Editor,
This has a reference to article “Niamtre, Hinduism and Ram Temple in Ayodhya” by H.H.Mohrmen (ST August 3, 2020). The letter raises doubts about the historicity of the Jaintia traditions, customs, and religion, and thinks that just because these are “somewhat flexible” as they can be easily amended and easily discarded, they are therefore imitation of Hindu practices due to the connections of the Jaintias with Sylhet. However, the writer perhaps does not know that all religious practices and social traditions and customs undergo changes through time. If the writer had taken pains to know the history of the major religious and social systems of the world such as the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Islamic, he would have known to what extent all of them had evolved to adjust to the changing times. Can the writer explain why there were so many sects and cults within such systems? Secondly, all such systems had been influenced by one another mutually. Look at the Bhakti and Sufi movements in medieval India or at the socio-religious movements in modern India. Was there no interaction between the Brahmo Samaj and the Unitarian Church?
The experts have already shown that the three Judaic traditions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have had influenced one another. Christianity emerged in a society that was heavily influenced by Judaism and Greek myth. The Jewish Bible was originally written in Hebrew, whereas the books of the New Testament are generally thought to have been written in Greek. The Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek at an early point of Hellenistic Jews. Even the idea of Hell has a history. It developed steadily only after the death of Yeshua, an original name for Jesus of Nazarene. It is a product of misconception and irresponsible translated scriptures. In the Bible, words like Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus and Sheol or Gehinnom have been carelessly translated from the Greek and Hebrew.
I request the writer not to confound our understanding with his lack of knowledge of the indigenous belief. It appears that his article has a political and cultural agenda to mislead the Jaintias and to denigrate the belief of the others, be it indigenous or otherwise.
Yours etc.,
Sanwame War
Shillong- 2
A flyover at Barik to ease congestion
Editor,
First of all, I would like to congratulate the entire staff of The Shillong Times on its Platinum Jubilee. As published in your esteemed of August 12, 2019 the State Gov’s ‘Smart City Project’ intends to come up with the infrastructural development project such as Shopping Malls, Parking Lots, etc at Barik Junction, which presently also houses the PWD Office, I wish to make known my views on the matter.
First, the question here is why not the Govt. of Meghalaya shows its seriousness by inviting a panel of expert engineers, urban planners, and architects from leading agencies to study the feasibility of constructing a ‘fly-over’ and to utilise the space at Barik Junction that currently houses the PWD office rather than proposing or announcing its intent of a ‘Smart City Project’ through the media for developing shopping malls, et al at the same site, which I believe will only add to an already congested city.
In place of such a proposal that the Govt is keen on by citing development initiatives in the guise of ‘Smart City Project’, I believe, a ‘fly-over’ at the proposed site itself will be of great help to ease the traffic congestion at Barik Point Junction and adjoining areas, given that Barik Junction today acts as an intermediary point that connect many arterial roads, links roads connecting localities and even the main premises that house many offices of the Govt. of Meghalaya, and numerous other institutes, schools, colleges and even residence and localities are linked and inter-linked through Barik Point Junction.
Moreover, the steep rise in vehicular traffic at the same junction has made daily commute a pain and an eyesore. Less availability of space to widen the main arterial roads and link roads has only worsened the situation. Let’s not forget the fact that Barik Point Junction witnesses traffic nightmare on a day-to-day basis.
Hence a ‘fly-over’ as part of the ‘Smart City Project’ at Barik Point Junction will greatly benefit Shillongites. If given a serious thought, such a proposal would come in handy and act as a great relief to the daily commuters, apart from providing the prospects and life-line for long-term measures to help decongest and tackle the traffic congestion within the heart of the city. This also has its up-side as far as fulfilling the long-cherished dreams of Shillongites to have their very own ‘fly-over’ right at the heart of the city. Rather than focussing on the commercial aspect of shopping malls, a ‘fly-over’ is a much more do-able and practical project and comes as a welfare measure with long-term benefits, especially considering the fact that available space within the city area is already sparse.
It is therefore imperative that the Govt. should show its seriousness and intent to come up with a visionary planning methodology for urban development, rather than proposing something that is of commercial value and less of welfare, which will destroy the lifeline of Shillong city. Nothing can stop the Govt if it shows the will, intent, and seriousness on the matter, given the resources at its disposal. A proposal as such would only help contribute towards making our Shillong city a liveable place that we can take pride in
Yours etc.,
Pynshai Shynret,
Shillong-4