Nayanmoni, pride of Assam
It is a matter of great pride for us that Nayanmoni Saikia, a lawn bowl player of Golaghat, has brought laurels to India by winning a historic gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, England. Other three players of the Indian lawn bowls team are Lovely Choubey, Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey. Hailing from a remote village Tengabari of Sarupathar, Golaghat, Nayanmoni started her career as a weight lifter but an unfortunate leg injury compelled her to quit the game. After that she joined lawn bowls and displayed her extraordinary performance in a number of events. Earlier, she achieved gold medals in Asian Lawn Bowls Championship 2011 and National Games 2015. We congratulate Nayanmoni and her teammates for their stunning performance in the Commonwealth Games and making us proud by winning a historic gold medal for the country.
Rupak G Duarah,
Rajahnagar, Guwahati.
Sporting powerhouses
Manipur and Mizoram are the two states of Northeast India which are the powerhouses of the nation's sporting arena and producing world-class athletes who have brought laurels to India in the international sport level. It is a harsh reality that both these two states are known for insurgency issues. In Manipur there are still so many insurgent outfits operating openly. Mizoram was once the breeding ground of MNF which openly revolted against India under Late Laldenga, which is a part of history. The civic life of the civilians was always in the danger. But in spite of all these hurdles these two tiny states have become the powerhouses of the nation's sports activities. The reason? It is very simple. It is only because of total dedication of the athletes supported by few selfless sports organizers with limited funds and publicity. It is really great to hear our Prime Minister in his Sunday's'Man ki Baat' episode mention the names of these two states for their wonderful achievements, without any political colour which may be a crossword puzzle for the likes of Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Sitaram Yechury, to name a few.
Dr Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Girl empowerment
The 'Girls Empowerment Mission 2022'(GEM) launched by the giant corporate of thermal power production, National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. (NTPC), in the month of June- July in its 35 different stations ( NTPC Dadri, NTPC Bongaigaon, NTPC Korba, NTPC Singrauli, NTPC Simhadri, NTPC Farakka, etc.,) all over India, is facilitating a one- month residential summer workshop to train girls of 10-12 years of age in various activities like yoga, self-defence, art, puppetry, dance, games and many more. The girls were chosen from various government schools in the villages, nearby NTPC stations.
GEM aims at dispelling the misconceptions and social evils like female foeticide prevailing in the rural India, and provide a platform for the children to showcase their talents and capabilities.
Starting from accommodation, food, uniforms, schoolbags, water bottles to all basic necessary materials, everything is provided to the children for free. It's a great charitable work for the uplift of the BPL communities in India. The mission's objective is to nourish the creativity of the children. But there are some parents who are not willing to send their children to the workshop. There are in a dilemma that their children will face unnecessary things there. They are also scared that their girls might not be able to stay in the hostels for one month. The GEM project had brought a significant change in the lives of young girls earlier as well. While engaging in the different group activities, they learned the importance of team spirit and good communication. Such activities enhance their self-confidence, which would able them to face the adverse situations bravely in future.
Therefore, I request such parents to believe in the workshop and to send their children to attend it. This is a means to give wings to their dreams. Girls' empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is really needed for becoming a developed nation. As a responsible citizen, I urge the society to be aware of the social evils and empower their children.
Hiyanjalee Rangra,
Gauhati University.
Plight of disabled persons
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) has again spoken about the fundamental rights and also duties of each citizen, but he has not mentioned about the miserable life of disabled persons, who are a harried lot and have to face various problems at every stage of employment, whether it is at the entry level, transfer issue or promotion level. It is a great pity to mention that even after retirement there is discrimination in providing pension to disabled persons who take premature retirement due to total incapacitation. They get lesser pension and, moreover, even the amount of family pension is less. The CJI has said that all citizens should be made aware of their rights and duties, but the disabled persons are crying out again and again that even after passing of Disability Acts, they remain highly discriminated against. I, being a disability activist, had taken up the matter with various dignitaries such as the Prime Minister, Finance Minister of India, Law Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and Pension etc. Before the start of the present Parliament Session I had written to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and requested him to intervene in the matter as both Disability Acts passed by the Parliament have not been implemented properly. I had also sent representations to the Chairman of the Raiya Sabha along with 27 members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha belonging to various political parties. I had sent representation to the present as well as previous Chief Justice of India and requested them to intervene in the matter as violation of Disability Acts is clearly against natural justice and against the various court decisions and against the NHRC. Lastly, such violation is against the Preamble of the Constitution which clearly indicates that there cannot be any disparity between abled and disabled persons. Let us see when wisdom will prevail on those who are at the helm of affairs.
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Jalandhar -144003.