“In the emerging world of ethnic conflict and civilization clash, Western belief in the universality of Western culture suffers three problems: it is false; it is immoral; and it is dangerous . . . Imperialism is the necessary logical consequence of universalism” —— The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, p. 310.

Development is a word of change. We criticize policies and loopholes with depressing figures and tales and fail to understand the cultural flux within a tribe which involves kinship and clans in the process of development. If we think about development of tribe, it has to have a form, take shape and change a set of behavior.As Huntington aptly puts, the clashes between civilizations may not primarily be ideological or economic, but mirrors a cultural clash.

With my recent exposure to the tribes in the isolated islands of Andaman and Nicobar, glimpses of cultural clashes were observed. Perhaps the best example was of Jarawas who are compressed by their primitiveness and their desire to be contemporary. So are the changes happening among the tribes from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh which constitutes the largest segment of tribal population in India, with some of them, their cultures are set to be extinct. For the uncountable tribal population from states of North-East India, the cultural stress has ripped open the diversities of India and the turmoil has spread even deeper with sub-tribes in the fray

In this issue of Fried Eye, we bring you tribal stories from different space and time, traditional cultures which have their own system of interpreting nature’s laws and have evolved their own system of sustaining and healing. With this issue, we have tried to understand their behaviors, their attitudes and their culture in a given set of environment. We have at best tried to feature first hand exposition and experiences by different writers who have come across them and felt them as a culture.

Happy Reading Folks!

Issue Editor- Sanzeeta

P.S – Due to some  unavoidable circumstances, we had a delay while publishing the issue. we regret the delay and thank you for being patient.

co-ordinator – Manipadma

A new year arrives and some new lessons are learned. Working on a new issue or theme of Fried Eye, teaches me newer things, both statistical and abstract. Learning is a continuous process just like life , and why shouldn’t it be as Life itself is the teacher. While working on the music theme of our current issue, I came upon some amazing websites, initiatives and persons which did not fail to awe me. Their determination, passion and dedication towards the same passion inspired me and filled me with a renewed vigor to dream big for Fried Eye.  After all dreams are the most powerful propulsive force for progress, both materialistic and also for the soul , so why not dream, no matter how absurd they may sound to others or how impossible they may seem.

Speaking of dreams, it was the dream of Papa Rock or Amit Saigal (as affectionately he was known) which has made the foundation for todays Indian Rock scene stronger, after he almost singlehandedly started Rock Street Journal and continued his zealous efforts towards promotion and strengthening  of the Indian Rock music scene. His untimely demise shocked many of the persons whom he had personally known and encouraged and promoted in their musical career. It certainly left a big void in the Music world which will be hard to fill. May his dreams be fulfilled by the next generation of music enthusiasts.

We have in our current issue dealt with the other lesser known perspectives of Music, so as to bring before you some comparatively unknown yet interesting tidbits about Music, which in itself is a vast topic and can be never completely covered even if we put two issues together on it.

Hope this festive weekend, you have an enjoyable time reading it and of course we will be  happy to know your feedbacks which you can mail us at editor@friedeye.com

Once again A happy new year and a Happy Bihu and Pongal to everyone of you

Manipadma

Executive Editor

Fried Eye

Dear Readers,

How time flies. It seems like yesterday when we started off. 1^st January, 2010 changed our lives forever (forever is a big word but we would take the liberty to use it here). And to think of it, it is 1^st January, 2012 already. We had a dream that we tried to execute starting from that day. As time passed by dreams of other people joined ours and it became a bigger dream day by day. Never did we imagine that we would be part of something like Fried Eye and we thank destiny that it chose us for this. Our happiness only attain its pinnacle when we dig the archives of Fried Eye.

It is very difficult to say how we did in these two years. It is up to you to decide. We received criticism both gentle and rude in these two years and we always strove to do our best. Based on your feedback,we sometimes improved and sometimes we failed, but the effort was always 100%. Even after 2 years we still haven’t been able to figure out accurately a particular style of content that a reader might expect. We are constantly changing and exploring different styles and perspectives. Some complain that we have changed from what we started but it is totally out of our hands. We simply let ourselves free, and are going sometimes by instinct and at times wherever we are being taken to by destiny. We know that might not be exactly a great way to proceed. So, we request all of you to guide us and point us our strengths and weaknesses and what you expect of us. We will welcome every suggestion of yours and endeavor to be better in days to come.

Anniversaries have to be celebrated. All the more if it falls on New Year’s Day. We are celebrating our special day with this special issue, filled with the world of graphics and animation. We hope that you may explore this upcoming field with deep relish and we, from Fried Eye have done the best we could to make your animated journey spectacular.

Lastly, I would like to thank all our readers, contributors and well-wishers of Fried Eye. You are the people who make us going. Wish you all a splendid New Fried Year.

Regards,

Fried Eye Team

The old order changeth, yielding place to new. Yes, the old order has to change and a new one has to replace it. As we stand at the fag end of the year, its time to analyze what we did and how we did in the whole year. Was it worth doing? Did it add any new meaning? Or was it mere repetition? As I pen down my first editorial I am reminded of the a fabulous book by Paulo Coelho, “The Alchemist”. Coelho in that small book speaks of a very deep meaning in life. He tells us to look at life’s omens and place them correctly and work accordingly. Whatever, we do ultimately has repercussions throughout the universe. Like John Donne had said, no one is an island in itself, we are all part of the bigger picture and we must all work towards harmonizing the place we live in.

The thought of peace also brings in me reflections of the last month when the ‘messenger of peace’ Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami passed away. In this issue as a special tribute to her everlasting memory we present before you an interview published for the first time online that Baidew had given for the school students. It is our earnest hope that today’s youngsters will be inspired to emulate the life and principles laid down by Dr. Goswami in her life. This issue also contains another interview of an extraordinary person, Omi Gurung and also of the band POT FM.

We, at Fried Eye would like to wish everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. With promises to bring in a new and better Fried Eye next year, I am signing off.

-Manjil P. Saikia,
Guest Editor
Technical Supervisor,Fried Eye

Even the best laid plans can go awry- At the precise moment I know three individuals or groups who are thinking on the same lines. One of course is yours truly as can be assumed by the delay in our edition this time, and the other two? One, I guess will be Anna Hazare after the Lok Pal bill situation failed to resolve and the third one; our ruling party after the FDI impasse. All eyes will be on those two issues, as they carry a great significance and impact on the future of our country. Can the politicians and the leaders  rise to the occasion, look beyond their individual interests and take a decision for the greater good? Can we expect this of them? Only time will tell or maybe we have to tell them with time…

Speaking of time reminds me, that we are certainly going through a tough period. Just when we were trying to come to terms with the loss of  Dr Bhupen Hazarika, we lost another literary gem, Mamoni Raisom Goswami , close on the heels of the demise of musical Stalwart Ustaad Sultan Khan.  Indian literature and art scene has suffered huge setbacks this year.Hope the new year brings happier tidings for all of us.

They say, death is a kind of liberation, an union with the supreme being, yet why do we mourn the dead and oppositely celebrate life which is supposed to be a struggle and a battle ground? We mourn because of the finality of death, maybe, The knowledge that we will never, ever, hear them, see them, know about them. We lose them forever. Death is easier to explain, but life? That is indeed complicated and so is politics…

On that note I will like to take leave of you and make way to our other interesting articles, which I hope will help you plan your holidays well for the coming days

Manipadma

Executive Editor

Fried Eye

If some body were to ask me which trait of human beings do I like best, my answer would be resilience. This is one quality that makes the world go on and human beings survive even in the extreme of conditions. Well they do vary in degrees in different individuals, but the bottom line remains that it is one single quality that is inherent in all and that which is very necessary to be inherent in all. Resilience is the primary quality that I would desire for the future generation as times are becoming harder and if they have to fight through, then they surely need it in larger doses.  But a fighter need not lose the humane touch either if you are imagining a sort of anarchy. A fine balance needs to be maintained and again thankfully being humane comes naturally to human, barring aside few exception;, so my choice of best trait still would remain Resilience.

Resilience and Humanity brings us back to Dr Bhupen Hazarika, the great humanitarian and an artistic genius whom we lost ten days back and an incident that brought life to a standstill almost, in Assam and the North East. The response was unbelievable and much talked about. The world stood awestruck, tributes poured in.People shared little tidbits about him so as to hold on to the wisps of memories of time spend with the Maestro. We in Fried eye were speechless and felt inadequate with our words- a fear that we might not be doing justice to the Genius if we attempted to utter anything about him. It seemed things would never be the same again, and yes it will never be. It never is when you lose someone you love, but life moves on.  People move on. We shake the grief away , wipe away the tears, ignore the bruises and stand up and say- Well time to move on and finish the job that we have been sent for. Time to move on and attempt to carry forward the dreams that have been left in our mantle by our loved ones. Resilience, you see!

Yes , Sir! Time to move on and attempt to create a better world that you, we dreamt of!

Manipadma

Executive Editor

Fried Eye

For a change I do not want to write about what has been happening around. Not Metallica nor the F1 . Not even about celebrations – Diwali, Halloween or Bakri Id. Maybe I do owe a responsibility to mention that 31st October is the birth anniversary of Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel, but I will not go into that either (my respects lie with him of course) nor can I bring myself to speak about the Guwahati Serial blasts…The wounds are still raw. Sitting in front of the laptop, at 2.30 am, I have this sudden urge to know more about you all. I would like to know more about the ones who are religiously reading our E zine ? Who are you all? Where do you come from? Do you like us? Do you occasionally spare a thought for us? What makes you smile? What’s your story? your dreams? your aspirations?  Each publication day I notice that the visitor counts shoot up 12 am on wards? Who are you all who so loyally watch us over? …And suddenly I am curious to see the faces in front of  the monitors. You make our day by your mere presence yet we have never met each other nor will we ever in probability , but some how we have made a connect. And at this moment of truth I realise that you are what makes us. Nothing can be more important for us than you all. Sometimes in our attempt to find a deeper significance we miss the obvious. At times in our bid to achieve the extra ordinary , we forget the little joys of common-ess. While most of the times in our search for the most important , we forget that what we have with us is the most valuable of all. And with great joy I have realised that we have you with us. We have crossed the mark of one lakh unique visitors just recently and that was possible  because you were with us all the while. I don’t know if we will ever be etched in history, but for you , this edition we have brought before you few pages from History. To me, history is synonymous to memories and when finally I grow old ( which I am already) I would like to have fond memories of   Fried Eye and those unknown eyes which used to make our day every publication .

Manipadma

Do you have those strange urges when you just don’t feel like struggling ? When you would just like to lie down and stare ahead doing nothing? When nothing excites you to laugh or  fight? When the fight for survival  seems so meaningless that you just don’t even want to try? When trying hard doesn’t make any sense just because it isn’t needed or because it is so much needed that whatever zeal you have just don’t seem enough? Well it just means that you are either completely satiated in mind, body and soul or there is a hunger , a want, a need that just hasn’t been addressed. But the irony remains that we never reach a level of complete satiation so as to become defunct and the hunger gets us only in our death. Maybe that is a way of nature to keep us lively while alive.

Call it food for your body or your soul but it certainly is one of the most basic and vital element for our existence. Food speaks a lot about the person it feeds. Food reflects the culture , tradition and principles of a particular group , ethnicity, country.

15th September marks the anniversary of our food desk and so we have themed our this issue  on the many aspects of food in our lives. Sanzeeta , my co editor today and our very own in charge of food desk  has been responsible along with Pramathesh Borkotoky, our Editor in Chief, for bringing about a refreshing change and adding a colorful and delicious look to our e zine. So I would like to pass on todays ‘editorial baton ‘ to her for some food for thought. Hope you enjoy the bites and bytes.

Mani padma

Executive Editor

Fried Eye

 *** A Letter from the Food Editor ***

Dear Readers

                  Everyone in North-East India has a tale to share about a summer fruit, fooding  traditions at your family reunion or a  baking or cooking contest, the best in local wines, or the best bites in a restaurant. North- East India is a melting pot that blends east and west food culture. In this part of civilization, every little of something exists. For all those who romanticizes with food, this part of India is to be relished with English aromatic pies, smoked meats, stews, rustic barbeques, fresh vegetables, berries or simply indulge  at the sight of smokes puffing away from the roof top as the sun sets in.

On this anniversary issue of Food Desk in Fried Eye, I would like to say that the journey has been a quite a Catch 22 situation at parts. Revealing the mind of a cook has not been as simple as it seemed. There had been incredibly talented people who expressed their passion by creating food flavors, who were obsessively immersed in decorating food- writing the secret traditional recipes, expressing that foodie feeling in their own ways but in the end, every publication had been a spicy mix-match broth of the challenge of  transforming a simple idea to making it a delightful food memory  and experimentation on favorite meals for picky eaters.

This issue we celebrate the first anniversary with some incredible features for our readers to understand and have a peep into the culture of People in North-East India with the lesser know chili in India, the Bird Eye chili, the famous-ly ubiquitous recipe of momo, and an exposition to fermented soyabean , and a common spice  pas ( panch ) poron which is found in most household in Brahmaputra valley,Mealtime Musing makes makes nostalgic moves  with doctor’s advice on food habits for diabetic individuals to name a few.

Finally we wish our readers  some delightful reading and many more.

Sanzeeta

Food Desk in Charge

After days of darkness and gloom, things seemed sunnier for Fried Eye this issue, first with the cheer and good will of Eid followed by Ganesh Chaturthi. The last few days too spelled hope amongst the people- first with the victory of People over Dictatorship in Libya and then, not the least in our own deadlock over the Janlokpal Bill. Maybe life is cyclical indeed!

Speaking of Eid , reminded me of an incident in my life long back which I would like to share , if you will excuse my being personal here. There was this muslim employee at my father’s chemist shop who as expected had taken leave on Eid, but had conveniently forgotten to invite us, much to my disappointment at an event which I had been looking forward to eagerly.

When he returned from his leave, I like a petulant child had asked him as to why he had not invited us over , to which he replied amazed, “but I thought you would not like to come and might get offended if I asked”. I had wailed in dismay back then that “you could have asked at least”.

This sentence that “you could have asked” is something that kept recurring in life all around me in all sorts of scenario. A sentence that surely meant that somewhere, there remained a communication gap between people.

Many a times we assume and hold back what we have to say, when speaking up then, would have bridged gaps between two hearts, two people or even saved someone. We are afraid of rejection, of being misunderstood and most importantly of not being listened to, hence we stop ourselves from speaking up. We feel afraid to speak about our love; We are afraid to speak up against injustice; We are apprehensive to speak up for someone and express our opinions; We are shy to speak of ourselves lest we are ignored but then if we remain silent, we will never ever  be heard. You might counter here that many a time our voices are not heard  and I agree with that , but if we continue with our attempts we will surely be heard.If a lone voice is lost among the chaos, a collective voice will definitely be heard loud and clear.

So speak up. Let the world know more about you and how you feel. Some one somewhere will certainly listen.

Manipadma

With freedom comes great responsibility but sadly this fact is over looked by some callous individuals leading to misery of a great number of people. More so if they are responsible for a state, region, country. The past fortnight’s incidents have been quite depressing, with the news of Londonriots, Pune farmers shooting, Mig 21 crash to name a few. The Jan Lokpal bill situation seems to be heading towards a deadlock with the proposed fast of Anna Hazare from 16^th. Of August. And to top the misfortunes, we lost Shammi Kapoor , the legend, just today morning. Security has been beefed up every where and it is an irony that our Independence Day is one of those days when our freedom gets curtailed to quite an extent for security reasons. Why did it come to such a situation? Maybe we dwell too much on the whys and What could have beens, but now we are fast approaching the red mark when we have to take stock of everything and make democracy what it was supposed to be- accountable to the people.

Maybe Anna Hazare’s satyagraha is one such indication that times are changing for the better. Indiawas never a bad apple as can be seen from its rich history nor can we write off the people completely. We Indians have always been famous for our last minute surprise acts- be it cricket or politics. Let’s hope that some one among us has an ace up the sleeve which will be the origin of all solutions. If we believe in it, we will surely be able to.

On that note I leave you to enjoy our issue for this fortnight. The issue- where= every article has been compiled with great care, with a relevant message in each of them for you all and we just hope that we have not let you down in your expectations from us in any way.

Manipadma

Issue Editor

Just a couple of days back, I came across an article in The Times of India that reported a blooper made by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in its online application form, listing Nagaland as a country. Like every other sensitive and emotional resident of North East, I too made it a point to fret about the fact that the North-East region is indeed given less importance by the rest of the country, such that more than half the people of India do not know common and basic facts about the region. But then, isn’t it a part of our own responsibility to promote more and more about the culture of our region until the rest of the country, particularly the centre, stops making blunders as such?  In this issue, we in Fried Eye are making a similar effort by presenting a travel article on Nagaland as one of our specials.

While discussing the editorial for this issue, two things kept popping into my head constantly. Two special days in the month of August which mean a lot to a lot of people in our country: Friendship’s Day and the day of Raksha Bandhan when sisters tie a Rakhi on their brothers’ hand and in turn, the brothers promise to protect and love them always. Both these occasions look like they are all about tying a band/thread on the hand of someone you love, be it a friend or a brother. But, it is actually so much more than that. The emotions attached to the tying of a simple band can be very special, which can be comprehended only by a true friend, and a person who has had the privilege of having a loving brother or a sister. And, fortunately, I am one of those.

As I sign off, I wish all our fried readers a very happy Friendship’s day and renew out promise to be a friend for life, trying our utmost to bring them exotic flavors of life every single time. Till next time, keep frying, friends!

-          Tinam Borah

Just a few weeks back we were getting geared up all gung ho with this issue when things started to go bad with the two train derailments. Things went from bad to worse when Mumbai happened shocking us into numbness.Anything I wanted to write seemed shallow against those tragedies. Condemning , consoling , praying- nothing really felt meaningful-at least that was what I felt. A despair had started setting in and just when I was almost convinced of our uselessness and just when I felt sure that nothing we did or said really mattered, a few random aimless clicks later I came upon a post in the internet which reinstated my faith in mankind, in the so called educated common man and mostly in ourselves that we can make a difference in our small ways if we want to or if we mean to. What I came upon as a news item is worth sharing and this is the link to the story http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/14/india.blasts.help/. It is a news item about a techie who became an accidental hero of the Mumbai blasts when in a mad impulse, after hearing of the blast , he created a google spreadsheet, a database of the help and contacts he could garner online via twitter, for the victims of the blast and posted it online. It started a mini movement of sorts and within minutes it gained momentum. More people who wanted to help but were clueless jumped into it and added their own contact details with the help offered. It just shows that if one has the intent and determination, one can make a difference and even the arm chair activism, that is so much scorned these days, if channelized well, can save the day.

Spread the knowledge, spread the information, even if that is the only thing you can do. One never knows who might gain by it, whose life you might be saving. We the people can make a difference too. Never should we doubt our own capabilities, our own strengths.Not for nothing are the common men considered the most powerful group in the world. Hence we dedicate the monsoon issue to the common man which is an attempt through which we have tried to project their woes and their celebrations.

Mumbaikars have shown their never say die attitude and their spirit by springing back to normalcy. While we grief for their loss, we also applaud their indomitable spirit and stand by them in their hour of need. Belonging from a region torn by insurgency, we do know what they are going through.

We had planned our this issue with lots of thoughts and care, stressing on the need for sharing information. Though no words can describe how we feel for Mumbai , but as they say life must go on for the living and so the show continues… but with a hope that maybe we will find light at the end of the tunnel!

Regards,
Mani Padma
Director of Ideas
Fried Eye

Issue Editor & Concept Building: Mani Padma
Cover Design: Pallavi Kapur

From the time I was five, until the time I understood the meaning of death anniversaries, 20th June meant only one thing for me. My sister and I would take part in the All Assam Jyoti Sangeet and Rabha Sangeet competitions that used to be organized by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), and were held in the District Library of Tezpur on 20th June each year. The day long program would be a culmination of our weeks of rehearsal and skipping school homework to make time for the singing. And our mother would patiently wait with us the whole day long while we watched young people from all over the state perform songs we knew by heart. Winning was important, but only to make the running shields a fixture in our drawing room. But before that happened, we stopped participating because the competitions started clashing with the half-yearly exams.

Decades have passed since then, but even now when I think of Bishnu Prasad Rabha, before anything, my mind conjures up the vision of an amusing personality, and the songs that he had composed; the songs I had sung since I was three. I remember once asking my father who Rabha really was, and why we called him Kolaguru. I must have been four years old, which explained my father’s reply, “He was an artist, and he created those beautiful songs that you love singing, but he was also a soldier who had a vision of an independent future”. A lot could be written about the Kolaguru, but no words can describe how colorful and romantic his life was. A master of disguises and a nomad, a brilliant academician and a singer all at the same time, Bishnu Prasad Rabha believed in enlightening the masses through songs and dramas.

20th June, the Kolaguru’s death anniversary, is commemorated as Rabha Divas. And it would be apt to say that this day is as much a tribute to Bishnu Prasad Rabha’s ideals, as to immortal romance, because the “Bishwo Premi” that he was, nobody could portray the pathos of romance better.

“Porojonomor xubho logonot, jodihe aamar hoi dekha,
Puraba ne priye, ei jonomor, mur hiyar opurno aaxa”
(If we meet some blessed moment in the next life,
Will you, my love, fulfill my unfinished desires of this life?)

Speaking of romance, this thought suddenly struck me the other day, about how writers can romanticize practically everything. From stifling scorching summers to squelchy muddy monsoons. From the bugs and the bees to the grass on the ground. Or maybe it’s not just romanticizing stuff. Words are that magical touch which can make anything out of anything. Turning the banal to something dramatic, concocting stories out of the commonplace, and even making the extraordinary sound trivial. And all this, from mere words. Like seven colors making up the rainbow, or seven musical notes making infinite tones and songs, the same words used by different writers can paint totally different portraits. And as writers (and editors) we hold a lot of responsibility to bring out just the right picture in front of our readers.

On this note, leaving you hanging between surreal romance and immortality, and then gently bringing you down to reality, spanning across musicians and photographers and ardent book fans to shopaholics and much more that this issue is about.
Regards,
Sankhya

The last few months have seen the most drastic situation that the country has ever faced regarding the question of corruption. Corruption has always been a part of the society; in fact an integral part of the Indian society. The only difference between the past and the present scenario is that never before had the issue come into so much focus and never before had it been a sole topic of discussion among every single person we meet. Be it an Anna Hazare or a Baba Ramdev, or how effective their fight against corruption may be, this burning issue has become a topic of debate among all. Everybody is trying to figure out whether the right thing is taking place and whether this movement will be successful or not. Thousands of people have come out in support of them while many are questioning whether the spirit behind these fasts is genuine or not.

An important fact to be remembered while analyzing the whole situation would be to realize and understand that when Gandhi Ji had taken up the same path in order to protest against the authorities during the struggle for Indian Independence, he had achieved the desired results; but there is vast difference between the India of 64 years ago and that of today. Having said that, let us also keep our hopes alive that more and more people will emerge who will put up a brave fight against the cancer of corruption that has engulfed the nation and some day in the near future we Indians will definitely find a cure for it.

We heavily grieve at the loss of a legend M.F Hussain, who passed away on the 9^th of June at the age of 95 in London. We grieve with even heavier hearts because of the fact that the Picasso of India did not breathe his last as an Indian but as a citizen of Qatar. Aideu! R.I.P

-Tinam Borah.

“They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.”    – Confucious

If the unexpected change and the new look of our website takes you by surprise and you might want to double-check whether you have typed in the right words, then rest assured; you are at the right place. Fried Eye, like everybody else believes in change and here we are with a fresh, new look. This look, as you can see, is completely different from our earlier theme. But, the fact is that we have ourselves changed pretty much in the last one and a half years. With your constant love and support, Fried Eye has come a long way, from being a starter to becoming the favorite dessert that everybody keeps eagerly waiting for at the end of the meal, no matter how full they are. And this time we have decided to transform to white from the classic black, because, that’s how we want to be- the one that blends in comfortably with every change that comes with time.

Change and novelty however also implies the risks of experimentation. We are afraid, due to certain technical difficulties owing to the new theme; our readers might have to face a little trouble while viewing our site these days. Kindly bear with us for a while. We will be frying you like before in no time at all.

And while I’m still talking about change, let us all enjoy the pleasant change of the season that has come with the onset of June. May the fresh shower of rain give a new leash of life to every little blessed soul.  Let us savour the moment as it lasts… before it changes back again.

- Tinam Borah.

As I sit to write the editorial of this issue, quite a few things are going in my mind. The primary being the Helicopter Crash on April 19th that killed 17 people injuring 6 others. In that crash, we lost a Rakesh Barua (aka Anupam Barua). He was a great bassist and inspiration to many musicians of the region. His death has left a void in the music industry of Northeast that cannot be filled for a long time to come.

While the memories of crash was still fresh, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Dorjee Khandu along with a few others went missing after flying from Tawang. The Arunachal Pradesh Govt. has been raising their doubts on the maintenance of Pawan Hans Helicopter Services. Now, that the Honourable Minister went missing, centre might take some notice of the issue. An accident has been doubted in this case, but other factors like hijacking can also be possible. There has been some confusion regarding the issue showing lack of coordination between the state and central rescue teams. All of us are waiting for some news regarding this matter. As ordinary citizens, we can only pray for the well being of the Honourable Minister.

Hope that the state and central govt. work in more coordination for rescuing Mr. Khandu and he returns home safely.

Pramathesh Borkotoky

Editor-in-Chief
Fried Eye

mail me

Dear Readers,

Greetings once again with a brand new edition. Holi is gone and a somewhat cooler weather is back, examinations over (or almost are) and India is on a wonderful spree in the cricket World Cup (though not without raising several suspicions over staged “performances”). The country is riding on a wonderfully enthusiastic and free spirited synergy at the moment. Doesn’t it seem so?

Wherever you cast your glance the newspapers are full of the buzz of life this fortnight. Japan’s tragedy awakened organizations like Greenpeace into leading a march to the Parliament on 25 March demanding reviews of nuclear plants in Jaitapur, Maharashtra. Teachers all over the north of the country are decrying arbitrarily imposed higher education policies as another tension filled academic year draws to a close. The North east has seen some good news to cheer for the last month one of the most important being the proposal to set up separate high courts in the states of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya.

Of course you will say, dear readers, that we need not talk of serious matters on the first of April when the world is turned into a well meaning playground of pranks and mischief. As Mark Twain had sportingly put it, “the first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year” and perhaps it will be worth our while to not let go of being aware of the sensitive issues of the day even as we engage in the jest-filled spirit of the day. The excitement of the World Cup Final match tomorrow has the whole nation biting their finger nails and not for the love of the game alone. Several larger socio, political and economic concerns have a stake in the cup tomorrow. The flurry of action doesn’t end tomorrow for the lay citizen of the nation either. The Assam Assembly elections, for instance, are slated just around the corner and it is time once again for the people of the region to exercise their democratic rights in shaping the region’s political course in the near future thus ensuring a very busy civic life in the coming days.

This issue in keeping with the mixed spirit of the month of April, we bring to you two lovely pieces of fiction by Manjil.P Saikia. As a build up to the coming festivities of Bihu, we bring to you the simple yet tricky recipe of the mouth watering tilor ladoo from the kitchen of Chandan Kr. Das Continue keeping in pace with the Cricket World Cup with our special review. In keeping with the spirit of joy and sensitivity this weekend, we at Fried Eye join our friends world over to celebrate another very special day tomorrow: The fourth annual World Autism Awareness Day. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with in their own unique ways raising funds and spreading the word. We thank Lipika Saharia in helping us do the latter by sharing her experience with autistic children with us and our readers.

Hope you have an enriching reading experience.

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Dear Readers,

It is Holi season once again. A season celebrated with gaiety as the harbinger of life and prosperity. How dear these ever elusive words sound. Especially in the aftermath of the tragedy that has engulfed Japan in the past few days- a tragedy whose effects will be felt the world over in several ways for several years to come. It is strangely unsettling that a season associated with joy, renewal and vibrancy should bring in such ravaging destruction and despair. (Not that disaster of any magnitude has an appropriate season). It is my hope that even as some of us momentarily forget what is happening in the world around us and immerse ourselves in the celebration of the festival of colours this weekend, some of us will yet remember Japan and all the affected people in our sincere prayers. A calamity of this magnitude should not be dismissed from our minds in the face of the daily “stresses” this month bring to us in the form of annual examinations, annual closings, tax calculations and what have you. Nor should it be washed away callously with the last dregs of celebratory bhang.

May the coming festival bring us the colours of hope, togetherness and fortitude.

Greetings to everyone for a phaguun that will usher in the blessed colours of peace, harmony and happiness.

Regards,

Radhika Baruah
Editor,
Fried Eye

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- Nalini Hebbar

Everywhere there are signs of a coming spring. The days are growing longer, buds are beginning to appear on the trees, the first shoots of the spring bulbs are breaking through the ground. It is lovely to be around nature at these time. Countless poets have written about the March month and it’s wind. There is a famous term in Assamese, “Posuwa Ba”. It is a certain kind of dry wind during the month of Faagun (roughly Feb 15 – March 15). They say that you get addicted to this dry wind. This inspires poets to write beautiful poems. If I were a poet then probably I would have also written a poem.

It is not that I have never tried writing poems. I do try my hand in poems at certain occasions. It happens either if I am highly inspired or a poet influences my thought process. Pranab Kumar Barman at one time influenced my thought process. His poems were at one time like anthems in Gauhati University. The GU students still use to recite his poems.

Talking about influences and inspirations, how can someone forget women. They are the greatest source of inspiration in my life. Starting from my mother, who inspires me in every sphere of my life. I try hard to make her proud, but I am not always successful. She inspires me in everything. All my school teachers who I remember for good reasons are women. Fried Eye is literally run by women. As we approach International Women’s Day, we get inspired again and we would try to bring better works.

Before I end, I would like to say that we are trying to improve and bring you a better fried eye. I hope you’ll bear with us as we improve, and aim to inspire you all to become better writers.

Regards,

Pramathesh Borkotoky
Editor-in-Chief
Fried Eye

Mail me pramathesh@friedeye.com

In Love With Myself

In love with myself
In love with my own reflection
With my own affection
With the vision that I see

There’s nobody else
I’m taking my own direction
I can see perfection
Doing all I can for m
In love with myself…

-David Guetta

Narcissist, that I’m. I’m in love with myself and this fact has given me the best and the worst in life. I’m sometimes very selfish due to this and at times I get focussed on what I want due to my selfless love for myself. I never lose patience until I get what I want. That also makes me stubborn at times. At times when everybody else has left me, I don’t feel lonely as I never would leave myself and feel the courage to move ahead. I’m actually hated at those times.

As they say, to love someone, you need to love yourself. So, love yourself to love your loved one.

Happy Loving,

Pramathesh Borkotoky
Fried Eye

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