Letters to the Editor: Eviction Drive

By a chance while watching a local vernacular television channel in the evening, I came across a debate regarding eviction and rehabilitation of the evicted people as per SC's direction. Representatives from the ruling and opposition parties took part in the said debate and as usual they argued vehemently to prove their points putting the interests of their respective parties ahead of the nation.

I as a native Asomiya do feel that the eviction drives conducted by the state government is very much overdue because of the massive encroachment of government, xatra, forest land by the people of doubtful nationality and integrity posing a great threat to the locals. When encroachment of government or the xatra or forest land are illegal acts, all the encroachers are criminals and anti-nationals. Questions of rehabilitating them do not arise at all.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Dignity of labour

The dignity of labour is respected everywhere to a greater or lesser extent in the world, particularly in the developed western countries where work is not differentiated from their high or low status. But on the contrary, we see a different scenario in India as general and in Assam in particular. In Assam, even today our society doesn't show the dignity of labour in true sense. Probably it has become a natural tendency for most of the Assamese people that a well- educated student should not become a prosperous farmer or undertake any business venture. Most of the parents still want their children to join government jobs as even today some people say, that your life is meaningless till you get a government job. Therefore, a revolutionary change is needed in our education system so that every kind of labour is respected and every nation-building citizen can feel proud of them for their productive enterprises to make India at par with other developed nations of the world.

Bhushan Ray,

Bijni, Chirang.

Candlemas Day

The Feast of the presentation of Lord Jesus Christ in the temple, which is also the fourth joyful mystery of the Holy Rosarys is celebrated on February 2. The presentation is when the Blessed Mother Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple to be dedicated to God.

On Candlemas Day, followers of Jesus Christ celebrate his presentation at the temple and the Virgin Mary being purified, with many of the faithful bringing candles to their churches to be blessed. Thereafter, where they are lit and placed on window sills to ward off evil. The candles represent Jesus and the day of His induction into Judaism, and they go toward explaining the name of the holy day, Candlemas.

This act of humility can inspire each of us to strive to be more obedient to God's will in our lives. When Mary and Joseph met Simeon in the Temple, Simeon thanked God for revealing the Messiah to him. He called the Child "a light to the revelation of the Gentiles" (Luke 2:25-32). These words are the basis for the custom of blessing candles representing the light of Christ.

Jubel D'Cruz,

Mumbai.

All that glitters is litter

Today's glitter is a combination of plastic and aluminum. Frequently found in well-known makeup products is glitter. Wrapping paper, holiday decorations, greeting cards, craft projects, and even personal cosmetics all contain glitters, which are clingy, scintillating specks. Glitter made of plastic is probably present in almost anything that glitters. Due to their small size, glitter particles are regarded as micro-plastics, a significant contributor to soil, air, and ocean pollution. Studies explain that glitter is notoriously difficult to clean up due to its small size and propensity to produce a lot of static cling. The sparkly stuff in our homes and the surroundings is nearly impossible to eradicate due to its tenacious nature. And because these tiny plastic particles can take hundreds of years to decompose, every piece of glitter ever produced is still in existence. The eye-catching shimmer of a substance like water, glass, or precious metal was referred to as glitter for centuries. The plastic is metalized on both sides by applying ultrafine layers of aluminum, which gives the glitter its colour and bling factor.

The plastic is made from sheets of both polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate, the same plastic found in water bottles. A third, thin layer of the plastic styrene acrylate is present in many types of glitter. However, secret formulas keep the ingredients used in glitter a secret inside the walls of the factories. The glitter is then removed from the sheets, mostly in the form of tiny, pointy hexagons. Glitter's tenacity explains its role in plastic pollution. Because most glitter is small from the start, it does not degrade and remains intact from the cradle to the grave. The majority of glitter ends up in the water bodies as a result of wastewater generated in our homes and landfill run-off. Because marine organisms, such as fish, cannot distinguish the tiny synthetic bits from their natural food supply, microplastic has become one of the world's most prolific and intractable pollutants. As this plastic bioaccumulation enters the food chain, humans end up consuming enough plastic to fill a credit card every week, primarily through the water we drink and the sea-food we eat. According to the findings, glitter may play a larger role in microplastic pollution than previously thought, particularly in terms of soil health.

Vijaykumar H K,

Karnataka.