Editor,
In the 21st century, if leaders advocate for child marriage, then they should completely reject what has been brought forth by modern civilization. With such a regressive idea in mind, they have no right to claim themselves as learned and secular. They should not indulge in the luxury of modern technology either!
We may not agree with the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on many of his ideas, but his determined stand on eradicating child marriage in Assam deserves our appreciation. If nothing more, it will certainly save the girl child from the onslaught of various detrimental circumstances.
Child marriage has a profoundly negative impact on the lives of young girls and society at large. Apart from hindering their academic studies, it adversely affects their physical, emotional, and psychological growth and well-being. They are likely to be shut out of the opportunity to become true human beings. They are forced to be cooped up in homes and suffocated, thereby depriving them of seeing the world from a proper perspective. Realizing the plight of child brides, historical figures such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Mahatma Gandhi fought relentlessly for the abolition of child marriages in India.
Moreover, evidence from the past clearly shows that girls subjected to child marriage are most “vulnerable” to various forms of domestic violence and sexual abuse, which are unmentionable. No exaggeration, they also might fall victim to incest, a reprehensible reality that is often reported. Such occurrences are usually “silenced” by intimidation, moral policing, and social stigma. It is unimaginable that a child, who should be playing with toys and friends of her age, is forced into relationships with adult males. Is marriage without consent not outrageous in this day and age? A Supreme Court lawyer, Lelahi Khan, says that child marriage is the most immoral practice driven by perverse desires.
What’s particularly appalling now is the opposition of many political leaders to the repeal of the Child Marriage Act. Their open support for such regressive practice in the Assam Legislative Assembly is disgraceful. They roared and shouted as if child marriage were a matter of “female empowerment,” without which females might be deprived of their human rights and to live in peace. The underlying motive behind this protest could be even more sinister. Anyway, before advocating for child marriage, let those legislators first consider marrying off their own minor daughters and grandchildren to scruffy aged men. We should raise our voices before our leaders tear apart the notion of women’s empowerment.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Religion – A dominant force of violence
Editor,
Democracy and secularism are the two greatest achievements of Independent India. Secularism suits the genius of a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multilingual country like ours. Secular democracy works best in an environment of pluralism and respect and tolerance toward others, where there is the freedom to practice one’s beliefs. Democracy is now threatened by religious majoritarianism, claiming that the basic definition of nationalism derives from religious communities. Considering that religion or belief, for anyone who professes either, is one of the fundamental elements in his conception of life, that freedom of religion or belief should be fully respected and guaranteed. Assam- Meghalaya border in the past few weeks witnessed a series of sectarian violence. The February 17 incident that happened to a Catholic nun inside a bus from Dudhnoi to Goalpara and the Assam-based organisation allegedly threatening to dismantle a statue of Jesus Christ at the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Marmain in Ri Bhoi district should be condemned “unequivocally”.
Communal violence is not a recent phenomenon in India. It has its root in the British divide-and-rule policy since the late 18th century. The British government used communalism to counter and weaken the growing national movement and the welding of the Indian people into a nation. It was presented by the colonial rulers as the problem of the defence of the minorities. Hindu-Muslim disunity was cited as the reason for the continuation of British rule.
Religions have influenced our life most profoundly. Religious violence across the world is committed in God’s name. If Ram, Jesus, Abraham, Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius and U Lakriah were all alive and gathered in the same place, would they argue over who is right? Or would they respect and admire one another’s teachings? Religious conflict can often be blamed not on the founders of religion but on their fanatical followers.
Yours etc.,
Dr Omarlin Kyndiah, (A believer of Niamtre)
Via email
Travesty of justice
Editor,
It is a shame that the house of Wakeel Hassan was demolished by the Delhi Development Authority. It is alleged that laws granting possession of encroached government land to those who have lived there for more than 30 years were not followed and even the required 15-day notice had not been served to him.
He along with 11 other rat-hole miners deserve Padma awards, permanent jobs and houses for rescuing 41 labourers who were trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi behind a 57m-thick barrier of debris after all the technology-based efforts to drill beyond 45m was failed. Their heroic act freed the trapped workers after their 16-day ordeal inside the tunnel when the whole world was on tenterhooks for two weeks waiting for the results in November last year. They did it after working at a stretch for nearly 24 hours squatting inside a narrow steel pipe of 800mm diameter on their toes, crouching as low as possible with their knees folded to clear the debris with handheld tools to rescue the trapped workers.
Each of the rescue workers was awarded only Rs 50 thousand. Apart from this nothing more – no permanent employment – no house was given or promised. Now the residence of Wakeel Hassan has been razed. It is a complete travesty of justice.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata