Uncle Sam is brooding, Mushi welting, Bharat Mata mahan.
Corporates wincing, KRV wreaking, Aishwariya mata zindabad!
What percentage of Indian population, do you think knows about the ongoing famine in Mizoram? Yes! in this era of prosperity and communication!
Mizoram and parts of Manipur, Tripura and Assam are going through “Mautam”. Mautam means bamboo death. Its an ecological phenomenon that occurs every 48/49 years in the wide and wild bamboo forests in North Eastern states and the neighbouring Myanmar Chin State. Melocanna baccifera, the species of bamboo, (cover 30% of Mizoram) flowers at one time, followed by seeding which artracts hordes of bandicoot rats, which multiply so fast, that they eventually turn to crops and stored grains! 1959’s famine saw creation of MNFF(Mizo National Famine Front) and subsequently an armed movement led by Laldenga.
And that this outbreak and disaster was eminent was well known in advance and as early as 2003/4 Mizoram Govt formed a special team for preparation. The problem is now wide spread. Even parts of Tripur and Manipur effected. 90 percent of crops and areas in Mizoram are already gone! Oh, in 2007 they burnt 230,000 rats and rupee 1 granted for each tail! Don't produce grains, buy would have been the logical question but the state is so poor and badly connected but still there's no excuse! (And Govt did nothing about informing people not to harvest Paddy in Nov/Dec!) Myanmar Chin state neighbouring Mizoram is also badly effected and resulting huge infiltration as well. This only adds to the trouble of already effected Mizoram and partly Manipur's economy whatever existent.
If not controlled and acted strongly and immediately, the situation is going to get really really worse. Manipur, Mizoram are going through enough trouble already and Tripura, which for the first time in so many years is really looking forward, can take a really bad hit! Prices are rising every single day!
I am also surprised that there has been very little action taken in this age of connectivity. The rest of India, even other parts of North East is hardly concerned about it. Why can't the Mizo youth come forward and spread the information, on TV, radio, newspapers and get the Govts, not just Mizo, but Assam, and at Centre take serious notice of this? Why not take to televised media, petition to whoever counts and reach out also through internet. The relief and rehabilitation and recovery work must be intensified aggresively like never before NOW! Monsoon will start in another two months, making it virtually impossible to reach out to distant areas! Hello, is there anybody listening? I don't want to hear about Deepika Padukone!
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mautam-march-2008-update/301459503
What can you do? Get information (more ground level the better), Validate, aggregate and publish. spread the news. But avoid confusion and be sensible; in hard times, emotions often override the brain! Validation - you do not want to spread any sort of misinformation or cause more confusion.
People need food, and the kind of nutritious food that can be easily stored cooked and eaten, without aiding to the rat population! If you work for a corporate or industrial house or university, you can talk to your HR department and see if they do something. Lots of organizations do .. or you can even try to convince them that it will look good on paper and publicity .. Whatever works!
http://www.idsa.in/publications/stratcomments/NamrataGoswami010408.htm
