Editor,
It is a matter of serious concern that recently the Supreme Court has commuted the death sentence of a child rapist to a jail term of twenty years. The accused had murdered a 4-year-old girl in 2013 after committing the heinous crime. This, in fact, quite goes against the popular scream for the sternest punishment for the heartless criminal. Contrastingly, one of three judges in the case was a female Justice Bela M Trivedi.
Of course, we all are human beings, and compassion and forgiveness are indeed the highest virtues. Becoming compassionate and forgiving never fails us since they contribute to cleansing our inner selves. But here the question is — will our sympathy and forgiveness turn the heinous “child rapist” into a saint? Will “all such” criminals sincerely repent and atone for their dastardly acts? One hopes the apex would not be blamed for travesty of justice.
Very interestingly, the Court found it worthwhile to quote a celebrated writer Oscar Wilde while pronouncing the judgment: “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Why this blatant contempt for law?
Editor,
Over and over again readers and common citizens have expressed their distaste at the VIP culture which rides roughshod over public rights, in various newspapers. The abuse of sirens and the red beacons by bureaucrats and politicians and even by private individuals using the clout of their VVIP relatives is disgusting to say the least. The Supreme Court of India had come out with a directive to the Union Government to make rules in respect of its observations and also directed the state governments to come up with a set of guidelines. The awful misuse of the siren actually shows the deep sense of insecurity if not an inferiority complex by those who occupy the seats of power and who forget they are actually public servants. The State Home Department as usual is caught napping on this issue as it has failed to take proactive steps to curb the VIP menace. The Supreme Court too should follow up and monitor how its own orders are being implemented in letter and spirit. Such misuse of the VIP culture shows that the rulers have no respect for the common citizens who are the real masters in a democracy.
Yours etc..
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar,
Via email
English is North East India’s stock in trade
Editor,
The editorial “Indulgences in streets” and the special article “English as a social capital of Northeast India” by Jyotirmoy Prodhani, (ST April 20, 2022) were both incisive. To restore our freedoms all types of indulgences in the streets in India should be banned except if they have the permission of the Home Department to ensure that it is peaceful and democratic keeping at bay the communal genie. Prodhani in his article has rightly concluded that “the existence of the Northeast as a distinctive cultural territory with its value and vision now depends on how the region responds to this new challenge posed against one of its biggest social capitals – the English language.” In a country where 56% are none Hindi speaking, let people learn Hindi on their own volition and it should not be imposed. Learning of Hindi should be voluntary; you cannot foist Hindi on any section of people given the diversity of India’s mother tongues. Foisting Hindi as a compulsory language is a recipe for disaster. Rapid exchange of knowledge is more easily accessible with knowledge of English – the mother of all languages and the world’s most important lingua franca. Times of India has correctly put it “Historical circumstances have given India a natural advantage by equipping a sizeable number of people with knowledge of English”. Ashok Agarwal, Academician and member Executive Council, Delhi University rationally put it, “We all speak Hindi, know Hindi but it cannot be used everywhere. In our country, English is still the ruling language. For a better job and five-star culture, English is given priority. In such circumstances, the importance of Hindi gets reduced”. He goes on to say, “If Hindi is imposed on people, it will not have any major impact. So, it is necessary to increase the utility of the language, especially in business areas, government and non-government areas, knowledge, science, court, school and college, which will expand usage of the language”.
English language has translated into big economic gains. Knowing English propelled China to become a top goods and services exporter. China’s foreign exchange reserves (useful to insulate a country from global economic shocks and managing domestic inflation) is almost $4 trillion against India’s $ 570 billion. China is now a $15 trillion economy against India’s $3 trillion and its exports are more than 6 times of India’s. Why only Hindi? We can also learn other diverse language of India as multi-linguality confers many advantages to those who know diverse languages of the country.
Yours etc
V.K.Lyngdoh
Via email
National Civil Service Day – A bygone era
Editor,
Apropos of Phillip Marwein’s, “National Service Day “ST April 22, 2022,of course it is the National Civil Service Day but gone are those civil servants (IAS officers) like TN Seshan or JM Lyngdoh, remembered till today for their handling of elections in tumultuous times of Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and for pushing electoral reforms .And JM Lyngdoh was CEC during Atal Behari Vajpayee’s prime ministership in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Back in Assam, we saw two IAS officers who refused to obey orders and preferred to resign. There are still a few more who refused enticements. Today on the contrary it is sad to see civil servants seeking enhanced pensions and looking for benefits for themselves (Greater Shillong township episode). And why is the cabinet never questioned by the bureaucrats on SSA, on Illegality of coal, or the downfall of our education system.
If these dare to perform against all odds, then let’s hope that next year we will see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Yours etc
F. Lyngdoh
Via email