Editor,
In 1894, a patch of land measuring more than 5 acres was identified and created for the recreation of the people of Shillong. 132 years ago British civic sense recognized the need for a quite secluded piece of property where citizens could literally unwind from the tensions of work; for people to relax and chill out whenever they felt the need to do so. An artificial lake was thus built with its supply of water starting right from Risa Colony, along the periphery of the paddy fields of Dhankheti, along the sides of Survey of India campus, along a canal parallel to the Government printing press, into Lok Bhavan and finally emptied itself into the artificial lake to be called Wards Lake. Of course the entire canal has disappeared but it once did exist to feed a scenic man-made lake called lovingly by the locals as “Nan Palok” in an enchanted fairy tale land called “The Scotland of the East”.
Today after 132 years of Ward Lake’s existence plus some doubtful political civic understanding , activities within the lake compels us to ask a seemingly stupid question – are the original objectives and aims behind the Lake’s existence still considered relevant or has a society weaned by AI 21st century wisdom decided that these fundamental and innovative ideas behind its creation have become stale, irrelevant and outdated? The Lake is owned by the Government and the Department chosen to oversee the maintenance and well being of the lake was entrusted on the Forest Department till 2023. Protecting and maintaining environmental cleanliness was the Department’s TOR and for more than 54 years , whatever is said about that Department, it cannot be denied that they performed the task they were given. They patronised Wards lake; looked after it ; took care of its unique Japanese bridge, tended to its glamorous flower beds and the carpet like lawns; till it became one of the iconic heritage sites that Shillongites boast about.
It is now learnt that about a year ago the upkeep of the lake was handed over to the Tourism Department. I happened to pass that way 3 days ago and what I saw shocked me to the core. The beautiful flower beds were gone. In their stead there were clumps of bamboo scaffolding , which I am told were used for setting up tents during some recent festival of the Government. Black plastic sheets covered the once stunning lawns that covered the lake shore. It was a nightmare! I was told that this garbage had been lying ever since the Shillong Literary Festival. Lit Fest for what and for whom?) The Late Sambha Lamar used to hold her famous and popular CALM (Creative Arts Literature and Music) Festivals at Soso Tham auditorium. Now why can’t the same be done there instead of destroying one of Shillong’s heritage sites. Or if the Tourism Department really wants to hold any meaningful festival why can’t the abandoned PWD compound at Barik be used or the hideous concrete boxes littering the space where the old Assembly Building be brought down and replaced with decent looking structures fit for a festival? Wards Lake is a peoples space for recreational purposes. PLEASE GIVE IT BACK TO THE PEOPLE OR ELSE ENTRUST ITS UPKEEP TO A DEPARTMENT THAT HAS THE WILL AND THE ABILITY TO DO SO.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email
Serving Nature Is Serving the Almighty
Editor,
Nature is beautiful, and its creations are inconceivable. In the 21st century, if we do not feel eager to touch, feel, and understand how nature works, then we should not consider ourselves civilized. True wisdom is not found in the sleek glass of an iPhone. Being hooked on endless scrolling on a mobile device goes against our natural way of living. When will we realise this? The younger generation barely passes a single moment without dumping the garbage of frivolous stimuli into their minds, a habit that is profoundly dangerous. It is exactly like how we pollute our rivers and streams with harmful waste and intoxicants, blind to their consequences. This is nothing but disrespecting nature, and we will inevitably pay the price. Yes, if constant inhalation of cigarette smoke leads to lung cancer, then the continuous consumption of trivial distractions leads to a kind of “mental cancer”– a creeping psychological decay.
We have too often witnessed a ludicrous contradiction these days: two lovers whisper “I love you”, “I love you” all night, only to bark “I leave you” the next morning, and by evening one thunders –“I will kill you if you…..”. Is this not the perfect case of mental decay? This happens because a mind becomes so contaminated that it loses the ability to think critically and act with sanity. I will not go deeper into this for now, but I wish to underscore a powerful point raised by Patricia Mukhim in her recent Friday article, “Critical Thinking and Khasi Society: Hazards of Living in a Bubble & Glamourising….” She rightly laments, “Have we failed to inculcate the importance of respecting our forests, rivers, birds, and beasts? Rivers and forests are the very basis of life, yet the vengeance we have wreaked on our rivers is abominable. It is important that we introspect on the interdependence between humans and nature.” At a deeper level, everything in creation is interconnected and interdependent — even a banyan tree in our courtyard influences the balance of our living environment in the village, in the town!
Let us dwell on this matter for a while. Suppose the Himalayan mountain ranges vanished overnight. How would our survival be possible then? These are indeed the natural defence mechanisms of our planet Earth. Without them, most of the land would transform into arid deserts. Mighty rivers such as the Ganga and Brahmaputra will cease to exist, rendering millions without water. The forests would die out, the animals would perish, and the very cycle of the seasons would turn topsy-turvy.
Alas, despite repeated warnings from environmentalists, we keep tearing apart our hills, cutting down trees, and poisoning our streams and rivers. Ponder this — have so many rivers in the state dried up for no reason? For decades, we have shipped countless metric tons of coal, limestone, boulders, and wood beyond our borders and even outside the country. Worse still, we do not even feel guilty about it. To many, the NGT ban on coal mining is dismissed as a hoax.
Despite frequent tragedies and increasingly freakish weather conditions, it still has not occurred to us that the natural resources cradled in the womb of Mother Earth are the very foundation of healthy living and of our perennial existence. These resources must be used judiciously and with restraint; they were never meant to be plundered for the sake of momentary greed by a single generation. Unless we wake up to this bitter truth, our civilization will remain hollow, built precariously on the ruins of the very ecosystem that sustains us. Take it to heart that caring for the natural world and its delicate ecological balance is a service of the highest order. It is every bit as important as worshipping the Almighty.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
