Dalai Lama to visit Shillong
His holiness the Dalai Lama will be visiting Shillong from Feb 3-5, 2014 to attend the Convocation of Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU).
Preparations are on to see that the visit gets maximum mileage in terms of people getting to hear the Dalai Lama speak.
But what is troubling is the absence of a better more spacious and ultra-modern auditorium in the city. It’s the same old Soso Tham auditorium that must do the honours. One thing you see in visiting any other state is the development of infrastructure.
In Meghalaya you see nothing of the sort. Everything hangs in the balance. The only thing enduring image of Shillong are its agitations, its protests and its violence. The sense of hope is fast disappearing.
Can the Dalai Lama’s blessings heal and restore this city? We can only wait and watch. The Dalai Lama will also be accompanied by the Sikeong, the prime minister in exile of the Tibetan Government, a Harvard scholar and a man of letters.
He will interact with the intelligentsia and government officials of the city in during the three day visit..
Examination blues
Students are caught in a web of sorts. Their teachers have rushed through the courses in the short time that they have had to run regular classes.
In the current education system where there is optimal dependence on teachers, who on several counts are found wanting, it is the student that must agonise during these trying times.
Private coaching classes are booming and why not? It’s question of supply and demand. However, most parents have found an easier way out.
They have tutored their wards to go to the internet for free schooling through khanacademy.org a free teaching-learning portal. Students can learn almost anything for free.
The mission of Khan Academy functioning as a non-profit out of USA is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.
All resources are completely free forever, regardless of whether the person is a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology.
Much ado about a driver
Drivers who sit behind the wheel of a VIP owned vehicle often feel they can flout the law.
The driver of a certain VIP complained that he was slapped by a cop.
The media picked up this story because it concerned a VIP or her partner (as it was later found out). But on digging deeper into the story it was found that the driver was drunk and was driving very rashly near Umran forcing other vehicles to swerve to avoid collision.
It is the same with the JNNURM buses. Just because they carry a ML-01 number they believe they are kings of the road and can stop anywhere.
Recently the traffic police realized fines worth several thousand rupees from these errant red bus drivers! So much for traffic indiscipline!