Editor,
Somehow I cannot rid myself of the disturbing thought as to why the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr Mukul Sangma is being hounded about his Scheduled Tribe status only because he is born of a non-tribal mother. Men in Meghalaya have respect for women folks of whatever community, caste or creed. To declare that a man cannot belong to a specific tribe even though he is fathered by a tribal man is to demean not only his father but also fathers in general. It thus also belittles mothers. In Khasi Hills when a Khasi marries a non-tribal woman (such cases are few and far between) the present authority expects the woman to undergo “Tang Jait”, a ceremony that was vaguely existing, which faded into oblivion and is now revived. This ceremony may not suit a man who has accepted Christianity and has vowed to discard all other non-Christian beliefs (culture and religious beliefs should not be mixed up). It would be wrong to impose such a religious ceremony upon his life partner. At best this could be left to individuals concerned. A similar but even more mind-boggling and frightful mode of thinking takes place in Khasi Hills – a child born out of full-blooded Khasi couple but bearing his father’s surname is not a Khasi, according to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage Act 1997). Can you beat it? To which tribe do such children belong then? Where do they go from here? Are we driving them to no man’s land, to the deserts or jungles? Where else, under the sun do you come across such a mindset and such absurd reasoning? Alas, only in Meghalaya.
Yours etc.,
PK Lakiang
Shillong-3
Lets save our city
Editor,
“Shillong oh my Shillong”, would be the honest cry of every Shillongite who has witnessed the unbelievable degeneration of the city in the last twenty years or so. As one who is born and brought up here, it pains me to see the present condition of our beloved city. I would bluntly say that Shillong has become polluted socially, morally and ecologically. I shall not comment on the first two aspects as we are all aware of the number of crimes and anti-social elements that are affecting our “once upon a time” peaceful city. I shall however turn my attention to the third aspect, that is, ecological degradation. As someone has rightly remarked ‘Shillong is gradually turning into a massive garbage bin. In many parts of the city the sight is abominable; the streets are littered, the drains are blocked, foul smell hangs in the air. The old habits of rubbing lime on the walls, spitting on the roadsides, blowing noses on the streets, urinating by the roadside, throwing water bottles, chip or chocolate covers from cars onto the streets are still rampant. It’s no use blaming the Municipality or the Government when all this is the result of our personal and collective lack of responsibility and lack of civic sense. I would further say that it is a lack of love and appreciation for the city in which we live and grow. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” that is what Christianity has taught us. These days we don’t see even Christians practicing this principle and much less believers of other religions. In the West this Christian principle has sunk deep into the sub-conscious and so we see people becoming sensitive to the issue of cleanliness. Keeping their towns and cities clean has become part of their culture. Here instead, this principle is only skin-deep and there is no conviction about it. It looks like family upbringing, school education and church sermonizing have failed in this regard and the younger generation still behaves irresponsibly and has little civic sense. In my humble opinion, our people have not learned to exercise their freedom responsibly and they still need disciplinary actions to keep them on track. Therefore it would be better if MUDA could raise up a disciplinary force (call it “City Cleanliness Watch” or “Shillong Green Police”), train them and then entrust them with the duty of punishing anyone who violates the norms of cleanliness. This would be a double-pronged approach. First of all it will ensure that our city is kept clean. Secondly it will provide employment to our boys and girls. It is a pity that our city which used to be called “Scotland of the East” and the envy of every tourist, is now wrinkled and ugly. However, it is never too late to put things right. We can still save our beloved city if we all co-operate with one mind, one heart and one goal.
Yours etc.,
Barnes Mawrie,
Via email