IT is common in Mizoram for the church to issue guidelines to voters on the eve of elections. But this time it is the Meghalaya voter who has been issued such a set of guidelines by the Khasi-Jaintia Presbyterian Synod, the denomination that has the largest following in the state. Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in February in Meghalaya, and the Church body has asked the voters, through its seven-point set of guidelines, to support democratic and secular parties as well as leaders who are honest and upright. Is the Sangh Parivar listening?Now a Manipuri version of DevdasTWO months from now, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyaya’s Devdas, immortalised on celluloid by Pramathesh Chandra Barua (and most recently by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, in India’s Oscar entry), will make its appearance in Manipuri. Directed by Okram Anand Bhushan, the shooting of the film has already begun at Imphal. Manipuri directors like Aribam Shyam Sharma have not only bagged national awards, but have also brought accolades from several international festivals.Folklorist elected Sahitya Sabha chiefFOR noted folklorist Birendra Nath Dutta, being elected president of the Asom Sahitya Sabha is yet another responsibility which he promises to carry out with sincerity. Dutta, former professor of folklore in Gauhati University, has extensively researched the folklore of Assam and the Northeast, and written several books. He also set up the folklore research department in Tezpur University. A noted singer of the 1960s, Dutta will head the Sabha, the highest literary body of Assam for a two-year term beginning January.A Police Outpost for TouristsSIKKIM has set up a tourist police outpost, the first of its kind in the Northeastern region, which has registered an encouraging upswing in its tourist arrivals, both domestic as well as foreign. Built in a typical Sikkimese style of architecture, it has come up not with government funds but donations from the public. Tourists facing any problem or harassment can now walk in or call up and be assured of a professional reception from ‘‘tourist-friendly’’ officers.
