Sundernagar area…there was a huge traffic jam which lasted for nearly 3 hours..it was frustrating as the road was, very narrow…you can’t turn back nor was there another route…thankfully, the  jam cleared by around 2pm and we rushed ahead..hoping to reach before darkness sets in.  We stopped for a break and grabbed a bite in the outskirts of Mandi, by which time it had started drizzling and strong gusts of wind were blowing…

We drove on without stopping as it was getting late till we reach Manali by about 8.30 pm. Just on the outskirts of Manali on the main highway is a toll barrier, unlike most- a green toll tax. Himachal is one of the most advanced states in India in terms of implementation of Environmental related issues.

We reached our cottage after some effort, and I was wondering what the kids would say..they are used to the comforts of home or our own rest-houses, but this time because of the sudden plan and the heavy tourist season all our rest houses have already been booked..we had to stay at the cottage. When we entered-the kids loved it!! It is just like a mini home, all made of wood…the ground floor having a drawing-dining area and the kitchen while the winding staircase leads to two immaculate bedrooms with ample spaces and independent terraces to boot…the cottage having located just below the hillock of the Hidimba temple, the view was sublime and serene…

Because of the younger kid, we took our domestic help along and so we had a “home-cooked” food before we retire after a long, hard journey.

The next day was a hectic one as

The Surname?

In response to my post, ” Silver Lining” a commentator observed,

” Dear Tamo Basanta, it will be more meaningful if you give examples of our role models as persons who are not the likes of Agatha Sangma or Sachin Pilot or Jyotiraditya Scindia… who had ready made ladders made by their fathers. Anyway, it’s great to see Agatha Sangma as the youngest minister in the midst of the likes of SM Krishna. Greater to hear that she wants to be the voice of the neglected North East India. To me PA Sangma’s story of how he grew up in a small tribal village of Garo Hills is more interesting than that Agatha Sangma”

Yes, we love and empathize with underdogs, the rags to riches stories, people who fought against odds to come out successful..this is because most of us are underprivileged in more ways than one and when we see successful people who had similar problems like us, we tend to identify ourselves with those persons and our dreams and aspirations to be successful like them seem more achievable..

However, we cannot deny

Silver lining?

Probably by the time you guys read this, it would have been news already. Despite the turmoil that is going on in the north-east, there seems to be a trickle of hope somewhere – young, educated, dynamic people are slowly coming into politics and redefining the Indian polity.

I’m highly impressed by Agatha Sangma – yes, today, I may have to introduce her as P.A Sangma’s daughter, but I believe, within a few years, P.A. Sangma might be known as Agatha Sangma’s father. Already the youngest MP at 28, she is set to join the union ministry in a few minutes from now. What impressed me is despite being her father’s daughter and the fact that she has many options open before her because of her excellent academic record ( she did her LLB from Pune, Masters in Environment Management from Nottingham University) – she chose a path which many like to batter, despise and make a scapegoat of but never have the courage to plunge-politics. We blame politics and politicians in particular, but do nothing about it- let alone go out and vote. Do we have the right to complain/blame? Just as we have “rights”, we have corresponding “duties”, as well. Well, I believe, Agatha can be a very good role model for the younger generations in general and those of the northeast in particular.

The other day, someone

Water hyacinth mess

One of the most invasive weeds and a Park Manager’s nightmare is the ever present water hyacinth. Introduced in India as an ornamental plant by one of the memsahibs because of its bright purple/violet flowers about a century ago, the plant has spread its tentacles to all parts of India and indeed to all parts of the globe. Even though it plays a role in absorbing heavy metals and also help in aerating the water, its unbelievable rate of multiplication has led to the plant being a weed, an unwanted entity, difficulty to deal with and slowly but steadily choking and wiping out other species…

One of the best ways of dealing with the menace is to involve the local people in creating commercially viable products from the plant.

Here are some of the products prepared from water hyacinth:

Nano and climate change

Last year at the Auto Expo, the Tata Nano was revealed and it was such a huge hit. Now, the bookings have started and deliveries would start within a few months. While it is great news for the middle class who own two wheelers and have aspirations of owning a car, it also raises the point of what impact it would have in the already overburdened environment.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change has listed some uncomfortable statistics with

Innovative urban Gardens

In today’s increasingly urbanized world with ever increasing growth of populations, the luxury of  having a garden where one can have some beautiful flowers or seasonal vegetables has become a distant dream.

With the very limited space at one’s disposal one has to come up with innovative ways of  growing things at home. If you have the luxury of a terrace, which we normally use for drying clothes on ugly clotheslines, or use them as secondary dumping grounds for useless things, but things hard to get rid of because of emotional attachments..well, its time to get rid of them and set up a terrace garden. The concept of

Election 2009

India goes to the polls today. Starting today, the biggest democracy in the world begins the mammoth task of installing a new government. Because of the sheer size and the logistics included, not to mention security concerns as well, the whole exercise has been split up into 5 phases, ending on the 13th of May.

This time around, because of the rapid strides made in

Tribute film

This is  a compilation of some of the photos that I took through my journeys to the corners of the state. A few pics have have been adapted.

The background score is a beautiful rendition of the very popular song that we all grow up learning at school. Its sad that most of today’s schools don’t have music classes. Anyway the song is performed by Hari on vocals, Tarunkanta on Guitar , Mickey on guitars and Shankar on drums.

This short film is my tribute to the “Spirit of Manipur”, that undying will to fight on, to live another day with hope of a better tomorrow, despite trying circumstances at every step…