Visa offices for convenience
A Visa is needed, which validates the entry of a person into the respective country against a valid passport. To get a VISA, intending travellers from Northeast India have to go to Delhi, Mumbai, etc. This process is very tedious, time-consuming, and costly. Considering the present development of AirNet work and the upcoming mega project of the new international airport at Guwahati, I would request the authorities of the state and central governments and the embassies of different countries, in particular, to open up the visa issue offices for the convenience and best interests of the people of northeast India at Guwahati.
Prasanta Baruah,
Dispur.
Is Bengal burning?
West Bengal, formerly known as Bengal during British days, was the hub of British India. Then Calcutta was the official capital of East India, a company that ultimately became the ruler of undivided India. After independence, then Bengal became today’s West Bengal, which was blessed with the likes of Swami Vivekananda, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Bagha Jatin, Khudi Ram Bose, Netaji Subhash Bose, Shyama Prasad Mukharjee, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, Jagadish Chandra Bose, P K Banerjee, and Satyajit Roy, to name a few. It was the first Indian state that was ruled by the Leftists, during which political violence like murder, kidnapping, looting, arson, bandhs, hartals, etc. became the order of the day. A new ultra-violent outfit named The Naxals was born under the patronage of one Charu Majumder, under whose reign lots of bloodshed took place. All industrial and other developmental activities came to a grinding halt. Now a very similar situation is once again prevailing in West Bengal under the TMC (Trinamool Congress), a political party led by Mamata Banerjee. Once again, political and communal violence has become a regular occurrence where a particular religious community has become the victim because of the extreme appeasement policy of the ruling party just to be in power. Leading industrial houses like TATA are packing up and leaving West Bengal, sending the wrong message to the rest of the nation not to invest in West Bengal so long as TMC is in power.
“What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow” is no longer applicable. West Bengal is burning under the TMC.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Tiger count
The ecosystem gets a boost when tigers flourish because they are at the top of the food chain. Approximately three thousand and nine hundred tigers are left in this world; the number definitely looks meagre. However, considering the tiger count five years ago and that the big cats’ number in India has risen by more than five hundred in the same period, one can fathom the efforts that are put into tiger preservation and safety. With 75 per cent of the tiger population, India is seen as the safest place for the majestic animal. Countries that harbour a high number of tigers—India, Indonesia, and Russia—are leaving no stone unturned in protecting the precious animal. The old story of tiger habitat destruction due to urbanization continues. Also, any tiger death is attributed to poaching unless proven otherwise.
Peer competition, diseases, electrocution, and accidents add to the animal’s misery. The tiger protection mechanism in the country has come a long way: the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under ‘Project Tiger’ is seizing the task. The need for overpasses and underpasses on highways and other roads is more pronounced now. The big cats traverse through what are known as “tiger spots” on the highway because they need serious demarcation of territories, and crowded highways are impediments to tiger movement. Better conviction rates, increased patrolling, and more camera traps can pin the poachers. Villager-tiger coexistence and tiger relocation cannot be ignored.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat,
(gbhat13@gmail.com.)
Salim Durrani – the heartthrob
Salim Durrani, the first Afghan-born Test cricketer, has died. Durrani, who became the playground heartthrob of the 1960s, was, in a nutshell, the era’s superstar. Durani’s colourful life is immortalized in the annals of Indian cricket. Durrani was known as an aggressive batsman who hit 18 sixes in 50 Test innings, which was unusual in that era. When the crowd demanded a six, he is said to have gone on a rampage on the pitch. However, this batting style is not reflected in his entire career. 1202 runs at an average of only 25.04 in tests, which is not a very good example today. His first-class record, however, is 8545 runs and 484. Salim, who received the first Arjuna Award as a cricketer, also appeared in the film ‘Charitra’ alongside Parveen Babi.
Abhijit Roy,
(abhijitroytatanagar@gmail.com.)
Reservation on the basis of caste
The caste system has been ruining our society from the inside out since time immemorial. But at present, reservation on the basis of caste has made most of the people disappointed. The modern society has evolved from a caste-based system to a class-based system. Moreover, economic conditions have replaced caste-based hierarchy in the present society. The new generation of people hardly cares about anyone’s caste in their day-to-day business. So, now the pertinent question is: is it the right time to rethink the reservation system on the basis of caste, or should we wait until absolute equality comes into existence in our society?
Manoj Adhikary,
(mnjadhikary@gmail.com.)