Editor,
With reference to the issue raised under the caption “MBOSE Howlers” in the column – Letters to the Editor, Shillong Times, dated 17th November, 2013, Shillong Editor, it may kindly be noted that the English Question Paper 3/IX/Eng/13 carries 100 marks as full marks. The marks have been accurately allotted to each Question under each section. The addition of all marks comes to a total of 100.
Your enthusiasm and interest in the functioning of the Board is indeed appreciated. However, we expect every well wisher to exercise caution before flashing wrong information in the papers.
All constructive criticism is welcome to MBOSE.
Sd/-
(S. N. Marak)
Controller of Examinations,
Meghalaya Board of School Education,
Tura.
Sincere apology to MBOSE
Editor,
Apropos my letter dated 16th Nov, ‘MBOSE howlers,’ I express my humble apologies for my mistake. The MBOSE English question for Cl IX was perfectly right and had full 100 marks and not 95 as pointed out mistakenly by me. The error in calculation was mine and not of MBOSE. I apologise to MBOSE and all the readers of The Shillong Times for my folly.
Yours etc.,
Devasia Vazxhayil
via e-mail
Arson attacks
Editor,
They say familiarity breeds contempt. The recent spate of arson attacks on innocent people in Shillong have become all too familiar that I am inclined to say it has bred indifference. The condemnations will trickle in like before and I am sure someone will get arrested. But what I am surest about is that he/they will be released before one can say, “Merry Christmas”. What’s a few non-tribal lives here and there in the bigger ILP picture, right? I have no particular love for people from the plains but what is happening is just wrong, plain and simple. I’m so disgusted that I won’t even bother to articulate my outrage. However I will remind all those involved in these attacks that you reap what you sow. Why, even the Bible, the good book behind which such “heroes” hide behind every Sunday I’m sure, says that those who live by the sword shall die by it. So go on, besmirch the name of the town I grew up in and loved and once even called home, but be prepared to settle your accounts with God when the time comes.
Yours etc.,
Raymond Lalmauna,
Via email
Clean up Shillong’s slums
Editor,
As a student, I do not agree with the incident that happened on Nov 8, 2013 where five houses and a shop were demolished by the MUDA escorted by the police at Umsawli even when the Court had issued a stay order. I strongly condemn the inhuman act committed by MUDA on the poor farmers residing in that area. This is something that the society can’t accept and the question is why with the poor farmers in the outskirts? Why not with the slums in the heart of the city, which are congested and multiplying each day? It would be appreciated if the MUDA could clean up the slums within the city first.
Yours etc.,
Ostarnic Marbañiang,
Shillong-2
via e-mail
Take a leaf out of Assam
Editor,
The ongoing agitation launched by the State’s pro-ILP Groups has brought considerable hardship to most citizens. To make matters worse, our Chief Minister, Dr. Mukul M. Sangma has also out-rightly refused to accept Inner Line Permit (ILP) proposal and even brusquely rejected talking with the pressure groups unless they call-off their agitational programmes. In the backdrop of such confrontational stance the saga of strife will be indefinitely prolonged to the utter predicaments of all and sundry. In this context, I would urge our Chief Minister to take a leaf out of the noble step adopted by the Chief Minister of Assam, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, who has of late, successfully hit upon a master-stroke in dramatically quelling the vicious agitators initiated by the assorted ethnic communities of Assam demanding separate States from Assam that led to wide spread destruction of public properties and blood letting. These violent upheavals were un-mistakenly in the aftermath of the Union Government’s proclamation of the new State of Telangana carved out of Andhra Pradesh.
The Assam Chief Minister having perceptively visualized the improbability of such insistence and who will never allow any further division of Assam, has, however, managed to assuage the virulent emotions of the agitators by urging the Central Govt. to invite the State movement leadership for a discussion in order to address the claim of statehood. Consequent to the proposed talk there has been a lull in the stir in entire Assam and may ebb out in course of time. On the principle of this successful experiment in Assam, I would request our Chief Minister to emulate the unique precedent set by his counterpart in Assam. Admittedly, demand for more States in Assam may be an exercise in futility but I harbour reasons to believe that implementation of ILP in Meghalaya is not an unattainable proposition with convenient up-dation and modification where all bona-fide citizens need not develop a sense of fear psychosis and the indigenous tribal need not fear of being overwhelmed by outsiders.
The powers that be ought to see the writing on the wall by heeding to the voice of the majority who having become painfully aware of the ominous threat of ongoing unstoppable influx in the State and the fear of being reduced into minority in their own homeland have therefore lent their spontaneous cooperation to the agitation programmes on ILP like bandhs, road blockade and office picketing where majority of office employees have abstained themselves from reporting to duty notwithstanding punitive actions announced by the Govt. against any un-authorized absenteeism. Further, I understand that there are some tribal officers of Meghalaya who had incidentally been appointed as key officials in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland in managing with the mechanism of ILP in these States, their long stint in such field of works must have definitely widened their experience in this specific line and now their special expertise could be viably tapped by the State of Meghalaya by accommodating these ex – ILP experienced officers as in the ILP Advisory Board for the overall success of the same all over the State.
Yours etc.
Jerome Diengdoh
Shillong – 2
via e-mail
Islam – religion of love and peace
Editor,
Apropos the article by Fabian Lyngdoh “Religion and Society” (ST November 7, 2013), the role of Christian Church was explained in the 4th paragraph of the article which is to go to all the nations and baptise the people in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and to teach everything that Christ has taught his disciples with LOVE and if necessary die a martyr for the cause. He then explained the role of another Religion (Islam) whose mission is to convert the whole world to Islam and if necessary to use the sword.
I am surprised to note how Lyngdoh got such an absurd idea about Islam religion. The prime significance of the word “Islam” is the “making of peace,” and the idea of “peace” is the dominant idea of Islam. A Muslim, according to the Holy Quran, is he who has made his peace with Allah (God) and man, with the Creator as well as His creatures. These ideas are briefly but beautifully expressed in the Quran in the following words: “Whoever submits himself entirely to Allah (God) while being the doer of good to others, he will have his reward from his Lord, and there is no fear for him, nor shall he grieve” (2:112). From the above, it is very clear that conversion to “Islam” is only by love and peace and there is no place for the sword or for hatred.
Yours etc.,
K. Khongrymmai,
Via email
Corrigendum
The article “Of the spiritual and temporal” that appeared in the editorial page of The Shillong Times on Monday, November 16, 2013 was written by HH Mohrmen and not by Patricia Mukhim as was erroneously put. We sincerely regret the error.