Arunachal boy hands over pet bear he raised like his ‘own sister’ to Itanagar zoo

Snippets from the vibrant Northeast that capture politics, culture, society and more in the eight states.

Luba the bear with her 'brother' Terde Yomcha | Mama Natung | Facebook

New Delhi: A nine-month-old female bear cub that was raised by a young boy of Lipu Yomcha village in Arunachal Pradesh, was handed over to the Itanagar zoo earlier this week.

Named Luba, the bear was bought by Terde Yomcha for Rs 1,000 when it was barely a month old. He decided to hand over the cub as he was going away to college in Itanagar.

“I have brought up Luba like my own sister. It hurts me to see her go. Please request the zoo authorities to take due care of my Luba and give me access to meet her at the Itanagar zoo,” Yomcha reportedly said.

He recalled how he would spend all his pocket money on the cub who was brought up on a vegetarian diet of dal-rice, cabbage, maize, tomato, sugarcane, milk and fruits. According to Yomcha, Luba loves bathing in her aluminium tub and playing with the children in the neighbourhood.

Meghalaya farmer grows mini forest of 3,400 organic black pepper vines over 30 years

Nanadro B. Marak, a farmer who lives in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, has been quietly and steadfastly growing a mini forest of 3,400 organic black pepper trees for the past 30 years.

The 61-year-old farmer was the first to introduce the popular Karimunda variety of black pepper in the West Garo Hills district in the 1980s. He has since been cultivating this king of spices using sustainable methods, without harmful chemicals.

Marak’s pepper cultivation in the Tikrikilla block of West Garo Hills began with an initial investment of Rs 10,000 to plant around 100 trees.

Today, he gets an average yield of 3.2 kg per tree — which is three times higher than other growers in the state — from his vines that are spread across five hectares.

He has also managed a cycle where he harvests twice a year. While he gets around 8,330 kg of pepper in the first round, the second yields about 2,550 kg. So he harvests more than 10,000 kg each year and clocks in a revenue worth lakhs. In 2019, he had earned Rs 17 lakh by selling his pepper for an average of Rs 170 per kg.

“Black pepper is a one-time investment post which (it) gives returns every year. By the fourth year, the maintenance cost also comes down significantly,” he was quoted as saying in a report by The Better India.

For his sustainable practices, Marak was also awarded the ‘Best Pepper Grower’ title by the International Pepper Community in 2018.

Manipur man crowdfunds Rs 20 lakh, helps over 2,000 people with rent & ration 

Sadam Hanjabam from Manipur’s Sagolband Tera area has helped more than 2,000 people with ration, food and even house rent by collecting Rs 20 lakh in a crowdfunding initiative.

A PhD holder from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hanjabam, has also assisted at least 300 transgender people with medical and sanitary kits using the money raised. Further, he helped around 75 transgender people who had lost their jobs during the pandemic pay their house rent.

The 31-year-old has been quoted as saying how fundraising in Manipur had been one of his biggest challenges. “People in the state don’t have much idea of crowdfunding. So, when the pandemic happened, everyone was affected, and people did not donate because everyone was suffering,” he said.

Hanjabam had also distributed 1,500 condoms to young married men and 6,000 sanitary napkins to girls at children’s homes. Direct cash transfers were made to over 200 students staying outside Manipur. He had also helped people living with HIV or disabilities, and daily wage workers.

This birder from Assam can identify around 800 varieties by listening to their songs

Rustam Basumatary, a birder from Assam, has the unique ability of identifying hundreds of bird varieties by simply listening to their songs. Hailing from the Kamardaicha village in Baksa district of the state, Basumatary has been working as a conservationist at the Manas National Park since 2002.

He also serves as a tourist guide for visitors to the park. According to Basumatary, there are around 476 bird species at Manas alone. He also pointed out that at least 24 types of birds in the park are quickly heading toward extinction.

Basumatary has been working with an NGO called Manas Mauzigendri Ecotourism Society for the safety and conservation of wild animals and birds at the park.

For his efforts, he has received several awards, including from the Assam Sahitya Sabha, the Manas National Park and Bodoland Territorial Council government in the state.