Editor,
The Times Now news channel has shown the ugliest, undignified, unruly debates to the world. The irony is that it is considered the No 1 channel in India. Arnab Goswami’s clandestine complicity with fringe elements is lucidly noticeable in the manner in which he conducted the debates – not allowing any panelist to have his/her say or wrongly portraying their views. The views are very cunningly twisted to mislead, misdirect and hence openly insulting the panellist that does not concur with the anchor’s viewpoint. The most painful thing is that Goswami regularly pushes his own views and puts words in the mouth of panellists. Often he passes personal remarks on his the panel members when he wants to corner them. Still, he enjoys fame and a celebrity status! Times Now has polarised the viewers and a situation is created where participants yell at one another and rudely interrupt each other unscrupulously before a point of view can be out across. When I see many eminent intellectuals and academicians who are gentle mannered, being harassed and bullied on Times Now channel, I feel so much pain that this channel continues to win Television Rating Points (TRPs). It makes me wonder in whose India I am living, my India or otherwise. The other day, he furiously insulted a professor of Jadavpur University for no fault of his. But the calm and modest professor was unable to counter them in the same competitive manner and the belligerence and indecency of Goswami. Every time he was quoted out of context and chided. Arnab called him ignorant and questioned how he could teach in the university. It is Goswami’s channel that can prove a hero to be a villain, a villain to be a hero. Still his is the No.1 channel. The nation is rocked by majoritarian communalism wearing the mask of patriotism and terror and violence are raising their tentacles and attempting to wipe out all dissenting voices by labelling them “anti-nationals”. They claim that it’s only the Sangh Parivar, its affiliates and sympathisers alone are desh premi (patriots) and the rest are anti-nationals.” It looks like Times Now is in collusion with these fascist forces who are perpetrators of the current crisis in the nation.
Yours etc.,
Nsungbemo Ezung
Research Scholar
NEHU Shillong
Hazardous road
Editor,
The Gora Lane road in Shillong is perhaps the most hazardous road. Thousands of vehicles (including large trucks, buses) ply on this narrow stretch of road everyday without any restrictions. In fact it has become an alternative road to the national highway passing through Laitumkhrah since people use this road indiscriminately. The road is so narrow (one lane) and hilly with deadly turns that it’s a hazard to not only the occupants of vehicles but also to the pedestrians including school children and senior citizens. Many a times emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire engines are stuck on this road because of heavy traffic which can prove dangerous to people. Everyday there is long traffic jam on this busy road and there is hardly any space to even walk in the absence of footpaths. However, there is no concern from the authorities. I urge the SP of the traffic police dept or the concerned authorities to make this road a ONE WAY lane so that traffic is relieved on this road and accidents and injury to people can be avoided.
Yours etc.,
Dr. H. S. Ranhotra,
Shillong – 3
Hindutva brand of nationalism
Editor,
Apropos Elio Khiewkhar’s letter batting for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ( ST 15 Feb 2016) in response to Albert Thyrniang’s articles, no doubt the RSS did a commendable service to the nation during the Chinese aggression (1962), Indo-Pak War(1965), Sikh riot(1984) and during natural disasters like the 2004 TN Tsunami, 2001 Gujarat earthquake, 2009 Karnataka-AP flood, 2013 Uttarakhand floods etc. But the RSS remains a Hindu nationalistic organization with a purported objective to uphold Hindu values and a conservative agenda. It’s sole agenda is to declare India a “Hindu Rashtra”- a nation of common culture, history and language. The then Deputy Prime Minister & Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhhai Patel after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, had in his letter to the RSS Chief MS Golwalkar in 1948 written, “All their (RSS leader’s) speeches were full of communal poison. It was not necessary to spread poison and enthuse the Hindus and organize for their protection. As a final result of the poison, the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the valuable life of Gandhiji…..”. Sardar Patel banned the RSS. The ban was withdrawn only after the RSS gave a formal undertaking that it would no longer dabble in politics but function as a non-political body promoting nationalism Though the RSS was founded during the period of National Movement (1925), it did not participate in the Movement, yet they claim many leaders of the freedom movement like Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhhai Patel as their heroes. The role of Sangh Parivar heroes like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Deen Dayal Upadhyay in the freedom movement is still a subject of research in the his tory of the Indian Freedom Movement. The only thing we know is that they speak out against the Muslims. The Hindutva forces have no hero in the National Movement. After assuming power in 2014, the BJP is busy collecting its list of heroes, as it has no icons of its own from the freedom struggle and it is also bent on effacing the name of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India. Can one promote the Hindutva brand of Nationalism?
Yours etc.,
Soo E Mi Langdoh
Via email