Editor,
Through your esteemed paper I would like to lay some of points concerning power cuts in the city in particular and the state as a whole.
In Meghalaya we see ministers come and go but power cuts continue. Every Minister in charge power gives the same old excuses as climate change, poor rainfall, delayed monsoons etc. It is as if the dialogue is tape recorded and played and replayed as and when people raise a hue and cry about power cuts. But the irony is that when the monsoon sets in it lingers till the end of November and the Umiam Lake sometimes is overflowing and the gates are open to release the excess water from the Lake. Then as soon as the dry season sets in the same scenario repeats itself and affects the citizens. Even in the dry season when the water level is sufficient there is load shedding on the plea that maintenance works are being carried out. And the woes of the consumer remain the same. So who do we blame? And what is the reason for the non-functioning of the Leshka & Myntdu river projects in Jaintia Hills? Why does the Government not resort to some other sources of power generation like Solar Power Stations, Thermal Power Stations etc., which can ease the problem to a great extent.
The moral of the story is that whether the Umiam Lake has sufficient water or not people continue to suffer a lot while the Government is a mute spectator and does not come out with new proposals for power generation. When will the concerned authorities lend their ears to the public grievances and redeem the power sector?
Yours etc.,
S.L. Singhania
Police Bazar Welfare Society,
Via email
On hawkers issue
Editor,
With reference to the hawkers issue raised by the Federation of Shillong hotels, I would like to thank this organisation for raising this pressing issue and urging the government to relocate the hawkers in hawking zones. There is no doubt that the general public and pedestrians have been bearing the brunt of so many hawkers in the streets of Shillong. Take the example of Laitumkhrah market where the petty sellers located inside the market are paying rent to the authorities and yet do not get sufficient business, while the hawkers on the footpaths of Laitumkhrah are getting all the customers. Is this a fair deal? And this is not only depriving the legitimate sellers of their business but also encroaching into the pedestrian and vehicular space of the public. I urge the Government to urgently come up with a permanent solution to this subject and free the streets of Shillong from the hawkers and rehabilitate them in a befitting manner.
Yours etc.,
Sansing Mawrie,
Shillong- 3
No compromise on matriliny
Editor,
I am a Khasi woman and what makes me prouder is the fact that I am a Khasi Pnar and I am happy to be born in this part of the world where lineage is still being drawn from the mother’s clan line. Hence to belong to a matrilineal society that is unique and distinctive is what defines my identity. There is no denying the fact that women across the globe are in one way or the other being subjugated and are far from being at par with men but nonetheless, attempts are being made to sensitise people towards gender equality and the need to treat women as beings with flesh and blood with a heart that feels and a mind that can think as much if not better than the male. What defines us Khasis is because we are a matrilineal society.
As a Pnar woman who still upholds her origin/religion of being a Niamtre, I shudder to think of the repercussions of this system of taking the surname of a father because this may lead to marriage between the same family/clan. Let me justify my observations below.
Suppose someone from the Dkhar clan takes the surname of their father, a time will come when after a gap of say a generation or two this person may enter into marriage with their own clan (Dkhar) which will result in marriage within the same clan. Isn’t this incest? This is indeed a sinful act (a shong-sang in Khasi language) according to the belief of the Khasi Pnars or for that matter of any faith or belief. So to me, this system of taking the faither’s clan name as happens in patriarchal societies will lead to serious ramifications. Hence we must consider this serious matter deeply before plunging into it. I reiterate that I am happy to belong to a unique social system and am proud of being born as a Khasi Pnar. I also feel that to give up our lineage and hand it over to the male will deprive us of our real identity.
In a conversation with a few men and women, both young and old there was a mixed reception to shifting to patriliny though, one is happy that those who still long to uphold matriliny have outnumbered those who wish to fall in line with patriliny. Some even see this need to change as a means to contain our population that is dwindling because of this rigidity, yet as a Khasi Pnar woman I see no threat or fear of disintegration. Our originality – who we are and where we come from must be so instilled and ingrained in our children that both our sons and daughters will learn to respect and uphold their identity as people belonging to a matrilineal society. Let us not exchange it for anything in this world.
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email
Protect the children
Editor,
The most vulnerable people are and have always been children. We have seen the case of Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who were involved in prostitution of underage girls. We have also witnessed the case of a local MLA who was involved in prostitution/sexual misconduct with an underage girl. Even the Roman Catholic Church has been plagued by scandals of abuse of children. No one should be immune to criticism and no priest, or holy man should be exempted from criticism for lapse of character.
It is therefore, shocking, that people are still defending the Dalai Lama, after his inexcusable behaviour with a young boy. Some people are saying the video was doctored. But I fail to understand how it was doctored. The Dalai Lama asked a boy to suck his tongue, while sticking it out. He gestured to kiss the boy’s lips. Some say it was lost in translation, but I fail to see how it can be lost in translation when he spoke in English. Maybe some will hold that it was truly an innocent gesture. Maybe some will hold that there wasn’t any sexual or paedophilic aspect to it. No one truly knows the heart of a man, but that is precisely why we must have boundaries. If we could know the heart of every man, there would be no need for boundaries as we could readily see their intentions.
The Dalai Lama’s behaviour with the boy is inexcusable. If we do not protect the children, then what kind of world are we building? Are we building an amorous world, where there are no physical boundaries? Is love and innocence a license to invade another human being’s space, especially the young and the impressionable?
Jesus said something about those who offend little children or cause them to sin – that it is better for such a person to be drowned in the sea with a heavy millstone tied around his neck.
Yours etc.,
John Saitkhuid,
Via email