Dear reader, By the time this newsletter reaches your inbox, around three lakh of our healthcare and frontline workers will have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. In the Northeast, too, thousands of them got the jab. But there were many other things in the news in the past week. Among other things, the Assam government set up a five-member committee comprising police officials “to take immediate and proactive steps to identify the intermediaries, facilitators, collaborators facilitating the infiltration of illegal migrants from across the international border into Assam”. Read more details here. Meanwhile, things are also starting to heat up in the poll-bound state. The BJP kicked off its campaign with a rally by the party president JP Nadda in Silchar where he said the “party will always protect Assam’s culture, language and existence”. However, he steered clear of the two sensitive topics of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit the state next week. News from Manipur, Nagaland & Tripura In good news from the Nagaland and Manipur border, the two-week long Dzukou valley fire – which completely destroyed the vegetation of Mount Iso – was finally brought under control. Meanwhile in Tripura, the High Court directed the Election Commission to hold elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. The council – which operates under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution – was dissolved eight months as its tenure expired. The pandemic prevented fresh elections from being organised. On a festive note The last week also saw Bihu festivities in Assam. Read how this year the traditional “bhelaghors” were designed to raise awareness about the pandemic. Also, read this heart-warming story about how a 100-year-old Christmas tradition has found resonance among Assamese Bihu revellers. Finally... We sign off with this exciting initiative by the Assam’s apex literary body, the Asom Sahitya Sabha, to memorialise the state’s first magazine on its 175th anniversary. Until next week, Tora Agarwala | 
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