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[1] From: "River Basin Friends\(NE\)" <riverbasinfriends@yahoo.co.in> Date: Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:02pm Subject: Controversy over Mizos Israeli descendants Controversy over Mizos Israeli descendants AIZAWL: The news report that the orthodox Jews in Israel has accepted Mizos as the descendants of Manashe, one of the ten lost tribes of Israel, has created a raging controversy in Mizoram where orthodox Christians believe this would lead the Mizos astray from their adopted religion of Christianity.Mizos had been declared as descendants of the tribe of Manashe (Manashe was the younger son of Biblical Joseph, the second youngest son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham) by the Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic Rabbinacal Court Schlomo Aram on March 30 and the news was carried worldwide by BBC and other news agencies the next day. Staunch adversary to the belief that Mizos are descendants of Manashe, Dr P.C. Biaksiama, a former Central Government Finance Officer who resigned from his job to take up Christian research work, has gone on record saying the acceptance of Mizos as Israelites by the orthodox Jews in Israel was the work of Satan whose main aim is to convert the Mizos from Christianity to Judaism, the religion of Jews."We need to deal with this seriously, with earnest prayers to God. This (acceptance of Mizos as descendants of Manashe) is an instrument of our greatest enemy, Satan, to burst asunder the Mizo society and its religion. Our Christianity is at stake here and we should never take what is happening now lightly," P.C. Biaksiamaaa said recently. Biaksiama had also strongly opposed an organisation called Chhinlung Israel People's Convention who also believed Mizos to be descendants of one of the ten lost tribes of Biblical Israel.During 732 and 722, the king of Assyria had invaded Palestine, occupied by the Israelites and took ten of the twelve tribes into slavery to his country. Only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah remained in the Holy Land. After being taken into slavery, the history of these ten tribes became lost with the times and modern Israel, after gaining independence in 1948, started searching for the descendants of these ten tribes. It is believed that with the identification of the Mizos as Bne'i Manashe (sons of Manashe), all ten lost tribes are now accounted for.Mizos, who were converted to Christianity by Welsh protestant missionaries who came to Mizoram in 1894, took to Christianity like ducks to water and are very zealous and jealous with the religion they adopted from these western Christian missionaries. This may account for the strong protestations from Biaksiama, who is a church elder. However, Biaksiama has been taken to task by a renowned citizen of Aizawl, Zaithanchhungi, who has been tracing the history of the Mizos as best as she can for more than ten years. She said since the history of the Mizos is shrouded in mystery, as they had no written form of their language before the missionaries came, it was very difficult to trace their origin. However, the oral traditions that had been handed down from father to son gave many clues as sayings and rituals pointed to many similarities that are practiced by the Jews. According to her, the Mizos, as the tribe of Manashe wandered towards China where they settled for many centuries. Escaping from the yoke of the Chinese monarchy, they wandered down towards Burma, and from there they settled in present Mizoram around the 15th century AD. Zaithanchhungi is of the opinion that the matter of Mizos being declared Bne'i Manashe do not involve religion at all. She said it was more a matter of who the Mizos actually are and not what their religion is.She said the acceptance of Mizos by orthodox Jews also does not mean that Mizos have to migrate to Israel.According to her, there are around 1000 people in Mizoram and about 6000 Mizos in Manipur who have embraced Judaism as their religion. http://www.theshillongtimes.com/ -------------------------------------------------------- [2] Demand for ???Garo state??™ gaining momentum GUWAHATI, April 18: Purno A Sangma has said that the proposed talks between the Government and the banned Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) is awaiting finalization of the ceasefire ground rules. On the other hand, sources from Garo Hills hinted that the cause for a separate Garo state is gradually gaining momentum. "The process for finalizing the ground rules is on, following which the government is supposed to start the much-awaited negotiations with the ANVC," Sangma told The Sentinel. The Meghalaya Government, with the approval of the Centre has already set up three designated camps for the ANVC cadres to control their movement, he said. The camps are at Tura, the headquarters of the outfit, Samanda in east Garo Hills and Chokpot in south Garo Hills. The proposed negotiation is expected to cover the political issues and economic packages, added Sangma, who as a facilitator played a vital role in bringing the militant outfit to the negotiation table. It may be mentioned here that the ANVC has been demanding for ???greater Garoland??™, which comprises some parts of Kamrup and Goalpara districts as well. By the end of this year, some important development may take place, sources said. According to the sources, the Khasis, the highest populated community of Meghalaya, are not happy with the existing share of reservation quota and demanded for more. The present reservation ratio in the state is 40 per cent each for Khasi and Garo communities, 5 per cent for the smaller tribes and rest 15 per cent reserved for the non-tribal living in the State. The Garos want to maintain status quo of the ratio, failing of which demand for a separate state will definitely gain ground, the sources added. However, the course of future development largely depends upon the outcome of the proposed talks between the Government and the ANVC. Despite the ceasefire, the existing ban on the outfit is yet to be revoked by the Centre. Several leaders of the banned outfit, including its chairman Dilas Marak, are staying aboard. http://www.sentinelassam.com/ River Basin Friends AKAJAN District-Dhemaji.787059. Assam. India E mail.assamravi@... ---------------------------------------------------------- [3] From: Regi P George <george_regi@yahoo.com> Date: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:26pm Subject: Punjab's prosperity not linked to Bhakra, says study Punjab's prosperity not linked to Bhakra, says study Gargi Parsai http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/19/stories/2005041904141300.htm `Punjab, Haryana were well developed before dam became operational' DAMS SPELL DISASTER: Author Arundhati Roy speaking during the release of a report in New Delhi on Monday. ??” Photo: Shanker Chakravarty NEW DELHI: `Unravelling Bhakra,' a study that assesses the role of what was once hailed as "the temple of resurgent India," explodes the myth of India's first showcase dam's contribution to foodgrains production. The study, done over three years by the Badwani-based Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, points out that Punjab and Haryana had extensively developed agriculture, irrigation and ground water systems that were already contributing to the country's food production before Bhakra became operational in 1954. The Green Revolution, which advocated use of hybrid seeds and chemical inputs, came in 12 years later ??” which reveals that Punjab's prosperity is not linked to Bhakra, as is made out to justify mega projects. `Political creatures' Hailing the study as "immensely important," here on Monday, the writer, Arundhati Roy, said it needed to be questioned why such a study had not been undertaken earlier. "Why studies have not been done is a political question that has to have a political answer: it is all about the battle to control water. That is why all political parties ??” whether the Left, the Right or the Centre ??” back big dams. Dams are not just structures for irrigation and generation of power. They are political creatures. The displaced families seem to be the only ones to suffer the consequences of this disastrous model chosen for progress." Making a presentation on the study, the author, Sripad Dharmadhikari, said: "When irrigation from Bhakra commenced, the irrigated area of Punjab and Haryana was already 7.47 million acres feet producing 20 per cent of the wheat in the country, which was three times the irrigated area added by the Bhakra project." The distinguished gathering included L.C. Jain, Arundhati Roy, Ramaswamy Iyer, Himanshu Thakker and Prashant Bhushan. Use of ground water contributes 43 per cent to foodgrains production in Punjab, against only 11 per cent from Bhakra. In Haryana, the mining of ground water contributes 35 per cent, compared to 24 per cent from Bhakra. This has led to the severe problem of waterlogging and salinity affecting not only soil but also infrastructure such as roads and houses. The problem is so intense that it might be irreversible. Contrary to popular belief, between 1990 and 2001-02, the net areas irrigated by canals in Punjab decreased from 1.576 million hectares to 0.987 million hectares, while the net area irrigated by the tubewells increased from 2.33 million hectares to 3.068 million hectares. Struggle continues Fifty years and four generations later, Thakur Ajmer Singh of Fatehabad district in Haryana is still struggling for the ownership of the plot of land allotted to him in lieu of his home in Himachal Pradesh that was submerged for the Bhakra dam.He said: "The Government only uproots people. It has no time for rehabilitation. We are into our fourth generation and still not rehabilitated. And after we die our claims will die with us leaving our family in the lurch. This is what we've got for sacrificing our life and livelihood." http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/19/stories/2005041904141300.htm |
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