Editor,
I was shocked and upset to read the news that the Ministry of Defence has dropped the Christian hymn, “Abide with me,” from the, ‘Beating The Retreat,’ ceremony to be held on January 29 2020. This Christian hymn has been part of the closing ceremony of the Republic Day celebration since 1950 and it was Gandhi’s favourite hymn. Also people from various faiths love this song and draw inspirations from it. This hymn that has been played at every ‘Beating the Retreat’ programme gives me a sense of security and joy that secularism still prevails. This hymn is our prayer that God will abide with us as a country, helping us to live in peace and prosperity and also to strengthen us through the challenges that we meet.
I am wonder why the Defence Ministry has taken this decision at this juncture when the citizens of the country are opposing the CAA/NRC. Some people may say that it is just a song and it needs to change but for me the hymn is not just a song but it is a song that was included in the ceremony to remind us of our leader, Mahatma Gandhi who professed and believed in secularism. So what is the motive for excluding this song from the ceremony? This decision by the Ministry does not respect the sentiments of other minorities and decisions like these pose a threat to our right to profess our faith and our continued mission works to uplift our country.
I call upon our Christian community and our fellow citizens to respect secularism and as a mark of respect for this enduring principle, on our Republic day January 26, 2020 we will pray and sing this hymn in the church, in our homes and on the streets to show that we believe in a secular India and we will always uphold this secularism.
Yours etc.,
Rev NB Diengdoh.
Shillong -14
The RSS Misreads History: A response
Editor
I agree with the conclusion in the letter written by NK Kehar (ST January 22, 2020) that we should “be tolerant and welcoming to all communities.” My own letter said that, “India belongs equally to all its citizens, irrespective of origin, ethnicity or religion.” The main intent of my letter was to object to the RSS claim that, “this country belongs to the Hindus”. Mr Kehar has conveniently side-stepped this point, choosing to go instead into tangential points of little relevance that camouflage the main topic.
Furthermore he has gone on a personal attack accusing me of ‘blatant misreads’. I had not made any claim to expertise on this subject and merely quoted from authoritative scholars on this subject and had provided the sources. The term Ancestral North Indian, Indo-European and Aryan come from the academic literature and this study has been led by Prof David Reich of Harvard University which has collaborated with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad.
His (sorry if my presumption of the gender is wrong) claim that the Khasis came from Southeast Asia is based on outdated assumptions which have been updated by recent genetic and linguistic evidence. It is well-established that Munda and Khasi are related genetically, linguistically and culturally such as the similar patterns of monolith erection. I will be happy to provide a complete bibliography of scientific references to anyone.
Another issue is worth raising here. In the 1951 census form there was an option of choosing “tribal religion”. This was removed thereafter and “other religion” was added. But from the 2011 Census, even “other” was removed and tribals who followed their own religion could not indicate their religion. Many tribal organisations have raised this issue but to no avail. Now we are being told we are all Hindus. Hinduism has great philosophies and precepts but so do other religions.
Yours etc.,
Glenn C. Kharkongor
Via email
Six lane a pipe dream!
Editor,
The caption in the front page of The Shillong Times, January 22, 2020 says, “Six lane GS Road possible if land is available.” This caption already clarifies the doubt that land is not available for a six-lane GS Road. The matter ends there! Governments past and present found it impossible to have even a proper airport at Umroi because they could not get land. So to dream of a six lane GS Road is to build castles in the air. It is no different from the Supreme Court Ruling in 2018 on the eve of Diwali saying, “Cracker bursting allowed IF the crackers are green.” There was instant joy especially in Delhi but half an hour later there was an eerie silence as there were no green crackers in India at the time.
Meghalaya is the only place in the whole world that allows overloaded trucks to inch at 3 kmph. In this respect I salute my people who commute between Jowai and Shillong in small vehicles behind these trucks that run at snail’s pace. On January 14, 2020 an overloaded truck travelling from Wah Nangbah to Puriang reversed and missed our car by a thread, due to diesel mis-injection. I travel once in a while to Jowai but I really praise the courage of those who travel on this route regularly in small cars.
As for myself, I shall never visit my home town Jowai until I can purchase a second hand JCB. It is very safe to ride on. One does not have to pay road tax or go for pollution tests and there is no jerking as well because the wheels are the size of the giant wheels in a circus.
Yours etc.,
W Passah,
Via email