Washington D.C./Imphal, April 29, 2013

The Newseum at Washington, D.C., USA will honor the late journalist – Thangjam Dwijamani Singh of Imphal, Manipur during the rededication of the Journalists Memorial. The ceremony will be held on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 10:00 AM at the Journalists Memorial Gallery at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington DC, 20001.

Thangjam Tulchand Singh, elder brother of the late Dwijamani

A letter from Cathy Trost, Vice President, Exhibits and Programs of the Newseum inviting Thangjam Babu Singh (father of Dwijamani) and his family to the ceremony at Washington DC, was handed over to Thangjam Tulchand Singh (elder brother) on April 18, 2013. Mr. Tulchand accepted the letter with gratitude, and thanked the Newseum for the invitation. The letter was handed over to the family by representatives from KanglaOnline and the Imphal Free Press.

John Powell, Exhibits Writer at the Newseum, journalists from the Imphal Free Press, and members of the KanglaOnline team have been instrumental in communications between the Newseum and Dwijamani’s family.

Dwijamani (32), a resident of Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai was killed in the line of duty on December 23, 2012 near the foothills of Cheiraoching hill, Imphal, Manipur, India; while covering an arson incident which erupted as a fall out of the Livingstone / Momoko (actress) molestation incident. He was a reporter for Prime News and Doordarshan Kendra, Imphal.

Late journalist – Thangjam Dwijamani Singh

Dwijamani was covering an incident of a mob burning a truck and bravely continued recording despite police firing towards him. He sustained a bullet wound on his chest and later succumbed to his injuries at RIMS hospital. He is survived by his wife and two children – a 2-year old son and a 1-year old daughter.

The Newseum in Washington, D.C. – a 250,000-square-foot museum of news – offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.

The Journalists Memorial, located in the Newseum, pays tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died reporting the news. The names of 2,156 individuals (as of 2012) from around the world are etched on the glass panels of the soaring, two-story structure.

The names of 84 journalists who died covering the news in 2012 will be added to the memorial, along with six journalists killed in previous years who were recently brought to the Newseum’s attention. The 2012 death toll of 84 is the fourth highest number of journalists killed in a single year.

More information about the Journalists Memorial Rededication Ceremony on May 13 is available at: http://www.newseum.org/programs/2013/0513-special-program/journalists-memorial-rededication-ceremony.html

Journalists Memorial, Newseum, Washington DC

Photos courtesy: Family of Thangjam Dwijamani
Journalists Memorial photo courtesy: Newseum

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Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei winning the Mr Senior Title at Taiwan National Body Building Championship – 2013

The 2013 Taiwan National Body Building Championship was held in Taichung City, Taiwan. There were Sub-Junior, Junior, Men’s Physic, Master and Senior.

Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei, Mr. Senior Asia (Meetei Nongsa given Poknapham News Paper) also took part in the Championship. He took part in senior 65kg category. He got the first place. He is qualified to join the IFBB Asian Championship which will be held in Kazaksthan, sometime in June. This will be his 8th Senior Asian Championship.

Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei displaying Front Lat Spread for the Mr Senior Title at Taiwan National Body Building Championship – 2013

He is now preparing for the World Body Building Championship which will be held in Greece from July 5th to 7th. This time  is trying to represent Manipur. But he is not sure yet as he has Taiwanese citizenship. He honestly wishes that he could go for Manipur the place where he grew up.

Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei displaying the Side Chest for the Mr Senior Title at Taiwan National Body Building Championship – 2013

Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei feels he owes so much to this land and he likes to pay back at least an international title.

Photo Credit: Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei

* We would like to thank Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei for sharing the photos with KanglaOnline

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Manipur, IMPHAL, March 20: Rights body Amnesty International has called upon Indian authorities to immediately release Irom Sharmila Chanu – a protester on a prolonged hunger strike and drop all charges against her.

Irom Chanu Sharmila was re-arrested on Wednesday

The Amnesty International statement said: “Irom Sharmila has been on an indefinite fast since November 2000, protesting against the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the state of Manipur. She was arrested shortly after she began her hunger strike and charged with attempting to commit suicide – a criminal offence under Indian law. Irom Sharmila, was released on March 12, 2013 by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Imphal East only to be re-arrested on March 14 and remanded again to judicial custody till March 26. On March 4, a Delhi court had also charged Irom Sharmila with attempting to commit suicide in October 2006, when she staged a protest in Delhi for two days.”

Pointing out that Irom Sharmila has never been brought to trial, the statement said that the anti AFSPA crusader has been regularly released upon the completion of a period of one year in judicial custody, only to be re-arrested shortly thereafter as she continues her fast.

The statement from the Rights body mentioned further that Sharmila has pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempting to commit suicide, and has said she is holding a non-violent protest. Although attempting to commit suicide is a bailable offence in India, Sharmila has refused to sign the bail-bonds, maintaining that she had not committed any offence, and has instead called for the criminal charges against her to be dropped.

The British Medical Association, in a briefing to the World Medical Association, has clarified that “A hunger strike is not equivalent to suicide. Individuals who embark on hunger strikes aim to achieve goals important to them but generally hope and intend to survive.” This position is embodied by the World Medical Association in its Malta Declaration on Hunger Strikers, the statement said.

Amnesty International has also previously called upon the Government to repeal the AFSPA, which provides impunity for perpetrators of serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, rape and torture.

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Shri Aribam Syam Sharma is awarded with the Best Manipuri Film and  BEST EXPLORATION/ ADVENTURE FILM (Including sports)

• Best Manipuri Film – Leipak Lei – Produce and Director – Aribam Syam Sharma – Award – Rajat Kamal and Cash Prize of  1,00,000 each to Producer and Director – Description - A simple story told in a straight-forward  simple narrative highlighting social reality. 

The prestigious 60^th National Film Awards for the year 2012 were announced in New Delhi in a joint Press Conference addressed by the Chairpersons of the three juries, Shri Basu Chatterjee for Feature Films, Ms. Aruna Raje for Non-Feature Films and Shri Swapan Mullick for Best Writing on Cinema on Monday (18th March 2013). The top honour in the feature film category goes to Paan Singh Tomar (Hindi) produced by UTV Software communications Ltd. and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia . In non-feature film category, the top honour Best Film goes to Shepherds of Paradise (Gojri & Urdu) produced and directed by Raja Shabir Khan. In Best Writing on Cinema section, the book Silent Cinema in India – A Pictorial Journey (English) written by B.D. Garga and published by Harper Collins Publisher India has bagged the top honour, whereas Shri P.S. Radhakrishnan has been declared the Best film Critic.

In the Feature Film category, a total of 38 films from 14 languages have been selected for the 60th National Awards in 14 languages. Chittagong (Hindi) and 101 Chodiyangal (Malayalam) have shared the awards for Best Debut Film of a Director, whereas for Best Popular Film, Vicky Donor (Hindi) and Ustad Hotel (Malayalam) have been selected. Shivaji Lotan Patil has been declared as the Best Director for Dhag (Marathi). Best Actor award is shared by Irrfaan playing the title role in Paan Singh Tomar and Vikram Gokhale for Anumati (Marathi) whereas Usha Jadhav gets Best Actress award for her performance in Dhag (Marathi). Rituparno Ghosh and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have been conferred with Special Jury award. The Best Child Artist award is shared byVirendra Pratap for Dekh Indian Circus (Hindi) and Minon for 101 Chodiyangal (Malayalam).

In the Non-Feature Film category, Vikrant Pawar gets Best Director award for the film Kaatal (Marathi). Best Debut Film of a Director goes to Lipika Singh Darai for the film Eka Gachha Eka Manisa Eka Samudra (Odia). Shumona Goel and Shai Heredia for the film I Am Micro (English) and Vasudah Joshi for Cancer Katha (English) have been selected for Special Jury Award. Timbaktu (English) gets award in Best Environmental film and Dreaming Taj Mahal ( Hindi & Urdu) as Best Promotional film.

Source: Directorate of Film Festivals

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The key accused in December 16 Delhi gangrape case Ram Singh committed suicide in Tihar jail this morning. His body has been taken to Din Dayal Upadhyay hospital. Tihar jail authorities have ordered an inquiry into the incident. He was the driver of the bus involved in the gangrape. Ram Singh’s lawyer VK Anand has confirmed the incident.

Source: Newsonair.com

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Manipur,IMPHAL, March 3: A mud fort built in the shape of a star has been discovered in a paddy field located at Maklang Bihu Loukon. The place is at a distance of about 15 kilometers westward from Imphal town and comes under Patsoi police station, Imphal West.

One has to travel along the National Highway 37 and take a right turn at the police station near HVS brick field. A straight drive towards Maklang and a left turn towards Maklang Makha Leikai and one will reach Bihu Loukon.

This IFP reporter went to the spot and saw the mud ramparts which are approximately about 15 feet thick and about 5 feet in height. Each triangular arm of the star shaped fort is about 156 feet in length. The fort has eight arms encompassing a circumference of around 5/6 hectares.

A sexagenarian local, Ahongbam Ibomcha identified the ‘pallis’. According to him, the mud ramparts has been there since ancient times and used to be a lot thicker and higher. There was also a long canal where boats were raced. The area is also called ‘Thangapat’ now, but the canal had dried up and was consequently converted to arable land. Interestingly, there is another rectangular mud wall of similar height and thickness with a design of podium stands on each side and located about 200 feet approximately from the star shaped fort.

Ancient star shaped mud fort discovered at Maklang, Manipur: Picture: Bing Maps

Though much of the ramparts of the outer barrier has eroded with time and farming activity around it, the fort has remained in a much better condition. While locals of the area have the usual supernatural stories and taboos, they were not aware that the design of the fort is star shaped, which is obvious only on satellite imagery and not from the ground perspective. “The palli resembles a star”, an astonished Ibomcha quipped to his friends after being shown the satellite image.

When IFP met archeologist Nanjesh Thongbam and inquired about the fort, the expert said that the discovery was made about a month back after someone informed the Kangla Fort Board about the peculiar design. The person had seen the shape on Google Earth.

Later the archeologist along with another colleague Dr. Okram Kumar inspected the site and gathered information from the locals about the structure. He was told by the elders that the place was ruled by a king called Chakpa Charairongba. But Nanjesh insisted that the name should be Chothae Charairongba according to reference from Moirang Kangleirol. There were also 7 ‘heibi’ trees planted on the periphery of the fort and supposed to be a manifest of 7 maichous (sages). There are still two trees left. The locals mentioned that those who chopped down the trees met with ill fate and died shortly.

Nanjesh said that the star shaped fort may have been built with a military strategy as there are twin mud ramparts of different designs and the area is located with waterways on every direction. He could not verify the age of the fort or the era in which it was built as research is still underway. He said that a technique called radiometric dating will be utilized to confirm the time that the mud wall dates to. “This technology will tell the exact date that the sun first shone on the fresh mud, we can tell the exact date it was built,” he said while adding that the fort must be much older than Kangla Fort as bricks were not used.

He voiced his appeal to the concerned state authorities to announce the area of the star fort shaped as a protected historical site.

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NEW DELHI, January 28 (MIC): Noted film director, Aribam Syam Sharma`s latest Manipuri feature film-Leipaklei (2012) has been invited for participation at the Jeonju International Film Festival to be held at Jeonju, South Korea from April 25 to May 5, 2013.

Based on the Sahitya Akademi Award winning drama- Leipaklei written by Arambam Samarendra, the film tells the story of a woman- Leipaklei who is separated from her husband and whose life is surrounded by the hard trials of fate and is burdened with sustaining herself and her little daughter. Photo Courtesy : http://kff.in/leipaklei.html

The Programme Coordinator of the Festival June Yun-kyung Kim informed the film maker Syam Sharma for screening the film in the section- `Special Section: Beyond Bollywood` of the 14th edition of the international film festival. The invitation came after the Jeonju festival authority selected the Manipuri film during the Kolkata International Film Festival.

Based on the Sahitya Akademi Award winning drama- Leipaklei written by Arambam Samarendra, the film tells the story of a woman- Leipaklei who is separated from her husband and whose life is surrounded by the hard trials of fate and is burdened with sustaining herself and her little daughter.

Leipaklei had an enthusiastic response from the audience and critics when it was screened during the 18th Kolkata International Film Festival held in Kolkata in November 10-17, 2012 and was the inaugural film of the 5th Guwahati Film Festival held at Guwahati in December 10-16, 2012.

It may be mentioned that Aribam Syam Sharma made his directorial debut in Lamja Parshuram (1974) after scoring music as well as acting in the very first Manipuri film, Matamgi Manipur (1972) directed by Deb Kumar Bose. His directorial debut is said to have beat the then superhot Hindi film running in another theatre in Imphal, Raj Kapoor`s Bobby.

His second Manipuri film was Saphaabi (1979), based on a Manipuri folk story and received the national award in regional category.  His third Manipuri film, Olangthagi Wangmadasoo (1980) was a block buster film and also bagged the regional award in the National Film Awards.

Syam Sharma`s  Imagi Ningthem in 1981, marked the first Indian film to have won the top prize of `Grand Prix` in the Festival of Three Continents, Nantes in 1982.

His Ishanou (1990) which was screened in the Un Regard Section of the Cannes International Film Festival in 1991 and travelled to many major international film festivals was considered as another masterpiece of Syam Sharma and was screened recently in Indian International Film Festival, Goa in the Centenary Indian Film section among 27 Indian films selected. Acclaimed as one of the most original film makers of India by international critics, Aribam Syam Sharma, now 73, had won five National Film Awards in Manipuri features and eight National Awards in non-features.

A recipient of Padmashri in 2007 and V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, Syam Sharma  was the first Managing Director of the Manipur Film Development Corporation Ltd, a Government of Manipur Undertaking established in 1987. During his tenure, he laid the foundation for infrastructure development and film promotional activities like organizing national and foreign film festivals and has authored an autobiography entitled –Living Shadows which was published by the Guwahati Cine Club.

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NEW DELHI, December 24 (MIC): World-renowned theatre director Ratan Thiyam from Manipur was among three eminent personalities elected in the field of performing arts as Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows for the year 2012.

Writer, director, designer, musician, painter and actor, Ratan Thiyam is one of the most important and influential theater makers at work in the international performance scene. A son of Manipuri dance masters, for a time, Thiyam studied painting before turning to writing. He published his first of six novels in 1961 at the age of 22, wrote poetry and reviews. Writing led him to theater.  In 1971, he enrolled at the National School of Drama in Delhi, gaining a reputation as a powerful actor and director. In 1976, he returned to Manipur and founded Chorus Repertory Theatre. He was also briefly the director of National Scholl of Drama, New Delhi in 1987–88. His plays have traveled, from Aryan Theater, GM Hall, Jawaharlal Nehru Dance Academy (JNMDA) in Manipur to the Shriram Center for Arts, New Delhi and the group’s first overseas break was their trip with Chakravyuh to Greece in 1984. His plays have travelled throughout the world, fascinating audiences with their grace and a spectacular style drawn from Manipuri performing arts like Thang-Ta (a Manipuri martial art) and Nata Sankirtana (a classical dance and music form) into his works, which through subversion and reversion, get assimilated into his own distinct form. He was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987 and the Padma Shri in 1989. His play Chakravyuh got the prestigious “Fringe Firsts Award,” from Edinburgh International Theatre Festival in 1987. He was the second Indian recipient of John D. Rockefeller Award after Kapila Vatsayan, which is presented yearly by the Trustees of the Asian Cultural Council to an individual from Asia or the United States,  who has made a significant contribution to the international understanding, practice, or study of the visual or performing arts of Asia.

The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi at its meeting held on Friday elected three  eminent personalities in the field of performing arts, namely N. Rajam, T.H. Vinayakram and Ratan Thiyam as Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna).  The Fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare honour, which is restricted to a very limited number at a given time.  Presently there are only 40 Fellows of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

The General Council of the Akademi also selected thirty six (36) persons from the fields of Music, Dance, Theatre and Puppetry for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2012.

In the field of Music, nine eminent artists, namely Rajashekhar Mansur and  Ajay Pohankar for Hindustani Vocal Music, Sabir Khan (Tabla) and Bahauddin Dagar (Rudra Veena) for Hindustani Instrumental Music, O.S. Thyagarajan for Carnatic Vocal Music, Mysore M. Nagaraja, (Violin) and K.V. Prasad (Mridangam) for Carnatic Instrumental Music, Illayaraja for Creative & Experimental Music and Bhai Balbir Singh Ragi (Gurbani) for Other Major Traditions of Music have been selected for the Akademi Award 2012.

In the field of Dance, nine eminent practitioners, namely  Priyadarsini Govind (Bharatanatyam), Vijay Shankar (Kathak), Vazhengada Vijayan (Kathakali),  Vedantam Ramalinga Sastry (Kuchipudi), Sharmila Biswas (Odissi), Jai Narayan Samal (Chhau), Painkulam Damodara Chakyar (Kutiyattam), Jwala Prasad (Music for Dance) and Aditi Mangaldas (Creative & Experimental Dance) have been selected for the Akademi Award 2012.

In the field of Theatre, eight eminent artists have been selected for Akademi Awards 2012. They include Arjun Deo Charan for Playwriting, Tripurari Sharma and Waman Kendre for Direction, Parvesh Sethi, Nirmal Rishi and Purisai Kannappa Sambandan for Acting, Murari Roychoudhury for Theatre Music and Ghulam Rasool Bhagat for Major Traditions of Theatre (Bhand Pather).

For their contribution to Other Traditional/Folk/ Tribal Music/ Dance/ Theatre and Puppetry, eight artists have been selected for the Akademi Award. They are Goru Channabasappa for Folk Music (Karnataka), Kinaram Nath Oja for Suknani Ojapali (Assam), Prem Singh Dehati for Folk Theatre (Haryana), Sulochana Chavan for Lavani (Maharashtra), Mattannur Sankaran Kutty Marar for Thayambaka (Kerala), Govind Ram Nirmalkar for Nacha (Chhattisgarh), Heera Das Negi for Mask Making (Himachal Pradesh) and Prafulla Karmakar for Traditional Puppetry (West Bengal).

Nandini Ramani and Arun Kakade will receive the Akademi Award 2012 for Overall Contribution/Scholarship in Performing Arts.

The honour of Akademi Fellow has been conferred since 1954 and Akademi Award since 1952.  The honour of Akademi Fellow carries purse money of Rupees three lakhs and Akademi Awards carry Rupees one lakh, besides Tamrapatra and Angavastram.

This year, no one from Manipur has been selected for Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards, though Manipur has been proud of its Manipuri Dance and other performing arts.

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KOLKATA, Sept 6 (Agencies): Her story is well-documented by now and London Olympics bronze medallist M C Mary Kom today, citing her example, encouraged the country`s pugilists to stand up to the challenge.

“If I, being a mother of two, can win a medal, so can you all. Take me as an example and don`t give up,” Mary Kom said.

The boxer said her aspirations would end only after winning gold in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

More news about Mary Kom

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By: Vinod Rasaily

My recent tour to Mizoram hasn’t been short of any surprises. I had never heard nor seen anywhere; but I did in Mizoram. All along the highway you will find these veggie shops (picture below). These shops have no shopkeepers; but it has the veggie items, Money box (tumbler) and the price list is kept along. Buyers as they pass through, they buy the veggies, put the money in the box and leave.

Veggie shops along the Highway in Mizoram where there are no shopkeepers. Photo Credit: Vinod Rasaily

What an example of honesty and integrity. I salute all the Mizo people for such a display.

I suppose, rest of the world should come and learn from them. Jesus reigns!!

Kudos to all the Mizos.

* The above experience is being shared by Vinod Rasaily with KanglaOnline. 

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