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Paediatric Dermatology conference
A conference is being organized on children’s skin diseases, i.e., paediatric dermatology, from November 7 to 9. This is encouraging, as the aim of the conference as published is encouraging advanced learning and knowledge on the subject. The conference is essential, as a lot of things are being discussed there, from simple skin infections to major immune disorders in children’s skin diseases.
Since it is an international meet, a few points may be discussed for academicians and researchers. In 1999, I sent one well-researched paper on paediatric dermatology to a similar conference held at the National Skin Centre, Singapore. Luckily, my scientific paper was adjudged to be an excellent paper. But the discouraging thing is that they do not provide travelling expenses to the author of the ‘excellent paper’ as I am an Asian expert (from India). Such discrimination is in bad taste and needs urgent correction to encourage expert researchers from India and Asia. The Govt. of India must encourage such research and academic activities by fully sponsoring expert authors to deliver research work in conferences.
Dr. Bishnu Ram Baishya
Ganeshguri, Guwahati
Intervention required for traffic chaos at Six Mile Junction
Through your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards the severe traffic congestion at Six Mile Junction. This area has become a nightmare for daily commuters due to poor traffic management, encroachments, and the absence of proper signals. During peak hours, vehicles move at a snail’s pace, causing delays, noise pollution, and frustration among the public.
The situation worsens during school and office hours, leading to frequent accidents and chaos. Immediate steps like deploying more traffic personnel, clearing encroachments, and installing functioning traffic lights are urgently needed. I request the authorities to take prompt and effective measures to ease this long-standing problem for the convenience and safety of the citizens.
Chimpi Moni Deka
Pragjyotish College,
Guwahati.
The silent crisis of educated unemployment in Assam
Assam currently stands at a crucial crossroads. On one hand, the state celebrates an expanding network of universities, colleges, and professional institutes; on the other, it faces an uncomfortable truth—an estimated twelve lakh educated youth remain unemployed. This paradox of high education but low employability reflects one of the most pressing and under-addressed socio-economic challenges of our time.
Education Without Employment: Over the last two decades, Assam has witnessed a commendable rise in literacy rates and access to higher education. Yet, the quality and relevance of that education have not kept pace with market needs. A majority of graduates continue to rely solely on government recruitment, while opportunities in the private and industrial sectors remain limited. The state’s economic ecosystem has not evolved enough to absorb the thousands of students who pass out of colleges every year. Many young people pursue degrees that offer little practical training or connection to modern industries. The absence of robust career counselling, internships, and skill-orientated curricula leaves them unprepared for real-world jobs. Consequently, a large portion of Assam’s educated youth end up underemployed or forced to migrate to metropolitan cities for better prospects.
Bridging the Skill Gap: To address this issue, Assam urgently needs a comprehensive youth and employment policy that focuses on employability rather than mere education. Institutions must collaborate with industries to design courses that reflect market realities—digital skills, entrepreneurship, data analysis, sustainable agriculture, tourism management, and other emerging fields can provide pathways for meaningful work. Vocational training centres, short-term certification programmes, and public-private partnerships can help build a skilled, self-reliant workforce. Moreover, promoting startups and local enterprises will not only create jobs but also encourage innovation at the grassroots level.
Changing the Mindset: Equally important is the need to shift societal attitudes. The overdependence on government jobs must be replaced by encouragement for self-employment and entrepreneurship. Young people should be supported through access to credit, mentorship, and digital infrastructure. Assam’s youth possess creativity, adaptability, and resilience—qualities that can drive inclusive growth if harnessed effectively.
The Road Ahead: Assam’s future lies in its young minds. To unlock that potential, policymakers, educators, and industry leaders must work hand in hand. The goal should be to create an environment where education leads to empowerment, not frustration. By bridging the skill gap and aligning education with opportunity, Assam can transform its educated population into its strongest asset.
If ignored, the silent crisis of educated unemployment could erode the state’s social and economic stability. But if addressed wisely, it could become the foundation of Assam’s next growth story.
Bhaskar Deka
Pragjyotish College,
Guwahati.
Zubeen Garg: The voice that belonged to the people
They say some voices don’t just sing — they breathe life into people. Somewhere between the misty dawns of Assam and the quiet hum of its tea gardens, one such voice still lingers — gentle, soulful, and unforgettable. It’s Zubeen Garg. The man who sang not for fame, not for the spotlight, but for the heartbeat of a people who saw themselves reflected in him.
He was never just a singer. He was the pulse of his people — their anger, their ache, their joy, their poetry. When he sang, he didn’t perform for applause; he performed for connection. His melodies didn’t rise from studios or cities — they rose from the soil, from the rush of the Brahmaputra, from the laughter and loss of ordinary lives. Zubeen wasn’t made by fame; he was made by feeling.
His final cinematic act, Roi Roi Binale, is a musical love story in which Zubeen himself played a blind artist longing for light. The poignancy is hard to ignore: a man who built his life around illuminating others, and whose real life would end in unexpected darkness. The coincidence between his onscreen role and his final reality feels eerie, like life borrowed from his art or vice versa.
Born in 1972 in Tura, Meghalaya, Zubeen carried Assam in his soul. He released his first album, Anamika, in 1992 and sang in over forty languages, reaching across lands and listeners. But what made him truly unforgettable was the bridge he built — not between genres or languages, but between hearts. Because music for him wasn’t a stage; it was service. When floods tore through Assam, he didn’t merely donate; he mobilized benefit concerts, raised relief funds and lent his voice where silence ruled. When the pandemic locked doors, he opened his home as a care centre. His foundation, the Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, quietly funded students’ education, helped struggling artistes, and supported medical treatment for those who couldn’t afford hope. In every instance, his action said, 'You matter.'
He once said, “Music is my soul, and Assam is my heartbeat.” And he lived those words every single day. He could have stayed in Mumbai, basked in fame, and chased the luxury that fame promised. But he chose home. He chose his people. He chose to stand beside them — not above them. Zubeen’s artistry was pure rebellion — against silence, against indifference, against the idea that fame should make you untouchable. He used his platform to speak uncomfortable truths, even when it cost him. Because for him, art without conscience was noise.
And then, there was Mayabini. The song — soft, aching, otherworldly — was more than music. It was Zubeen himself: the dreamer, the lover, and the wanderer who understood beauty and pain in equal measure. Mayabini wasn’t just composed; it was felt. It wrapped around listeners like a memory that refused to fade. It became a symbol of his artistic soul — gentle yet powerful, modern yet rooted in the timelessness of Assamese melody. Years ago, Zubeen had mentioned that Mayabini was the song he wanted to be played on the day he died. It was his melody of goodbye — haunting and hopeful all at once. And now, heartbreakingly, that wish has become real. Across Assam, Mayabini fills the air—played on streets, at vigils, in classrooms, and through trembling lips of fans who can’t hold back their tears. It has become an anthem — not of loss, but of love. A song of remembrance for a man who never really left.
Zubeen Garg never needed a microphone to be heard. His presence was loud enough. He spoke out against division, fought for local artists, and stood by anyone who felt unseen. He didn’t fit into definitions — he defied them. He belonged to no single religion and fit into no label or mould. He was free — raw, honest, endlessly human. There was a wild, almost childlike sincerity in him that the world rarely understands but never forgets. He could be fiery in one moment and tender in the next — and that was his magic. He felt everything too deeply, and that’s exactly why he touched so many hearts.
And maybe that’s why his story doesn’t end. Because artists like Zubeen don’t die — they dissolve into the world they loved. They become the wind, rain and rhythm. They become every heartbeat that remembers their sound. So when the sun rises again over the Brahmaputra, and someone hums one of his tunes, it won’t just be music. It’ll be remembrance. It’ll be resistance. It’ll be Zubeen.
Mahira Saikia
Cotton University
Can relocation stop dog bites?
The November 8 editorial, 'Stray dog ruling puts states to the test', has rightly said that the Supreme Court's recent directives to the authorities across the country to remove stray dogs from public places, such as educational institutions, hospitals, bus stops and railway stations, and relocate them to canine shelters, cannot solve the growing menace, as 100 per cent of the bites have taken place when dogs are relocated. Both humans and animals will be safe if the dog population comes down. This will be possible if the stray canines are vaccinated, sterilised and released back to their original localities, barring those having rabies and showing aggression. Unfortunately, we have a lack of infrastructure, capacity and resources for permanent relocation of stray animals to shelters, resulting in an increasing number of human-dog conflicts. Unless we stop exposing garbage on the roads, by-lanes, etc., it is not possible to check the existence of street dogs, and their killing or removal will neither control rabies nor the dog population. So, the need now is well-knit collaboration between the local bodies and animal rights activists backed by the state government, which can pave the way for pragmatic solutions to the man-made problem, as people, including children, the elderly, the poor, and even tourists and foreigners, bear the brunt of dog bites almost every day, being not just vulnerable but also lacking timely access to post-bite treatment.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.