Letters to the Editor: Students' necessity

Through this letter, I wish to highlight the pressing concern of the student community from the Kalaigoan Legislative Assembly area in the Darrang district. The vast area comprising Chamuakhat, Rajapukhuri, Bherbheri, Shyamtila, Panbari, Barbagan etc., villages do not have a single public library with modern educational technologies. Though a handful of people educated themselves braving various adverse situations, the community members remain devoid of education in general. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the people of the area have not seen notable progress in the field of education since independence.

As Dr BR Ambedkar has aptly put it that education is the key to salvation, it is necessary to expose community members to reading habits. Without much scientific education, these areas look very backward. To uplift the community, driven by education, it is important to pull people to reading avenues. To achieve this end, we need a scientifically equipped public library to inculcate the reading habits among the people.

A public library will greatly benefit the present and future student communities otherwise there will hardly be any difference between this generation's students and previously educated people who had to face a lot of hardships in their bids to get educated.

It is very important for students, especially children, to acquire proper knowledge. And, suitable studying environment and infrastructure is very essential for the students to acquire knowledge as well as for competing in various competitive examinations like NEET, JEE, SSC, APSC, or UPSC etc.

But unfortunately, we, the student community of this vast area, are deprived of it. Our pleas for a public library to local political representatives seem to have fallen on deaf ears, and student organizations giving this demand the least priority, I am reaching out to you with this concern.

I hope that through you the matter will come to the notice of the Hon'ble Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the local MP and MLA. Then the Hon'ble Chief Minister will take cognizance of the matter and he will ensure to initiate the process of setting up a model and modern public library as a new year's present for the year 2022 to the student community of the area.

This will be helpful for the welfare of the student community of the entire area.

Shahnur Alam,

Gauhati University,

Department of Communication and Journalism.

An audacity

The recent diabolic game plan of a security lapse on the part of the Punjab Government in providing due security to the nation's PM has entirely rocked the nation as it was totally unprecedented in the history of the nation. The people of the nation have thanked the Almighty for keeping our PM unharmed which once again proves his popularity among the common people of the nation. But very amusingly INC which is in power in Punjab is trying to play down the entire issue as a fiasco alleging that the whole issue was a play enacted by BJP to tarnish the image of the Punjab government before the upcoming election in the state.

According to INC, it was entirely due to low public attendance in the scheduled public rally which was to be addressed by PM, the BJP resorted to some dirty tricks to gain public sympathy and defame the Channi government. These die-hard INC supporters including our APCC chief Bhupen Bora, a total non-entity in the nation's politics also do believe that we the bona fide electors of the state will buy his or his master's story. Bhupen Bora's audacity to shield his bosses by showing some newspapers reports in this regard before the press has once again made him a laughing stock before us. Sri Bora should try to keep his own house in order before commenting on such an issue. We pity him.

LONG LIVE MODI. JAI HIND.

Joel Goyari,

Tangla.

Illumination

Guwahati has a colourful nightlife. It has streetlights all over the city. However, do the places of pride are under the light?

I want to say about the statue of Lachit Barphukan at Lachit Ghat, the Saraighat Bridge, Bhupen Hazarika's Samadhi Kshetra etc.

Are they properly illuminated like the newly constructed Dispur flyover or the footbridges which are being constructed in different areas of the city?

The Government should complete the first thing before going to start the other. Neon lights are being given in the newly constructed bridges. That's a good thing, but they should also think about giving those lights in the Saraighat Bridge too and the statue of Lachit Barphukan.

Hirakjyoti Deka,

Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Gauhati University.

As per the media report India's actual Covid-19 toll could be six times the reported figure, with a study published in the Science journal estimating it to be 3.2 million. A total of 483,178 Covid-19 deaths have been officially recorded so far since the pandemic began. No doubt India has been overwhelmed by a devastating second wave of the pandemic in the last April and May, though the government has no records of the number of actual pandemic deaths. But as per media, the corpses were evidence of a massive discrepancy between the official Covid-19 death figures and the actual numbers on the ground. A glaring example of it as officially 196 people had died from the virus in Kanpur between 16 April and 5 May, but the data from seven crematoriums showed nearly 8,000 cremations. Like hundreds of corpses have been found floating in the river or buried in the sand of its banks on traditional beliefs, poverty, and a pandemic killing people at lightning speed. Whatsoever, now the Supreme Court (SC) has approved the Centre's scheme of granting Rs 50,000 ex gratia compensation for all those who died due to Covid-19 in India. But the big question: who are those liable to get the ex-gratia compensation? Though the SC said "The ex-gratia assistance shall continue to be provided for deaths that continue to occur post the date of judgment", a total of 483,178 Covid-19 deaths have been officially recorded so far since the pandemic began.

But what happened to India's actual Covid-19 toll, which was 3.2 million (mostly poor)? Are the Modi government and the SC ever thinking about those six times excess toll? As per the SC order, shall the district authorities take remedial steps to have the cause of death corrected? Hope, after losing one's near and dear one, any kin of the deceased shall not be deprived an amount of Rs 50,000 and it will be over and above the amounts paid by the Centre and state under various benevolent schemes. People hope that the Modi government should not differentiate between the official and actual Covid-19 toll.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad 121005

Humour

Humour has a lot of positive scientific connections to the human body. Good and plain humour sharpens the brain, enhances the intellectual ability of a person, makes one blithesome and ultimately helps him/her to keep in good health. In fact, years ago I read somewhere that the more you cry like a newborn, the more you would laugh as you grow. Humour supplies fresh energy to our body and melts away anger in no time. Without humour, the existence of a human being on earth is inconsequential and pointless. Those who don't appreciate good humour and laugh, but always present themselves with tight faces, are equal to corpses. Of all the places, jokes relating to the office would always top the list. For example, an egoist and ever ill-tempered boss would shout at his secretary: "I am the boss… you are nothing!" Pat comes the reply from her: "So you are a boss of nothing!" Nice humour exists in some popular phrases too. Consider this: 'A woman is behind in every man's success, the adage goes. But the question is: "If she comes in 'front', will he be a failure?" One seriously needs to ponder over. There is little doubt that humour is the panacea to the rigours of our daily life, especially during times of pandemics.

Ranganathan Sivakumar

Madipakkam,

Chennai – 600 091