Tuliram Ronghang: The Man on the Move

By Dr. Nathan Gitonga & Sarkiri Singnar

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
-John Quincy Adams

 

When I first heard about Honorable Tuliram Ronghang, I passed him off as any of those leaders who come to the masses looking for quick publicity and power to surround themselves with undeserved impudence and vanity. That was even before he became a member of the Autonomous Council (MAC) of KarbiAnglong in 2012. By then I was a college student in Pune, full of energy and thinking the world was mine. I was always hoping for more, waiting for more, longing for more and expecting more from our leaders. Karbi Anglong was my world—I wanted only the best for my mother land. 

When the news broke that Mr. Ronghang was elected to the MAC, I somehow felt that the youthful leader had something to offer, but for how long would he survive the harsh world of politics? Only time would tell. But Mr. Ronghang was not a dead weight to the Karbi Anglong political fabric; he soon went to work, connecting with the youths in a manner that only a few Congress leaders could do at that time and making sure that development moved from paper to the people. 

During his tenure as MAC, Mr. Ronghang was in charge of the Education Department. He did not only improve the standard of education in Karbi Anglong but ensured that those of us who studied outside the Autonomous Council area got the much needed bursaries to further our education. His brief stint at the education department ended on October 16, 2013 and on the very next day he took over as the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). 

The star was shining bright for this rising young leader. His leadership qualities made him likable across the political spectrum and among people of all walks of life in KarbiAnglong. When he decided to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the foundation day of June 23, 2016, many thought he was digging his own political grave, joining a party that was not yet popular in the area. But he would soon prove his critics wrong when he was elected from his Bithung Rengthem MAC constituency with a landslide victory and in the process setting a record of the highest winning margin in the 2017 KAAC General Election.

With that victory, Hon. Ronghang started his second term as CEM of KAAC on July 7, 2017. His style of leadership had taken a different angle—one that brought more inclusivity. It was not a surprise when he christened his team of leaders working with him as ‘Team Karbi Anglong’. When asked why he came up with that tag, Hon. Ronghang said that he believed that a good leader is the one that inspires the people he works with to be better. He said he was only a captain of the team but each member of his team had an important role to play. A team aims at winning and he was confident that this team would win the development agenda for the people of Karbi Anglong. 

During the celebrations to mark three years of his second term as CEM and three years of ‘Team Karbi Anglong’ on July 7, 2020, I took time to listen to speeches made by various leaders and citizens in praise of Hon. Ronghang. The speeches were not just mere praises of the man but his record as a leader. I came to learn that he was the first elected leader to visit remote and marginalized areas of KAAC like Inglong Kejoi, Uphilangso among others. He has started projects for rural electrification and improvement or road networks to those areas and many other areas of Karbi Anglong. 

Under his leadership, we have seen amazing cultural monuments and historic gates come up in Karbi Anglong. It was during his tenure that the Sports Complex and mini sports stadium was complete. The stadium will serve twenty-six MAC Constituencies in Karbi Anglong.  Drinking water facilities can now be enjoyed by millions and youth empowerment projects are coming up each day. 

My personal reflections of this great leader can’t be summarized in a single article. But without doubts my views of this great man have greatly changed. From my student days when I thought he was just a passing wind to the great political giant he has become today, I am full of admiration for the great things he is doing. He is not just a political leader but a great human being. He continually donates his personal money to many needy people seeking medical treatment and other deserving needs. 

He is a man without discrimination of thoughts and ideals, who cuts across all religions with equality. He is the first politician in KAAC to start a Covid 19 relief kitty that started sending money to people from Karbi Anglong who are outside Assam and who are going through hardships and can’t return home. Such a noble idea can only come from a real leader and not just a politician. 

What more? Even as he advances in years, our honorable CEM is still a fitness freak who still spots a curvy six pack. 

He is the working president of the prestigious Assam Badminton Association (ABA), an ardent badminton player and an excellent business man. 

While Hon. Ronghang is no saint, he has proved to the people of Karbi Anglong that what Hon. Sharad Pawar is to the people of Maharashtra, he is to the people of Karbi Anglong. His life and actions have inspired me to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, and going by the words of John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States of America, Hon. Tuliram Ronghang is a real epitome of leadership. 

With inputs from Dr. Nathan Gitonga, an International Foreign Affairs and Travel writer based in Kenya. 

 

#tuliramronghang #cem #karbianglong #politician #dynamicleader #assam #diphu #guwahati #karbi

My wife hates Sukuma and Ugali!

Photo by Evan-Amos

Let me take a moment to introduce my dear wife, Mrs. Gitonga. She is a lovely girl I met in India and convinced her to come with me to Kenya. We Met around eleven years ago, while I was starting my Doctoral of Philosophy studies. It was love at first sight...or let me say, attraction at first sight. It didn’t take long before we became inseparable friends and as they say, the rest is history. But for the curious ones, yeah, we got married a few months ago, after over ten years of dating and growing our friendship from casual to best! She is my wife, my lover and my best friend.

But the story does not end there. Mrs. Gitonga has been ‘my partner in crime’ for all the years I have known her. She has been my travel companion in many of my trips I made in Asia. She would often tell her parents that ‘she would stay with her friends for few days to get help with her studies’. We both became ardent food critics and lovers. We tried everything from Chinese to South Indian; from Goan to Punjabi dishes; from oriental to western; from Indian to African! 

Mrs. Gitonga and I are what my physics teacher at Chuka High School called ‘like and unlike terms’. In almost everything we are very different. In India, we were called ‘the black and white photo’! Well, that’s just the beginning. Mrs. Gitonga is Indian and am Kenyan. She is a pure vegetarian and am not. She is short and I am tall…she hates Sukuma and Ugali and I am in love with that delicacy! 

Photo by Paresh Jai from Nairobi, Kenya

In our culinary journeys, Mrs. Gitonga and I had little for notes comparison. I found it a massive travesty of justice going to a nice restaurant in Pune like Incognito where we often shared our evening sweet nothings and ordering dal and rice which I could easily make at my place. So, we would order different food items. My favorite here was their beef steak, the famous Filet Mignon, which was half a pound of prime beef tenderloin, grilled to well done and served with red wine reduction and béarnaise sauce. She often went for Thai Curries served with steamed rice. 

Incongnito's Filet Mignon

Photos by Mrs. Gitonga

When we got married, I thought I will make an ultimate sacrifice of not cooking meats at our house and instead stick to vegetables. (I can eat meat while out for work!). The first few days after we came to Kenya, I tried, tenderly and lovingly, to introduce her to our Kenyan staple food, Sukuma wiki and Ugali. To my disappointment, Mrs. Gitonga was repulsive to such an amazing dish from the word go. She described Ugali as bland and Sukuma as tasteless even when flooded with an overkill of masalas! 

I wanted to know why she could not embrace Sukuma which was a very nutritious vegetable yet she was vegetarian. During my research, I found out that she was not alone. Many foreigners especially Westerners and Asians find Ugali bland and Sukuma tasteless unless if it’s well prepared. 

Nevertheless, I am still all praises for this amazing green leafy plant. In East Africa, we call it Sukuma Wiki, which translates to ‘push the week.’ It is a cheap alternative for eating with Ugali and so even the poor can easily afford it, hence the term, push the week, to elucidate its ability to help you manage with little income maybe till the day you can afford meat! Sukuma in English is colewart, or often referred to as collard greens. Many people mistake it to Kales. 

Sukuma has been eaten for more than 2000 years according to Wikipedia. Evidence has shown that ancient Greeks planted Sukuma and Kale for food.  In East Africa, Sukuma is eaten by both the rich and the poor. I once ate Sukuma at Maasai Mara Sopa Lodges when I stayed there for few days. It was one of the best Sukuma I have tasted. To impress upon my wife that Sukuma is a nice thing especially with Ugali, I took her to KFC in Nairobi and showed her that Sukuma and Ugali is actually served there! But alas, she was not impressed…

In Kenya, Ugali is a dish revered with religious proportions. Ugali is made from maize flour boiled with water to make a very thick porridge-like mixture. It is often served with Sukuma or other vegetables or can be eaten together with meet preparations. My good friend and the proprietor of Eagles Furnished Apartments told me that in Kisii where he comes from, Ugali is like a religion and a meal without Ugali is not counted as a meal. By the way, he is also married to an Indian but she is now an expert  in making Ugali and Managu! (but she too is not a fun of Ugali and Sukuma)!

Closing note

Before I published this blog (my wife didn’t know I was writing it), I asked my wife why she hates Sukuma and Ugali. She was quick to correct me, “Darling, I don’t hate Sukuma and Ugali, I am just not a fan, just like you don’t like pumpkins or brinjals.” 

I slyly smiled to myself. I knew I was making a progress in converting her to a real Kenyan wife, in love with her husband plus Sukuma and Ugali! The next day she prepared a nice dish of Sukuma and Ugali but she tweaked it a little to make it ‘more palatable’! My wife is an amazing cook and needless to say that her version of Sukuma and Ugali was the best I have tasted so far. Here is the recipe she shared with me. 

Mrs. Gitonga’s Sukuma Recipe

1 bunch of Sukuma, finely shredded (depending on the size of bunch)

3 tablespoons oil

1 chopped onions

1, chopped tomato

5 peeled garlic cloves

1 tea spoon turmeric powder

1 tea spoon coriander powder

1 tea spoon red chilli powder 

2 cubes of Maggi or Royco cubes (Vegetable flavour)

salt 

DIRECTIONS

·         Heat the oil in low frame for 30 seconds in a sufuria or any cooking pot you prefer  

·         Add the garlic and fry till brownish. 

·         Add onion and sauté until translucent. 

·         Add all the spices, salt and the cubes. Fry as you stir for a minute 

·         Add tomatoes and stir for a minute

·         Add Sukuma and stir the mixture. 

·         Reduce heat to low and simmer for around 20 minutes or until done. 

For Ugali, she added a rich serving of Blueband to enhance the taste and it worked like magic! 

In conclusion, I believe that since am a man of God, I will keep praying for my beautiful wife to fall in love with Sukuma and Ugali so that she can make it for us without me having to suggest. (lol!)