Editor,
May I express my sincere appreciation to ICARE which organized a people’s meeting at Khyndailad, Shillong on 21 October, 2013 to allow the general public like me to air our views against the bandh culture in our city and state. It’s shameful to present such a distasteful welcome (bandh) to the Hon’ble President of India who has come to Shillong to address our University convocation. As a teacher I feel deeply let down. Let the President know that many Shillongites and Meghalayans are also unhappy with this.
With reference to the on-going ILP tussle, my take is that even if the ILP regulation is passed by the government it is bound to fail for a simple reason: there will surely be flaws in its implementation under current circumstances. Considering the fact that we already have various protective laws relating to tenancy, land transfer, trade by non-tribals, etc, I see why they have failed miserably. It’s simply because the powers that be and the law enforcement bow their knees to the mesmerizing deity of corruption. If we really want to save our land and our tribe we should first reject this corruption worship. And seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Mathew 6.33). Destruction of private/public properties, killing of innocent people, enforcing regular bandhs, etc will weaken our society instead of saving us!
Long live ICARE… You care and I care too
Yours etc.,
DKB Mukhim,
Shillong-4
From heaven
to hell!
Editor,
Shillong can no longer be labelled ‘SCOTLAND OF THE EAST’, not with the pot-boiler, daily intimidatory tactics of so-called NGOs which is derailing civic sense, and causing disruption of everyday life. Students and daily wage earners are the worst affected while we live under threat of repercussion by a miniscule group of miscreants. The hate-mongering that is thick in the air needs to be tackled on a war-footing by the keepers of the law for it appears even the Government – it’s administrators, political leaders etc. are subjugated into senseless silence and forced into being mute spectators of the disastrous goings-on. If we Khasis are attempting to portray a rich indigenous culture, seeking to preserve our identity and protect our future generation then we need to seriously introspect on what ails our society in the first place. Let it be known to all and sundry, we Khasis are protected by considerate aspects of the Constitution and by virtue of this, we do not pay taxes to the Central kitty, yet are we not ashamed in demanding our share of Govt. largesse which comes from the non-Khasis who work their sweat and toil to pay taxes to the Govt. If we are to silently favour this demand to cast out all non-tribals in the garb of banishing migrants from across our borders, then why are we permitting the acts of medieval times in a present day missionary cultured society where the victims of hatred are not migrants from across the border, but our own national brothers from within India? It is pure hogwash to claim we can run Meghalaya state on our own terms, when so many of our Khasis are seeking better future and richer livelihood outside the state…..a state of turmoil and misplaced pride, enmity and fires of hatred being viciously fanned by a self-serving section of our society.
From better to worse seems our pledge and the only road to destruction is our blindness to the madness we permit in allowing those whose only desire is to get into the corridors of power and swindle this state of the Tax payers money. Come on people of Meghalaya, if we have any conscience and pride, let us put it down in our collective deeds and stamp out this culture of hatred we are sowing. We should remain aware of the incidents in the recent past, when all North East citizens around the nation abandoned their foster states lock, stock and barrel, and came back home for safety from a perceived threat to their lives arising from sheer rumour mongering that could never be established as the truth. Let us not do things which would bring wrath and misery on our folks in the vast lands of India.
Yours etc.,
Lewis Sooting,
Via email