Editor,
The density of small vehicles is growing every quarter and hence our state highways connecting various places including tourists points should be made safe and secure so that unforeseen accidents and deaths to innocent people do not occur. The road on National Highway 40 that connects all the way down to Dawki and onwards across our national border should be given top priority especially between Laitlyngkot area up to Pynursla. The ravines and points of stoppage that draw tourists are fraught with danger on this entire route. The SDO, PWD at Pynursla and Shillong should pay attention to this issue. As they say prevention is better than cure, hence unforeseen incidents should be best avoided. Perhaps Mr Tynsong the MLA from the area is aware of this lacunae.
Yours etc..
Dominic S. Wankhar,
Via email
Religion and egoism
Editor,
It is indeed very childish to debate and fight over the supremacy of one religion over another. A friend of mine once jokingly told our Swiss friend who was about to return home, “Look at the sun of Kolkata; this is not the sun of Zurich!” Our Swiss friend enjoyed the joke. But in religion, such comparisons are not to be taken lightly! Unfortunately, this is the very issue which forces us to have our brothers’ blood on our hands. As a matter of fact, this is the inherent problem of every religion. The reason has been beautifully explained by the Mother (spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo). She said, “The first and principal article of these established and formal religions runs always, ‘Mine is the supreme, the only truth, all others are in falsehood or inferior.’ For without this fundamental dogma, established credal religions could not have existed. If you do not believe and proclaim that you alone possess the one or the highest truth, you will not be able to impress people and make them flock to you.”
On religion, Sri Ramkrishna used to say, “Many opinions, many paths.” This means that every religion has the same goal even though their paths are different. Indeed, every religion ~ in one way or the other ~ has contributed to our progress. Sri Aurobindo said, “Each religion has helped mankind. Paganism increased in man the light of beauty, the largeness and height of his life, his aim at a many sided perfection; Christianity gave him some vision of divine love and charity; Buddhism has shown him a noble way to be wiser, gentler, purer, Judaism and Islam how to be religiously faithful in action and zealously devoted to God; Hinduism has opened to him the largest and profoundest spiritual possibilities. The world would have been a better place if all these God – visions could embed themselves in each other; but intellectual dogma and cult egoism stand in the way.”
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Dress, culture and peer pressure
Editor,
Dress and dressing is an important socio-cultural practice cutting across the boundaries of nations in all the human inhabited continents. However, dresses are not just restricted to regional cultures and ethnicity in this millennium; but also to official requirements and big multinational corporate culture, fashion statement, different styles, global, local and regional brand names, weather and season based need, economy and personal choice. Hence, a specific dress appropriate for one culture, country or society may or may not be acceptable or appreciated in another culture, country or a different society.
However, advocating for global human rights, one should have the freedom to choose his/her clothes and dress of choice without any restriction; unless there is a specific reason for its acceptability, security or moral and/or cultural issues associated with it. Different ethnicities and societies have different views regarding appropriate dressing and that needs to be respected too and cannot be disregarded in terms of rights only. Furthermore, societies across the planet are now unjustly driven by peer pressure and gorgeous advertisements on various media outlets. Hence we often dress falling to that pressure to fit in better with our peers and this cannot be underestimated too.
Yours etc.,
Saikat Kumar Basu Lethbridge
AB Canada T1J 4B