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The Morung ExpressDimapur VOL. IV ISSUE 302 www.morungexpress.com

Life is just a chance to grow a soul“ -A. Powell Davies

A Daily Publication of Morung for Indigenous Affairs & JustPeace

”Monday, November 2, 2009 12 pages Rs. 3

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The Morung Express POLL QUESTION

Vote on www.morungexpress.comSMS your anSwer to 9862574165

Yes No Others

32% 56% 12%

Details on page 7

Do you support the name change of Hornbill Festival to Festival of Festivals?

Are the young people contributing to the

growth of Nagaland?

REFLECTIONSby Sandemo Ngullie

That young boy, yes he is my assistant. Very hard working boy, pity he is due for retirement any day now.

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER W1 (MExN): Compared to past sporting events held in Nagaland, this year’s North East Dr. T Ao Trophy 2009 to be held from tomorrow at the DDSC Stadium in Dimapur is ex-pected to be a big draw not only in terms of the event but also the cash pouring in. Ac-cording to sources, the state government had proposed around Rs.2 crores for the mega football event in line with the stat-ure of the tournament. The department of Sports & Youth Resources has reportedly released around Rs.80 lakhs so far, while the Ministry of DoNER has sanctioned around Rs.40 lakhs to the Nagaland gov-ernment as funds for the tournament to be held from November 2 to 12.

When contacted, Secretary of DoNER, Uttam Sangma, confirmed that an amount of Rs.40 lakhs and 66 thousand has been given to the state as funds from the NEC for the T Ao soccer event. On query about the proposed money being Rs.2 crores, the DoNER official only mentioned the stated fund allocated by DoNER.

Meanwhile, big prize money awaits the players and teams for the mega event. According to figures released by the Na-galand Football Association (NFA) of the

prize money, a total of approximately Rs.19 lakhs is up for grabs for various cat-egories of awards. According to a press note from the NFA Secretary, K Neibou Sekhose, the Champion team will get Rs.7 lakhs along with a Rolling Trophy, med-als and certificates. The Runners-up will get Rs.4 lakhs along with a Rolling Trophy, medals and certificates. Even the third and fourth placed teams can expect Rs.2 lakhs and Rs.1 lakh respectively, along with medals and certificates.

Besides these huge prizes, another Rs.50, 000 has been kept for the Fair Play Winner, while the Player of the Tourna-ment will get Rs.25, 000. The highest scor-er and best goalkeeper will also pocket Rs.10, 000 each. To add to this, the Coach and Manager of the Champion team will purse Rs.15, 000 each, while similar awards of Rs.10, 000 each have been reserved for the Coach and Manager of the Runners-up team. That is not all – all the losing teams (league stage) will get richer by Rs.50, 000 each. According to the official informa-tion, there are eight teams participating, which mean that all of them will get the said amount even if they do not win. This amounts to Rs.4 lakhs for the eight teams.

DIMAPUR, NOVEM-BER 1 (MExN): The Su-perintendent of Police (Traffic) Dimapur has is-sued some regulations to be followed during the first NE Dr. T Ao Football Tour-nament’s inaugural func-tion on November 2, 4:00 pm at DDSC Stadium.

The Superintendent in a notification stated that only the vehicle of the Chief Minister and the chief guest will be allowed inside the stadium. Park-ing arrangements for the pilot/escort vehicles of the CM and chief guest have been allotted near the ve-

hicular entrance gate.It also stated that the

parking space for VIP or Senior Officials’ vehicles have been reserved out-side the stadium, which starts from the vehicular entrance gate to Ajay pet-rol pump.

Continued on page 5

Ban on prepaid mobile phones annoys J&K public SRINAGAR, NOVEM-BER 1(PTI): The ban on prepaid mobile phones in Jammu and Kashmir has not only left people of the state annoyed, but the se-curity forces deployed in the state are distressed over getting disconnected from their families. Ban on prepaid services in border areas has left troops and labour class agitated more than anyone else. “We are far away from our homes and would at times speak to our families by way of prepaid connections. It is not possible for a jawan or a labourer to have a postpaid connection for being locat-ed at a distant place since paying bills becomes a ma-jor issue,” an army jawan Tika Ram said. Though the Centre has made provi-sions of converting prepaid connections into postpaid, but this does not make the troops sitting at the bor-ders happy, he said.

MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 1 (AGENCIES): Social activ-ist Anna Hazare and a host of other eminent people have written to the Prime Min-ister proposing the name of Kiran Bedi, India’s first woman IPS officer, for the job of chief central informa-tion commissioner (CCIC). Following this, Right to In-formation (RTI) activists led by Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal are rooting for her.

Hazare has written to Manmohan Singh as well as Sonia Gandhi saying that Bedi be appointed CCIC as she has the best credentials

to be the person who will be demanding transparency in governance on behalf of a billion Indians. “If you are appointing another person, please let us know how that person is more suitable than Kiran Bedi,’’ says the letter. Among the others who have written to the PM are actor Aamir Khan and Subhash Chandra of the Zee group. Several other dignitaries, such as Narayana Murthy of Infosys, are to send their let-ters on Monday.

“We have learnt that the government is appointing a person of its choice as CCIC in two days without the wide

consultation that is needed for it,’’ said Kejriwal. Bedi, a national tennis champ, joined the Indian Police Service in 1972 and was ac-knowledged as a tough and upright officer. She received the Magsaysay award in 1994 for her work in prison re-forms as inspector general of police in charge of Delhi’s Ti-har jail. Bedi opted for volun-tary retirement in 2007 after being bypassed for the post of Delhi police commissioner.

The process of appoint-ing central information com-missioners has been opaque and concerned citizens and RTI activists have been de-

manding a transparent and more participatory process. Generally, bureaucrats close to the powers-that-be in Del-hi are chosen. In fact, Kejriwal has been saying that the In-formation Commission is in danger of becoming a parking ground for retired bureau-crats and political loyalists. The CCIC will be chosen by a three-member panel com-prising the PM, the leader of the opposition (L K Advani) and a cabinet minister nomi-nated by the PM (Veerappa Moily). The post is on a par with the Election Commis-sioner of India and the term is five years or up to the age of 65.

Big money for Dr T Ao Trophy

Traffic rules for inaugural function

PM told to give top RTI job to Kiran Bedi

DIMAPUR, NOVEM-BER 1 (MExN): The Min-istry DoNER is taking a major initiative to put an end to recurring incidents of violence against stu-dents and youths of North-east. According to reports in the media, the Ministry DoNER has decided to set up ‘North-East Connect’ in the national capital in close coordination with the North Eastern States. Upset with the recent in-cidents of attacks on girls

hailing from the region, the Ministry DoNER has for the first time decided to step in to provide relief to the beleaguered students of the region studying in the national capital, re-ports stated.

The students, par-ticularly girls studying in various institutions in the national capital, would henceforth have to register themselves with the concerned Resident Commissioners (RCs) of

their State. The RCs would share the input with the Cell proposed to be set up in the Ministry, which would have the necessary database of all students and youths in the capital.

According to the Min-ister DoNER, Bijoy Krish-na Handique, the idea is to set up a helpline though it would not be called as such, but christened ‘North-East Connect’ would aid the students and youth in distress.

DoNER to set up cell to help NE women

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, left, and Yuvraj Singh get off a plane at the airport in Chandigarh, near Mohali on Sunday. The fourth one day international cricket match between India and Australia is scheduled for tomorrow. (AP Photo)

Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, center, hugs Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit after the New Delhi Half Mar-athon in New Delhi on No-vember 1. Deriba Merga of Ethiopia retained the men’s title of the New Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday and Kenya’s Mary Keitany won the women’s title in a race joined by thousands of In-dian participants. (AP Photo)

Imkong Walling Dimapur | November 1

A LEGEND in his lifetime, even bigger in death, Dr T Ao is a name any Naga would proudly utter. Sadly not alive today his name will be known for ages to come.

Eleven years after his death and more than half a century after his retirement from professional football, the state gov-ernment with support from the DoNER Ministry has finally given recognition to the first Naga Olympian. It is in the form of holding a north east level (including Sik-kim) football tournament in the state for the first time christened the 1st North East Dr T Ao Football Tournament in his hon-our in Dimapur. It will be an annual fixture in the All India Football Association’s cal-endar of events.

“Better late than never” replied his second eldest child Akok Tally when que-ried how he felt about the government taking more than 50 years to recognise the achievement of his father. “Don’t re-ally blame the government, it has come full circle”, he said on the eve of the open-ing ceremony of the tournament named after his late father. He felt that the pres-ent government led by the Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio has done something special for Dr T Ao.

Son of Rev Subongwati, Dr T Ao was born Talimeren Ao in the year 1918 in Changki village, Mokokchung district. After doing his schooling in Impur he got his medical degree from R G Kar Medi-cal College (formerly Carmichael Medi-cal College), Kolkata in 1950. He was 32 at that time. In fact he is the first medical graduate among the Nagas. He could have graduated a year earlier but he lost a year

as he had to represent the country at the Olympics in 1948, said one of his children.

An avid footballer he played profes-sionally, at the same time pursuing his studies. Before his stint with Mohun Ba-gun he had played for Maharana Football Club, Assam. He ended his soccer career with Mohun Bagun. Playing barefoot in the early part of his career he earned the now legendary nickname “The Barefoot-ed Genius”. The crowning moment of his soccer career came in the year 1948 when he captained the Indian football team to the London Olympics. The team lost out in the first round but the participation was no mean achievement for a country newly freed from colonial rule. He retired from professional football in 1952 both as a Mo-hun Bagan and India player. He posthu-mously received the “Mohun Bagan Rat-na” in 2002 from his old club.

His medical degree coming in handy, the same year he earned a job as an assis-tant registrar at Dibrugarh Medical Col-lege, Assam. In1954, he got posted in the state (then known as the Naga Hills) at the civil hospital Kohima. In the personal front he got married to Deikim Doungel in the year 1956. They were blessed with four children, two girls and two boys.

He retired as Director of the state health service in the year 1978. The state government recognising his sporting background posted him as an ‘Officer on Special Duty’ in the department of Sports & Youth Resources from 1978-83.

“I am very proud to be Dr T Ao’s son” said Akok Tally adding “no greater hon-our than it”. He was of the opinion that it would be fantastic if the event goes nation-al in the coming years.

Continued on page 5

Proud son recalls the legend of Dr T Ao