Editor,
I reiterate my stand that Pnar/Jaintia is one of the primary tribes (and not a sub tribe as many would like to club us) of Meghalaya. This fact is known to all but they choose to deny it for reasons best known to them. This includes the Government too. The State Government is buying time and waiting for the issue to die out by doing nothing but I urge upon the Pnar community to fight till the end.
We are simply asking for inclusion of a line or two in our state’s anthem being the main tribe of the state. We are not asking for the moon or anything which is so big or impossible. Yet for this aspiration of the Jaintias, there arose scholars, historians and what not to describe the origin and history of the Jaintias almost daily in the esteemed newspaper of Shillong. Some of the writers had taken so much time and may have done rigorous research just to score their points. Some write-ups were so long making one’s head ache so as to allow all the intricacies of the history to stay with us while reading. Why does one have to spend so much time and energy on writing a comprehensive history for the sake of non-inclusion of my language in the anthem? It’s uncalled for and if such writings are published some other time for the knowledge of students in particular and the general public, then one would have showered praises and accolades for their work.
Another aspect which I would like to stress here is that our Government is at fault by omitting the Pnar language in spite of knowing that the Pnars form a major tribe of the State. It did this deliberately and thereby opened up a pandora’s box for everything filthy to come out.
I cannot help wondering if our Jaintia leaders at the time of attaining statehood might have overlooked this matter or may have been so kind hearted that they did not insist on an equal/separate percentage of reservation quota for the people of Jaintia Hills at that time. Had our leaders been wiser and smarter, then perhaps this omission of our language would not have arisen and our youths would have been benefited to a large extent. This matter must be given serious thought by all the Pnars so as to set the ball rolling in that direction. This can be initiated even now and at this stage because as the saying goes “BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.”
Lastly, for those few lines in the national anthem let us not touch our roots, our religions our traditions, customs, our beliefs about our origins of, “wan long briew man briew shane sha sla pyrthei,” our different attires, food habits and so on and so forth. The addition of a few lines in Jaintia in the anthem will not detract from the larger message of the anthem. Period.
Yours etc.,
Helen Dkhar,
Via email
Shameless MDA government
Editor,
It is discouraging to observe that the MDA administration, led by the NPP, appears to be in deep debt, as is evident by numerous projects and plans.The main dam’s durability is in jeopardy because the government borrowed 18 crores to restore it, according to reports. It is even more astonishing that this government still has not released the deposit funds to the appropriate departments, despite multiple agencies having done so. And let’s not even mention the eight to ten percent of contractors whose bills have gone unpaid for months after they were released.
In addition, the city’s defenseless contractors bore the financial burden of numerous state-sponsored events attended by very important persons. Despite the fact that contractors have been up at night worrying about the G20 summit for nearly a year, credible sources say that the single window system has still not approved their estimates.The Union Home Minister, Prime Minister, and President of the Country are among other dignitaries who had visited the State and will be visiting in the months to come.
As before, we observed the city’s nocturnal facelift decorations and bamboo barricades in addition to the pothole sealing. The Contractors, however, will be the ones to pay the price for the complacency of the administration. This government has no business refusing to pay such urgent bills. They must have found a way to reroute the funds from the deposits to cover other expenses. These occurrences prove that the MDA administration is financially strapped.
It appears that this administration spends a lot of money on celebrations like the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Meghalaya Games, among others, without giving a hoot about the contractors who feel deeply wronged. Please tell me where is the justice that the people of this state demand Mr Conrad K. Sangma? Spending money that should be going toward the deposit works seems like a waste.
Is this the kind of leadership that promises to turn Meghalaya’s economy into one worth ten billion dollars? Will the government pay immediate attention to this undue delay of payment?
Yours etc.,
Bilcarson Rymbai
Shillong-3
Motphran to Them Bijoy road in shambles
Editor,
The road leading from Motphran to Them Bijoy was dug out for laying of water pipes over a year ago. It is disappointing to note that after the laying of pipes, the entire stretch of this road has been lying unrepaired and unpaved since then. It is a matter of shame that the concerned department has totally neglected to repair and re-tar this road.
It seems that nobody cares about this notable road, which leads to the most important market of Meghalaya, ie Iewduh.
I request the concerned officials to get this road repaired on an urgent basis.
Yours etc.,
Sarad Bawri,
Shillong