Saturday, January 30, 2021

KAUN GAZETTED OFFICERS Ah-SAY?

Let’s first define, who is a gazetted officer?

A gazetted officer is someone who works as a public servant (not slave) in a higher rank but every government employee is not a gazetted officer. It derives it service and recruitment conditions from the Gazette of India as mentioned in the Article 390 of the Indian Constitution, 1950. These gazetted officers have stamp in their name, which is used to authorize the documents. Remember before the self-attestation of documents came into the scene, we ran from pillar to post for attestation from a gazetted officer? A gazetted officer ceases to be one after retirement, their name and appointment is no more reflected in the Gazette of India document.

The government has categorized its employees into four classes, Class I, Class II, Class III and Class IV and under it only Class I and Class II officers are deemed as gazetted officers.

Let’s see which officer comes under which class.

Class I (GAZETTED)

Central and State Government employees with A service rules- IAS/IPS/IES/SDPO/ASP/ACP/IGP/DIG/ IFS/DIB/SSP etc, officers of Armed forces, officers of State Cadres of Assistant Commissioner and above, Magistrates and above in judicial services, District Medical Officer, Doctors (Government: Central and state services). In Central and State Universities- Vice-Chancellors, Assistant Registrars, Principals, and Faculty Members, Scientists of Government-funded Research Organization, Engineers (Government, State, and Central Services), Drug Controllers (Government: State and Central Services), Patent Examiner, etc.

CLASS II (GAZETTED)

Junior doctors in government hospitals, circle inspector, section officers, tahsildars, drug inspectors, headmaster in government high school, assistant executive engineers, block development officer, superintendent of excise and customs, officers in state civil services, JCOs in armed forces, income tax and revenue officers, chief pharmacists etc.

CLASS II (NON-GAZETTED)

Junior Engineers in different departments, income tax officers, custom/excise officers, senior pharmacists in the health department of governments. assistant section officers in various ministries, etc.

CLASS III (NON-GAZETTED)

These are non-gazette officers who are employed with the government but in non-supervisory roles example includes, nurses, stenographer, telephone operators, head clerks, head police constables, etc.

CLASS IV

They are amongst the lowest pay scale and are generally manual workers who are semi-skilled or skilled in that respect like, peons, trackmen, sweepers, and multi-tasking staff attached to governmental activities, etc.

 *This article might have missed out names of many or certain posts which should be placed in one of the four categories, please check the Gazetted officer list or post your questions on Quora to address your queries. Thank you!

 

 

Monday, January 18, 2021

16 THINGS HORROR FLICKS HAVE TAUGHT ME: The Clichés

 Here ‘GED’ stands for Ghosts, Evils and Demons

  1. The favourite room of GED is bedroom. The favourite colour of the bedsheet is white.
  2. Bathroom mirror is their favourite mirror anywhere in the world.
  3. GED’s favourite hair colour is black and most desired hair style is straight long hair. No one really wants bald girls.
  4. Whatever it is, don’t ever wake up if it is 3 0’clock AM.
  5. You will survive the whips of GED if you are the funny one in your group.
  6. It is always good to have a car with a super strong window glass.
  7. GED might attack you when you are bathing but never when you are farting.
  8. GED might come out from television, laptop or mobile phones but never from gadgets having Apple’s logo, why? Because, Apple does not sponsor stupid movies.
  9. It is always good to carry things which have religious significance. The bigger the better.
  10. The network of your phone might just go off. Hence, carry Jio, Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone&Idea SIM card. In short, it's good to be the consumer of all the available telecom service providers, if you are going to a strange new place.
  11. At the end of the day, the theory of existence of GED wins over scientific reasoning. The skeptic stares with his/her eyes wide open as the lady in the white gown does moonwalk on the wall with her head turned 360 degrees.
  12. Animal(s) or bird(s) is/are the first one(s) to be killed. Either falling from the roof or dying without a reason. Poor creatures!
  13. GED does not mind possessing someone even if that someone is making love. Privacy please!
  14. Nothing explains the cause-effect relation phenomena better than horror movies. Every horror movie has a past story. 
  15. Horror movies are the perfect reason why BGM is important (The importance of Background Music in creating chills).
  16. Lastly, it taught me the golden rule - Whatever it is, don’t ever look back. Run to save your life, doesn’t matter whether you are in sneakers, high heels or bare foot, just run!!!

Thursday, January 14, 2021

NOT ON FACEBOOK ANYMORE: my top statuses from 2013-2017

 PART TWO


In the year 2015, 2016 & 2017 these were my top Facebook statuses


2015

LOVE IS NOT LOVE WHICH ALTERS WHEN IT ALTERATION FINDS!

Mister, I am in love with you. I am aware of the refugee crisis, I know the price of onion has jumped up in India, I know that US presidential election is next year; I know that a friend of mine is planning to settle down. There are many atheists is the world and secularism gives us the liberty to enjoy all the holidays a religion can bring. I know that people invest money to lose weight and pregnancy pills are not that effective. There is global warming, pollution and ailments. I know there are rampant extra marital affairs and monogamy is expensive than divorce. I know these and many more… So what was I saying? Oh, yeah, I am in love with you.

 

When two upcoming writers part-ways aka breakup this is what one party has to say-

“He thinks he is a writer, that too a writer of 1920s era. His whole persona is ‘writer’. But his writing — I mean, I’m no great writer myself, but it is f*** terrible. I can tolerate the most boring, cliché, and regular love-y dove-y shit but I puke half a kilo of world’s rotten tomatoes whenever I read his wrinkle in the underwear kind of writing, camouflaged, baked, wrapped and sealed under the brand of ‘political-satire’. And every time he writes a new blog post, he puts it on his Facebook. And what make it worse is he gets like 5-10 likes from all his friends and alleged girlfriends on it, like they were all on a free distribution queue! He thinks he is too intelligent, a certified bookworm but let me tell you, he is the dumbest braggist, he thinks Nicaragua is in Africa, lol, it is in Central America. And someone please go and tell him that UN does not have a capital, but Headquarter.”

P.S. I have never dated a writer so it does not concern anyone; it is just a figment of my imagination. But I already feel sorry for the man who will date and break up with me.

 

In an attempt to kick the wall, and not being falsely accused of ‘gender-biasness’, I bring the male version of ‘When two upcoming writers part-ways aka breakup this is what one party has to say’ Part 2

“She thinks she is a writer, that too a ‘feminist’ writer. But she does not know A about feminism- she said ‘Second Sex’ is an award winning record by Enrique Iglesias, what crap! If I comment on her weight she accuses me for making sexist remarks, and if she mocks at my short height, which she does six days a week, then it is healthy criticism. She bitches about all the women, especially those who are beautiful, and every second woman is more beautiful than her, so she is like a 24 x7 channel which telecasts beauty pageant and bitching together. Instead of respecting the decision of ‘unmarried woman’, she calls them ‘f*** retard’. For her smart women are big time show-offs. She once said that billionaires are the greatest gift to women. She has so much of hots for European man specifically from eastern part that any man with tonsil problem can call her up, talk, and she will faint at that accent which she cannot even understand. And someone please go and tell her that I thank her for the nights when she made me sleep in the lawn, it was like revisiting my Boy Scout days.’


2016

She made him fall in love all over again

He promised himself never to fall in love again, but she was like the finger inside the butt of an old man having a hard time shitting. And we all know how it feels, we all have been there, the tip is the most painful, but once we gently pull out the finger, the shit comes out like a hurricane, then we are at ease and our stomach is all set for another meal. He was stubborn, but she was the cure to his stubbornness. 

 

AS THE CLOCK STRUCK

3.00 am- On my mind, too early to greet you, ‘Good morning!’

6.00 am- On my mind, not a good time to ask, ‘Are you still on the bed?’

9.00 am- On my mind, have you put on your seatbelt?

12 pm- On my mind, is your lunch nutritious?

15.00 pm- On my mind, don’t you feel like taking a siesta?

18.00 pm- On my mind, I am home, are you stuck in the traffic?

21.00 pm- On my mind, the dinner was great, how was yours?

00.00 am- On my mind, I have just finished reading a nice book. Are you still working? Is your coffee still warm? Why don’t you take rest?

00.05 am- On my mind, good night!

*I am too shy to say it loud, but I do care.

 2017

Pointicles to Myself on My Birthday!

      You are getting old, but how does it matter. A gold is a gold irrespective of age.

     You are not the most beautiful woman in this world, you are number second, so stay humble.

     Let your hunger and thirst for knowledge never run out. Even if you win Noble Prize under one of the three categories- Literature, Economics and Peace, remember you have so much to learn. Yeah, Noble Prize is highly political anyway, nothing to do with your brains.

     Be kind to everyone, even your enemies. Enemies because they will inspire you in sketching the characters of the antagonists in your novels.

    When friends get married, don’t be worried. They have found their soul mate for themselves, you haven’t, and that’s enough of a good reason for them to be married.

    Don’t burst your head thinking about employment, remember, you have a backup plan ready? The plan is- to be the keynote speaker in seminars/ conferences/ workshops under the theme, ‘How to Love and Reloved: Recycling Love in 21st Century AD.’ Gosh! You’ll have a PhD, people will take you seriously.

     Your family is your greatest support system; don’t ever bring mighty undetectable virus to crash it down.

     Bloodline does not always define who your family is, hence, treat your friends with love and loyalty, but trust only few, remember Brutus and Caesar.

     You are not a bad person, and that’s exactly the reason why SBI has been wishing you on your birthday for the last five years.

     Always be thankful for what you have. There are people in this world who does not have water to drink, food to eat, roof to sleep under or is breathing their last breath.

     Pray and stay happy!


UNTITLED

1. Why I don’t believe in the bullshit called couple’s sun sign compatibility?

I am a Gemini woman, Libra men are supposed to be the best match for me. Once, this Libra man made a super sexist remark, he had to run in his boxer shorts because I chased him half the Lodi road with broken bottle in my hand.

 

2. Some women take their husband’s surname (Demi Moore).

Some women keep two surnames (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).

Some women goes on using her surname even after marriage (Ellen DeGeneres).

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

NOT ON FACEBOOK ANYMORE: my top statuses from 2013-2017

PART ONE

In the year 2013 &2014, these were my top Facebook statuses


To the Lucky Ones: Valentine’s Day Special

As the festive season does the swing, write a little note of endearment; show it to the one you love then see the reaction. If critical-know where you are heading. If indifferent- know whom you have chosen. If over sentimental-know whom you have to handle. If brutally honest-know whom you have to bear. If you get a compliment- know how to take it, with kisses and hugs. But, if the words in the note turns into a song, then remember in some corner of the world a woman is damn envious of you, and that woman is me.

P.S: You don’t need a Rock Star to make you feel lucky.

 

When that spark is not for you

You know how my Dad got my Mom? By impressing her with his witty cuts and sharp humour- a talent I have so loyally inherited. But, these days, men are more into cutting wrists (worse case is slitting throats) with sharp tools. Is it really necessary to be with the person we love, to have and to hold? I have my own share of unrequited love, I feel sad, but guess what? When I see him with the person he loves the most and with whom he knows he will be forever happy, I feel happy too. And, in that moment of realisation I give him away with pure sisterly love. Obviously, if he cannot be my saiyan then at least he can be my bhaiya.

 

4 DATING RULES OF MINE

      Never go out with someone chosen by my mother, she does not know anything about sex appeal. My father has a good choice though.

      Never go out with someone chosen by my female friends. If that man was 'out of the world good' then they should have kept him for themselves. No doubt they are good and generous but obviously they are not Mother Teresa.

      Never go out with someone chosen by my male friends. Apart from some light bromance, they tend to be easy on their friend. I mean, if I say, “He stinks!” Then the reply will be, “But he is a good man.”

       Never go out with someone suggested by my relatives. I was so mean to them; they might just take revenge on me by choosing the wrong guy for me.

 

P.S: Point no 2, 3, 4 can be taken in good humour but I am serious about Point No.1

 

Untitled

  • For a decade, I was trained how to sit while wearing a skirt, although none of it were freaking short. However, with the introduction of boxer shorts, guys too need a lesson in the ‘art of sitting’.  Some weeks ago @ 10 am, with a hairdo like a morning monster, I went to dhaba for breakfast. A lad of no more than 25 years was having his tea; totally unaware that the caricature of angry bird was being exhibited by his parted legs. The only thing I wanted that hour was my grandpa’s slingshot.

  •    I like the thing called X-factor. It makes me look at the person who is wearing a simple white T-shirt than the one who is using Apple gadgets. 

 

 2014

 

ARAY YAAR, HEIGHTS!

What’s wrong with my fantastically romantically caring friends? If I go to Chandigarh they are like, “Met any hunks?” if I go to Dehra Dun, “Met any hunks?” and when I am in Kolkata still the same question, “Met any hunks?”

Friends, my research is not on “Debating which Capital City of India has the highest population of hunks.” Phew!

 

MARRIAGE PROPOSAL OF THE YEAR

A guy whose profile picture is of Dev Anand, I won’t be mentioning his name for propriety sake, inbox me these lines,

Miss Longkumer, I am a great fan of yours. I love your writing so much that I want to marry you. After marriage you don’t have to do any conventional role of a wife. I will cook, cleaning and washing too is my duty. You just have to write and write, as I know writing is your passion. I hope you will consider my proposal.

I replied, ‘Hi handsome, I don’t mind marrying you. Since your name and profile picture does not suggest that you are a Jewish Banker so straight away let’s talk about your salary and the size of your house. If your house is far from the noise of the city, full of greens and blues and if you earn more than 5 lakhs per month after reduction of taxes, then, yes I will be willing to wear the diamond ring which I believe will be the size of Taj Mahal.’

Two months has gone but I have not got any reply from him. Guess he is planning to rob a bank.

 

JUST A PAVILION

In absolute modesty and honesty, all I wanted was a man who brings a cup of coffee while I am typing and who surprises me with his tender glance every time I wake up, of course with book in his hand<books like Development as Freedom, A Short History of Time and my very own Magic Quill etc, not pornographic magazine, okay>. But listen to this, in my whole years of cordial existence the only person who brought coffee for me was my family’s aged helper< every time I requested for coffee he reacted as if I have ordered him to build a pyramid. Anyway, the mug smelt of onion, effect of cheap dishwashing liquid>. And the only person who looked at me with glance, warning glance, was my mother, shouting, “Wake up! A lazy woman is a ticket to nowhere.”

 

*Guys, after reading this if you gift me a coffee-maker then you did not understand the status at all, nonetheless you are a genius*

 

      MENTAL ATTITUDE

Case 1: 434, 123, 535, 103, 832, 993

What do they have in common?

They all have 3 in them.

Now,

Case 2: 234, 567, 999, 089, 765, 494

What do they have in common?

None of them have 1 in it.

Case 1 was easier than Case 2, which means it is easier to pick the presence then the absence, and if I have to interpret then I could love to interpret this way, absence makes the heart go fonder but in the process do not vanish yourself that your absence is not acknowledged at all.

 

THEORY OF CROSS-CONNECTION: Cosmic distortion

Remember the landline times? It was partly fun- partly annoying to get cross-connections hai na.  Sometimes it happens in life too, you want to convey a message to someone and it get delivered to the least deserving recipient, the target is somewhere but the arrow hits somewhere else. Boys, in school days how did you feel when you aimed and threw a chana at a girl but due to cosmic distortion it poked the girl next to her who with her thick unbranded out of fashion reading glasses smiled at you with braces cheering your bravery? I grew up too and as single non-dating researcher, I got a tiny crush on someone but that someone has a friend aka his bodyguard who thinks I have hots for him. For my crush I usually give away my smile but my smiles are heavily returned by the wrong number. If Shakespeare was alive then with all his Elizabethan formula could have loved this cosmic distortion. Anyway, before hanging up the cross-connection, we say, ‘Sorry, wrong number,’ so in my case I better say, ‘Oye, side hero, you are cool but I like your friend’s andaz more.’

 

Untitled


1. Shrill!

Blood of the victims,

Sweat of the poor,

Tears of the neglected,

Pee of the miserable haves,

Does anyone even care that this world has a pathetic drainage system, so something has to be done for the excessive metaphorical liquid pouring out from the paradoxical jars?

 

2.Though you are far,

But, the more I breathe,

The more I find you near me

The more I find you near me,

The more I become pregnant with inspiration.

 

 

 

 

Monday, January 11, 2021

Between the Poet and Her Pencil: Bondina Elangbam


 SPECIAL FEATURE

(As appeared in The Morung Express on 5th December, 2016)


Born in the beautiful valley of Imphal, Bondina Elangbam has inherited both the Meitei and Mao-Naga cultures of her parents and this cross-cultural bonding and conflicts at times is also reflected in her poems. Between the Poet and Her Pencil is her first collection of poems, the foreword of which has been written by Kangana Ranaut, the award winning Bollywood actress and will be launching it this year end. Painting is her passion, she loves writing short stories and poems too. Her poem, My Fear has also won the Winner’s title in the Varsity Week of NEHU, Shillong in the year 2010. She received her Doctorate degree in English literature from North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong.

 

What is the central theme of your book and how long did it take for you to complete it?

It’s about life as a whole and the elements involved in it. It took few years for me to compile this poetry collection.

When it comes to writing poetry, do you feel there were add advantages of being an English literature student?

It has helped me in certain ways but it isn’t an advantage because poetry is about one’s creativity and anyone can be a poet without having to go through certain studies.

Quite recently in one of the interviews, you stated that you are not a feminist, which made an uproar among the readers. Were your words misinterpreted or there is a reason behind your choice of not being a feminist?

I would say, the term feminist has been put out of context so many times and that’s the reason why I wanted to stay away from the tag since I am a female writer. But I strongly believe in equality of women in all sectors, I am definitely a feminist in its essence but I believe more in equality without having to be tagged by a “term”.

Which identity of yours has defined you the most as a poet and to your poetry?

An unconventional woman inclined towards the artistic facets of life defines me as a poet and my poetry.

Apart from being a poet, you are an excellent painter, how do you connect this two fields?

Thank you for the compliment. See, my poems are about life and the various occurrence one experiences in life. My painting again is about the varied elements in life, the different emotions and various other aspects of life. Life in its essence connects the two and in one or the other way it is intertwined.

What are the future projects you are considering to engage on?

I’m currently working on a collection of short stories, hopefully with collaboration. In this book, I would like my readers to get a glimpse of the rich culture and the love and friendship that exists between the diverse communities of the region that I belong to.


Special Feature: A Note of Gratitude



I started off with the blogging in the year 2011. It started with a phase in my life when I was low and filled with so much of unspoken hatred towards a particular being. I would not possibly murder anyone so I channelized my anger in producing posts which were worth reading. Initially, I made so much of typo errors as I did not give much time for editing, making the Grammar Nazis to degrade my writings. Now, I think I have improved a lot, these days, we have software so this is not an issue, I believe. However, lack of ideas is something which cannot be fixed by any software and God has installed a good programme of ideas in me, it’s inbuilt, that’s how my blog is still surviving.

Starting 2015 onwards I tried applying for AdSense, which means Google will post advertisements on my blog and through it I will generate some revenue. But, my application was rejected. It took me five years and half to get the congratulatory note from Google. This January, yes, 2021 is the year for me, my blog was declared eligible. You can see on the right side of the screen, what all ads are being highlighted. You know what? It would have not been possible if there were no readers, and when I say, readers, I mean dedicated readers, who not only read my posts although some of it were/are pure bore, but also shared the link of those posts. I want to thank those readers; they are my family members, friends, students, special ones or simply stranger readers. I might not be able to thank you personally but there is something called karma, the reason why our universe was formed, it will work on you too.

In the year 2018, I didn’t write anything on my blog, you can check the bar, it is empty. I thought of even deleting my blog such was the depressive stage. However, there were people who kept on appreciating my writing skills and complimented me for my old posts, even if they were not aware of my state of mind. They were angels in disguise, their words kept me strong.

Finally, I don’t know what future holds for me but one thing for sure, jab tak hai jaan, I will write and will even rewrite the stars…

Lastly, below is a poem…samajdar ko ishara kafi hai…wink!

 

Although you were hours late

-and the night was cold,

Thanks for the Kafka dreams,

-coffee, cake, the gifts.

Although I never painted your dreams

-and I was never a good liar,

Thanks for the gratitude, admiration

-happiness, memories.

Although you don’t have a castle to save

-and I am no damsel in distress,

Thanks for the royal chivalry

-befitting a King in Knight’s armour. 

Although we never had what it takes to be one

-and to have a love story,

Thanks for the hope and more hopes

-hope to see you again.

                                                                          Although We Never Had

 

                                                                                               

Thursday, January 7, 2021

THE SMELL OF DEAD ORCHIDS

 First Post of 2021...

The sad truth is not the ones that harm us, it is those which reveals the real us. Hope wasted like a fine wine, drinking with the oil and the lust of candle. We yell and smile at the hook and the fish; little do we know we need fire to cook. What if there is a designed destiny, what if there is an umbrella to every rain that falls off season. We walk the road, we look at our shoes, we cry or we feel happy either for the road or for the shoes, never for the two at once. We are but little being appreciating the beauty of the universe but the universe does not give a rat care of what we feel. The oak tree does not have a smell to claim its worth, the rose has a smell but when it is often plucked we find a refuge at the altar of the Zion, not the zoo of course.

 

We have but a sense of ownership and are protective of what is ours. We have immense love stored in us but we are busy to know what we have. In the shores of the unwanted people, we try to establish our worth. Come today, go tomorrow, listen to no one, listen not to your heart. The screams from the street cracks the glass of our windows. Pay now, pay forever, fix now and they will ask you how you fixed the work at display, ring a bell, and toast a drink. We have so much of what is redundant; we care more about it than the ones created through our sweat and ideas.

 

In despotic times, we will find ourselves killing each other or might just end up killing ourselves. Clown down; clap sounds and the butterfly’s rage. The clock says, it’s ten o’ clock. What’s that? Country guns hidden under pillows of hope, breakfast so cold. What we have is nothing, what we want is everything. Never, never, will there be a sun; the moon will be darker yet brighter. Village doors are closed and the winter winds blow. Ravens are white, black is but our hearts. The stain, yes the stain…let me cry, sob, sob. Amen!

 

 

The Splendor and the Struggle: Nagaland's Hornbill Festival

Hornbill festival is one of the largest cultural festivals in the world. This year marks the 25th year anniversary. Our state, Nagaland, is ...