Editor
While thanking the NGOs of Garo Hills for their deep concern for the 15 students who could not appear for their SSLC owing to their not being issued admit cards by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE), and because of which an inquiry is being conducted by the Deputy Commissioner, West Garo Hills, it is important that the students do not miss an academic year. The poor students devastated by the school’s/MBOSE’s callousness still have a good chance to appear in the remaining subjects. We are reminded of a similar case that happened with NEET 2021 where two girls were given two mismatched papers – Answer Paper (P) and the Test Paper (Q). The girls brought that to the notice of the two invigilators, who instead of correcting their mistakes, shouted at the girls and even threatened them with stern action as they ‘disturbed’ the ongoing examination.
The girls approached the Mumbai High Court which at once ordered the National Testing Agency) to reconduct examination within 48 hours announcement and for the results to be immediately announced. The delay of two weeks for the NEET result to appear was due to this case.
If justice was served to two examinees in Mumbai for an all-India examination we see no reason why our 15 students should miss one precious year for no fault of theirs. And only one paper was missed, so if urgency is observed, the 15 students could appear in the remaining papers to save whole re-examination process. I request the NGOs of Garo Hills and Khasi and Jaintia Hills to unite to fight this case in the High Court if need be. The urgency is not in the inquiry but on how not to miss one academic year.
Yours etc.,
W. Passah,
Via email
A humanitarian gesture!
Editor,
No kudos is enough for the Russian journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace laureate Dmitry Muratov for his decision to donate his Nobel medal for auction so as to raise funds for the Ukrainian refugees. We are all aware how the minimum voice of protest — be it a peaceful slogan shouting or simple inscription of “NO WAR” – are being tamed with an iron hand in Russia with even children, women or senior citizens not being spared from detention, imprisonment and severe punishment. Muratov is editor-in-chief of The Novaya Gazeta newspaper which was already facing the ire of Kremlin for a long time for daring to criticise the policies of the State or Vladimir Putin. Now in these times of “Special Military Operations” (actually barbaric unilateral aggression) with all sane countries of the world providing all forms of support to the brutally-attacked Ukraine; the “super-sensitive” Russian State is in no mood to view “dissent” from the lens of forgiveness. So Muratov is well aware of the severe consequences he might have to encounter, thanks to his unique sacrifice of even the prized Nobel medal drawing international attention. Yet he has not hesitated to take this extreme step despite residing in Russia and thereby endangering his freedom, safety, career, future and even life just to respond to his Call of Conscience and offer financial/moral assistance to the assaulted people of foreign vintage i.e. the Ukrainian refugees!
Dmitry Muratov has practically proved through sheer action that humanity is infinite times greater than blind rabid “nationalism”! So instead of uttering zealous rhetoric of “My Russia is Great” and supporting the aggression akin to the dark medieval ages, Muratov can protest against his very own ( in terms of mere passport ) so as to embrace God’s own i.e. human beings of the world (that too persecuted) by transcending the narrow definition of “Nation”.
Javed Akhtar while attending the Kolkata Literary Meet, sang paeans of Urdu and its evolving secular literature and Indian credentials surpassing all divides of Hinduism and Islam. On the other hand, Akhtar also stressed “Languages belong to regions, not religions. Ten crore Muslims(of erstwhile East Pakistan) told seven crore Muslims (of erstwhile West Pakistan) that we will not learn Urdu at the cost of Bengali. I love Urdu the way you love Bengali but I respect and salute those people who defended Bengali. For them, that was their mother-tongue, which was far more important than their religion.” Unfortunately, the harbingers of “Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan” are not only hell bent on according “Islamic” stamp upon Urdu, but also dare to impose Hindi upon multi-lingual democratic India in the name of “national integrity”!
How many people raise their voicea to speak up for the “alien” victims when the perpetrators of violence are of their own national or linguistic stock? Herein lies the special significance and greatness of the thought process of Muratov and Akhtar ! Let people of all demographic credentials equally bloom and prosper in God’s borderless world with mutual respect and love.
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee
Kolkata