The other side of democracy
Elections are a crucial aspect of democracy. Public participation makes democracy and elections worthwhile. People have the power to pick the government and lawmakers of their choice.
But what happens when showmanship and display of strength takes precedence in the election process. Shillongites learnt it the hard way last week when the nomination filing process turned into a nightmare for the residents and for visitors from outside.
Candidates from several constituencies descended into the town to file their nominations accompanied by a fleet of vehicles and scores of supporters who organised foot rallies towards the DC’s office, throwing life out of gear for the residents.
Vehicles were stuck in traffic jams for several hours leaving commuters reeling without any help in sight.
The situation was compounded by an overturned truck in Upper Shillong and with the road dug up for pipe-laying work people were left at the mercy of the heavens.
Schoolchildren, several of them from the primary sections, were stuck in their vehicles and school buses for a good number of hours, hungry and tired.
Exasperated parents vented their ire on social media platforms and the authorities promised to make amends. The situation repeated itself the next day, albeit on a slightly smaller scale.
Now with the electioneering expected to reach its zenith in the coming days, Shillongites are praying and hoping that they do not go through the nightmare, again.
The Jottings journey…
The Shillong Jottings has been a special and dedicated section in this paper to express whatever little but worthy is left out because of mainstream news — from a ‘boss’ dog sitting on a chair to discarded bottles stuck on the crevices of the walls in city, a debate on cab fares, some exclusive-to-Shillong-only stories; you name it. We have tried to bring to readers’ attention the minute details of Shillong.
Many of you are avid readers of the Shillong Jottings, some of you have even sent your feedback to us on our pieces. These brief accounts of Shillong sometimes lead to a change that is unforeseen like a bush of nettled leaves causing inconvenience to pedestrians being trimmed because we decided to post its picture. This is when we feel the adrenaline to do more!
Shillong is beautifully curated for the curious minds. We adore this city. We’ve found some of the most unexpected and fathomless things happening here and the most serene and magnificent too. And every time we come across something like this again, you, dear readers, will know.
So this, while being a digest for Shillongites and our readers in general, is also a note to self taking cognizance of how important it is to store the memories of the little things.