Gender sensitivity from the most unlikely quarters
On February 5 last His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the main speaker at the inter-faith meeting at the Soso Tham auditorium.
Most religions were represented by male members (as usual). After all religion is also the last male bastion. But the Shillong Muslim Union and the Jain Community both sent women members to represent them.
Both women spoke very well. They communicated the principle tenets of their faith with such clarity and precision that it was a great pleasure for the audience and a relief for the compere who was insistent that each representative of a particular religion speak for two minutes only.
Load shedding woes
It is the time of year when the people of Meghalaya must brace themselves for power cuts.
Now with the Opposition hinting at the possibility of artificial scarcity being the prime reason for electricity going kaput sans a warning, our aggression is unlikely to be bottled up for too long. How is it that the MeECL does not consider it a responsibility to share with its consumers the reason for the load shedding and also elicit public opinion on what timings are most suitable.
After all, the consumer is supposed to be king. And if the MeECL is down to its last penny as far as revenue generation goes then should that not be made known to the consumers? We hear that the State owes the national power grids a substantial sum of money. Who will pay them the sum owed? Or are we looking at a bail-out from the Centre? For a long time, the only complaint against load shedding emanated from students burning the midnight oil while preparing for their upcoming examination. Now with MeECL moving to a new and weird timing of 8.00-10.00 am many are caught unawares. Men using electric razors have suddenly been left with foam all over and only half the face shaved.
Then comes the breakfast and with subsidised cylinders being regulated, the dependence on induction plates and microwave ovens have increased. A surprise power cut and you’re gnawing on cold food on a winter morning.
The list is endless…from lukewarm geysers to unfiltered aqua-guard water, abrupt load shedding brings its own set of woes. For the ones in closer contact with technology, drained battery of mobiles and laptops can only bring tears. Reducing brightness and disabling internet to eke out a few more seconds is a tale everywhere.
The only people who make hay around this time are candle sellers. Those who can afford have got inverters and emergency lamps. The rest have to survive on their wits.