Editor,
As an officer in one of the State Government Departments, I have been more often than not deputed to attend the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly whenever sessions when held during those years of 2008-2013 for exclusively noting down points, questions etc pertaining to my department and raised by the members of the House. Thereafter I had to prepare and tweak the reports in case any response is required for transmission to the Govt. at the shortest possible time. Apart from this official assignment, I also keenly followed, though beside the point, the art of speaking and the wittiness of words uttered by the Assembly’s member, especially of Conrad Sangma then MLA of 48-Selsella and that of Manas Chaudhuri, representing the 19-South Shillong constituency respectively. Lest I forget, I was also no less spellbound by the oratorical gift of Paul Lyngdoh of 18-West Shillong constituency, notwithstanding his age. Lyngdoh’s successful delivery has wrought the much needed changes in his constituency.
After the results of the Assembly election were announced on February 28, 2013, I had shot off a Letter to the Editor which figured under these very columns of your daily in which I had bemoaned the defeat of Conrad Sangma, and other prominent MLAs. Fortunately, Paul Lyngdoh had managed to retain his prestigious seat. I still relish the latter’s oratory prowess on the floor of the Assembly even in the days of its final session. I only hope to see him even after the ensuing polls scheduled for February 27 next.
However, this time around I visualize that Lyngdoh is facing a tough challenge from his main rival Mohendro Rapsang, a prominent and a kind business tycoon of the city. In this context and quirky as it may sound, it bears recall that decades ago in the MLA election to the erstwhile 19-Jaiaw constituency, which covered to date a large chunk of areas under the now 18-West Shillong seat, the then two bitter rivals were PR Kyndiah and SM Jyrwa both now deceased. Of the rival duo, the latter besides being the Rangbah Shnong of Jaiaw Langsning was also very popular and of an amiable disposition and readily accessible to all concerned, but sadly, he never succeeded at the hustings and thus PR Kyndiah invariably managed to hold the fort as an MLA. Conversely, SM Jyrwa never ever lost an election to the KHADC from that very constituency. Such an uncanny electoral outcome was not far to seek consequent on a scrupulous soul-searching analysis: The electorate of the then 19-Jaiaw constituency which largely consisted of refined and educated voters and, markedly, Jaiaw Lumsyntiew, a constituent part of the then 19-Jaiaw constituency had a phenomenal literacy rate as I’m given to understand that it occupied the highest literacy benchmark in the city. The sum total fact was that the voters have had to choose Kyndiah on the premise of educational background in as much as he was no mean writer in English whereby constraining the enlightened voters with the Hobson’s choice in electing Kyndiah. Thus, the voters were convinced that the latter can successfully highlight their civic problems in the Assembly and to also ably deal with the ingenious IAS officers at the Secretariat. Hence, Kyndiah always had the last laugh in such electoral battles. Coincidentally, and without mincing words, Paul Lyngdoh being a Post Graduate in English and a writer of note whose books are read in the educational institutions will redefine PR Kyndiah’s magic. But I shudder to think otherwise!
Yours etc.,
Jerome K. Diengdoh,
Via email
Killed for love!
Editor,
This refers to the article, “The text and context” by Ananya S Guha (ST, Feb 14, 2018). After Ashraful was killed as a ‘love – jihad’ suspect by the team ‘A’, Ankit Saxena has been butchered on the altar of hatred by the team ‘B’ for his, so to speak, ‘reverse – love – jihad’. Unfortunately, both the teams ‘A’ and ‘B’ belong to the same country and it is, as it were, a football match of hatred where the lovers’ hearts are used to make the ball to get them kicked all the time. In this game of hatred, strangely, both the teams always win as the players get killjoy at the cost of the lovers’ dream of union, breaking the walls of caste and religious hatred. Whenever a goal is scored either by the team ‘A’ or ‘B’ or ‘C’ or ‘D’, Mother India cries out in pain as it takes her further from her goal of materializing unity and fraternity among her children.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata