By Gary Marbaniang
Editor,
What’s wrong with the MLTR concert in Garo hills? Well as far as I’m concerned, everything is wrong with the concert. First and foremost, the wording in the banner at the concert was wrong; the wording reads as ‘live at Garo hills,’ when it should have been ‘live in Garo hills’ or ‘live at Baljek,Garo hills.’ ‘At’ is a preposition used when talking about a particular place. Secondly if the concert was a free concert as it was initially planned, then it sends a wrong message to music lovers and it will also have a debilitating effect on budding musicians of the state. Musicians across the globe live for the term, “sold out concert.” If the concert of a particular artist is sold out, then it means that a singer has made it considering the cut throat competition that exist in the music industry.
The MLTR concert if it is free will make music lovers in the state especially those in Garo hills feel the need for more free concerts and they will want the music concerts organized by local artists also to be free; musicians in the state are already fighting a losing battle; most of them already feel that it is simply not worth pursuing music as a profession. Such free concerts will be like a death knell to their dreams or aspirations of making music a career. Free concerts in the west are usually organized to raise funds for a particular cause. Live Aid is an example of such a concert. Lastly, the worst part about being wrong as far as making the MLTR concert a free concert is that it was the Government that organized the concert. A free concert does not have any utility; it’s simply a waste of public money if it is organized by the Government. The Government should have better things to do; organizing a free concert when the needs of the people are full to the brim shows that the Government has failed the people who elected them.
I bought a book entitled,” India grows at night,” by Gurcharan Das a week ago and I finished reading the first chapter today.The book started out with the initial assessment that India grows in spite of the failure of governance; in the first chapter he cited the example of Gurgaon.Gurgaon went on to become a model city for economic growth in spite of the absence of an efficient government machinery in the initial years of its rapid growth. Gurcharan Das opined in the book that India has a strong society and its inhabitants are resilient in nature; the economic reforms in 1991 unlocked the potential that has been lying dormant since independence.
For a state like Meghalaya to grow, we should also be less reliant on the government. Successive governments since 1972 have failed the people. The flame of optimism however should never die and hope should always spring eternal.Hoping against hope that the next government will take the state forward and hopefully they will also lead the people of the State to the promised land. Having uttered such optimistic words, I think it will be wise to be level headed and expect the worst too.Maybe we should aspire to be like the people of Gurgaon instead.The people of Gurgaon built the city from scratch and they did so in spite of the initial absence of an effective government machinery. An effective government machinery should have been there to facilitate and aid the people who built the city but in spite of the absence of enabling factors and a facilitator, the people of Gurgaon managed to beat the odds.Gurgaon is now one of the most prosperous city in India and the standard of living is at par with some of the wealthiest cities in the world.Resilience and an enterprising spirit are probably the factors that motivated the people of Gurgaon to strive for excellence.The people of Meghalaya especially the young generation should inculcate such values if the State is going to move forward in spite of the absence of good governance.
I’ve been here in Salt Lake City, Kolkata for almost a week now and this will probably be my last visit to the city. Kolkata and Salt Lake City area in particular has also seen remarkable economic growth over the last ten years. Who would have thought that a state that was under Leftist rule a decade ago would see so much investment and growth; however this investment should translate into jobs for the local populace of Kolkata and West Bengal for it to be of any value.Traces of Leftist rule still permeate the city of Kolkata. Austerity and affordability are still hallmarks of the city of Kolkata; probably nowhere in India will one get “chicken thali” that cost only 70 rupees but eventually I guess the traces left behind by the Leftist rule will eventually evaporate and disappear into thin air and the traits of capitalism will permeate every nook and corner of Kolkata.
What Meghalaya desperately needs right now is for its people to come to their senses and realize that the future is in their own hands; its people need to forge an enterprising spirit that is enduring and resilient at the same time. Prosperity and growth should start from the bottom rather than from the top and it should also happen in spite of the absence of good governance. In the long run however, good governance will be needed for growth and development to be sustainable. Meghalaya needs a government that will imbibe the good values of socialism such as austerity and affordability and bind it with the principles of capitalism. If some of you thinks that I’m vouching for Mamata Didi and her party and that I want her and her party to rule Meghalaya, then you will be disappointed because for me personally, I feel Mamata Didi and her party and the people of Khasi and Jaintia Hills are definitely not a match made in heaven nor are they compatible here on earth.