Editor,
Whenever the rainy season arrives invariably the roads of Shillong city bear the brunt. Pot holes appear in different parts of the city roads. The causes for this annual damage are, shabby or slipshod road repairs and lack of proper drainage system. PWD repairs are often only cosmetic repairs. In Khasi there is a popular saying, “Ka PWD kam siangrong hynrei ka airong ïa ki surok” (PWD does not do blacktopping of roads but only paints them black ). This is true because the layer of tar that is laid over the roads is so thin that it is not worth the effort. This is the reason why roads in Shillong have to be repaired every year. It has become an annual event for the PWD, almost like a sacred ritual. I was just roughly calculating how much is spent in yearly repairs. Perhaps the amount would cross a few crores of rupees. Just imagine in a period of ten years, the amount spent would be scandalously high. With all the corruption that is involved in the work, so much of public money is being squandered.
It is my humble opinion that the PWD Ministry should give the road repair work of the entire city to a road construction company which will ensure that the roads would be of high quality and would last for at least twenty years. It would be a one-time investment of the government but it would definitely become cheaper than the present system of repair. The government should not be “penny-wise, pound-foolish.” Often the road repairs only cause great inconveniences to commuters. The government needs to think out of the box because progress comes only when people dare to think differently and act differently. Shillongites deserve to have a better city, not the one in which we are living in now. Our city which once boasted of its beauty and grandeur, is gradually turning into a slum. We hope that our leaders would nurture a better vision for our city and for out state as well.
Yours etc.,
Barnes Mawrie sdb,
Via email
Terror rakshaks should not go unpunished
Dear Editor,
Apropos the letter, “I fear terror rakshaks than gau rakshaks” ST July 28, 2017) by Salil Gewali, I completely agree with what the writer has held out as the contrasting facts very interestingly. Gau rakshak is a recent phenomenon while terror-rakshak has been in existence for a long time So, both the Gau rakshaks and terror rakshaks should not go unpunished. But many terror groups, their indirect supporters and the consequences thereof are very disturbing. Sujit De who regularly writes from Calcutta for The Shillong Times is mostly one sided. He chooses issues selectively. This makes the readers wonder if the writer has some ulterior motives. The Constitution of India should be amended to plug the loopholes with regard to sedition offences in the name of freedom of expression.
The readers can be fooled for sometime but not all the time. Mr Gewali has caught Sujit De on the wrong foot and has given a fitting and timely rebuttal to his letters. I also thank Mr Gewali for his outstanding book ‘Great Minds on India’. This helped me to know about ancient Indian knowledge in the western perspective.
Yours etc.,
Ayjaz Hussian,
Shillong-8
Terrorism has no religion!
Editor,
This is in response to Salil Gewali’s letter, “I fear terror – rakshaks than ‘gau – rakshaks'” (ST, July 28, 2017). First of all, I would like to say that I have written many pieces against the designs of ISIS, Talibans as well as against gau rakshaks. The most recent among them got published in the Shillong Times on July 14, 2017. Salil Gewali has used a very good term “terror – rakshaks” for those who terrorize people. These terror rakshaks may hoist a flag of one religion or the other ~ but as a matter of fact they all belong to just one religion. And that is the religion of terrorism which is totally divorced from the religion of humanity. In no way can we differentiate between rat terrorists and snake terrorists. All of them wherever they are, from Una to Amarnath must be branded as terrorists and be treated as such. We need to show zero tolerance towards such intolerant forces.
These terrorists cannot be the ambassadors of their religion. No religion is bad and there is something to learn from every religion. As Sri Aurobindo had said, “Each religion has helped mankind. Paganism increased in man the light of beauty, the largeness and height of his life, his aim at a many – sided perfection; Christianity gave him some vision of divine love and charity; Buddhism has shown him a noble way to be wiser, gentler, purer; Judaism and Islam how to be religiously faithful in action and zealously devoted to God; Hinduism has opened to him the largest and profoundest spiritual possibilities. A great thing would be done if all these God – visions could embrace and cast themselves into each other; but intellectual dogma and cult egoism stand in the way.”
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Native truths
Editor,
HH Mohrmen’s article, “The joy of learning and its cost,” (ST July 10, 2017)was very interesting. It reminded me of a famous Cherokee story where a chieftain was talking to a group of young children about life as he normally did every evening. He said, “Inside all of us there are two wolves and they are always fighting. One wolf stands for compassion, integrity, diligence, tolerance and harmony and the other one stands for hatred, envy, greed, sloth and violence.” After a while a child got up and asked,” Who will win?” The chieftain replied, “The one you feed.”
Yours etc.
Bijoya Sawian
via email