Editor,
The views expressed by Willi Gordon Suting in your daily under caption ” Complacency of Khasis” (ST July 26, 2014) made excellent reading. In fact it is an eye opener not only for Khasis but for all the people irrespective of their caste or community. It has a bearing on youngsters of all hues. Nowadays children of affluent parents do not care much about their studies and career whereas we find that sons and daughters of poor people like chaiwala (tea sellers) or small time shopkeepers, labourers, peons or babus or poor farmers are making waves when it comes to the results of Class X and XII Board exams; in Medicine, Engineering, PG or PhD or even in UPSC etc. The writer has very rightly dwelt on the fact that complacency does not pay at all in the long run. Rather it leads one to disastrous state of life in terms of career and quality performance.
We have observed that Israelis are hard working people and therefore this landlocked country is capable of defending itself from its enemies from all corners and no one dares to attack it. It’s good that we set our homes right first before we step out to advise others. I admire the spirit of the writer and I hope the Khasi society including others will take his views in the right spirit and learn some lessons from it.
Yours etc.,
H. Gaire,
Via email
Football mania
Editor,
Every newspaper I read, everywhere I go, the hottest topic in everybody’s conversation is the FIFA World Cup and about which country or player would be a decisive factor in this year’s edition. The fact however is that the weather conditions in Brazil have been the most decisive factor this time out; it destroyed Spanish tiki-taka football from quick possession to just simply ineffective possession and was the reason for Spanish football’s genocide. The Spanish aren’t the only European team that struggled however; even the “mighty” Germans had a hiccup, the Italians with their labored football were tipped to succeed but even they were disappointed by Costa Rica (I refuse to mention England because their demise is largely due to the British media.) I am therefore now eager to see how Netherlands plays against Chile because that would be the acid-test for the Dutch as to whether they should be considered the favourites for the title. As of now however, the South American teams are in pole position as they seem to be dealing much better with the conditions as compared to their European counterparts i.e unless we have a winner from North or Central America this time round which is unlikely. But then again nobody gave Greece a snowball’s chance to win Euro 2004 did they?
Yours etc.,
Celestial Passah,
Via email
About Shishu Vidyalaya
Editor,
Apropos the letter written by Banani Bhattacharjee (ST June 23, 2014) about Sishu Vidyalaya, Jail Road, I wish to inform her that I had been a student of the same school in the 1950s. The said school was housed in the Jail Road Puja Mandap and not in the Jail Road Boys’ Higher Secondary School premises wherein the Sparkle Dew School is now situated. It continued to function from this Mandap and never occupied any space in the present day Higher Secondary School. Moreover, from the available records it was clear that the above mentioned Vidyalaya was merged with the Jail Road Boys’ Lower Primary School on August 26, 1979 at the direction of the Deputy Inspector of Schools, Khasi Hills, Shillong. At the time of merger, the Vidyalaya had only two students out of which one got himself admitted in the L.P. School. There was a teacher, Ms Reba Das who was also accommodated in the said L.P. School. A few furniture and the cash/bank balance of the Vidyalaya were also transferred to the L.P. School. As far as I recollect Late M N Kar and late Prof. K L Choudhury were the President and Secretary respectively of the Managing Committee of the Sishu Vidyalaya during the time of merger of the institution with the L P School.
Yours etc.,
Nirmalendu Bhattacharjee
Shillong-1