Editor,
So happy to read Mewan Pariat’s letter to the Editor and his observations on shameless street vendors (ST , Nov 3, 2014). About time someone called the bluff on the so called “Ja kpoh (livelihood) issue.” Why are the Khasis of this age so irresponsible even towards their own welfare? The hawkers at Motphran and along Tirot Singh Syiem road sit over sewers placing their wares (meat, fish, vegetables and other eatables) on dirty thermacol boxes. These boxes left on the roadside the whole night are then used as urinals for drunks and stray dogs. In the morning they are again set up and the eatables again placed neatly over them. Passerbys, mostly Khasis, happily buy the contaminated stuff to feed themselves and their loved ones. Education Minister Sahib, what are we teaching our people? They can’t even think about their own hygiene and health requirements. One has yet to find out why we indulge in this form of self abuse !
There was once an attempt to clear these hawkers from Motphran and the roadside. It caused an uproar. Patriotic NGOs “kiba ieit jaitbynriew” (who adore their own kind) all raised a hue and cry over the alleged attempt to dislodge the poor from their livelihood. No one bothered to consider the illegal nature of this livelihood. No one bothered to think of the health hazards posed by sale of eatables on the open road and over open drains. Footpaths and roads meant for easy movement of people became clogged with unauthorised vendors. No one bothered to think that pedestrians were being pushed out of footpaths to compete for space with moving vehicles. As long as ‘jakpoh’ of illegal hawkers was assured the rest of the jaitbynriew can go to Hell. There is no one to speak on behalf of a helpless and voiceless urban society. There is no rule of law only muscle power prevails. Are the local MLAs and MDCs of West and North Shillong listening? Are they bothered? Or are they contributors to the problem?
Mewan Pariat has placed his hope of redemption for the area on the Rangbah Shnong of the surrounding areas, the KHADC, the Syiem of Mylliem and the SMB. One RS loves nothing better than to hear his own voice, on the PA system, early in the morning. He is least bothered about anything else. Another earns his livelihood from daily collection from these illegal hawkers. The third, a failed politician, is desperately cultivating the hawkers as his votebank. So forget the Rangbah Shnong. The KHADC and the Mylliem syiemship are institutions yet to find the reason why they exist. Wrong place, wrong people to look for a solution. The SMB is a moribund office with neither the will, the strength nor the capacity to do anything except worry about the pay for its non -performing staff. The only solution to the problem lies with the people but sadly the people themselves are ignorant of their rights; too selfish and too disorganised to raise their voices. In a nutshell, Shillong is a doomed city inhabited by indifferent citizens! What a bloody mess! And we have virtually no Government!
Yours etc.,
BM Swer,
Shillong- 8
Useless Khasi alphabet
Editor,
Knowing that I’m a school teacher, a person one day asked me, “Which is the useless Khasi alphabet?” For a moment I was stumped for how could the designer of our alphabets who had taken great pains make such an error. The person pointed out to me the uselessness of the letter ‘G’ ” (pronounced ‘ek’) and said that according to him there is no word in Khasi Language having ‘G’ (ek) succeeding or preceding other alphabets to have a meaningful pronunciation. It’s a very cumbersome task to pronounce Khasi words if they’re to be spelled (for assumptions only); for examples, as ‘ga’ , ‘ge’ , ‘gi’ , ‘og’ , ‘ug’ etc. Hence, as a concerned Khun Hynniew Trep, I have a small request to the concerned authorities to take a second look at this alien among Khasi Alphabets. If possible it should be omitted for all times to come and the Khasi Alphabets should be recreated as a new prototype without the presence of ‘G’.
Yours etc., ,
S. Lamin Khonglah
Bakur, Dawki