Editor,
A cemented covering slab on the footpath at Rynjah,,opposite to BSNL colony, poses a big threat to the lives of pedestrians as it is lying in a broken condition for the past few weeks. Somehow, someone has done a yeoman service by placing a bamboo network to alert pedestrians not to use this part of the footpath which might become fatal.
Now, the question is, where are those who, only a few months back shouted at the top of their voices for development of their constituency? Why are they not taking notice of this hazard? Is it because it needs repairs that could not be attended to because of fund constraints? Or is the work too small that it can be left unattended?
I hope that this will alert the public representative to carry out his public duties.
Yours etc…,
R.Giri
Nongrah
English as the link language
Editor,
It is indeed heartening to learn that the Centre had on Monday dropped the contentious provision of compulsory teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states after the three-language proposal sparked outrage, mainly in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu was in the forefront of opposing the proposal in the 484-page draft National Education Policy (NEP) to make Hindi a mandatory third language to be taught in schools across the country. Non-Hindi speaking states often felt that the Centre’s move to thrust the Hindi language on them is against the spirit of federalism, and further it would be like forcing a particular type of food on a person who does not like it.
Perhaps in the entire world, Indian students are forced to learn as many as three languages, which is overburdening them. In my earnest estimation, this practice can be done away with and what is to be done instead is to make English mandatory. The government must promote it from the primary level. As English is the lingua franca of the world, every Indian must learn it especially from childhood so that he can communicate fluently within and outside India. Most of the African countries have two languages native as well as English. As everyone, irrespective of being rich or poor knows it, there is no problem of communication. Furthermore, to Africa’s ecstasy, an exclusive African English language was born to offer something to the English speaking world as well.
Admittedly, Hindi is a language spoken mainly in the heartland of India. If a non-Hindi speaking man wants to learn it out of his love for the language let him learn it. Every language has its own beauty in terms of its relevance and appeal, but certain languages have even more beauty inherent in them. English is one such. Moreover, it is a language spoken everywhere in the world. Why do we then labour and toil to learn more languages to speak one inside India and another one for the world?
As India is like a continent having different religions and languages, a unifying language is the sine-qua-non for our country and if that is being fulfilled by English, then we had better go for it. It would be more satisfying for the majority of Indians.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Kocki -15
Preparing for the Big One
Editor,
After the month long hype of jingoism and nationalism which is unprecedented and the Balakot strike which many, relying on satellite imagery of World View-2 taken a day after, see as the Balakot that never was, and after a long spell of ugly load shedding our youth can run their machines in full swing. We can now watch with a vengeance the India vs Pakistan cricket match (both teams involved in the Pulwama incident)and with the assurance that the dreaded CAB will not be implemented now, it is high time that we now prepare for an earthquake. The elections that stretched endlessly had robbed us of our focus on earthquakes but even then it is never too late. It is not wise to rely on foreign media as far as the 1897 quake is concerned. We are extremely lucky that tales of any kind were passed from one generation to the other with no missing text. The story of our Khasi survivors in the great flood; of swallowing the book of knowledge is true. The flourishing of herbals treatment, the herbs for burns, and most wonderfully the orthopedic treatment using herbs are standing testimony of the memorizing capability of our people. The tale of 1897 passed on by our grandparents about the quake and people’s response is very encouraging. Cottages of masonry were flattened to the ground. Expert masons, who were few in number could no longer cope with the rebuilding work. Farmers with expertise in ploughing with the hoe emerged in large numbers to hold the hammer – a new tool for them to help meet urgent needs. Till today any mason who could not make a wall orthogonally with tilting left, right, north and south is coined a quake mason (in Khasi they are called ‘misteri khynniuh jumai).
With Meghalaya listed at Seismic Zone 5 and in the light of 1897 we have some points to ponder. The scenario of 1897 was that of a hamlet of cottages distant from one another. There were no hospitals or dispensaries. Malaria was seen as a divine punishment to make people shift their hamlets elsewhere. Schools would have few cowherds and shepherds who would run to the grazing fields when the bell rang. Pebbles drawn from rivulets were their chalk and the ground was their slate. Dams most vulnerable to quake were yet to be built since Michael Faraday was yet to invent the Laws of Magnetic Induction. There were no mines to be badly raked and no high rise buildings since cement was yet to be discovered. Even the arch bridge at Sohbar built by David Scott (as seen on TV by Ian Lyngdoh),was made of lime and sand and it remains till date.
Today with Shillong in the mess we are in at present, an earthquake would be cataclysmic. But we can minimize the casualty. For instance removing the boulders on our rooftops and using nails to fix them and being prepares with a torch at home, checking the expiry date of fire extinguishers and making sure someone knows how to use it, doing away (except metal box) with kit-kats, using Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB)in our electrical distribution system and for those in government prepare for a good number of walkie-talkies as towers may get tilted. Finally, let everyone not panic.
Yours etc.,
- Khyriem,
Via-email
