Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Stage set for first festival: Imphal, Jan 4: For the first ever Festival of Manipuri Cinema scheduled to begin from Sunday, all preparations have been made to screen digital, celluloid Manipuri feature films and non-feature films. In the festival being organised by the Film Forum Manipur at Shankar Talkies, Lamphelpat, 24 digital films, 10 non-feature films (including one celluloid film) will be screened. The opening function of the film festival scheduled at 2 pm of January 6 will be graced by IFC Minister N Biren as chief guest. Eminent film personality MK Binodini and film-maker K Ibohal as guests of honour and chairman of Film Forum Manipur W Lalitkumar as functional president. During the festival, various cultural programmes will be presented from 5 pm to 7 pm. By the sideline of the festival, a makeshift shed of 18 stalls christened Mami Keithel will also be opened. From January 7 to 12, there will be an open forum as a part of the Festival of Manipuri Cinema. In this open forum,...

International Tent Pegging Meet: Ten riders have been selected (nominally) to participate in the International Tent Pegging Championship to be held at the Imphal Pologround from Janaury 10 to 14. The shortlisted players are: HC Jaswinder Singh (BSF); SI Jaswinder Singh, Insp Jagdish Singh, ASI Youngbir Singh, SI Talwinder Singh (Punjab Police); HC Suresh Kumar, HC Sashidharan (ITBP); Maj Vivek Rehni, Sub Omprakash (ASC-N); CHM Jitender Singh (ASC-Bangalore). Police equestrian meet from Friday: The 26th All India Police Equestrian Meet 2008, organised by Manipur Police, will be held at Pologround, Imphal from Friday. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister N Biren will grace the opening function as chief guest and president respectively while Education Minister L Jayantakumar and PDA Chairman Dr Kh Loken will be the guest of honour. 196 men and 106 horse will participate in the meet. The participating teams are: UP Police, ITBP, Assam Rifles, Punjab Police, Bord...

CM, Gaikhangam turn up, no Debendro: Imphal, Dec 28: The 122nd Foundation Day of the Indian National Congress was observed on Friday by the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, in the absence of several MLAs including some senior ministers, a reflection of the unresolved crisis in the Congress over the demand for replacement of Okram Ibobi Singh as chief minister. However, Okram Ibobi, and MPCC chief Gaikhangam, whom many observers see as the mastermind behind the rebellion in the Congress, were both present, sitting next to each other in all appearance of bonhomie. The pair shook hands before the gathering and were seen chatting amicably. Prominent absentees on the other hand included senior minister Th Debendro, tribal welfare minister DD Thaisii, and most of the other rebel MLAs. FCS minister Y Erabot was however present. The chief minister, in his address to the assembled party workers, said it was natural to have disagreements in a large family like the Congress, but at the same ti...

Civilians made scapegoats after UG clashes: Imphal, Dec 24: Fifteen passengers of an inter-state bus heading for Guwahati, including students and teachers of a private school, were abducted by armed militants near Sapermeina on NH-39 and detained for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. The abduction took place apparently as a consequence of a shootout between cadres of some underground groups last night near Nongpok Keithelmanbi, and the abducted persons were released reportedly after an understanding was reached among the groups involved. The abducted passengers included eight students and a teacher of the Hundred Flowers School, Pangei, who were leaving on an excursion trip to Sikkim. All the abducted passengers belong to the Meitei community. According to other passengers travelling on the same vehicle, a tourist bus operated by GG Travels, the vehicle were stopped by armed gunmen at a lonely spot on NH-39 just beyond Sapermeina, and the Meitei male passengers singled out and detained ...

Prithviraj Chauhan arriving Imphal on Tuesday: Imphal, Dec 10: Amidst heightened suspense surrounding the month long hectic campaign by the rebel MLAs to replace O Ibobi as Chief Minister of Manipur, AICC North East in-charge Prithiviraj Chauhan will be arriving at Imphal on Tuesday afternoon as the Central observer to take stock of the existing political situation personally. According to information received from the dissident camp, a series of meetings have been held among the rebel MLAs and necessary political strate-gies chalked out ahead of the arrival of the AICC observer. On the other side, in view of the AICC observer’s arrival, Congress MLAs and MPCC/DCC leaders and Congress candidates defeated in the last Assembly elections supporting O Ibobi have been mobilising themselves with three camps opened at the officials quarters of IFC Minister N Biren, Social Welfare Minister N Loken and Works Minister K Ranjit. Chauhan will be accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Dr T Meinya and MPCC exe...