Editor ,
The news report about the demolition of the 123 year old iconic St. Anthony’s School building was astounding and affected many concerned citizens to the core! Finally the once feared assumption over the years that the heritage buildings of the city with all their architectural, historical/aesthetic significance, which give our people a sense of pride, of history, of culture and most importantly, which have also become part of our identity has arrived, if nothing is done! The demolition of these structures will leave a huge void in contemporary society and the future generation. The lamentation on this matter by any concerned citizen cannot be simply dismissed as mere emotions or attachments! It has a wider implication and only those who have a sense of heritage can understand the feeling.
It may sound cliched to repeat over and over again about the need to preserve these structures in our city, given that these buildings are the only concrete evidence of our history — the others, not being preserved, are erased from our memory! In other states of India despite the rich structural evidence of their ancient past, people would still fight tooth and nail to ensure the safety of and to preserve heritage buildings that have crossed eighty years of their existence and have been successful in their fight to put in place mechanisms to ensure that these precious heritage buildings are protected, preserved, restored and meant to stay permanently; not ruling out the need to strike a balance between the need to preserve and to adapt to the changing needs of time.
Questions arise as to what role the Meghalaya Heritage Authority plays in cases of such demolition? Or is the Meghalaya Heritage Act only on paper? As per the Act does this iconic St Anthony’s building should fall under Grade I or Grade II of the Grading of listed buildings/listed precincts that are not meant to be demolished and distorted for reasons described under:
1. It possesses architectural aesthetics, cultural and historical significance of the state. (2) It is a local landmark which contributes to the image and identity of the region. (3) It is a work of master craftsmen and a model of proportion or ornamentation to suit the climate of the region.
If heritage buildings like St Anthony’s School are allowed to be demolished then what can happen in the near future is scary to imagine. We have already lost many precious gems of Shillong like ‘Solomon Villa,’ where Tagore stayed in 1937, ‘Ashley Hall’ where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose stayed in 1938 and many more. The fate of the properties all of which are today at the whims and fancies of the owners raise these questions. How long can we just be mere spectators and lament a litany of grievances over such loss which even money can’t buy? Can we afford to lose more?
One may say that demolition of the said school building is needed for the new building to be constructed keeping in mind the safety of the students which is of prime importance. Of course the safety of the students comes first and maybe there are other valid reasons for such buildings to be demolished but what is the Heritage Act for if it does not address these problems and provide alternatives in order not to demolish the entire structure but to supervise for a compatible alternative to maintain the heritage essence of the place? I wonder if the Meghalaya Heritage Act is just a paper tiger and whether the Meghalaya Heritage Authority is failing in its duty. Is this Authority if it indeed exists accountable to the state and its people? Why does it need the citizens to push the authorities all the time to do their duties and to do it well?
Yours etc.,
Bethania Sohtun
Shillong 14
Charade of Education
Editor,
The title of the article, “Education mirage in Meghalaya”, by Patricia Mukhim in the Shillong Times of Nov 1, 2024 says it all. Every now and then there is a storm in the media or in the streets, but nothing is done except to cover the cracks with more paper or with band-aids at best.
This tiresome charade of education in our state has made us all weary, most of all teachers and parents. The unwitting victims, children and youth, are bereft of any cognitive compass. Year after year, decade after decade, miserable indices and results are published in ASER, Niti Aayog, and in MBOSE pass percentages. The details of this educational misery are public knowledge. The government seems inattentive, defensive, or hapless. Policies, task forces and commissions come and go, but we seem unable to get past the paperwork.
Example of the health department: Not so many years ago, health in our state was in a dismal mess. In recent years, we have seen a great turnaround. Led by enlightened and efficient officers, robust initiatives to engage with maternal mortality, vaccination, infectious and lifestyle diseases have resulted in perceptible successes. These efforts were underpinned by two well framed policies: the Meghalaya State Health Policy and the Meghalaya Mental Health and Social Care Policy. The drafting of both these policies included participatory inputs from a wide array of stakeholders. The Health Department took a scientific approach, depending on locally relevant research, such as from the Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong. The Department proactively sought and took on board ideas from civil society.
Education has reached a tipping point: When matters reach a breaking point, something has to give. The special article by Patricia Mukhim dwelt at length on MBOSE. It is now amply clear that there is no possibility of rehabilitating MBOSE. It needs to be shut down without fanfare. There are precedents for such drastic actions. The Medical Council of India, after decades of inefficiency, court cases and corruption was finally shut down. The new National Medical Council is progressive and effective.
Just as the Health Department realized, problems cannot be solved overnight. Each issue has to be considered in its own way, with focused expertise. Many problems in education are intertwined, hence, untangling the causative factors will require nuanced approaches. Omnibus approaches such as Commissions, will find it impossible to make finely dissected analyses. Will power, persistence, and hard decisions are called for. If education in our state is not righted soon, another generation of students will be consigned to an uncertain future.
We often hear of outside consultants being brought in by the State Government at high cost. The general explanation is that such expertise does not exist in the state. We don’t see much effort by the Education Department to engage with civil society or with stakeholder groups. A key strategy of the SDG approach is partnership. There are specific recommendations for collaboration with the private sector and community organizations. The Government is not expected to do everything on its own. This convergence could be a winning formula.
Yours etc.,
Glenn C. Kharkongor,
Via email
A clarification
Editor,
With reference to the article, “Khasi and Nepalis: Unraveling their Connection” published in The Shillong Times on October 30, 2024, I would like to express my appreciation for the insightful piece. The author noted that the Gorkha Durga Puja Committee of Shillong has marked 129 years this year. However, I would like to clarify that the Gorkha Durga Puja Committee, located at Lukier Road, Paltan Bazar, Shillong, was actually established in 1872 and completed 152 years this year, making it the oldest Durga Puja Committee in Shillong.
Yours etc.,
Sharad Rana
President,Shree Shree Gorkha Durga Puja
Committee
Via email