Editor,
In today’s day and age, our lives depend on electricity for every minor thing. It is a vital component, powering our homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and so on. Every one of us needs electricity to make use of our phones, laptops, cooking appliances, and even our Wi-Fi.
However, recently, just like in the past years, we are again suffering the brunt of load-shedding which has been going on for the last few weeks. The disruption caused by load-shedding is significantly affecting us especially now that the scorching summer heat is making it unbearable to survive without utilizing fans and ACs. Many of us who come from middle-class families, unfortunately, do not have the financial ability and capacity to afford inverters in our homes. But, with the current scenario of Meghalaya, and the ongoing load-shedding crisis that has been plaguing our state for the last few years, it seems like investing in inverters is going to be the next thing that will burn a hole in our pockets.
Another thing to note is the unpredictable load-shedding timings that have been allotted. Power shutdown during the day makes it difficult for us to go about performing our daily activities as without electricity we can neither work in the comfort of our own homes nor in the comfort of our cabins in the offices and not in the classrooms in schools that are now using digital modes of teaching. The scorching heat of summer becomes unbearable during the day as it could be windy outside, but humid indoors, and without electricity the usage of fans becomes an impossibility. Load shedding has the greatest impact at night – which is when most unfortunate events take place. The power shutdown from midnight to 5 AM every morning gives a good window for thefts and robberies to take place with very minimal chance of being caught, as people would have mostly gone to bed, and CCTVs would not be functional. Coming from a place known to have areas with a large population of young people involved in illicit activities like taking drugs, it would not be a surprise if this too sees an increase, as areas without reliable electricity have become hideouts for such young people.
The plague of load-shedding is severely affecting us – businesses, schools, offices, and homes, and it is an irony that up to today, there is no proper, long-term solution that has been thought of to tackle this crisis. Past governments have gone, the present government is here. The MeECL is draining its accounts to buy electricity but is there really nothing else that the Power Department can do other than draining all its resources (accounts) and taking loans and grants to clear out the debts that are still due up to date. Those who sit well enough in the comforts of their homes and offices with ACs and inverters and without having to worry much about the problems that load-shedding brings along with it, would probably never understand the plight that we, the common people have to go through on a daily basis.
Yours etc.,
Cassandra Gatphoh,
Shillong- 14
An eye-opening book from Shillong
Editor,
The book is written by a fine writer Salil Gewali of Shillong, Meghalaya, India. Gewalli is known for his research on Indian wisdom. His acclaimed book Great Minds on India, which I read on my Kindle – the Penguin edition, some months back, is getting known more around the world each year. The book inspired me, broadening my outlook. It helped me see just how much I and so many others are missing in our knowledge of history and understanding what has come before us and that so much of it has come from India.
As a journalist from Pennsylvania, I believe Gewali’s Great Minds on India will be instrumental in raising the pride of India from global perspective. It immensely contributes to raising awareness about the deeper truths of ancient India’s literary wisdom and scientific knowledge. Premised on the opinions of top intellectuals such as F. Voltaire, Fredrich Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Emerson, Henry Thoreau, Albert Einstein, Julius Oppenheimer, W. Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, TS Eliot, Mark Twain, to name a few, the book is eye-opening. It is incredible that these Western scholars praised India for its highly advanced knowledge not known to the Western world until the twentieth century.
I find it no less intriguing that there is a statue of Nataraja at CERN in Geneva, the depiction of
Lord Shiva who performs his cosmic dance destroying the universe so that it may be reborn as a
new creation. The statue is the symbolic explanation of the Big Bang that science believes
started our current universe. A modern theory yet depicted 1000s of years ago in Indian
philosophy. The statue was donated to CERN by the Indian Government and was welcomed with
joy by the scientists that do their work there.
A God or Spiritual being at such a holy place of science? A place where math and physics are the
deities? Science exists for one reason. It exists as a tool for man to learn how and why things
work. It exists for man to unravel how everything is entwined, interconnected, and effects and
influences each atom of existence. The ancient texts of India speak of all of this. An American
physicist Fritjof Capra has written a beautiful book – The Tao of Physics to explain the ancient
thoughts vis-à-vis modern findings.
Without the number system of India, the world of science would not have made any progress.
Voltaire, Pierre-Simon Laplace, and Albert Einstein are all praised for India’s mathematical
contributions.
Gewali’s goal is to enlighten the citizens of India about their intellectual heritage. I applaud
his work, his dream and his mission. The people of India deserve to understand their rich
heritage and how it has influenced so much of the modern world, as claimed by John Archibald
Wheeler, a man credited for popularizing the term “black hole”. J. Wheeler also collaborated
with Niels Bohr in explaining the fundamental principles of nuclear fission.
I want to add to it if I may, I believe Gewali has hit on a crucial piece that otherwise would
have been ignored by the general populace. To me that is a crime. Knowledge, history these are mankind’s real treasures. Gewali’s book Great Minds on India doubtlessly is a brilliant
beacon of knowledge of the East. It is not just for Indians but all seekers striving for an
understanding of themselves, the worldview, and the interconnections of everything in the
universe — the profound knowledge that the East first taught to the West, as underlined by the
Nobel laureates and scientists, Erwin Schrödinger and Niels Bohr. Bohr was so impressed by the
ancient texts he once disclosed, ‘I go into Upanishads to ask questions’. David Henry Thoreau also made a proclamation that in comparison with ancient Indian knowledge, European
literature seems puny and trivial.
I congratulate Gewali on having his book approved by some schools run by NRIs in Virginia. I
write this letter in the hope that it may inspire others to read it and see the connections that it
explains. Our university professors read the quotes from the great minds listed above, never
explaining what inspired them. Gewali does, others only have to read to see.
Yours etc.,
Patrick Van Roy
Ephrata, Pennsylvania,
USA
Mobile No: 7641835418
Protest against Dalai Lama video
Editor
I am writing to express my gratitude to the Lumparing Buddhist Monastery for organizing a prayer meeting to protest the attempt to defame HH the Dalai Lama through a tailored video. Although it is now known that this video was concocted, western media is yet to correct its initial reporting and unjust critiques of His Holiness. Given the wonders of technology, and the power of the image, truth itself is at stake these days. The desire to smear the irreproachable character of a saint is bad enough. But to sink to a level as dirty and low as this doctored video, is truly blasphemous. That his enemies had to stoop this low proves how powerful and glorious His Holiness is. That he apologized to the child and his family, despite being slandered, is proof of the strength of his character. In the end, innocence is the best defence.
Whether Buddhist or not, we are fortunate to have in our midst, a living saint as great as His Holiness. India is blessed by his powerful presence. A wellspring of pure spirituality, His Holiness illumines the darkest recesses of human consciousness. His very presence is uplifting.
Yours etc.,
Deepa Majumdar,
Via email