New Delhi: A little over three years after her death in 2017, the family of Evelyn ‘Iggy’ Rose — the enigmatic girlfriend of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett, who appeared on the cover of his album ‘The Madcap Laughs’ — was able to reconnect with her relatives in Mizoram recently.
Rose’s mother was Chawngpuii, a Mizo woman, and her father a British army officer, Harry Joyce. The couple married in Aizawl in 1946. Rose, born a year later, had a Mizo middle name ‘Laldawngliani’.
Also known as ‘Iggy The Eskimo Girl’ or ‘Iggy The Innuit’, Rose had achieved cult status in the 1960s Swinging London, with her long dark hair and Asian features. Such had been her popularity that there is a fan site in her honour called, ‘The Holy Church of Iggy The Innuit’ (now renamed as ‘The Holy Church of Iggy The Mizo’).
In an interview to British journalist Mark Blake, Rose had recalled how her father travelled to a “remote village in the Himalayas” where “he met the woman that would become my mother”.
But the two families lost touch in 1966 during the Mizo insurgency days.
Rosangliana, one of her relatives in Mizoram, told The Assam Tribune, “After Mizoram returned to normalcy following the 1986 peace accord, we resumed the search for Iggy’s parents…but to no avail.”
It was only weeks ago that someone from Mizoram stumbled upon a post on her fan site and alerted the family. “A few days later, a guy named Felix (who runs the fan site) gave us information about Iggy’s siblings,” Rosangliana said, and added: “We have contacted Iggy’s brother Stephen and sister Elizabeth.”
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13-yr-old Assam chess prodigy is first International Master from Northeast
Shahil Dey, a 13-year-old chess player from Assam, has become the first International Master from the Northeast. He achieved this feat Monday by accomplishing his third International Master norm at the First Saturday GM held in Budapest, Hungary from 5-14 June.
He scored five points from eight rounds of the event. The Sports Authority of Assam took to Twitter to congratulate the boy.
Ministry of Sports & Youth Welfare, Assam and Sports Authority of Assam conveys heartiest congratulations to Shahil Dey for becoming Northeast and Assam's first and latest International Master of India.
May he bring more laurels for Assam pic.twitter.com/9IMBzvLGHY— Sports Authority Of Assam (@assam_sports) June 14, 2021
He is currently coached by International Master Roktim Bandyopadhyay in Kolkata.
Dey was awarded his first International Master norm at the GM Round Robin Tournament held in Serbia in February.
Patriarch of world’s largest family, with 39 wives & over 90 children, dies
Zionnghaka aka Ziona, a 77-year-old man who headed the world’s largest family in Mizoram, died at a hospital in Aizawl earlier this week due to complications arising out of diabetes, hypertension and old age.
More than 180 people of the family live in a four-storey mansion at Baktawng village in Serchhip district, about 60 km from Aizawl.
Ziona, who was born in 1945, married his first wife, who was three years older than him, at the age of 17. He married his last wife in 2004.
Ziona headed the ‘Chana pawl’, a Christian sect formed by his father in 1942. The community members of this sect are called ‘Lalruat Chhuanthar’ or ‘Chhuanthar (new generation established by God)’. The community was also given a separate village council administration in 2004.
The sect allows its male members to be polygamous.
Nagaland teacher becomes lone volunteer helping district’s free ambulance service
Moamongba, a 29-year-old schoolteacher in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district, has become the lone volunteer working for a free ambulance service provided by the administration.
The ambulance transports Covid-19 patients to and from hospitals, or those requiring visits to a testing centre.
“I wanted to take a bold step to help society and especially those persons who are in need of a helping hand, Moamongba told The Morung Express.
He also said he handles a helpline number and helps the driver in locating patients. “On an average, the driver and I drop and pick 25-30 people. Our work starts at 9 in the morning and stretches till 6 in the evening. During emergencies, we are out till 10-11 pm at night,” he added.
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