New Delhi: R.K. Penmila, a carpenter from Manipur’s Kamjong district, has ventured into a profession few women have — building furniture.
Penmila, who studied interior designing from the Hamstech Institute of Fashion and Interior Design in Hyderabad, told the Ukhrul Times, “People ask me why I was taking up this male dominated field. I simply told them that there can be no restrictions just because I am a woman. Both men and women can take up any field of work as long as they have the interest and passion to excel in their chosen field.”
“There is no doubt that carpentry work involves lots of physical strength but I have no qualms about physical exertions. I am used to it,” she added.
To sharpen her skills, Penmila did a year-long diploma course in carpentry from the Don Bosco Technical School in Shillong.
Born and raised in the East Tusom village in Kamjong District, Penmila currently works at a shop owned by her extended family in the capital city of Imphal but wants to have her own carpentry business in future.
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8 km rangoli: Assam voter awareness initiative enters record book
A ‘rangoli’ made to encourage voters to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Assam assembly election has entered the 2022 edition of the India Book of Records. Stretching for 8 km, this is the longest street rangoli in India so far. It was completed in 24 hours.
The record was attempted by the Cachar district administration at the Barkhola constituency area on 14 March. The process started at 5 pm Saturday and Jitendra Kumar Jain from the India Book of Records along with his team monitored the entire process.
Jain said that it was a first of its kind initiative taken in the country.
“We have never seen such an initiative taken to sensitise the voters in any part of the country. There is a possibility that this eight kilometres-long street rangoli may have created a world record in the street art category but we are yet to examine this. If we see that there is a world record, we will surely announce it soon,” he further noted.
Manipur auto driver offers free rides to poor students, elderly
Moved by the plight of students who were unable to afford transport to reach their schools, Oinam Raja Singh, popularly known as Ningamdaba Raja, from Manipur’s Imphal East district decided to offer free services in his autorickshaw.
Singh, 29, has been giving free rides to school and college students, as well as the elderly from Kameng via Lamdeng to Imphal areas of the state since 1 March.
Singh’s father O. Tomba is a labourer and mother O. ongbi Bimola, a homemaker. He dropped out of school after class 9 due to the poor financial conditions of his family.
Singh told the Imphal Free Press, “As I belong to a financially backward family, I understand the level of suffering faced by many in having to incur high expenditure for commuting. So, I started rendering free services to the students according to my best level.”
“Though rendering free rides affects my earnings, I feel happy, proud and satisfied that I am able to contribute a minimum support to the students,” he added.
Ancient Vaishnavite drama helps Assam Congress draw attention
Earlier this week, the Congress in Assam released its poll video for the upcoming assembly elections that uses an ancient Vaishnavite spiritual drama called ‘Bhaona’ to counter BJP’s National Register of Citizens and the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.
The video has garnered over a million views on Facebook and Twitter so far.
Bhaona was popularised by the medieval saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva and several of his disciples in the 16th-17th centuries. It is a traditional form of entertainment in Assamese and Brajavali languages.
“The video is the voice of the people. The song in the background is a call to the people to raise their voice,” Bobbeeta Sharma, chairperson of the media department, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), has been quoted as saying.
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