The Dighirpar Raax festival
The Dighirpar Raax festival in Darrang district completed its 70th year of celebration. The oldest Raax festival of the district took an eleven-day series of extensive programmes this year, which came to an end on 24 November. Dighirpar Raax festival has been providing a nice platform to the artistes and folk artistes in particular, of the greater area to showcase their latent talents. Since its inception in 1955, the festival has been observed traditionally, making and worshipping idols of hatch and clay. Religious rituals, discussions, lectures, and cultural items have also been other programmes.
But for the last three consecutive years, the Dighirpar Raax festival has been showing its uniqueness with its new dimensions, earning people's attention and appreciation. Apart from various programmes presented by folk artistes of Darrang and Kamrup, many cultural competitions were also held systematically in a planned manner. The school students in particular availed themselves of the opportunity to learn and perform the culture of Shrimanta Sankaradeva on the platform of the great festival. Hundreds of children, men, and women took part in Shri Krishna Raax Leela, which was enacted under the guidance of Upen Chandra Baruah, Borbayan of Badala Padma Ata Xattra, Narayanpur, Lakhimpur. The Shri Krishna Raax Leela was staged by the people for the first time only in 2022 in Darrang district. The idol form was also kept intact. Both the forms of the Raax Leela, traditional and other programmes have made the Dighirpar Raax festival more attractive.
Kulendra Nath Deka
Dighirpar, Mangaldai
Libraries are hubs of creativity
During the 116th episode of 'Mann ki Baat' published in your esteemed daily on November 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that if there is a safer and better place to instill creativity and love for books among children, it is no other than libraries, as it has been proved after many experiments that libraries can become a hub of creativity and learning through various activities apart from reading books. Be it a storytelling session, art workshops, memory training classes, or public speaking, each child has something constructive to do in the library. Today our children form a significant part of the digital world. One in four internet users (25 percent) is a child in India. It should be our endeavour to get more children connected to the library to establish a strong friendship with it. There is a dearth of well-equipped libraries in the educational institutions across the state. Apart from government efforts, all other stakeholders should come forward to start a library movement in every nook and corner of the state for creating an environment of love for books among the young generation. Inculcating the habit of reading and learning among children is a shared responsibility of every individual. People will come and go. Rulers will rise and fall. Palaces, high-rise buildings, and nuclear weapons will appear and disappear, but the books to be chewed and digested will remain. A library of good books, not just books, will continue to humanise life by promoting love, respect, compassion, and peace.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
Whitewash
After West Indies (decades ago), it is now the KIWIS who have drubbed India in their own backyard in the recently concluded three-match Test Series, which stumped the cricket pundits. The famed Indian batting lineup, consisting of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and others, collapsed like a pack of cards before the Kiwis pace and spin attack. Virat Kohli, who is branded as the ‘King Kohli’ in particular, disappointed his followers with his poor performances all throughout the series. He became a pauper, Kohli, in front of the disciplined bowling unit of the Blackcaps. It appears as if our famed lineup failed to differentiate between the red and white ball after their triumphs in white ball cricket. It is learnt from reliable sources that since 2012, Kohli in particular has never played any domestic cricket as he was cocksure about his berth in the national team. I feel sorry for the new coach, Gautam Gambhir. Let us hope and pray that Team India will once again rise to the occasion in the upcoming Down Under tour like their previous trips and make us smile once again.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Parcel of lies; crimes by delivery boys
Through the columns of your esteemed paper, I would like to draw attention to the increasing crime rate among delivery boys and their effect on society.
A recent crime involving a Swiggy delivery agent in Guwahati's Rajgarh is an example. According to reports, the incident involved criminal activities linked to a boy who has been identified as Bhaskar Kalita, 26, of Kamrup district, who works as an app-based delivery driver. He was arrested for snatching gold ornaments from a resident of Rajgarh's bylane no. 12 at knifepoint. According to official data from the Guwahati Police Commissionerate, a total of 1,742 cases were reported in the city during 2024, till now.
Here, I want to state that the delivery boys must have an identity card, and those companies that appoint them as delivery personnel should check their backgrounds before giving them the job and also improve security protocols to create a safer and fairer work environment.
Similar cases across India reported incidents that have included theft, harassment, honey trapping, and even fraud, leading to public outrage and demands for stricter oversight. For instance, a Swiggy delivery agent in Pune was accused of assaulting a customer, while in another incident in Gurugram, a delivery boy was caught on camera stealing shoes from a customer's home. Authorities and companies like Swiggy, Zomato, etc., are urged to enhance safety protocols, including stricter delivery norms and quicker action on complaints.
Farzana Akhtar
Pragjyotish college
Guwahati
Regulate acid sale
Bengaluru earned the dubious distinction of topping the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) list of highest acid attacks on women in 2022, followed by Delhi and Ahmedabad. On average, 300 to 400 cases of acid attacks on women are 'reported' every year in India, though the actual number may be higher. Section 326(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provides for a punishment of not less than ten years that may extend to imprisonment for life with or without a fine for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by throwing acid. Many girls and women who have survived acid attacks have lived with grit, courage, dignity, and determination, sending a firm message that their willpower cannot be destroyed by meek sadists. Unfortunately, governmental efforts to supplement the brave acid survivors are meagre. In 2013, the Supreme Court had mandated videography of acid buyers by the sellers for easy identification; the rule has been, more often than not, flouted. States were directed to allow only select stores to sell acid and ensure there was no over-the-counter business of acid. Furthermore, governments were asked to make sure that both the sellers and the buyers possessed valid licenses. One cannot say the States have not taken stock of the situation. But it is also true that the top court order has not been implemented with utmost seriousness.
Dr. Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)