Devakishor Soraisam

Press Release & Fund Raising for the Present Humanitarian Crisis is Manipur.

// May 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Manipur

Some friends at Burning Voices are raising funds to buy medicines and send it to Manipur by flight(the only way possible now!)

Contribute however little you can:

Account details:

Athokpam Raju Singh.

Axis Bank, SCO-29, SEC-14, Gurgaon.

Acc. No: 056010100675567

MICR:110211008

IFS Code: UTIB0000056

For further queries call at 91-9891402663 (Sumitra) , 91-9910257335 (Raju)

Here’s the PR release:

Burning Voices is a collective of concerned professionals and students from Manipur, trying to respond positively to the socio-political challenges in NE India in general and Manipur in particular. We strive to harness the creative energy of the youth and channelise it towards a just soceity.

We are deeply concerned with the present humanitarian crisis brought about by the ongoing economic blockade on the National Highways 39 and 53 connecting Manipur with the rest of India. The blockade was called by All Naga Student’s Association, Manipur (ANSAM) since 12th of April, 2010 in protest against the Government’s decision to hold ADC (Autonomous District Council) election in the hill districts of Manipur. The situation in the highways has worsened since the unfortunate confrontation between activists trying to push for Th. Muivah’s visit to his native village in Manipur and security forces resisting the same on the 6th of May, 2010 wherein, two protesters died. The immediate result of this confrontation is the complete ban on vehicular movements in these National Highways.

The 2.4 million people of Manipur are reeling under an acute scarcity of food, medical supplies, petroleum products and other commodities essential to daily sustenance. Public and private hospitals have closed down due to the unavailabity of life support systems, medicines and nasal cannula oxygen. ICUs (Intensive Care Unit) have stopped functioning altogether since last month. The shortage of fuel has hampered interstate transportation leading to shut down of educational institutions and offices. In an unfortunate incident, a seventy year old woman Takhellabam Kombirei died on the way to Jiribam on Highway 53 as the bus she was travelling in was blocked from proceeding by the blockade supporters. The food reserves are depleting in the FCI godowns, evoking an insecurity amongst the panic-stricken women living around the granaries leading to restriction of large scale dispersal of food grains from the godowns to remote areas of Manipur. Women, children, daily wage-earners and people in various parts of Manipur, particularly Chandel and Tamenglong districts have to bear the worst brunt. Both the administrative as well as security forces have confirmed that the two districts are facing acute shortage of food.

Our intervention, here, is not to get into the political stand-off or to initiate another debate on it. Our primary concern and anxiety is the plight of the people of Manipur especially those in the periphary of the state. We wish to address this humanitarian crisis. We understand that we cannot provide a solution to the present crisis but we believe that we should try and make whatever little difference we can and reach out to the most needy sections of our state, in the hope that others will also join and support our endeavour.

We appeal to all the individuals and organizations to come forward and help us raise funds. Please contribute generously and let us make this noble cause a success!

Signature campaign to stop blockade and counter-blockade and bring peace in Manipur.

// May 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Manipur

Kindly show your support for the common people suffering in Manipur.

We are against the economic blockade by ANSAM, the counter-blockade by various organisations in the valley.

Please

- Share this letter with as many people as you can. Facebook, Tweet, email, et al.

- Copy this letter and post it on your blog.. add your name.

Dear Everyone,

The people of Manipur of all the districts in the hills and the valley are suffering due to the road blockade for more than a month.

There is shortage of the basic need to survival – food and other commodities. There is acute shortage of fuel, which impacts in children not being able to go to schools. Let us not deprive people the right to food, and the right to education. Hospitals have run out of oxygen, there is shortage of medicines. One old woman passenger died due to lack of medical attention when buses got stranded in the hills for days. The stock of essential commodities is diminishing day by day in the hills too. The lack of fuel has affected media/ communication/ mobile phone towers since generators cannot even function. Public transport vehicle fares have also gone up.

Therefore, we are appealing the Central Government and State Government to solve the crisis. The Civil bodies are also requested to bring the matter to an amicable solution.

We also request the organisations who are calling the road blockade to use other means of protest, as it’s only the common people of all communities who are suffering.

We also request the different communities to maintain peace and harmony. Leaving aside our political and territorial issues, let’s maintain peace, let’s spread love and brotherhood. Let’s not block the roads in Manipur, let’s not stop the vehicles going to Manipur. Let’s stop the counter blockades. Let’s not indulge in spreading false rumours and hatred. Let’s think about the innocent lots who are suffering in the hills and the valley alike.

We the undersigned.
Ringo Pebam (Bangalore)
Romeo Ningombam (Bangalore)
Duran Thiyam (Mumbai)
Nelson Elangbam (Mumbai)
Rowland Soibam (Delhi)
Shanta Laishram (Zurich)
Devakishor Soraisam (Bangalore)
Tekki Laishram (UK)
Dwipen Khwairakpam (Mumbai)
Supriya Shijagurumayum (Dubai)
Sumitra Thoidingjam (Delhi)
Ronid Chingangbam (Delhi)
Raju Athokpam (Delhi)
Danny Maisnam (Delhi)
Basanta (Chandigarh)
Ahanthem Chitra (Imphal)
Babina Wahengbam (Delhi)
Vimol Kshetrimayum (Pune)
Sam Khumanthem (Hyderabad)
Thounaojam Umeshkanta (Delhi)
Bhumenjoy Konsam (Pune)
Sukumar Elangbam (Bangalore)
Sanahal Yumlembam (Bangalore)
Ashini Kumar Ningombam (Delhi)
Takhellambam Chandrasekhar (Bangalore)
Monica Singireddy (Australia)
Monish KAram (Singapore)
Kshetrimayum Onil (Imphal)
Surchand (Bangalore)
Tez Thokchom (Bangalore)
James RK (Imphal)
Susmit Bose (Delhi)
Amrit Koijam (Bangalore)
Gouri Thounaojam (New Delhi)
Birjit Ningomba(Washington)
Manjoo Bachaspatimayum Lalwani (Sydney)
Pritam Gurumayum(Delhi)
Thokchom Bibinaz (Delhi)
Thokchom Monica (Delhi)
Vik Sorensangbam (Montreal)
Joysana Chingnakham (Kolkata)
Dave Thoudam (Mumbai)
Deepak Khundrakpam (Dubai)
Boicha Thokchom (Bangalore)
Laitonjam Momo Singh (Delhi)
Sagar Sharma
Bishwojit Konsam (UK)
Rishikanta Pukhrambam (Bangalore)
Satyajit Usham (Imphal)
Roshan Ngangom (Texas)
ChitaranjanThoudam (Mumbai)
Roshan Samom (Imphal)

Who would have thought..

// March 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Personal, Thoughts

.. that this could ever happen in India?

When I was in college few yrs back(sigh! I’m old), me and a few friends made a small documentary video about the discrimination against sexual minorities in Bangalore.. as a small class assignment. We went and approached Sangama for help. Through Sangama, we got to meet a lot of people from the Transgender, Hijra, Gays, Lesbians, and other sexual minority communities.

We, the <sarcasm>supposedly normal</sarcasm> people can never understand the kind of struggle they go through each day, the discrimination they face, their sufferings… and all those for no fault of their own.

Recently though, good things seems to be happening for these communities..

Article 377 was read down, A transgender standing for elections… better late then never – a wise man once said .. or was it a woman.. or.. ummm someone from the third gender, quite possible, no?

If Manipur’s CM Ibobi had given an honest interview..

// March 7th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Fun

… about the 23rd July fake encounter issue, it ‘may’ have sounded very similar to the ‘Fake Voiceover’ video shared below:)

I’m a big fan of the ‘Hitler reacts’ [http://bit.ly/ark0mt ] videos on youtube, and when some guys did this I loved it, laughed a lot

I have added subtitles to the original video for those of you who don’t understand Manipuri.

Did you like the vid? I sure did!!

My first Ubuntu convert..

// February 24th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Personal, Technology

A friend was having some problem with his network driver(XP machine) and was unable to connect to the internet. Instead of trying to help him fix the prob, I took advantage of the situation and forced convinced him to install Ubuntu on his laptop today. He is happy that he can finally download porn again, and I’m happy to have another Ubuntu user under the same roof

But I ‘think’ my happiness will be short lived and the friend will ditch Ubuntu and go back to a pirated Windows copy. Don’t get me wrong, Ubuntu is a brilliant OS. I use it, and will continue to use it. It is just that, for a non tech-savvy person, I feel, the shift from Windows to Ubuntu(or any other OS) can be a bit difficult. At least in the beginning. A lot of learning to be done, bit frustrating at times…. especially when it comes to fixing a problem.

Well, I can only hope that he sticks with Ubuntu long enough to fall in love with it… like I did