Is AI threatening human creativity?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly transformed our world. From healthcare diagnostics to personalized education, from automated customer service to scientific research, AI has accelerated efficiency and innovation across sectors. It saves time, enhances productivity, and makes complex tasks more accessible. In many ways, it has become an indispensable tool of the modern era.
However, alongside these benefits lies a subtle yet significant concern. Increasing dependence on AI tools for writing, problem-solving, designing, and even thinking risks altering how our brains function. When machines generate ideas, summaries, and solutions instantly, individuals may gradually reduce their effort to think critically or creatively. The habit of deep reflection, imagination, and original expression may weaken over time.
Human creativity thrives on struggle, curiosity, and independent thought. If AI begins to replace rather than assist these processes, we may face a future where convenience overrides creativity. The danger is not that AI exists, but that humans may surrender their cognitive responsibility to it.
That said, the solution is not to reject AI but to use it wisely. AI should serve as a tool that enhances human potential—not a substitute for it. Educational institutions and policymakers must encourage responsible AI usage while continuing to nurture critical thinking and originality.
Technology should empower human minds, not rewire them into passive consumers of generated ideas.
Rajlakhi Kalita,
Pragjyotish College, Guwahati
A wake-up call for democracy
Politics was once meant to stand for guiding principles, but today it often seems to have drifted away from its core values. Instead of serving the people, many leaders are busy scrambling for power and playing to the gallery. Parliamentary debates sometimes turn into shouting matches, and personal attacks crop up more often than constructive ideas. When ethics are pushed aside, public trust begins to wear away, and democracy starts to lose its shine.
Corruption has crept in, and divisive tactics are used to stir up emotions. Many young people now brush off politics as a dirty game and prefer to stay out of it altogether. Party leaders frequently switch sides to cash in on opportunities, showing that principles can be easily sold out for power. Social media, instead of always clearing the air, sometimes adds fuel to the fire by spreading half-truths. Yet democracy is not a lost cause. If citizens step up, call out wrongdoing, and stand by moral values, politics can be set right. Voters must see through empty promises and vote with their heads instead of being carried away by emotions. Only then can democracy truly live up to its name.
Dipen Gogoi,
Teok, Jorhat
Protect public property
Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to express my views upon the newly inaugurated Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu Bridge being littered with plastic bottles and waste and marks left by spit stains within a day of its opening. This bridge has been a major achievement for Guwahati and a symbol of development, yet such irresponsible behaviour has already begun to damage its image. The problem goes beyond cleanliness, as it reflects a troubling lack of civic sense and respect for shared spaces. No amount of development can transform a city if the citizens continue to treat public property carelessly. While the authorities must ensure strict monitoring of waste facilities and penalties for violations, lasting change and civic responsibility cannot be enforced by rules alone; they must come from awareness and self-discipline. It is time that we learn to value and protect what belongs to us all.
Rajashri Borah
(nangrajashriborah200206@gmail.com)
Children’s rights are human rights
The news headline 'We all have a responsibility of upholding the rights of children: CJ,' published in your esteemed daily on February 25, has drawn our attention. The Chief Justice has rightly said, while speaking at a keynote lecture in Guwahati on institutionalizing child-friendly practices across the justice delivery chain, that children are not citizens of the future; they are also citizens of the present. The law already enshrines children's rights, but can a strong legal framework alone ensure effective implementation without adequate empathy? This is a crucial question. We need to transform our understanding of child rights and a child rights approach to inspire us to apply a child rights lens to our everyday work and life. We must always keep in mind that children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are, in fact, human beings with their own rights and have equal status as members of the human family. It is known to us that children start life as totally dependent beings. Therefore, when primary adult caregivers cannot meet children's needs and protect their rights properly, it is the state's primary duty to find an alternative in the best interest of the child. It is heartening to learn that the Assam Police continues to undertake measures to strengthen child-friendly responses at every stage of policing across the state. Let us all pledge to protect children's rights to develop them to their full potential for their well-being, as the cost to societies of failing their children is huge and irreparable. It is imperative for every individual to ensure every child has the chance to be a kid.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
India’s fall in the World Press Freedom Index
The steady decline of press freedom in India is a matter of grave concern for every citizen who believes in democratic ideals. According to the latest World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, India was placed 151st out of 180 countries in 2025, a marginal improvement from 159th in 2024 and 161st in 2023, yet still firmly in the “very serious” category for media freedom. This ranking reflects persistent challenges faced by journalists, including political pressures, economic influence on media ownership, legal constraints, and threats to safety and editorial independence.
RSF and other watchdogs have repeatedly highlighted that such a low position undermines India’s stature as the world’s largest democracy. Press freedom is not merely about legal protections but the practical ability of journalists to investigate, critique, and inform without fear of reprisal. The persistent application of laws against reporters and the increasing prevalence of self-censorship intensify these worries. A vibrant, independent press is essential to holding power to account and safeguarding public trust. India must urgently address these issues to preserve democratic values and ensure that media practitioners can operate freely and safely.
Bhaskar Deka
(dekabhaskar937@gmail.com)
Teachers,
spare the rod
It is unfortunate that some "noble" professionals are mired in controversies. A school hostel in Maharashtra's Latur was witness to the sordid saga of 32 students being thrashed with a bamboo stick, injuring a few, by a teacher who suspected that they damaged his motorcycle. Though the teacher has since been arrested, it now appears that teachers are no longer paragons of virtue. A school-going student obviously cannot be an embodiment of perfect manners.
But the same cannot be said about a teacher who is expected to adhere to "professional ethics." In the good old days, teachers commanded respect, and students knew well that a teacher would not discipline them without reason. The welfare of students was paramount for teachers. However, the current situation has taken a turn for the worse, despite the fact that many teachers continue to enjoy widespread respect. There are many ways to discipline a student. Teachers should spare themselves the ignominy of being educated on this aspect by others.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)