Editor,
Apropos Jerome Diengdoh’s letter (ST Oct 11,2014), I would like to personally apprise the writer, that the religious majority does not in any way condone the barbaric acts of Right Wing Hindu Groups nor accept their orthodox ideologies. Hence it is improper on the part of the writer to paint the majority Hindus with the same brush. But the words of writer smack of arrogance and religious intolerance and a sense tacitly supports the abusive acts of HNLC of suppressing our religious rights. We the youth of today don’t wish to remember 1991, 1987 or any such (in)significant years which are symbols of communalism and had fomented hatred in our hearts against our friends of another religion and another community. In fact the majority of youth today stands for unity, religious freedom and multi – culturalism and celebrates every religion with pomp and gaiety. I whole-heartedly thank the majority Christian citizens of our State, who strongly condemned the high-handedness of the HNLC, which tried to sabotage the religious rights of the people. So Mr Jerome Diengdoh this is not 1991, this is 2014 and in this era secularism and respect for all religions stands tall.
Yours etc.,
Sunil Khanal
Shillong 2
Food should equal nutrition
Editor,
Apropos the news item on the new food gallery at Mawlai DonBosco Museum( ST Sep 28, 2014) I would like to add a few comments. However good the idea of a food gallery is there are some humbling facts we need to remind ourselves: (a) In India 44pc of children are malnourished,out of which 45% have stunted growth and 20 % are too thin or ‘wasted’ (b) It has also been established that average height of North Koreans is much less than that of the South Koreans due to bad nutrition (c) In the last 50 years the average height of the poor in India increased by just 1-3cm as opposed to the middle class and rich who have gone up by 6-8cms.Tribals in India have been found to have grown shorter as the quality of their food intake has declined since forests have been barred from them.
I refer to this because on the day the Gallery was inaugurated the Chief Secretary of the State was accompanied by the Principal Secretary Forests and Environment; none of them are connected to health and nutrition. Yes there seems to be a new awareness about indigenous food habits. But the Don Bosco (as an educational institution)and the Government perhaps needs to be more concerned with the health and growth impact of many so-called ‘cultural’ ideas we have spawned, however tasty they might be.
Yours etc.,
Rasputin Bismarck Manners
Kolkatta
