sentinelgroup@gmail.com
Plight of small tea growers
The July 24 edition of your esteemed daily brought a shocking news article, 'Reconsider decision for early closure of tea harvesting: small growers.' As reported, the state has around 1.25 lakh small tea growers, who contribute nearly 48 percent of the total tea production in the state. The early and sudden closure of the tea harvesting season by the Tea Board of India (TBI) will hit hard, especially the small tea growers of the state. Now a question arises: will the board's decision solve the existing problems? The answer is 'NO.' The climate fluctuations have started to hit Assam's famed tea industry, which has always been highly dependent on rainfall. Its stunted growth, wilting, defoliation, etc., are attributed to weather aberration. What one expects is that the tea board should play the role of facilitators to protect the interest of small growers. While the emerging challenges have been loud and clear in the form of fewer rainfall activities, the need is to put in place an adequate water supply and stress rainwater harvesting instead of the early closure of tea harvesting. The tea board should adopt and focus on policies like incorporating fertilisers within the irrigation water by the drip system, which will solve problems of water scarcity and nutrient deficit apart from the production of quality tea. TBI should build awareness among small tea growers against the practice of adulterating it with artificial colours and the growing use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, as it can jeopardise the prospects of the entire tea industry, the replacement of old tea bushes through replantation, various promotional schemes, etc. The board needs to undertake these urgent steps, which will definitely influence the production of quality tea. The Tea Board's haphazard decision warrants intervention by all stakeholders, including the government, to safeguard the interest of small tea growers, as their contributions to the state economy cannot be overstated.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
Recruitment of retired faculty in colleges
Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I wish to express my strong appreciation for the Assam Government's recent decision to appoint retired faculty members alongside fresh recruits in newly established government model colleges.
This timely initiative reflects a thoughtful and pragmatic approach to institution-building. Newly set-up colleges often struggle to establish an effective academic environment due to the lack of experienced mentors. As all the faculty members are new, the principal alone cannot shoulder the entire responsibility of running the college smoothly. In such situations, the presence of retired faculty brings academic maturity, administrative insight, and pedagogical excellence-all of which are crucial for shaping a solid academic foundation.
Moreover, this move also acknowledges the untapped potential of retired professionals, allowing them to contribute to nation-building even after superannuation. Their mentorship can significantly enhance the capabilities of young teachers and instill academic discipline among students.
I hope the government will ensure proper recruitment guidelines, fair remuneration, and academic autonomy in implementing this policy. If executed well, this could be a model for other states to emulate in strengthening their higher education ecosystem.
Dr. Lakhi Prasad Hazarika
Principal, PDUAM, Dalgaon
Self defence
After going through the official reports about the extent of government land being encroached by the land grabbers belonging to a particular community submitted by none other than our CM, time has come for the indigenous people of the state to take up the issue of self-defence at last. In this regard the state government has taken a very right cabinet decision to provide licenses to the sons of the soil residing in vulnerable areas of Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara, Nagaon, Darrang, and Cachar. Incidents of rape, cattle lifting, dacoity, kidnapping, etc. have almost become routine, forcing the indigenous people to spend sleepless nights. The local police are too inadequate to provide security against these marauders.
A simple piece of advice to those opposing the gun license policy of the government: 'If you have nothing to do, please don't do it here.'
DR ASHIM CHOWDHURY,
ASOM.
Instagram's feed follows human behavioural algorithms
Social media, once meant to connect people, is now turning into a mirror of our private lives-especially Instagram. It's no longer about sharing moments but about algorithms that seem to know what we think, feel, and even desire before we do.
As a civic-minded citizen, it makes me concerned that it is no longer humans using Instagram, but rather Instagram operating humans. A person going through something personal, the next moment, opens Instagram, and there the reels are lined up one after the other, filled with content, perfectly mirroring their emotions. When people would think of shifting their bad moods towards something relaxing, content pertinent to the circumstances of a person's life creates more triggers, leading to mental disturbance and emotional imbalance.
Instagram's feed is less about our chosen connections and more about what its algorithm predicts will keep us hooked. It closely analyses our scrolling patterns, the posts we linger on, and even the content we ignore. As a result, we become trapped in a cycle of personalised content that slightly influences our opinions, moods, and sense of self-worth.
Though technological advancement is unavoidable, it is high time social media platforms embraced greater transparency and ethical accountability. Instead of functioning as manipulative systems driven by behavioural algorithms, these platforms should reclaim their purpose as spaces for genuine human connection and meaningful communication.
Barnali Das
Gauhati University
Boat clinic: Bridging health gaps in South Salmara-Mankachar
Situated along the Brahmaputra, South Salmara Mankachar is a district carved out of Dhubri in 2016, bordered by Bangladesh and Meghalaya. While geographically unique with plains and hillocks like Bansali and Rangatari, its most defining feature is its vast expanse of river islands, locally known as “chars” or “sapori.” These areas, frequently ravaged by floods and largely inaccessible, host more than 2,000 villages but lack adequate healthcare infrastructure.
Recognising this acute disparity, the Government of Assam initiated the Boat Clinic service in 2008 to bring essential health care to the doorsteps of the most marginalised. Operating from the district headquarters at Hatsingimari, these clinics traverse the Brahmaputra’s challenging terrain to provide uninterrupted medical services to communities that often shift base due to erosion or seasonal livelihood needs.
From April to June 2025 alone, the South Salmara Mankachar Boat Clinic conducted 60 camps, held 60 awareness sessions, and facilitated 3,568 general check-ups. Services provided by this unique clinic include 344 antenatal care visits, 455 routine immunisations, 91 ANC registrations, 65 fully immunised children, and 601 recipients of Vitamin A. Family planning measures were actively promoted with the distribution of 2,265 condoms and 788 oral contraceptive pills. Additionally, 1,514 NCD screenings and 2,802 laboratory tests were conducted during this period.
Operating under unpredictable weather, shifting populations, and logistical hurdles, the Boat Clinic remains a lifeline. It symbolizes resilience and innovation, sailing through floods and isolation to ensure healthcare is not a privilege but a right for every citizen, even in the remotest char of Assam.
Mir Ashif Shamim
(shamim.ashif@gmail.com)
Thiyam redefined theatre
Ratan Thiyam had redefined Indian theatre by blending the cultural soul of Manipur with the affairs of the contemporary times, questioning the state of the society through his medium of art with maximum stress awarded upon the human conditions—their sufferings, moral conflict, and spiritual awakening, especially that of the vulnerable folks.
So despite being rooted in the soil of Manipur, Thiyam’s plays had a universal appeal that enriched the theatre lovers of the whole country and globe. Rightly does Thiyam get credited for absorbing the global by retaining the local, uplifting the cultural identity of his homeland, Manipur, and also drawing inspiration from Kalidasa, Rabindranath Tagore, and Sophocles.
And just like a true human being accountable to the larger welfare of the society, the man of principles and spine Thiyam didn't hesitate to relinquish his Padma Shri in 2001 to protest against the Centre's decision to extend the territorial limits of the ceasefire with the NSCN (Isak-Muivah).
Ratan Thiyam will always be fondly remembered as a liberal pluralist and secular Manipuri Indian and human being of international progressive mindset with compassion towards the marginalised, weak, and downtrodden. Thiyam will continue to live on through his thoughts and works amidst the hearts of people who desire to have a sane society where equality, justice, and peace must not only prevail but also attain the highest seat.
Kajal Chatterjee
(kajal.chatterjee21@gmail.com)