Editor,
Apropos the articles by Albert Thyrniang, Nathan Marwein, H.H Mohrmen and Toki Blah which were published on 19, 20, 22 and 23 January, 2018 respectively, I must express my gratitude to them for drumming up their concern and craving for the much needed change for the betterment of Meghalaya post February 27, 2018. All of them have expressed deep anguish and hopelessness that the much needed change may not come even after the ensuing Elections because of the lack of clear cut wisdom and understanding by majority of voters of the state in voting on the basis of clear cut current important issues confronting Meghalaya. Yes, Meghalaya voters must and ought to vote on issues and not by other extraneous considerations. It is also a fact that important social issues like Education, Health, Road and Communications, Power and Economic issues like agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors, Industry, tertiary and other sectors should not be missed from our minds before deciding to cast our votes for candidates and parties because these will impact all of us in different ways. That is also my earnest wish and appeal to all 18,30,104 voters of Meghalaya.
But the fact of the matter is that the political understanding and wisdom of all 18.30 lakh odd voters are not the same and does not travel on the same wavelength. Majority of voters (roughly 70 per cent) are motivated and influenced by narrow short term extraneous considerations like clan relationships, one bundle of CGI sheets, Rs. 100 note (if not more), assistance in payment of medical bills, help in construction of church buildings, club houses, school buildings, dwelling houses, playground, donations for purchase of school books, uniforms, footballs, sports uniforms, birthdays, weddings, household goods, grocery goods, assistance for admissions fees, running sports’ tournaments, sponsor of music fests, picnics, melas and what have you. To them that is more precious and immediate than the issues confronting the state in the long run which are more beneficial to them. I, for one, am definite that there will be change after February 27, 2018 though the change may not be up to our liking but that change, in whatever way, is the sum total of our collective democratic wisdom. We have to be ready to accept whatever the consequences that emerge from there.
Now what can be done in such a situation? The whistle blower has to continue to blow if necessary, the crusader for good and efficient governance has to keep on crusading for the better, the writers have to continue writing for enlightenment of the masses for political and social awareness till everyone is educated. What comes after February 27, 2018 will be the sum total of the political democratic wisdom of the 18.30 odd lakh people of Meghalaya. We have to accept it gracefully. Let us throw a long rope. Even after that, the crusade is not over, it will continue till the objectives are achieved. Finally, let us not lose hope.
Yours etc.,
Philip Marweiñ,
Shillong-2.
Downgrading the scientific temper
Editor,
This is with reference to Ananya S Guha’s article, “Attack on Science a ministerial guffaw” (ST, Jan 24, 2018). Educated persons holding constitutional posts have been giving statements which are against Article 51A (h) of our Constitution that says “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. Since this has been enshrined in our Constitution as the Fundamental Duty of every citizen of India, a minister is therefore supposed to be an embodiment of it rather than a violator of the same.
Unfortunately, India’s minister of state for HRD has given a statement to the effect that evolution is wrong as nobody saw man descend from apes and therefore such a theory needs to be modified in educational curricula. But had there been no evolution, could he have had command of a language to speak out his imagination?
Even the Prime Minister of India had once declared at the Science Congress that ancient Indians had mastered plastic surgery and Lord Ganesha’s elephant’s trunk was proof. If mythological characters like Lord Ganesha of India and the Sphinx of Greece happened to be the products of surgery then it must have been something more than surgical strike of plastic surgery! Even in this modern digital age, to fit and match an elephant’s head with a human body or a human head with a lion’s body is totally beyond any surgeon’s wildest dreams!
Our political parties are going soft towards regressive prejudices or sometimes even using such myths in their favour as they think those nonsensical stuffs will pay them vote – bank dividends. It is an irony that when Raja Rammohan Roy had successfully guided even a reluctant foreign company (East India) to the path of reform in the eighteenth century India, Dabholkar and his fellow thinkers could not take democratic governments of free India in the twenty first century from the narrow lane which is potholed with myths, superstitions and prejudices to the constitutional highway of scientific temper.
Some years ago, there was mass hysteria when the idols of Lord Ganesha started sucking milk in many parts of our country. Some regressive forces tried to siphon off whatever scientific temper we had at our disposal with such siphoning trick. Given advertisements for vashikaran for taming people are mushrooming day by day. They must be doing brisk business. This means that the umpteenth number of our brothers and sisters are being slow poisoned in the name of vashikaran or taming!
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata