Editor,
I read with great interest the article, “Unmasked: The Patriarchal Truth of Khasi Matriliny” By Dalariti Nongpiur & Philarisa Nongpiur (ST Aug 2, 2018) and I am so proud that two young women professionals could articulate their thoughts with such clarity. This particular sentence caught my attention, “It a sad thing that there is no law against hypocrisy, but for a community whose sense of self preservation is so deluded, we have an insatiable appetite for self destruction.”This confirmed my own fears that the downward slide of Khasi society as a result of a depraved political culture is now laid at the doorstep of the matrilineal practice. Women are accused of mindlessly marrying some non-Khasi fortune hunter and allowing him to run away with the wealth from the state of Meghalaya. The arguments put forth by those ‘men’ who drafted the amendments to the 1997 Bill and those who impulsively supported it is that they are doing it to save the Khasi race from perdition. The word “Jaitbynriew” (the people) seems to stir up our basest instincts. I have been following the news on your online news portal and what I read shocks me because I see that those who oppose the proposed Bill are being caricatured as enemies of this “Jaitbynriew” as if they are already excluded from it and that therefore anyone is free to crucify them.
Is this the new low that Khasi society has sunk to and are people going to remain silent spectators with the exception of a few vocal ones like the two ladies who have written the above article? On Sunday I was surprised to read that the Seng Khasi had not tendered its views on the Bill because the Seng was not consulted. Isn’t that a greater reason for opposing a Bill that has not taken the views of the indigenous faith group which has been the custodian of Khasi culture? Again, here I suspect that like other western faiths, our own too is led by men and decisions also are taken by them. I am sure that if the women in the Seng Khasi were consulted they would have their own views to share.
As a Khasi woman living abroad, I have always been proud of my society and believed that it is tolerant and liberal enough for women and men to feel safe to express their sexuality and their views too. But in recent times I have sensed the machismo that is suddenly becoming a predominant Khasi male psyche, during my occasional trips home. That coupled with the activism which is not based on empirical research of any kind is sure to lead the society into a regressive state even while other indigenous people are facing the world with courage and adapting to the changes but also engaging intelligently so that they do not lose out their land and resources to mining lobbies, to the timber mafia and the ‘commons’ to those with an eye on appropriating what is known in UN parlance as “Common Property Resources,” which make indigenous peoples the owners of those resources.
I asked a few friends who I consider forward looking why they don’t form a discussion group to logically thrash out this Bill. I was surprised to hear their reply. “The Bill has created such a polarisation in society that we don’t want to add to that.” This is the kind of argument that has pulled back Khasi society into the dark ages. And I personally consider this Bill extremely conservative and nasty too. I would encourage all the Khasi women who value their rights and their dignity to fight back whenever such societal disjuncture threatens to disrobe them of their matrilineal rights.
Yours etc.,
HJ Lyngdoh,
Camp: Ontario, Canada
Where is my fish?
Editor,
I have been spending these past few days in great anticipation. I was hoping to finally get to taste our own home grown ‘fish’ which were supposed to have been successfully reared under the famed aquaculture missions which our former CM created such a hype about. However with each passing day, I have realised that probably the aquaculture missions (and the millions which were spent on them) were so successful that perhaps Meghalaya is exporting them outside the State and that is the reason we don’t get to see any local fish in the markets.
Kudos to the Government of Meghalaya for investing heavily in one successful mission after another!
Yours etc.,
Sumit Kar,
Shillong-1
Air India’s patronage
Editor,
At the behest of the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India, nationalized banks are reducing the rate of interest on hard-earned fixed deposits and Senior Citizen’s Savings Scheme continuously every year. PPF & EPF are being exposed to Stock Market fluctuations. At the same time inflation based on wholesale prices has accelerated to a 4-year high of 5.77% in June, 2018 due to increasing prices of vegetables and fuel. The WPI based inflation stood at 4.43% in May and 0.90% in June last year as per government data released recently. Inflation is at the highest level since December, 2013, when it was at 5.9 per cent. As per the latest Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data, inflation in food articles stood at 1.80 per cent in June this year , as against 1.60 per cent in the previous month. Inflation in vegetables jumped to 8.12% in the last month.
Senior citizens who had contributed effectively and efficiently to the Industrial and over-all growth of the country’s economy specially from the coal, steel other prime mineral production sector are not getting pension and fighting hard for survival. In a predominantly seller’s market with exponential rise in prices of all essential commodities and with the shrinking and reduced purchasing/buying power senior citizens of the country have almost lost their right to live and right to medical aid and treatment.
Now Air India’s decision of making available flight tickets to senior citizens of Indian nationality at half -price for inland travelling comes as a reprieve. It is expected that all other airlines too will take a cue from Air India and extend the same facilities to senior citizens.
Yours etc.
Samares Bandyopadhyay
Camp: Shillong