Editor,
There is always news floating around in Shillong about some planned construction project on the slopes surrounding the town. A hostel here, a building there, a hillside cleared. A bigger road. Each project arrives with its permissions and its rationale. Each one fells a few more trees. And each time, the connection that matters most goes unmentioned: that the forests on these slopes are not decoration. They are the machinery by which this town has water. They are are town’s hydraulics.
Shillong is a city increasingly anxious about its water supply. Taps run dry. Tankers are a fact of life for many residents. The Umkhrah chokes with silt. And yet we continue, project by project, to dismantle the very system that replenishes what we drink. The government has always known this. In 1863, the Agreement with the Syiem of Mylliem contained an explicit promise to preserve the sacred groves “whereon the water supply is dependent.” In 1883, the government formally acquired forest land on these slopes and prohibited any timber-felling within it — not for aesthetic reasons, but specifically to protect the town’s water supply. Government engineers in 1910 recorded that the integrity of the surrounding forest was essential to keeping Shillong’s water sources uncontaminated.
These records sit in the Meghalaya State Archives. They are the government’s own words.
What those administrators understood — and what we seem to have forgotten — is how a forested slope actually works. The trees intercept rainfall and slow its movement into the soil. Their roots create the conditions for water to percolate downward into springs and streams rather than rushing off in sheets of erosion. Remove the trees and you lose the sponge. The rain that would have fed our streams instead runs straight off the slope, carrying topsoil with it, leaving the hillside drier than before within a season.
The Khasi understanding of forests was never merely spiritual, though it was that too. The law kyntang — the sacred grove — was a system of protection developed by a people who had learned, over centuries, what happens to a landscape when its trees are gone. When the colonial government wrote its own prohibitions on tree-felling in the catchment areas, it was learning what the Khasi already knew.
We have now forgotten what both knew.
There will be another project announced soon — there always is. Before it proceeds, we would ask one question to be answered publicly: what is the assessed impact on Shillong’s water supply?
Until that question is honestly answered, every tree felled on these slopes is a debt this city is taking out against its own future.
Yours etc.,
Janice Pariat,
Via email
India’s Absence from FIFA a Matter of Concern
Editor,
India remains without a private broadcaster for the FIFA World Cup 2026 as negotiations over broadcasting rights continue without resolution. Even the Indian public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, has distanced itself from the matter, stating that it is “not responsible” for acquiring FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights in India.
Commercial realities understandably shape the decisions of private broadcasters. Late-night match timings and concerns over lower advertising returns may make such investments less attractive. However, Prasar Bharati’s position appears puzzling. DD Sports should arguably feel an obligation to bring an event of this magnitude to millions of passionate Indian football fans if the government is serious about promoting all sports. After all, the FIFA World Cup is no ordinary sporting event. It is a global spectacle, a celebration of cultures, identities, and international unity through the world’s most beloved sport.
India’s absence from the tournament may also discourage local broadcasters from stepping forward. Yet this absence does not mean the country is disconnected from football. Besides local leagues such as the Indian Super League which attract substantial local audience , the European leagues and the FIFA World Cup equally captures national attention. The North Eastern states and states such as West Bengal, Goa, and Kerala continue to sustain deeply rooted football cultures.
However, India’s continued absence from the FIFA World Cup finals raises difficult questions. Familiar explanations such as weak infrastructure, poor administration, and inadequate grassroots systems are no longer entirely convincing. These are not permanent barriers but consequences of choices and priorities. Several nations that have qualified for the World Cup over the years possess neither immense wealth nor world-class facilities. What they possess instead is intent. For them, World Cup qualification is treated as a strategic objective with a collective conviction that competing at football’s highest level is non-negotiable. Its a matter of national prestige.
India, instead , has allowed its sporting imagination to be shaped overwhelmingly by cricket, a sport with far less global reach and participation than football. While India’s cricketing success undoubtedly deserves admiration, allowing one sport to dominate national ambition and overshadow nearly every other discipline has created an imbalance. This runs against the spirit of genuine sporting progress which requires diversity, institutional commitment, and long-term vision.
This imbalance has also been reinforced by the Indian media’s intense focus on cricket. Visibility attracts funding, and funding generates greater visibility, creating a self-sustaining cycle that keeps cricket at the center of India’s sporting identity. Yet other sports deserve greater attention, and athletes beyond cricket deserve to have their stories told, their struggles acknowledged, and the assurance of national support in both victory and defeat as encouragement for growth .Incidentally, England, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand—all formidable cricketing nations—have qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026 and have appeared on this stage before. These countries have developed sporting ecosystems that create pathways beyond cricket and foster broader sporting cultures. They consistently win numerous medals at the Olympics and other international competitions. This is an approach India would do well to consider.
Certainly , India does not lack talent, population, or passion for football. What it needed is a clear vision, sustained commitment, and stronger efforts from institutions and the media to cultivate a sporting culture that treats football as a serious national project, Otherwise, the same story risks repeating itself every four years. On sport’s grandest stage, India will not be in it but will continue to watch from the sidelines.
Yours etc.,
K. L.Tariang,
Via email
Rising Medicine Prices Burdening Common People
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily, I would like to express my concern regarding the continuous rise in medicine prices and the recent discussions surrounding generic medicines.
The prices of medicines are increasing by the day and as a result, common people are suffering greatly. Whenever customers ask chemists about the reason behind the price hike, they often say that taxes have increased, leading to higher medicine costs.
I fail to understand why pharmaceutical companies spend huge amounts of money on doctors in the form of gifts, foreign trips, and conferences for promotional purposes. All these practices are mainly carried out for business interests. Instead of spending money on such activities, companies should focus on reducing the prices of medicines so that ordinary people can afford proper treatment.
As we all know, medicines are an essential part of our daily lives. If medicine prices are reduced, it will greatly benefit common people, especially middle-class and poor families.
The government as well as the opposition should come forward and introduce strong laws to control unfair practices and ensure affordable healthcare for all. This will certainly help the common people.
Yours etc.,
Samar Deb,
Guwahati
