Editor,
The other day I heard some preposterous news (which I hope is just hearsay) that the authorities concerned are mulling (or maybe have decided) to do away with the Phan Nonglait (formerly Lady Hydari ) park. The narrative goes that it is being proposed to utilize the space for extension of the Civil Hospital on one end and expansion of the Pine Mount School on the other. More surprising is that the remaining space would be utilised for construction of a shopping mall.
If this is true it would really be a sad day for the city of Shillong and its people. Globally, town/city planners are desperately trying to maintain the lungs of a city and even creating more new green spots in urban areas but we, in Shillong would be doing away not only with a picturesque heritage site but a vital lung of the city as well as an attractive tourist destination not to mention that the Phan Nonglait park was renamed after the first woman freedom fighter from the Khasi Hills.
I sincerely hope that I have simply heard gossip and that Shillong can rest in its beauty, that is the Phan Nonglait (Lady Hydari) park.
Yours etc.,
Carl Rangad,
Via email
On political corruption
Editor,
The special article “Hallucination of Clean Politics” by Barnes Mawrie (ST February 27, 2025) is excellent with intriguing content. Mawrie has touched on everything right from Marx, end of Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, least corrupt Nordic States, Luxembourg and Switzerland, the present-day United States of America and corruption in India and concluding his captivating material with a quote from a Turkish playwright, novelist, and thinker. Born on May 16, 1965, in Elazığ Turkey is well known for his thought-provoking plays, captivating novels, and insightful aphorisms. “Instead of politicians, let the monkeys govern the countries; at least they will steal only the bananas!” a satirical commentary on political corruption. By suggesting that monkeys would only steal bananas, Ildan humorously implies that politicians often engage in more significant and harmful corruption. This quote reflects his critical view of political leaders and their actions, highlighting the need for integrity and accountability in governance.
Yours etc;
VK Lyngdoh,
Via email
Mother Language Day
Editor,
Apropos of the article, “Celebrating Mother Language Day” by Bianca Nongkynrih (ST, February 21, 2025), given that one language dies every 14 days as powerful groups impose their languages on speakers of less common languages, the International Mother Language Day gives us a much needed opportunity to think about it. The imposition of a dominant language on people with a different language (linguistic imperialism) is a symptom of a disease that can cause long term problems and hinder a country’s progress. There is no room for the ‘one nation one language’ policy in a multilingual democratic country like India.
Bangladesh’s liberation against Pakistan’s language imperialism has given us many lessons. First, it refutes the two-nation theory of Savarkar and Jinnah and shows that language imposition cannot be swept under the carpet of religious fraternity. Second, it proves that India’s three language policy is a right step in the right direction. On the other hand, a liberal language policy helps Belgium achieve peace and prosperity. Belgium has recognised Flemish, French, and German as their official languages even though German speakers constitute a small minority of the population to effectively solve their internal strife.
They solved the language conflict by implementing a federal system, dividing the country into distinct linguistic regions with significant autonomy, where Dutch (Flemish) is spoken in the north, French (Walloon) in the south, and a bilingual Brussels capital, effectively allowing each language community to govern its own affairs while maintaining a unified national government. It has been ensured that there would be equal representation for both Dutch and French speakers in the federal government.
Having thus solved its language problem, Belgium has attained an enviable position in the Human Development Index. Between 1990 and 2025, Belgium’s HDI value increased from 0.806 to 0.942 and now it stands at the 12th position out of 193 countries. We should learn from Belgium how peace and prosperity are directly proportional to liberal language policy. If India wants to better its 134th rank in the HDI, it has to take many measures. A liberal language policy is certainly one of them.
India also needs to follow the language model of the United States of America. In spite of being at the top of technologically advanced countries, the USA falls back on ballot paper voting to root out any suspicion of foul play stemming from voting through EVM. Interestingly, these ballot papers are available in all major languages of a state, depending on its demography. While a voter in New York can choose a ballot paper in Bengali instead of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Korean, voters in Illinois can opt for a ballot paper printed in Hindi. It also shows how a democratic country should honour the mother tongue of even those voters who have origins in different countries.
The Reserve Bank of India needs to take a cue from the American election. As per the 2011 language census, states like West Bengal, along with southern and northeastern States, are not Hindi-speaking and have adopted English as a secondary language. As a resident of Bengal the RBI messaging in Hindi is unacceptable. I could infer that these SMS messages were about online fraud prevention, but I struggled to understand the instructions. If the RBI has to use Hindi, it should stick to India’s three language policy by sending SMS first in the primary language of the State, then in English, and at the end in Hindi for non-Hindi speaking States.
The Centre needs to follow the language policy of Belgium and the USA. Extra care needs to be taken to see to it that there is not a single attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata