Editor,
If teachers are our living Gods, universities are temples, aren’t they? The largest and probably the most influential university in Northeast India – NEHU, does not give the look and feel of a temple with its premises plagued with garbage and dirt. This is a place where education is imparted not to kids but to adult men and women but a look at the area does not convey that idea. Through this channel of mass reach, I would request every person who walks (and would walk in the future) on the grounds of NEHU to please not dirty the surroundings by littering carelessly. If you cannot engage yourself in picking the already strewn paper and plastic, I pray you do not contribute to someone else’s task. It is not just the duty of different student unions to maintain cleanliness by organizing cleanliness drives but also our individual duties. Appreciating the recent cleaning spree organized by YMA and MPGSU I would like to encourage other such groups (including NEHUSU) to increase the frequency of such activities. Apart from the group activities I would like to again stress that as grown-up, educated individuals lets us try and play our part in maintaining a dirt free environment. A little conscious effort to put the wrapper from your ice-cream ‘only into a dustbin’ is all I ask.
Hope this reaches as many people as it is meant to.
Yours etc.,
Liha Mena
Department of Commerce, NEHU
A lost indentity
Editor,
I had the opportunity to visit Shillong, my birthplace sometime ago. I was brought up in this beautiful city. My father Late Mr Hara Kumar Bhattacharjee was a well known and widely respected teacher and a dedicated educationist of Shillong. He was also a keen sportsman and was a member of the Shillong Hockey Team in 1922. He had established a primary school and named it, “Shishu Vidyalaya.” It is located in the premises of Jail Road High School. Recently during my visit to Shillong, I decided to pay a visit there but to my utter surprise, I found a school named, “Sparkle Dew” in its place. I want to know whether my father’s school ” Shishu Vidyalaya” has been renamed as “Sparkle Dew” or if ” Shishu Vidyalaya” no longer exists. This school had been set up by my father with his own untiring efforts and after overcoming a lot of difficulties. Therefore this school should remain as a token of his memory. If there are any ex-students of Shishu Vidyalaya among your esteemed readers I request them to kindly raise this issue, so that the school can get back its original name. I would remain grateful to them.
Yours etc.,
Banani Bhattacharjee,
Via email
From wine women and song to starvation
Editor,
I find it strangely ironic that super wealthy coal miners are complaining of starvation on the heels of the NGT ban when they are notorious for their wine, women and song lifestyle 365 days a year. My heart bleeds at the fact that future generations of coal traders may actually have to work for a living like the rest of us, instead of merely digging into deep pockets to satisfy every want. They still have plenty of plunder for a couple of generations to go through without breaking a sweat, mind you. The more enterprising of them would have already chalked out other means of exploitation to fill the void. A selfish community which has been plundering the land like scavengers and contributing nothing in return has no right to expect any form of concession now that their bubble has burst. The ban on coal mining is a blessing in every way. It will not only protect the environment from further degradation but also protect society from the evils of corruption, immorality and lawlessness of rich coal miners.
Yours etc.,
Samuel Diengdoh
Risa Colony
Shillong
Down with mining!
Editor
Mr Naba Bhattacharjee has obviously missed the wood for the trees in his article “NGT ban: A substantive issue of environment, safety and health”. The gentleman fails to realize that merely citing technicalities and calling a spade by another name is not going to alter the circumstances or undo the massive damage to the environment caused by mining. The mining community in Meghalaya is an unscrupulous lot who have always put their own greed before all else. They have no respect for the land, for nature or their fellow man of lesser means. The total ruination of mining areas, poisoned rivers and streams, lawlessness and unabated illegal migration due to their deviousness and greed is not a mere technicality to be debated; it is the unpleasant truth, and Mr Naba Bhattacharjee should not try to obfuscate the issue and lead us to believe otherwise. Mining needs to be BANNED totally and forever in Meghalaya. Despite Bhattacharjee’s personal beliefs, the people of Meghalaya are not willing to barter their future so that a handful of rich miners can continue to become richer by turning this land into a wasteland. Down with Mining and all those who would betray their own people!
Yours etc.,
S Nongkynrih
Shillong- 6
Understanding Khasi philosophy
Editor,
Apropos to Rasputin B Manners’s letter (ST May 30, 2014 ),I would like to elaborate a little on the precept of Ka Niam Khasi, Kamai Ia Ka Hok. Hok means Righteousness and Kamai means both earn and earnings. So one is, first and foremost, expected to endeavour to believe firmly in righteousness and think, feel and act with honesty, integrity and rectitude. Slowly this becomes part of one’s being and permeates into all aspects of one’s life. One who has earned the grace of righteousness and reaps its benefits, in turn, automatically propagates this virtue. In this way he /she lives in accordance to the Divine Will and his/her ‘ dharma’. Kamai Ia Ka Hok is the highest form of worship and the purest way of connecting with the Supreme Being whom one can address by any name. It is difficult to walk on the path of Truth and Righteousness. Thinking, pondering about it and trying to understand it is a positive beginning .Lao -tzu ,puts it beautifully, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”
Yours etc.,
Bijoya Sawian,
Via email