Letters to The Editor

Be wise, be responsible

Through the columns of your esteemed daily I would like to state that nowadays real meaning of politics is not valued by anybody. We are emotional and always believe in speech and election temptations put in front of us by the candidates. As a responsible citizen and voter of India, our first duty is to make a strong government by voting the eligible candidates. But the mistake we are doing is that we are not looking at the person but looking at the party. If we are inclined towards a particular party then our vote will go to that particular party without knowing the eligibility of the candidate of that party. This is not a good sign for democracy. At the end of the day we will blame the government but before that we should question ourselves about what we the voters of the country or the State are doing. Nowadays many people choose politics as an easy career option as it can be taken without showing biodata. But if we want to create any change in the process of democracy we should vote the right candidate irrespective of the party thereby helping in the development of the nation.

Deekshita Sarmah,

Guwahati.

Unemployment crisis in Assam

Unemployment has become a major problem in Assam. How many people have been employed in the last five years? The BJP government promised that it would provide employment to 25 lakh unemployed. But has it kept its promise? Modiji said that India has the largest number of capable people to work. But the rate of unemployment is increasing day by day in India. Assam has more than 17 lakh educated unemployed. Unemployment is not only a problem but it is deeply related to the economy and the future of a country. We have just one request to the upcoming government that it should take a look at this problem. Assam's unemployment rate hit a 19-month high of 11.1% in April 2020, according to a survey conducted by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

Sikhamani Deka,

Cotton University.

Price rise & franchise

Soaring prices of essential commodities, of especially food items, continue to bleed common people like never before. Prices of food items such as rice, dal, wheat, edible oil etc., have shot through roof. This being the election time, the Opposition parties could have cornered the ruling party with facts and figures on the issue. Nothing has happened as the Opposition parties' voice has been rather feeble on that count. Price of essential commodities plays a major role in election. Anyhow let us see in which direction water flows. Of course, money and muscle power prevails to some extent nowadays. We, the common people, seek free-and-fare polls.

Putul Sarma,

Biswanath Chariali.

Lack of city buses

Through the column of your esteemed daily, I would like to point out the problem of lack of public transportation services during election times due to the requisition of city buses by the government. The general public, who use city buses to commute to work/college, face a lot of challenges. Sometimes the elderly citizens don't get a seat and need to stand the whole time. The jam-packed buses are also a huge threat to the rising number of COVID cases. I hope the authorities concerned do the needful.

Sohail Zaman,

Guwahati.

COVID vaccination

There is no gainsaying the fact that a good number of people are coming forward to get themselves vaccinated, thanks to the second wave of COVID-19 spreading across some States in the country. But at the same time, one feels, vaccination should not be made compulsory. People are the best judge as far as their health is concerned. The very fear of injection creates psychological complications in them and these are worse than the malady.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog.

Flood and erosion

This is in reference to your editorial 'Rehabilitation of erosion- hit families' (The Sentinel, March 3, 2021). Every year in Assam, the recurring problem of flood and erosion causes a huge loss of life and property in the State. Every year, three to four waves of flood occur. Assam is said to have been losing 8,000 hectares of land to the rivers every year. Besides two large rivers – the Brahmaputra and the Barak, Assam has 48 major tributaries and numerous sub-tributaries. While the river Brahmaputra covered an area of 3870 sq. km in 1912-28, its area increased to 5080 sq. km by the year 2006 due to erosion. The river Brahmaputra has widened to 15 km in some places. More than one lakh people have become landless in Assam over the years due to soil erosion. The flood-prone area of Assam is about 39% of the area of the State while the flood-prone area of the country as a whole is about 10% of the total area of the country. The government should provide lands and financial help to the people that have lost lands to the river erosion. Here, it is to be remembered that no ad-hock measures for controlling erosion in Assam will prove fruitful. Hence, the government should take suggestions from experts on how to control erosion in Assam.

Maheswar Deka,

Rangia.

Power problem

Through your esteemed daily I want to throw light upon the problem of power cuts in Tinsukia for the last two days. People are facing tremendous problems of power cuts because of the heavy rain and storm which damaged electric posts. Thus, I would like to appeal to the authority concerned to look into the matter and take necessary action.

Varsha Kumari Giri,

Guwahati.

Recognition of eSports in India

Esports is a form of sports competition using video games. It is one of the most rapidly-growing industries with the increasing internet penetration, more and more people are taking up eSport as a full-time profession. Esports were featured at the 2018 Asian Games as a demonstration sport with six video games- Arena of Valor, Clash Royale, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Pro Evolution Soccer, and StarCraft II. In India, eSports is growing too fast with the accessibility of internet and technology. Tirth Mehta who won bronze medal in Asian Games, 2018 in Hearthstone and Karan Manganani who secured 4th position in Asian Games, 2018 in Clash Royale were both from India representing the country in Asian Games. Now, Asian Games is going to include eSports as a medal event which is going to be held in 2022. Recently, Velocity Gaming secured third place at PVP Esports 'Valorant' Open Championship Finals and there are so many players who have lots of potential and will be able to represent India in a Global stage. Since Indian eSports players have lots of potential, still they don't get the support and recognition and this is the reason behind why Indian eSports scenario is lagging. Even after Asian Games include eSports as a sport, most of the people think that playing a video game is a waste of time and most of the parents don't support their children, at the same time they want their children to pursue business or job instead of taking video gaming as a career. Recognition of eSports as a sport in India can grant players so many future opportunities. If the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports can pick a step ahead, it will be helpful for the eSports athletes.

Bhaskar Nath,

Guwahati.

Rescue operation

MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan has jumped into the rescue of Badruddin Ajmal after the AIUDF chief insulted gamosa in an election meeting. The video which went viral clearly shows how Godfather of Bangladeshi infiltrators Badruddin Ajmal threw a gamosa which was placed on a table over a fellow partyman. Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, who became a Rajya Sabha MP with the blessings of Ajmal, stormed before the media and tried to defend Ajmal. According to Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, gamosa is not pride of Assam, merely a cloth to dry out wet body. How shamelessly he opined it before the media. Does he think the general public is illiterate or brainless? Ajit Kumar Bhuyan is a leader who reaped personal benefit under the guise of anti-CAA agitations in Assam. Earlier too, he vouched for Badruddin Ajmal to be the Chief Minister.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Increasing stress among students

Today's world is full of competition. Parents expect a lot from their children. They want their children to excel in all fields such as studies, sports and extra-curricular activities. Everyone wants their children to be a doctor or an engineer. The result is that children are under stress and feel burdened.

Students should be involved in games, sports and yoga to combat stress. Parents should not pressurize their children for performing excellent in studies. Meditation can be practised for controlling stress.

Papari Nath,

paparinath1999@gmail.com

Ill mentality

In a reply to a question asked by a student to Yogi Sadhguru about the social criticism from a section of people on his project 'Cauvery Calling', he said, "Unfortunately, well-intentioned people are wrapped up in their philosophies. Ill-intentioned people are action-oriented. This is what we need to change in the country such that well-intentioned people must become action-oriented. Ill-intentioned people, we must wrap them up in their own negativity."

This is mentioned in the context of vaccination drive for COVID-19 in India. Initially, the programme was meant for medical related health workers and old age people. The Prime Minister's call for taking vaccine to those people was criticized as the former didn't take the vaccine himself. But those same breed of people tried to blame him when he got vaccinated and termed him as opportunist saying that poor people were deprived of that programme. What type of mentality they have? Can we hope for a better mindset?

Dr P. C. Sarmah,

Jorhat.

Motivate children to read books

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for inculcating reading habits among children from a young age to strengthen their foundational literacy. He stated that educationists, intellectuals, parents, and teachers to bestow special attention to promoting the reading habit among children. Schools should make the fascinating world of books come alive in classrooms and called for more authors to write books for children. These books should be written and illustrated keeping in view the children's varying interests and abilities. We recognize the significance of reading in the development of children's personalities and to wean them away from excessive use of gadgets. It is our responsibility to motivate children to read interesting books, magazines, and literature along with the course books. It is also necessary to improve the condition of libraries and to provide a sufficient quantity of books. Reading habits help children to boost their knowledge, skills, and interests and turn them into responsible citizens of the country.

Amit Singh Kushwaha,

Satna (M.P.)

Street beggars

Through this column of your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned on the issue of street beggars. There are so many beggars in our State but some of them are not genuine. Healthy and stout people are seen begging in areas like Maligaon, Fancy Bazar, and Panbazar. If they are asked why they are begging instead of working, they start to argue or run away. They took begging as their profession. For them it is the most convenient way to earn money.

Jasminara Begum,

Guwahati.

Real game begins

In next 5-6 days, the elections will be over and there begins the real game. The party or alliance whoever raises the issue of EVM tampering first is the first one to concede defeat. Numerous times it has been proved that EVM cannot be tampered with but very often the losing party or alliance makes it an excuse of the defeat. They try to hide the reasons behind the defeat. The shameless politicians instead of doing introspection raise questions on the ECI. Secondly switching of alliance is very much possible. Post third phase every party would be clear of their position and there remains the chance when one party might join the opposite party. We the common people will be made fools.

Tanveer Mullah Haq,

Nalbari.

Attacks on old people living alone

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I wish to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the danger old people are facing. Most of the senior citizens are people who are living alone with just a domestic help. Their children are adults and have moved out. The domestic helps hired by these aged people often take advantage of their helplessness. They are burgled, poisoned or beaten to death. It is indeed a sad plight for our senior citizens.

It is my humble request to the authorities concerned to issue a certificate of verification of the domestic help and ask their neighbours to set up a neighbourhood watch where everyone can look out for the safety of each other, especially the older people. I hope my concern will reach the ears of the authorities concerned through your newspaper.

Himakshri Bora,

Guwahati.