Editor,
I am writing to say I really enjoyed reading Prof. Ellerine Diengdoh’s article in TST (Mar 15, 2025) — “A Teacher in the Final Stages of Academic Fatigue.” From her words it would seem that the problems we are facing are the same, whether in America or in Shillong. This is a generational issue. We are seeing a generation of over-coddled youngsters, very frail, always in need of therapy, and stumped by cognitive lethargy caused by too much time spent on social media, too little reading, and inadequate brain stimulation.
An American Mom once complained to me about her son’s over-frail girlfriend, saying (rough paraphrase), “At her age I held two jobs to make ends meet.” Nothing in our current education system in America challenges student t memory. I once had a young student say, “Give me this test soon. Otherwise, I will forget.”
No doubt, my students have hard lives. They work, go to school, plus some of them have families. Some have mental ailments. Others have addictions. Yet none of this justifies the excessive hand-holding that does them a disservice. It makes frail students even frailer. I cannot imagine asking them to write closed-book, closed-notes papers. All papers are open-book, and open-handout. Yes, I write detailed handouts so the texts are accessible to them. I do not pull these out from the Internet. They are expected to read in detail, read with accuracy, and read between the lines.
I once described to my students the gruelling examination system I underwent in India at a time when calculators and computers were unheard of. Everything had to be written in cursive. And pulled from memory. The question of open-book, open-notes did not exist. I asked them, “What would you do if you had to go through such a system?” They chorused, “We would take the first flight back to the USA.”
Add to this the total dearth of love for knowledge. My generation had a thirst for knowledge — not information or data — but knowledge. Finally, add their lack of respect for teachers, lack of civility, plagiarism, sloppy work habits, inordinate materialism, and hunger for money — indeed, the end result would be Teacher Fatigue!
Prof. Diengdoh is right. How will such frail students face the challenges of the work-world, family life, and of life itself? Here in America, we see quick workplace turnover. Young people quit their jobs easily. Many are distracted. They give misinformation, with disarming smiles. They struggle to transfer data from paper to the computer — without making mistakes. This includes medical data. For all their love for information and data, they cannot transcribe with accuracy. As for work ethic, the less we say, the better. And of course, their outsized egos. The slightest correction is abuse.
Again, my thanks to Prof. Diengdoh for her article.
Yours etc.,
Deepa Majumdar
Purdue University, USA
Via email
Commendable effort by SMB to keep Shillong clean
Editor,
It is indeed commendable that the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) has recently issued a directive requiring all commercial establishments, including street vendors, to install and maintain litter bins outside their premises. The initiative aims to make Shillong a “litter-free city” by April 2025.
Of course, directing businesses and vendors to maintain litter bins is a good start, but without proper monitoring and timely waste collection, these bins could end up overflowing or being neglected, as has often happened in the past. To truly make an impact, SMB must enforce strict waste management rules, ensure proper segregation of waste at source, and implement a well-structured system that ensures garbage is collected not just from market areas but also from every household across the town.
Residents across the town must also take responsibility by handing over their waste to municipal collection vehicles instead of dumping it into drains, rivers, open spaces, or at the corner of the footpath, which is all too common. Unfortunately, many people, including the educated, still dispose of garbage irresponsibly, “polluting the environment” and undermining cleanliness efforts. SMB must not only send out strict warnings but also impose “heavy penalties” on those who violate waste disposal norms.
As a concerned citizen, I have repeatedly brought to SMB’s attention the reckless dumping of garbage into drains and rivers. One glaring example is the large drain behind Kanya Pathsala School, near Garikhana, which has been treated as a free-for-all dumping ground by perhaps over thirty households in the area. It is important to note that this legendary drain passes through the District Council office. It also constantly emits a terrible smell. After raising the issue in this daily many times, the local assistant headman, Deepak Wahlang, took action by writing to the Hon’ble Deputy Commissioner (DC) and attaching photos, requesting the installation of CCTV cameras to identify and hold the culprits accountable. Acknowledging the seriousness of the problem, the DC’s office immediately approved the request and directed SMB, through a letter dated May 23, 2023, to take immediate action. It was also suggested that open drains in the town be completely covered with slabs. However, to everyone’s disappointment, SMB has done nothing—absolutely nothing to date. I would like to know if SMB has become so lackadaisical that it turns a deaf ear even to the directives and suggestions of the Deputy Commissioner. I am utterly confused.
If SMB truly considers the dumping of garbage into drains and rivers, along with environmental pollution, a serious issue, then it is time to do more than just issue directives. Perhaps it should seek guidance from NGOs and engage with conscious citizens—people who genuinely care and can suggest measures to make our city clean and beautiful. It would do well to take a page from Operation Clean-Up (OCU), whose members have been continuously clearing mountains of waste from the town’s riversides for the past five years. I believe no other NGO has taken environmental concerns as seriously as OCU. While others talk, they take action. Of course, SMB is in dire need of the full support of environmentally conscious citizens — those who do not hesitate to wade into the river with hoes and shovels.
Incidentally, special appreciation goes to the area water inspector and plumbers of SMB who, following the publication of my letter in The Shillong Times titled “SMB Ignores a Leaking Pipe for Four Months!” (March 3, 2025), promptly took up the major pipe repair near the Rilbong Bridge and successfully completed it within five days. Let us hope that in the future, SMB does not wait for citizens to voice their frustrations in local dailies regarding its shortcomings, inaction, and indifferent attitude. Well, the public is now eagerly waiting for the town’s much-needed cleanliness makeover!
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong