Editor,
There are several things that drain the core strength of a society. The rampant drug abuse by young people is certainly one of them. Yes, many households have their own shares of worries with respect to drug abuse by their children. But they are forced to silently endure them all. Not strangely, a lot many adolescents in the towns have taken to this bad habit for various other reasons. The company that one associates with is a crucial factor because most of the youth are drawn to substance abuse due to peer pressure which is part of adolescence. Another reason for drug abuse is lack of meaning in life because one is not gainfully employed. An idle mind usually looks for the wrong kids of indulgences. And with hedonism permeating the society the will power of our youth to “say no” to dope is non-existent. This aside, the easy availability of illegal drugs is what allows substance abuse to thrive. Drug peddlers are available at every street corner. Here the cell phone pulls down the mountain of hurdles. Just by texting a message the stuff is delivered at one’s home. The recent Bollywood film ‘Udta Panjab’ has brought into the open how such underhand deals come off. It also boldly exposed how foxy the big leaders are who without any qualms get involved in what we citizens can hardly imagine. Yes, politicians have stooped to the gutter level to fulfill their self-centered missions. Thus, they drug the society only to remain in power or become richer. Drug abuse and trafficking are becoming the biggest challenges to this country. Even in this technologically advanced age the government has literally failed to curb the increasing demand and supply of such life-taking drugs. Of course, the stick of the police to clamp down on the suppliers might achieve success to some extent if the government agencies act in concert. But, to knock down this awful habit the entire society and faith based organizations must share the burden. A healthy environment in society is a must and Government should roll up its sleeves to help sustain these good efforts. Value-based education which has virtually disappeared from the school syllabi must be given due attention. Many past addicts have confessed that if they were shown the right path and inspired with a fair doses of homilies, and if their parents were a little strict and loving, they would not have fallen for such dangerous stimulants. Also, an effective method to combat the drug abuse is through the right teaching of one’s religious values as it is often the most recommended course. Those who do not consider religion/God as important are three times likelier to use substances to get a high as per surveys. By turning to God and religion most addicts have finally reformed themselves. Interestingly, spiritualism through meditation and Yoga is clinically tested and has been extensively used these days by many rehabilitation centers across the world. The bottom line is that parents/guardians must be extra watchful. Keeping in view the deepening chaos in the society, parental responsibilities are higher now than ever before.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Via email
Development please!
Editor, The hot topic currently debated is whether or not uranium should be mined. But seriously what we all desperately need at the moment is a world standard functional airport and train services which will cater to our needs and do away with our having to travel all the way to Guwahati. May I live and may this generation live to see us taking a flight or a train to other parts of the country from Shillong, hopefully! Everything will then be cheaper and available once the railway is introduced to the KhasiJaintia Hills and those tense moments of catching a flight on time will be a thing of the past for the entire generation.
Yours etc.,
Dashan Warshong.
Via email
Kudos State Library
Editor, The State Central library deserves praise for its membership touching 28,600 (S.T July 11, 2016). It should be kept in mind equally that it is because of the diversity both of old and new books of literature there that has led people to enrol as members. As a student back in the early 2000s, I recall spending most of my college years there. The library is very rich in Contemporary Indian Fiction, where every Indian literary-prize winning novelist could be found in its shelves. Research scholars can find an array of books of criticism on Shakespeare, American Literature, the poets Robert Frost, Rabindranath Tagore, Faiz Ahmed Faiz etc. There are some rare books too like ‘The Penguin Book of Latin American Verse’ edited by E.Caracciolo Trejo, ‘Collected Stories’ of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, ‘Contemporary Latin American Short Stories’ of Maple Press and a biography of Jack Kerouac by Ann Charters. The State Central Library has truly reinvented itself in these few years! Kudos to its administration!
Yours etc,
Willie Gordon Suting,
Shillong-1