Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Missing the woods for the trees

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Editor,
I fully agree with D Syiemlieh who in the  letter “A project destined to fail” (ST Nov 17, 2014  stated that continuation of the Eco Restoration project at Sohra would be a futile  exercise . Certainly no amount of money and human efforts  can change the existing scenario  of Sohra where  nature  has  bestowed on it to be as such.  Sohra boasts of being the area with the highest rainfall in the world  and it is also known  as  the wet desert. These unique characteristics  attracts tourists from all over the world just like   the  characteristics of  the dry desert of Rajasthan  mesmerizes   tourists too. What  is needed  is for the government to build on this tourist potential of Sohra and spend money on this to  help the local  people improve their economy instead of wasting money on a  project with unpredictable outcomes. Though  Israel or other desert countries  which are devoid of fertile land  need to restore or improve   their  desert areas    for agriculture or allied  activities,  we  not need  go to that extent as  we  have  vast   fertile  lands   either on the slopes or valleys and these lands  can sustain agriculture for  generations to come  if properly managed. The question is how far the government focuses its attention on the protection of these  lands. We still see large areas under intensive crop  cultivation along steep slopes without any form of protection   in the  uplands  of  Khasi and Jaintia Hills. With the heavy rainfall in our state, there will be a constant drain of  fertile soil from such land   and in no time we will have more wet desert areas  if such form of cultivation continues without any protection which apparently is not there.  The government should therefore spend money to protect such lands    by   avoiding    wasteful  expenditures  elsewhere .We  cannot afford  to miss the woods for the trees.
Yours etc.,  
K Dkhar,
Via email

The Child

Editor,
It is refreshing to read the “Shillong Times” (22.11.2014), as on the same page, I read an article by Barnes Mawrie, and a letter from Caroline Lyngdoh. Both reflect their concern for children on two areas – physical and moral. I love children too, being a grandmother and secretly hoping to be promoted to the higher rank of being a great grandmother in the near future. True, “Why blame kids for societal failure?” Please do not blame youngsters. You may agree or disagree, but as an educationist, I happen to know the root cause of the problem with troubled kids. During my tenure of service, I always encountered a familiar greeting: “Oh, we’re so happy to entrust our difficult sons in your care!” Deep down, I was seething in anger and feel like giving a Cain-style reply, “Am I his father and mother?” Let it be known, that the primary duty of a teacher is to thoroughly complete the academic course, before the final University exams, posing a problem to the time-machine; otherwise, he or she will face the music. If lucky, value education can be inserted in between lectures. Therefore, irrespective of what faith we may belong to, why do we always shirk responsibility and never want to face the fact that Truth is always Bitter? The wise, old adage never goes in vain: “Charity begins at home.” Face it bravely and accept the faults. A child with a good moral upbringing can always stand firmly on his own principles come what may. The Bible says: “Teach a child the path that he should go, and he will never depart from it.” But this should also be spiced with love. I believe that other holy books also echo the same thought. Yet, if we persistently bend on giving a fashionable tech-age reply, “Too busy – No Time”, then I suggest to read the life of the highly intelligent persons and the root cause of turning them into international criminals.
Yours Etc.,
Cassandra Syiemlieh,
Shillong-8

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