By Avner Pariat
About a year ago, Youth 4 Change, Shillong, went about gathering support from people asking them to help stop the government’s plan to demolish Tara Ghar (located near Ward’s Lake). Since then, all has been quiet on the administrative front. Tara Ghar is a small item perhaps to the administration. We have heard nothing from the High Power Commission, which was supposed to look into the case, and what they intend to do. Our stance, however, has not changed. It would be very nice on the part of the authorities to communicate their deliberatioQns to the people. I suppose we can play this waiting game – with this issue at least – if they want. We’ve more years to spend.
There are some things that cannot wait though. I think many of us hear about the horrid mining situation in this state on a daily basis. We hear about the destruction and exploitation and many people go, sigh and have a short uncomfortable moment. We think about what it means for the future generations, what it means for the people who make crores from these dealings and so on, for a short time, then move on to important personal things like watching “Masterchef” or “Dancing with the Stars.”
I stress on the triviality of these uncomfortable moments not because I condemn but because I empathize. Sure, we feel bad about what is going on ‘’over there’’, sure, we are troubled by the mowing down of acres of forests, sure, we are troubled by the defiling of the once sacred Lukha BUT what the devil can we do about any of this? It is a depressing state of mind – having to worry about the world we live in. In my day-to-day life, I talk about these things often. And often people ask me about what can I – an ‘’unemployed’’ and ‘’unimportant’’ individual – do about any of this mess. This irks me because it is partly true. But (cliché though it might be) History shows us that one person can make a difference. One idea in someone’s head when shared spreads like bacteria to others. Please realize this. It is not numbers that make a difference, it is determination.
Despite what they teach you, Pride is not a bad thing. Arrogance is; because it is dictated by what you feel or what you do around other people. Pride needs no one around to assert itself. It is Pride that tells me that no matter what, we should persevere. That we should not believe a few people (like you and me) know what is right for us and for our society. That the administrators are as flawed as the rest of us and also need guidance from time to time. If you do not have Pride, you will let others dictate the terms; you will bend to whims.
Please don’t get me wrong, one cannot be uninformed and proud. Critical consciousness must be awakened. The only way to do this is to learn, from reading AND from living. A sharp thought must be developed. Probing and asking questions is as important for us as it is for journalists. My dearest friends are not great readers but great inquirers. They read only Mawphor and Nongsain Hima and question the deeper structures of society and do not simply get angry by injustice. They ask hard questions about Marwari business interests and politicians, about the connection between Shillong traffic jams and coal trucks, about development and destruction, and tradition and so on. The first step to change is to ask.
For the purposes of this article one immediate concern comes to the fore. The much anticipated New Year gift from Mr. Mining Minister *quoted as saying* – the State Mining Policy. When HH Mohrmen asks about this, they haul him off to the police station. Why? Ultimately, the freedom of speech is always the freedom to dissent. Not to ask easy questions but to ask sharp, criticizing ones. The ones that make the few scowl and scratch their heads. We need a Mining Policy so that a legal framework is established with regards to mining in this state. Does that make sense? We can huff and puff but unfortunately if there is no policy the land will still be hewed and quartered at will. We need a policy so that we can ensure that there is accountability in the mining of limestone, coal and, perhaps most importantly, uranium. In the vast amounts of data that showed up in the WikiLeaks expose, Meghalaya’s environmental problems find mention. Even bitchy American officials were talking about how we were sending our wastes into neighbouring Bangladesh. The government doesn’t address the issue of pollution and mining with the seriousness and urgency that it rightly needs.
Finally, I want to answer the series of complaint letters, which have been showing up, in the Letters to the Editor section. They all raise the same valid question – Who is running the state/show, whether it is the Government or the various NGOs? It is a gutsy question because it does bring into light the working ideologies of many of our ‘seng bhalangs’. Often they seem to have no ideology at all. Many upper and middle-class people feel that they are just a parcel of rogues who are promoting immediate and selfish interests. This is simplifying the issue. They do have their flaws BUT the truth is they are the only real Opposition in this state. I find myself supporting many of their endeavours because they are trying to safeguard our ethnic future. They have made many mistakes and for that we must admonish them but we must also give thanks to them for the good. Who else will stand up for minority rights like they have been doing? Who else raises important issues from the rural areas? In all sincerity, I really want them to re-think and reach out to people more. They need to go back to their beginnings; they need to reach out to students once again because they will need to if they want to grow smarter, if they are to not just survive but flourish as well.
All over the globe, students are active in the New Left and are actively seeking out a more just and equal society. It is exhilarating to watch them. Ours should be sensitive to the changes in the world as well. They should realize that the Khasi, Synteng and Garo worldviews are changing. They need to think for other people. This is why student unions need to reach out to the student once again. Clinging to the past and worshipping the old will find few takers. The most important role of the unions today is to help lay the foundations for a new cultural model, grounded in tradition but progressive. Once, a firm socio-political bedrock is cemented we need not fear outsider influence-interference so much. Once all have critical, sharp minds there will be no need to think for other people. This is why student’s unions need to reach out to students once again.
(The writer is member Youth4change)