New Delhi: As a woman delivery agent, Tinkle Rai from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, is a rare sight on the roads of Dimapur in neighbouring Nagaland. The 24-year-old, a single mother, starts her journey at eight in the morning, riding for nearly 8 km from Karbi Anglong’s Karagaon village to her office in Dimapur town.
“On 28 August, I was hired by the courier service Delhivery. The job of delivering goods is not usually done by women, but I am ecstatic as I have gotten to eke out a living for myself and my family,” she was quoted as saying.
Her photographs, highlighting her profession, have been widely shared on social media platforms.
Rai couldn’t study beyond Class 12 due to financial constraints and started her career as a salesperson at a store in Dimapur. After her marriage fell apart, she and her three-year-old son started living with her mother, older sister and a younger brother.
“For a single mother, it is very difficult to get a job but my family is my inspiration and they have supported me throughout. It is why I can stand on my own feet,” she said. Rai said it was her friend who first informed her about the delivery agent’s job.
Her delivery bag, when filled, can weigh up to 25-30 kg but “that is the requirement of the job”, she said. The young woman also asserted that anybody, “be it a man or woman”, can do anything with the right support system.
Assam village bids emotional farewell to its Spaniard ‘son’
In February, Spanish tourist Manuel Arribas Rodriguez had intended to stay for only a week in Assam’s Bokotial village. But he ended up being there for over seven months due to the pandemic-induced lockdowns.
Earlier this week, the whole of Bokotial got together to bid him an emotional farewell.
The 41-year-old was on a cycling tour across Asia and had flown to Tokyo last year. He had cycled around Japan before reaching the India-Myanmar border on 27 January.
While in Assam, he became friends with Bokotial resident Biswajit Barbaruah whom he met at a college youth festival near the village. Rodriquez later ended up becoming a guest of the Barbaruahs.
“The lockdown happened as Manuel da (elder brother) was preparing to leave. We informed the local authorities, who tested his health and got in touch with the Spanish Embassy,” Barbaruah was quoted by The Hindu as saying.
During his time in the village, Rodriquez learned paddy farming and took part in community activities, while teaching children to play guitar and speak Spanish.
Rodriguez said, “I fell in love with the village. I can never forget the hospitality of the people, the kind I have never experienced anywhere else.”
Meghalaya legalises making of homemade fruit wines
The 18-year-long demand of the Meghalaya Association of Wine Makers to legalise winemaking has finally come true. The state government has approved a proposal to formulate rules under which individuals can now make homemade wines and sell it in the market.
The decision was reportedly taken with the belief that winemaking will also promote horticulture and tourism industries, generating additional revenue for the state.
While there will be no VAT on local wines, the state government has decided to levy tax at only Rs 100 per case. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has said that individuals, cooperative societies and companies will be permitted to apply for winemaking license at Rs 7,500 per annum.
Civil suit against designer Ritu Beri, TRIFED
A civil suit has been filed by the Chakhesang Women Welfare Society (CWWS) of Nagaland against designer Ritu Beri and the Tribal Co-Operative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, for infringement of GI tags of two Naga shawls.
Beri had allegedly misrepresented the Chakhesang traditional shawls of Nagaland at a fashion show during the Suraj Kund crafts mela in February.
During the show, the shawls meant for men were allegedly worn by women and vice-versa, an act which has been severely condemned by the CWWS.
Nezelu Nyekha, acting executive director of CWWS, said the show has caused “irreparable damage” and “distorted the identity of the traditional shawls which are GI registered”.
The two shawls, called ‘rira’ and ‘rura’, are “woven and designed with deep rooted meanings since time immemorial”. While ‘rira’ is a men’s shawl, ‘rura’ is worn by women.
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