Aizawl , May 17 : Mizoram police has deported 41 Myanmarese nationals, mainly Chins, who were arrested in Aizawl and its nearby areas during the past four days, a senior police officer said today.
The foreigners, employed here as manual labourers, were arrested for not having valid permits to enter and work in Mizoram, said Aizawl Superintendent of Police Lalbiakthanga.
"We produced the arrested foreigners before the local courts and deported them as per the orders of the courts,"he said, adding they were handed over to the Officer-in-Charge of Mizoram-Myanmar border Zokhawthar police outpost after which the OC of Zokhawthar would push them back across the Tiau river to their country.
Pork sale dips in Mizoram
AIZAWL, May 11 : Though the swine flu virus is yet to be detected in the country, sale of pork dipped to a record low in the Mizoram State capital, pork sellers in Aizawl market said today.
Hmuna, a pork seller told PTI that his sale has gone down considerably since last week but he managed to keep the price at Rs 160 per kg.
Meanwhile, beef, mutton and chicken sold like hot cakes, which prompted Dorothy, who went for Sunday shopping, to say that she had to go to the meat market early to get good portion of beef.
Dr C Sangnghina, Director of the State AH and Veterinary department said that no case of swine flu has so far been detected in the State and the department’s rapid action team has maintained strict vigil along the722-kilometre-long international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh and also along the inter-State boundaries with Assam, Manipur and Tripura.
Sangnghina said that deputy commissioners of districts adjoining the international borders would issue prohibitory orders on import of pig and piglet from across the borders.
Hmuna, a pork seller told PTI that his sale has gone down considerably since last week but he managed to keep the price at Rs 160 per kg.
Meanwhile, beef, mutton and chicken sold like hot cakes, which prompted Dorothy, who went for Sunday shopping, to say that she had to go to the meat market early to get good portion of beef.
Dr C Sangnghina, Director of the State AH and Veterinary department said that no case of swine flu has so far been detected in the State and the department’s rapid action team has maintained strict vigil along the722-kilometre-long international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh and also along the inter-State boundaries with Assam, Manipur and Tripura.
Sangnghina said that deputy commissioners of districts adjoining the international borders would issue prohibitory orders on import of pig and piglet from across the borders.
Pastor from India brings Christian message to Thomson
One local family's Christmas gift really did turn out to be the gift that keeps on giving.
Each year, the Greene family packages a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. Sponsored by Samaritan's Purse, the annual project enables individuals to fill shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies and other personal items which are sent to needy children in third world countries.
As they do every year, the Greene's included a picture of their family and their contact information in the shoebox. Two weeks ago on a Saturday, Michael Greene said he was working in the yard when a mail carrier truck pulled into the yard with a delivery of a certified letter from India.
"And I told the mail carrier that I don't know anyone in India," he said. "So, my first thought was who had answered a phone call that they shouldn't have (of his four small children)…. So, I opened the envelope and saw a copied picture of my family, and I said ‘this can't be good.'"
As it turns out, the picture was the one from their OCC shoebox gift, and was accompanied by a letter from a minister in India. Sunny Raul operates a ministry called Light of Hope Association, which is an indigenous based, non-profit, non-denominational organization in Orissa, India, that reaches out to the tribal population. A child that lives at LOHA was the recipient of the Greene's shoebox gift.
Ms. Raul and Mr. Greene began communicating via email, and Monday night, the tribal missionary was in Thomson, Ga., where he spoke to the congregation of Antioch Christian Church on West Hill Street. Mr. Greene had picked up Mr. Raul at the Atlanta airport earlier that afternoon, and the two became acquainted during the drive to Thomson.
"We learned that we don't like the same foods, we don't do the same things, and we don't even like the same sports," Mr. Greene said. "But, we love the same God. And I think it's special that God brought him here."
It was Mr. Raul's first trip to the United States - he had arrived in Texas only a few days before, and he was headed to a church in Michigan. As he began speaking to the small congregation at Antioch, Mr. Raul first explained that he only had been speaking English for seven years, and promised to speak slowly so he could be understood.
"Every night, I memorized 20 or 30 words," he said. "So, all the words that I am speaking to you now, I had to memorize them one at a time."
With a heavy accent, Mr. Raul then shared his testimony of how he came to believe in God and practice Christianity even though he was raised in a country dominated by Hinduism. One night when he was in college, Mr. Raul said he prayed to God in desperation, challenging Him to prove Himself. When he received a real, material response to his prayer, Mr. Raul said he knew without a doubt that God is real.
"That day, I decided to be a missionary, to tell the people that God is the provider and He lives today. Since then, I have seen so many miracles in my life," he said.
Mr. Raul described the miracles of God's protection and provision for his mission, orphanage and school, which ministers to children, the widows and the single parents in the poorest state of India.
He showed a DVD of the children in his orphanage and school, and told the obstacles they face in their lives.
"Here, you have a problem of drugs or alcohol with the poor," he said. "We have no problem of drugs or alcohol. We have a problem of no food and no clothes."
There are 80 children living at LOHA currently, but Mr. Raul said his vision is to help 1,000.
"They don't complain, even when there only is enough money for one meal a day," he said. "I ask them what they want, and they do not want another meal. They say they'd rather have a playground to play Cricket."
Mr. Raul's other vision is to reach one million souls for Christ by the year 2020 - a big goal for his staff of 14 ministers in a country where religious militants attack each other. The DVD also showed footage of last August, when Orissa suffered the worst-ever spate of anti-Christian violence in the country's history. The wave of attacks lasted for more than two months, killing more than 70 people, and burning over 5,000 homes and churches.
"That was phenomenal video footage, very inspirational," Katie Wakeland said. "It put persecution into perspective for me. As I was listening to (Mr. Raul) speak of wanting to reach so many people, it made me think how I wake up every morning with a sudden sense of urgency that we have so very little time left."
Those in attendance Monday evening at Antioch expressed a desire to help Mr. Raul's ministry financially and sponsor a child. Mr. Raul said $15 a month would provide a child two meals per day, clothing and school supplies. But currency exchange causes a problem, and Mr. Raul would not accept any money to take with him. Donations must be sent directly to the mission via Western Union. Because Western Union only allows a certain number of transactions per month before they implement a fee, Mr. Raul said he prefers the church members pool their donation and send it all at once. The members discussed making monthly donations, and helping to raise other funds for LOHA.
"It was an honor and a privilege to have him here," said Susan Pilgrim, whose husband, Larron, pastors the church. "Here in the U.S., we don't realize we have Christians all over the world, and we need to help each other. We as Christians ought to take our responsibilities seriously."
Antioch Christian is located in Thomson on West Hill Street, between the Family Y and Joesbury Insurance. Anyone wishing to make a donation to LOHA, may send a check made out to the church, but marked with LOHA on it, to P.O. Box 1293, Thomson, Ga. 30824 or call 706-595-7878.
For more information about LOHA, visit www.lohamissionindia.org. For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit www.operationchristmaschild.org.
Strip for me, baby!
“Since we were born naked, it is an art, and it’s just showing a beautiful body that God created.” – Swimsuit supermodel Joanna Krupa quoting Pope John Paul on nudity.
Nudity in Indian cinema has always been a debatable subject. The traditional Indian audiences were never treated to the full frontal nude scenes of prominent Bollywood actors or actress fearing widespread criticism from the society and the wrath of the moral brigade.
However, with the passage of time and due to western influences, some tectonic changes are being witnessed in the mainstream Hindi cinema, wherein our budding actors are more than eager to shed their clothes just for the sake of the art of film making.
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh dropping his pants in reality film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar’s latest flick called ‘JAIL’ is an indication that Bollywood is opening up, the actors, precisely the male ones, are coming out of closet and shedding their inhibitions.
One would ask why so much fuss about something which is very common in the West. In the Western countries or more precisely in Hollywood, stripping for a commercial ad shoot or a film is not viewed with much-hyped curiosity. It is a routine affair in the West where A-list film stars and celebrities take pride in flaunting their flawless bodies. They grace the cover pages of prestigious tabloids and magazines sometimes for the promotion of a brand or sometimes for publicity, which can revive their fortunes.
This is not the first time that any known Indian actor or celebrity has posed naked for a commercial, photo shoot or for promoting a film. A trip down the memory lane will help you recall how in the past Protima Bedi, Simi Garewal, Madhu Sapre, Mamta Kulkarni, Pooja Bhatt, Puja Bedi, Milind Soman, Zeenat Aman, Mandakini etc exposed to varying degrees for various reasons.
They all supposedly made progressive statements advocating the viewpoint that one is free to express oneself how one wants.
However, all of these have courted controversies and faced legal battles for unnecessarily imitating the western culture just in the name of women’s liberty.
It is clear that in most of the cases there were these pretty girls, who stood naked in front of the lens, except Milind Soman, who dared to bare all along with model Madhu Sapre for an ad campaign aimed at promoting ‘Tuffs’ shoe brand.
It is probably for the first time that a known Bollywood actor has chosen to do a nude scene citing the demand of the script and started a new trend.
Renowned author Salman Rushdie’s ex-wife and super model Padma Lakshmi recently posed naked for the prestigious Allure magazine. Padma Lakshmi, who is the author of a cookbook and show host, posed naked with four other celebrities in the US magazine.
In December 2008, Titanic star Kate Winslet posed in just platform heels and a front open white overcoat for Vanity Fair. The Vanity Fair’s issue carrying Winslet’s centrefold was released just ahead of the release of her latest movies ‘The Reader’ and ‘Revolutionary Road’. ‘The Reader’ later fetched Winslet the Academy Award in the best actress category.
Similarly, Brad Pitt’s ex-wife Jennifer Aniston adorned the cover of GQ magazine wearing just a necktie. That too coincided with the release of her film ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’.
There is a never ending list of Hollywood celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Sharone Stone, Demi Moore, Meg Ryan, Catherine Zeta Zones, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Lindsay Lohan, Carmen Electra who have showed their curvaceous bodies for money and for publicity.
However, the case has been different with our tinsel town babes, who have so far avoided full frontal exposure for promoting their films.
In the recent times, Indian audiences have readily accepted and adjusted to the onscreen kissing scenes thereby providing Bollywood some opportunity to experiment further.
So what does it mean? Is Bollywood readying for more nudity in the days to come? Whether a new genre of Indian film directors will dare to do some bold projects on the lines of Bernardo Bertolucci (The Dreamers), Roman Polanski (Bitter Moon), Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut) Catherine Breillat (Anatomy of the Hell) to name a few.
The culture of flashing boobs, intentionally wearing see-through outfits, and engineered wardrobe malfunctions have all been publicity gimmicks of the Western bigwigs. But Indian celebs have been modest enough to cover up their well-toned bodies while in public.
So what if the same trend starts here in India? Indians have had a deep fascination for controversial Hollywood movies full of sensuality. We have all loved watching these flicks in private, but have never publicly accepted our fondness for them.
Can any one forget the stir created by Sharon Stone’s ‘Basic Instinct’ or the famous striptease act by Demi Moore? The popularity of Hollywood movies in our country is an indicator of our acceptance of nudity.
The question here is that up to what extent the Indian Censor Board, the moral policing groups and the Indian audiences will tolerate films showcasing nudity.
Even in the ultra modern western society, there is a clear cut demarcation between pornography and nudity, so will we make a distinction between the two in India as well? Is the Indian viewer mature enough to accept nudity as a part of a film if the script so demands?
No one knows if this trend in Bollywood will add artistic credence or just satiate our hidden lust for watching Indian celebrities pose in the nude. Is it important for the Indians to look at West for every thing it does to be called modern and progressive? It is clearly up to the audiences to decide what is good for them but at the moment they appear to be enjoying the idea of watching their favourite actors stripping on screen.
Nudity in Indian cinema has always been a debatable subject. The traditional Indian audiences were never treated to the full frontal nude scenes of prominent Bollywood actors or actress fearing widespread criticism from the society and the wrath of the moral brigade.
However, with the passage of time and due to western influences, some tectonic changes are being witnessed in the mainstream Hindi cinema, wherein our budding actors are more than eager to shed their clothes just for the sake of the art of film making.
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh dropping his pants in reality film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar’s latest flick called ‘JAIL’ is an indication that Bollywood is opening up, the actors, precisely the male ones, are coming out of closet and shedding their inhibitions.
One would ask why so much fuss about something which is very common in the West. In the Western countries or more precisely in Hollywood, stripping for a commercial ad shoot or a film is not viewed with much-hyped curiosity. It is a routine affair in the West where A-list film stars and celebrities take pride in flaunting their flawless bodies. They grace the cover pages of prestigious tabloids and magazines sometimes for the promotion of a brand or sometimes for publicity, which can revive their fortunes.
This is not the first time that any known Indian actor or celebrity has posed naked for a commercial, photo shoot or for promoting a film. A trip down the memory lane will help you recall how in the past Protima Bedi, Simi Garewal, Madhu Sapre, Mamta Kulkarni, Pooja Bhatt, Puja Bedi, Milind Soman, Zeenat Aman, Mandakini etc exposed to varying degrees for various reasons.
They all supposedly made progressive statements advocating the viewpoint that one is free to express oneself how one wants.
However, all of these have courted controversies and faced legal battles for unnecessarily imitating the western culture just in the name of women’s liberty.
It is clear that in most of the cases there were these pretty girls, who stood naked in front of the lens, except Milind Soman, who dared to bare all along with model Madhu Sapre for an ad campaign aimed at promoting ‘Tuffs’ shoe brand.
It is probably for the first time that a known Bollywood actor has chosen to do a nude scene citing the demand of the script and started a new trend.
Renowned author Salman Rushdie’s ex-wife and super model Padma Lakshmi recently posed naked for the prestigious Allure magazine. Padma Lakshmi, who is the author of a cookbook and show host, posed naked with four other celebrities in the US magazine.
In December 2008, Titanic star Kate Winslet posed in just platform heels and a front open white overcoat for Vanity Fair. The Vanity Fair’s issue carrying Winslet’s centrefold was released just ahead of the release of her latest movies ‘The Reader’ and ‘Revolutionary Road’. ‘The Reader’ later fetched Winslet the Academy Award in the best actress category.
Similarly, Brad Pitt’s ex-wife Jennifer Aniston adorned the cover of GQ magazine wearing just a necktie. That too coincided with the release of her film ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’.
There is a never ending list of Hollywood celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Sharone Stone, Demi Moore, Meg Ryan, Catherine Zeta Zones, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Lindsay Lohan, Carmen Electra who have showed their curvaceous bodies for money and for publicity.
However, the case has been different with our tinsel town babes, who have so far avoided full frontal exposure for promoting their films.
In the recent times, Indian audiences have readily accepted and adjusted to the onscreen kissing scenes thereby providing Bollywood some opportunity to experiment further.
So what does it mean? Is Bollywood readying for more nudity in the days to come? Whether a new genre of Indian film directors will dare to do some bold projects on the lines of Bernardo Bertolucci (The Dreamers), Roman Polanski (Bitter Moon), Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut) Catherine Breillat (Anatomy of the Hell) to name a few.
The culture of flashing boobs, intentionally wearing see-through outfits, and engineered wardrobe malfunctions have all been publicity gimmicks of the Western bigwigs. But Indian celebs have been modest enough to cover up their well-toned bodies while in public.
So what if the same trend starts here in India? Indians have had a deep fascination for controversial Hollywood movies full of sensuality. We have all loved watching these flicks in private, but have never publicly accepted our fondness for them.
Can any one forget the stir created by Sharon Stone’s ‘Basic Instinct’ or the famous striptease act by Demi Moore? The popularity of Hollywood movies in our country is an indicator of our acceptance of nudity.
The question here is that up to what extent the Indian Censor Board, the moral policing groups and the Indian audiences will tolerate films showcasing nudity.
Even in the ultra modern western society, there is a clear cut demarcation between pornography and nudity, so will we make a distinction between the two in India as well? Is the Indian viewer mature enough to accept nudity as a part of a film if the script so demands?
No one knows if this trend in Bollywood will add artistic credence or just satiate our hidden lust for watching Indian celebrities pose in the nude. Is it important for the Indians to look at West for every thing it does to be called modern and progressive? It is clearly up to the audiences to decide what is good for them but at the moment they appear to be enjoying the idea of watching their favourite actors stripping on screen.
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