Eventful occasion
The inauguration of a blood donation camp recently was quite an event. Firstly, the Urban Affairs Minister who officially inaugurated the camp reached the venue almost an hour late. The Minister explained that she was at a cleaning drive in her locality since 7am. When the time came for distributing prizes to the winners of a sporting competition that was held in recently the announcer forgot to call the dignitary to give away the prizes. So someone did that job but made a mess of it. The person was not sure who she wanted to give away the prizes and stammered, “Now I call upon Dr Marak, Oh I am sorry, Dr Sangma, Oh no, I am sorry once again, Dr Shira, Oh I am extremely sorry. May I please call upon Dr Momin to give a brief awareness about blood donation, now?” The audience could only laugh at the gaffe. And as it is the case with every function the microphone went off when Dr Momin was speaking and took some time to be restored. When the audio was restored Dr Momin’s voice was an echo from a distance. Meanwhile it started to drizzle and the young man who had to use his laptop to project something on the screen was forced to shut it down. There were no visuals… The programme was a disaster if ever there was one.
Her heart beats for Meghalaya
Helen Nichols Roy wife of late SDD Nichols Roy who used to live in Whispering Pines, Pohkseh and now lives in Escondida, USA, with her children, recently wrote a letter (handwritten) to five women she believes could trigger some change in Meghalaya’s politics. Kong Helen as she is fondly called lamented that Meghalaya is suffering from a ‘vacuum of honesty, integrity, dedication and reliability.’ The five women are Roshan Warjri, Queenie Rynjah, Margeret Mawlong, EN Shullai and Silverine Swer. Having seen Meghalaya from close quarters and the rapid change in the city of Shillong every time she visits, Kong Helen sighs with exasperation at the near collapse of civic amenities, the traffic jam, the noxious fumes and the tall concrete structures that have come up in the last twenty years. She wonders what we are all doing to prevent Shillong from turning into a dying city. In her heart, Kong Helen believes that if many more women came forward and joined politics, things might still change for the better. “All of you know the finest young women among the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo community who have the capacity to lead. If they can be encouraged to stand for elections they may be able to contribute more than we dare to anticipate,” the nonagenarian says. Dare we hope in Kong Helen’s exhortation?
Nature at its best
Meghalaya and the North Eastern states are known fro their wide range of flora and fauna. It’s not for nothing that the region is called a bio-diversity hot spot. But to still see rare mushrooms within Shillong city limits is extraordinary. This particular rare mushroom which is silvery white in colour was found growing in a little grove at Pohkseh, which is perhaps the last of the green lungs of the area. The mushroom called Dictyaphora Duplicata is so beautifully ornate and filigreed like some ornament that it almost looks unreal. The mushroom was caught on camera by David Nichols Roy, who is on a visit to his home, “Whispering Pines” at Pohkseh. The greenery in the huge acreage at Whispering Pines is enviable. There you can find bay leaves and a host of other rare plants. The rainy season throws up an array of mushrooms. Elders in the family teach their young to identify the edible ones from the poisonous variety. Unfortunately this is a dying tradition.