Editor,
I don’t normally share my opinions about events in public because every event needs its fair chance, but since this touches so many lives, I feel it’s my responsibility to share it. I visited the Mei Ramew Festival at Mawphlang and really it is great to see how ethnic food and culture can draw so much crowd. This is a festival to protect and to nurture for the long term. However, the slow degradation and impact that these kind of mega events have had on the Mawphlang Sacred Grove is shameful. The relevance of the Sacred Grove is that it is sacred – it has to be protected based on its original idea – that’s the essence of it. I was shocked to see its sanctity cut to half. A once small footpath in the middle of the meadow, that connected Mawphlang with the lower villages has now been converted to a single lane black-topped road. As an individual I am furious that this kind of development has been allowed to happen dividing that once exquisite meadow into two giving more importance to cars for the sake of the event. Where is the sanctity in that? How can such a development be allowed for the sake of a festival – however important it is? For years my family and I have been visiting Mawphlang Sacred Grove and it was sheer bliss to be able to experience that primordial element of nature. We could boast about our indigenous sense of environmental preservation which is very rare and unique. That was the real beauty – the real sophisticated idea laid out by our forefathers as they understood the need for preservation and protection of nature. Now mega events like the Mei Ramew, Monolith Festival etc. are questioning the efforts of our forefathers on why this kind of place needs to be protected in the first place. The Monolith festival and the “Heritage Village” has gone ahead and created a meaningless village in the once pristine meadow with an architectural meaning of a dubious nature. That debate can continue on what is exactly our architectural heritage. Now the Mei Ramew Festival has added to the Pandora’s box with building toilets, vehicular roads etc., Where does this end? People dear to this event have been using words like indigenous, environment, sustainability and so on – sustainability is the ability of us to meet our needs, but reinforce the ability for our future generations to meet their needs in future. If events like this alter the landscape without understanding the original sanctity, then that’s the first mistake which, very sadly, is irreversible. Every event no matter how important, has to be sensitive to the place. It should not leave footprints that someone else needs to clean up, because that is being irresponsible and negative to the ethos of the idea.
Yours etc.,
Gerald Pde, Via email
AFSPA imperative in Garo Hills
. Editor,
I the undersigned had unsuccessfully contested the MLA election from Rajabala Constituency in 2013. I highly appreciated to the Hon’ble High court order passed recently to implement the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) for Garo Hills to fight against the various terrorist outfits and to restore peace and normalcy here. The people of Garo Hills are in the grip of fear from the various terror groups so I request the Union Home Minister to implement the AFSPA in Garo Hills with immediate effect. Surprisingly the various NGOS from Garo Hills are demanding not to implement AFSPA. I am very confused about this demand. Don’t these NGOs want peace in Garo Hills? The non-tribal people especially from the plains belt are suffering the most as the terrorists are targeting them for kidnapping and extortion. Recently, an auto-rickshaw driver Sanowar Hussain from Rajabala area was kidnapped by miscreants and is still not released. Now the terrorists are kidnapping poorer sections of people who are not able to pay up handsome amounts. Even labourers and small businessmen are kidnapped by the terrorist groups. Many non-tribal people have been killed by the various terrorist groups in Garo Hills. My question to the NGOs is whether they want the nontribals to become the scapegoats? If the NGO’s from the Garo community are rallying to stop the AFSPA the people of the plain belts belonging to the non-tribal community will also start a rally for immediate implementation of the AFSPA in Garo Hills and will even move the High Court for that. AFSPA is imperative to bring peace and security of citizens of Garo Hills.
Yours etc.,
Islam Hoque Choudhury,
Rajabala