Editor,
Mr Tathagata Roy, the Ex Governor of Meghalaya, known for his grotesque articulations posted on social media. In these incendiary statements he has pitched the residents of Them Metor vis-à-vis the indigenous tribals of Hynniewtrep. And to add fuel to the fire, he has further called upon the Bengalees and other non-tribals of our state to unitedly stand against the local tribals. Such disseminations are bound to arouse societal tensions and this is nothing short of a communal incitation, thus making him a veritable offender with an ulterior motive to create social disaffection. Hence, such hostile expressions with an agenda to create feelings of hatred, ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional group or castes or communities are perhaps liable to be booked under Section 153A, IPC.
Co-incidentally, during the last Durga Puja’s deities immersion in Shillong we were much elated and felt re-assured to hear from some senior Bengalees in one of their interviews with a local TV channel that they will not tolerate any anti-social elements in their midst who intend to interfere in the hitherto by and large seemless social harmony that exists between the tribals and non-tribals. They reiterated that they were in fulsome praise of the State government and the local populace for having had a trouble-free puja celebration. To sum up, if the bonafide non-tribals of Shillong can articulate such words of wisdom, I can’t see why our Ex- Governor dares to naively post such unfounded misplaced observations?
Yours etc.,
Jerorme K. Diengdoh
Shillong-2
Assembly session takeaways
Editor,
The five-day autumn session of the Meghalaya Assembly ended last Thursday but the main issues raised in the house by the Opposition like illegal mining of coal, it’s illegal transportation and sale outside the state; the nagging power issues and the unreasonable Covid-19 expenditure refused to go away from public memory.
The Opposition brigade of Meghalaya ought to be reminded that illegal mining, transportation and sale of coal did take place even during the former’s regime right after the NGT ban in April 14, 2014. The illegality continued till the take-over of the present regime when the same coal baron law breakers continued to violate the NGT ban with impunity. So who is blameless? Is it a case of the pot calling the kettle black? The pertinent question is why the coal issue is raised time and again? Your answer to this is as good as mine.
The other major issue raised during the recent Assembly session was on the Power sector which continues to be one of the major sectors in the state and in the country’s economy. Without power other sectors cannot move forward. The sector was not properly understood and woefully handled and managed by successive governments of Meghalaya. They had no foresight, proper planning and did not give it top priority. Today our State continues to buy power from other power producers at exorbitant tariffs and at huge cost to the public exchequer. The power dues to power producing companies run into hundreds of crores of rupees. The state continues to reel under power deficit as the power players which signed the MOAs with the Government have failed to start the projects after a lapse of 14 years. The Opposition has accused the present government of manipulation and favouritism in the allotment of work to the tenderer for the Saubhagya scheme for villages. They have also accused the Government of manipulation in the Smart metering of electricity bills. Government was also accused of manipulations and duplications in power bills at the cost of rural consumers in villages.
Another important issue which was raised by the opposition in the Assembly last week was on the excessive expenditure of Rs 399 crore on combating Covid-19. The Opposition alleged that Government had inflated the expenditure on Covid19 and said it was a hidden ploy which cost the public exchequer dearly. They described the spending as a blatant manipulative corruption leaving nothing for development purposes of the state. The fact of the matter is that the Government has spent huge amounts in the guise of tackling the disease but the reality is to allegedly make hay while the sun shines. The Covid-19 figures were a hoax to cover up the white lie and to justify the lavish spending for self aggrandizement.
Yours etc..,
Philip Marwein,
Shillong
End of an era
Editor,
Soumitra Chatterjee was one of those rarest of rare actors in the history of Indian cinema who had excelled himself both in critically acclaimed “arthouse” films as well as in those of “mainstream” vintage. Moreover he was one of the most malleable actors seen on screen portraying a wide range of characters with utmost conviction. From an urban sleuth to rural teacher, a struggling swimming coach to top-end doctor, romantic hero to unscrupulous villain, from comedy to serious roles, Chatterjee was at ease with any challenge thrown his way.
No wonder the legendary Satyajit Ray featured him in as many as 14 films with his acting gems liberally showered in films of Mrinal Sen to Tapan Sinha, Goutam Ghosh to Aparna Sen to name a few. Apart from being a great actor and star, Chatterjee was both an enigma and an institution in Bengali life with perhaps each person feeling a direct or indirect attachment to this tall figure.
During my college days in the early 1990s, I had the privilege of receiving as many as three letters from the legend who had the humility and decency to reply through his own handwriting numerous postal mails from his innumerable admirers, thereby proving his down to earth character.
Once when an enthusiastic self “rebuked him” for working in some meaningless potboilers, the stalwart politely expressed the hard fact of paucity of good films being churned up with no guarantee that he would necessarily get the call to act in those along with his compulsion to keep the kitchen running and finally asking forgiveness by keeping in mind his vast body of work in memorable films despite several constraints. On another occasion when I expressed my desire to meet him, Chatterjee agreed to meet me, an absolute stranger in a theatre on a particular day of the week and time where he was regularly performing in a play! Also he gave out his phone number if I wished to call him!
No wonder why, like Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray or Uttam Kumar; the humble cultured dignified Soumitra Chatterjee has also become an indispensable part of the lives of all true-blue Bengalis.
In critical phases of their lives his innumerable admirers will certainly continue to draw inspiration from the inspiring call of Chatterjee’s character in the epic film ‘Koni’ where in his role as the swimming coach he would encourage the struggling swimmer from a poor economic background thereby paving the path for her success by cheering – ‘Fight Koni Fight’!
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Via email