Editor,
As fear and uncertainty grip the citizens of our state once again, one cannot help but wonder if the situation would have taken a different turn if those in governance had performed their duties honestly. On the one hand, we have our health workers and the corona warriors like those in the police and other essential staff taxed beyond their limits, the callous behavior of the privileged lot has drawn ire from the general public. The marriage party had gone out of town on the June 27, hoodwinking everyone, leaving all without any inkling of the impending catastrophe.
The members of the party even had the audacity to roam about freely after coming back without paying any heed to their conscience as to what their carelessness would warrant to society. But they did not enjoy this privilege on their own. It was definitely a coercion supported by members of the government. Otherwise how can such abrasive behavior have taken place?
The government was quick to take damage control measures by imposing the lockdown. While we support the measures imposed, one can only hope that the virus is contained and those responsible for this unmitigated chaos are given the most stringent of punishments so that the public who are made to suffer through no fault of their own get to feel a sense of justice.
Yours etc,
Angela Lyngdoh,
Shillong-14
End of democratic principles
Editor,
When rabid religious dogma gets zealously pursued with the who’s who of the polity religiously spewing vitriol against certain communities, many of whom associated with deadly riots and pogroms; the society is certainly pushed further and further away from the noble ideal of secularism. When criticism against Government gets promptly equated with “attack upon nation” and those who refuse to swim with the “mainstream” and dare to question ideology, policies and actions of any outfit get unhesitatingly dubbed as “anti-national”; the liberal concept of Democracy and freedom of expression certainly gets dishonoured most blatantly.
When outfits based on parochial divisive imperialist “philosophy” start dominating in a multi-lingual multi-religious heterogeneous country and dream of a time and society when/where a particular religious group and language would call the shots by relegating all norms of linguistic cultural and religious heterogeneity to oblivion, Diversity is bound to receive least respect. And “respect” towards Federalism gets blatantly exposed when none other than the Constitutional safeguards can also be unilaterally abrogated with a state divided into two and demoted to Union Territories without taking the people of the concerned state and their political representatives into confidence!
Hence it hardly evokes any surprise when noble humanitarian progressive ideas of secularism democracy diversity federalism are specifically found to be deleted from the CBSE syllabus in the name of “reducing the stress” of the students hit by Covid-19 crisis and it’s after effect. Indeed unfortunate is that society where the young impressionable minds get deprived of ideas concepts principles which hold the potential of expanding their mental horizons and liberalise their mindset!
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Via email
Irresponsible Swiggy
Editor,
On May 30 and July 10, 2020, I placed prepaid orders for groceries and miscellaneous items from Vishal Mega Mart Essentials through Swiggy. In the delivery service on May 10, out of 5 packets of one item ordered only 4 packets were delivered. Again during the delivery on July 10, out of two packets of a particular item ordered only one packet was delivered. While the former issue was resolved after contacting the Swiggy customer care service they have expressed their inability to resolve the latter issue. This is a matter of concern.
Yours etc.
S. Tiken Singh
Shillong-3
India’s Covid surge
Editor,
It seems Covid-19 does not spare anyone even celebrities. Bollywood suffered a when Amitabh Bachchan, his actor-son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and grand daughter Aradhya and a number of other celebrities tested positive for Covid-19 saddening millions of their fans. It is pertinent to note that Mumbai is the worst Covid-hit city like Delhi and the atmosphere seems filled with coronavirus. The number of infected patients are only increasing day by day in Mumbai. The situation in Maharashtra and particularly in Mumbai is alarming.
Globally, there have been millions of confirmed cases of Covid-19 and deaths of over 562,617 persons were reported. The pandemic continues its journey of killing more and more people with no vaccine at all to break the cycle of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Russia has become the first nation to complete clinical trials of coronavirus vaccine on humans and the results have proven the medication’s effectiveness. Chief researcher Elena Smolyarchuk, who heads the Centre for Clinical research on Medications at Sechenov University said, “The research has been completed and it proved that the vaccine is safe. The volunteers will be discharged on July 15 and July 20.” So, it is expected that the first vaccine may come from Russia.
The US accounted for the world’s highest number of infections and fatalities. Even in the midst of growing number of coronavirus patients, US President Donald Trump was mocking those who wore mask. Ironically, Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday. Trump was seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the Covid pandemic. Like Brazilian President Bolsonaro, Trump was in a defiant mode and refused to wear a mask. But this time he had to do so at the insistence of health officials.
In India, there is no let up in the fury of the Covid-19 spiral. On Sunday alone there were a record 28,637 new coronavirus cases, taking the nation’s overall tally to 8,50,000, while the death toll reached 22,700. But Home Minister Amit Shah sounded optimistic despite the huge number of cases. He said that India was on a strong pedestal in the fight against Covid-19. Taking the prevailing grave situation into account, it may be good for the government to impose a nation-wide lockdown for a week or two weeks to break the chain of the coronavirus. The first country-wide lockdown imposed on March 25 proved to be a premature one as a real lockdown is to be considered right now, when people of the country are suffering from the real pain due to Covid-19.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email