Letters to the Editor

ISRO centre in Guwahati

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will set up a research centre in Guwahati for start-ups, academicians, environmentalists and entrepreneurs. The ISRO will set up the exclusive research facility in Assam to explore the possibility of using geospatial technology, which include data generated via GPS, geographical information systems and satellite remote sensing for expediting the development of Assam. Assam is really fortute enough that the ISRO is going to set up a research centre in Guwahati. As a matter of fact, ISRO's research centre is a great gift to the people of the State. We hope the Assam government fully cooperates with the centre so that it can extend its valued service for prosperity of the State.

Satish Kumar Sarma,

Kalyanpur, Biswath Chariali.

Guwahati Film Festival

Rima Das's film 'The Village Rockstar' was screened at many film festivals like Toronto, San Sebastian, among others. It won awards at Mumbai Film Festival and received massive support at the first ever Guwahati Intertiol Film Festival from the home crowd. It has touched many social issues of our ordiry village lives. Among other issues, grave and heart-wrenching stories of annual problem of floods have also been portrayed. Two things that come to my mind after watching the film are: movies like this need to be watched by bureaucrats and political leaders of Dispur who often seem to be detached from ground realities and the hardships of villagers. One should get enlightened about how embankments are the only hope and how delays in works of building embankments harm the people in villages during floods. Not that our "leaders" and bureaucrats are uware of the problems, but a timely reminder about the hardship of people still prevails and what it feels like to be victims of flood every year.

Secondly, I would appeal to the State government to recognise and support independent films and filmmakers so that these movies can be watched around the world.  We have had long discourses of taking Assam and its culture to 'Bishwo Dorbar'. Now it's time to act and support young and energetic minds and take Assam to the world platform. With movies like this, our State can go places!

Nupur Das,

Guwahati.

Hostility towards transgenders

The Dutch Ambassador to India has opined that the Supreme Court of India took an important step by stating that rights are equal for all, and certainly for transgender people too. It will take time initially for mainstream society to accept the transgender people.

The Dutch Ambassador, after getting the result of the research on schools, opined that schools should make students know about the transgender community and that nobody should be discrimited on the basis of gender identity, and that hostility against transgender should be done away with.

Putul Sarma,

Bamgaon, Biswath Chariali.