Editor,
Apropos letters to the Editor under the captions “Irregular appointments in MHRC” (ST September 25, 2019) and “Down with nepotism” (September 26, 2019), the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) would like to clarify as under:
- Examinations for the posts advertised were duly held and Personal Interviews were conducted by the Commission with the assistance of external official experts from the concerned departments of the Government of Meghalaya.
- Merit lists for the various categories were duly drawn up and appointments made to candidates as per the reservation policy of the Government.
- Incidentally, the posts of Record Keeper-cum-Record Sorter and Data Entry Operator were made to candidates who had never worked with the Commission. The accusation is therefore unfounded. Further, 3 (three) posts of Stenographers Grade – I were also made to the candidates who had also not worked with the Commission.
- Examinations/Personal Interviews for the Post of Duftry, Peon and Chowkidar are yet to be held.
- The answer scripts of the candidates who had appeared for the post of Accountant are under correction.
- Aggrieved candidates can visit the Commission’s website and update themselves on all relevant matters relating to the results of the examination.
The Commission has endeavoured to conduct the examinations and personal interviews with all fairness and deserving candidates have been appointed based on their merit/experience. Only the post of Stenographer Grade-III and the posts of 3(three) Drivers were appointed on merit to candidates who had been associated with the Commission for the past 3(three) years.
Yours etc.
Aldous Mawlong, IAS
Secretary, MHRC
Killed for open defecation
Editor,
It is indeed shocking to learn that two Dalit children who had no toilet at home were allegedly beaten to death by upper caste men for relieving themselves on a road in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday just when the Centre is gearing up to declare the country open defecation-free on October 2. Open defecation is still a habit among the people in the rural areas of our country. An incident could well vouch for this fact that open defecation is a habit and practice among people especially in the rural areas. My nephew (a Keralite) went to stay for two days in Tamil Nadu along with his friends. The house was a posh two-storeyed building. There were well furnished bedrooms with all amenities except toilets. When he got up in the morning to answer to nature’s call, he was directed to an open space to relieve himself. When he asked why they did not construct toilets in the bedroom, the inmates of the family ridiculed him and they said it is Keralites who practise unhygienic habits. This tells us that people are not adequately educated about sanitary habits. They have to change and learn a lot about aspects of hygienic and practise them.
But coming back to the tragic incident, words are inadequate to express our deep-felt anguish over the killing of two Dalit children for openly defecating. The family is poor, and it cannot afford to construct a toilet in the house in a time bound manner. However, the panchayat had sanctioned a house with a toilet for this Dalit family but the sarpanch, a relative of the accused, had scuttled the proposal. How can they attend to nature’s call? Think of the plight of the people without a toilet. The incident is indeed a disgrace on India in the international level. The fact that the children are beaten to death for openly defecating is indeed a curious kind of news to foreigners. Where else does this happen except in India? The government must be held responsible for not providing the basic amenities to poor people in the country.
Needlessly, a curious twist to the tragic incident was that as per the police version, Hakam, the accused declared that he had killed the children as god had commanded him in his dream to kill ‘demons.’ From this, it may be inferred that people are basically superstitious too. A great awakening and social reformation is needed for people in the rural areas.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email
Remembering a social reformer
Editor,
On September 26, 1820, 123 kms from Kolkata at Birsingha village, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was born to give women and Dalits right to education, to cure many social and educational ills and to create music in Bengali prose. Just after Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the name of Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar comes to our mind as a pillar of Bengal Renaissance that showed the light to India. He was indeed one of the forerunners of evolutionary progress of humanity. Unfortunately, those who have a vested interest, brainwash us into believing that the past was very good ~ Satyayug ~ and the present is very bad ~ Kaliyug ~ so, we need to march backwards. There is nothing to worry about as evolutionary progress keeps on giving us great reformers like Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar who fought against the prejudices surrounding girl’s and Dalit’s education and widow remarriage.
I learnt Bengali alphabet through Iswar Chandra’s book ‘Borno Parichoy’ (Introduction to the letter) and Sanskrit through his books ‘Upakramonika’ and ‘Byakaran Koumudi’. He was a philosopher, academic, writer, social reformer, translator, printer, publisher and had oceans of knowledge (Vidyasagar) and in the words of Michael Madhusudan ‘ocean of kindness’ (Dayar Sagar) within him.
He opened the gates of Sanskrit College for the non-Brahmin students and did everything for women’s education from establishing schools for girls to door to door campaign requesting parents to send their daughters to school. It was his efforts that got the Hindu Widow’s Remarriage Act, 1856 decreed. He even married his son Narayan Chandra to an adolescent widow to set an example.
No one can destroy Vidyasagar who was a man of exceptional character ~ who never bowed his head to high ranking British officials’ colonial mindset or to inhuman rituals in our society.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata