Letter from the Editor-In-Chief

Tuesday, 05 October 2010 18:30

Letter from the Editor-In-Chief

October 2010

Dear friends,

The Shillong Chamber Choir is now in the finals of the much talked about reality show ‘India’s Got Talent – Khoj 2’ and by the time the magazine is out, the results of the show will be common knowledge. Besides the Shillong Chamber Choir, two more acts from the North East have had the chance to showcase their talents i.e Sayuj Jain from Assam and Toko Teji from Arunachal Pradesh.

Who really wins or loses is not really important. The important thing is doing your best and giving anything you are engaged in your best shot. I must however complement both Toko Teji and the Shillong Chamber Choir under the leadership of internationally acclaimed musician Mr. Neil Herbert Nongkynrih for having advanced all the way to the finals. Sadly, Sayuj Jain could not do so but then two acts out of a total of nine in the finals coming from the North East region is no mean feat. What pride it would bring to the people of the region if either one of the two acts is declared the overall winner on the 2nd of October 2010. Eastern Panorama’s editorial team had met up with the parents of the members of the Shillong Chamber Choir and had taken stock of their feelings and expectations. This has been outlined in the feature on the Shillong Chamber Choir. Another article also features the Wonder boy from Arunachal Pradesh Toko Teji. Read them.

From a region where bad news seems to overwhelm good news, we are glad to carry an article on M. C. Mary Kom who has set a world record by becoming the first ever woman to win five consecutive world championships in women’s boxing. We join the nation in congratulating her for this accomplishment. This also is an opportunity for policy makers to tap into the wealth of talent in sports and music from the North East region.

Recently the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, was the subject of severe criticism because of the impact in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East region. It may be noted here that this Act gives security forces sweeping powers to kill suspected rebels while providing these same forces immunity from prosecution for such killings. This Act has been misused a number of times as a consequence to which the security forces have earned a bad name for themselves in their own country. The Act which is almost five decades old should be scrapped as it has not helped in any way to solve the problem of insurgency in the region. We have, in this issue, paid our respects to Irom Chanu Sharnila who has been on a fast till death campaign against this Act since November 2000. The policy makers need to rethink whether deployment of the army is a solution to the problem of insurgency.