Editor,
Today is the death anniversary of a great hero who stood for what he believed was the greater good of his people. U Kiang Nangbah had no personal motives. He did what he did because he had a personal conviction and understanding about his duties as a citizen and that at a time when the concept of state or nation had not entered our hills. To give up one’s life for something one believes in is the sign of a noble heart. True that the Jaintias then were not united and that some even betrayed Kiang Nangbah but that’s the nature of humans. Cheating, lying, betraying, colluding for the sake of a few silver is common. I am not sure that our younger generation are really keen on knowing more about our local heroes.
As parents, elders and teachers it is our duty to give our children the education that encourages questioning, debating and dissenting. To question is to learn. It is high time that someone wrote a book detailing the early life of U Kiang Nangbah to make it compulsory reading in middle and high school. What is it that set Kiang Nangbah apart? What sort of upbringing did he have which instilled in him the courage to defy the might of the British with all the ammunition at their command? These facets of U Kiang’s character should be made known to all so that those values can be imbibed by the younger generation which tend to see only politicians as their role models because of the power they wield. In fact the youth today equate success with power. This is completely wrong. Success is the ability to live a life worthy of emulation. Is there one politician we can point to today as a role model? U Kiang Nangbah was a Jaintia. Why has his life not inspired anyone who would go the extra mile to call out corruption and illegality in the present system? If U Kiang was alive today would he have remained silent in the face of all the wrongs that are being committed by no less then those elected to govern us.
Sometimes, it is important to not just observe the death or birth anniversaries of our heroes but to delve deeper and see if we can draw or have drawn any lessons from their lives. Otherwise it’s just a hollow observation and remains only a symbolic one if it does not touch the hearts and minds of the younger generation and inspire them to “Be The Change They Want To See In The World,” as Gandhi says.
Yours etc.,
B Lyngdoh,
Via email
Can Congress offer solution?
Editor,
I have been following the news regularly and also the constant nitpicking by the Congress on the ruling MDA government. In my understanding of politics the Opposition within the legislature is basically to check the excesses of the ruling party but not to be totally antagonistic and certainly not to pile all sins on the present government. A good Opposition waiting for its turn to take the government would suggest measures on every problem that’s plaguing the state and there are far too many but let me dwell on the Harijan Colony issue. The Congress has been in power for the longest time in Meghalaya. What did the Party do to effectively remove the residents of the Colony located in a commercial area with poor hygiene and mobility? Without taking sides but looking at the realities on the ground, the present location for the Municipal employees is no longer feasible. We are allowing a slum to come up at a very crowded part of the city and the children growing there have no space for recreation. They are all cramped up in little rooms that look like chicken coop. This is no way for people to live. The people living here should not play politics with the issue but agree to move to a more decent place.
It is a sad testimony of things that the homes that have been built for these SMB workers in McCabe Road are now being used for some other purpose. Political leaders from both sides of the divide should speak to the residents of the Colony and convince them to move to a different location and no one should play politics with this issue. We have had enough of blame game all leading to naught.
Yours etc.,
Roland Marbaniang,
Via email
Meghalaya tourism
Editor,
Since December 21, tourists have been coming in slowly but surely but the local people at the tourist sites don’t seem ready yet to welcome them. Most eating places are shut and it is not possible to get bottled water in most destinations. At Dawki, most of the boats owned by the boatmen are leaking thereby making it dangerous for boaters. Also there is no safety gear in case the boats topple for some reason and the people in the boat don’t know how to swim. Safety first should be the motto of the Meghalaya Tourism Department. People at tourist destinations need a lot of training and hand-holding to be able to make the tourists’ experience a worthwhile one. Food is a big draw at any tourist destination but not packaged chips and coca-cola. Tourists look for local food. This too should be a selling point.
Yours etc.,
SK Jena,
Bhubaneswar