Editor,
We, at Youth 4 Change (Y4C) are strongly opposed to the demolition of Tara Ghar as proposed by the state government. The site is seen as a possible location for the new legislative assembly building. Y4C considers this a short-sighted and badly planned move on the part of the government. For the uninitiated, Tara Ghar lies just opposite Ward’s Lake, near the Botanical Gardens. It is a nice, sheltered location with a breezy, green ambience.
We, at Y4C, are not trying to thwart the construction of a new assembly building. We welcome development, provided it meets standards for sustainability and eco-friendliness. We resent the proposed plan because it highlights the no-accountability stance which this (and previous) government(s) seems to excel at. It is a matter of concern how divorced the decision-makers are from the people they administer. How can these leaders think that every single bit of land can be mowed down, to suit their needs, without proper consultation? Everything seems to be done on a whim and ordinary people are worse off because of it. Have a look at the monstrosity that houses the district transport office (among others) in Lower Lachumiere. The building is barely a decade old and has started falling apart internally. Now compare and consider how long ago Tara Ghar was built (1874-75) and you realise how sub-standard the works of most contemporary contractors are.
The contractor mafia (for lack of a better word) is squeezing our public purses and leaving death-traps all over the place (ask any qualified architect about this). Only those who are in contact with highly influential people almost always bag construction deals and government floated tenders. We believe that if a person is qualified/experienced for a job then he/she should have every right to it. Most often, however, profiteering is the main objective. Ethics means nothing, hegemony is re-enforced and inequality is preserved. This is why Tara Ghar is not merely a site but a symbol as well. It reminds us of the negative moves that the government continues to make but also more positively of a change that we believe will sweep throughout our society eventually. Have a look at the number of Facebook pages dedicated to social causes and you will realise that things are indeed changing. Speak Out Shillong, Project Shillong are two that come to mind. Y4C is, first and foremost, a forum for people who refuse to stay silent any longer and who believe in transparency as a key feature of any real democratic setup.
In plotting to demolish Tara Ghar, did the state government actually think about the possible cultural activities such a site could host? Culture – whether indigenous or otherwise – adds charm to a place. Couldn’t we simply convert Tara Ghar into an art gallery or a yoga retreat centre or state theatre? David Hall in Fort Kochi, Kerala is an excellent example of a renovated building-turned-art space cum cafe. Such an initiative would also be in sync with the speech made by the governor recently which stressed on fostering the creative industries within the state. Tourists want to see the local culture. If they wanted to see huge cement monstrosities they would have stayed on in Delhi or Mumbai. The Himachal Pradesh government has restored a number of buildings from the British Raj era because it realises the benefits such sites attract both locally and from outside the state. Interestingly quite a few tourists we’ve talked to do not have an especially high regard for the town itself. The most common complaint being that they thought it would be a lot cleaner than it actually is. This is a matter that the Tourism Department needs to address seriously if tourism is to flourish in this state. Sites like Tara Ghar could serve not just as points of interests but also as venues for exhibiting local talents. There are a number of alternative locations where the new assembly building could come up in. Why not at the much heard-of (though seldom seen) New Shillong? What about that plot of land near the new High Court? How about a new building at the old assembly site? Our leaders keep talking about starting out on a new page but we ask: do we really need to rip up the old ones for that?
Yours etc.,
Avner Pariat,
Member Youth4Change Shillong,
Via email