Letters to the Editor: Suddenly Active

The ‘secularists’ like Akhil Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Bhupen Borah, Mira Borthakur, and a few more are suddenly all over the social and electronic media after Bajrang Dal’s arms training camp at Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Mangaldai, was busted. I too strongly object to such camps and condemn the organizers for organizing such camps in a civilised society. Such open-arms training camps are usually seen in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, etc. Assam Police’s quick response in closing the camp and seizing materials is highly appreciated.

While all the above-stated messiahs (the kadars) of the ‘secular brigade’ were in unison in condemning the Bajrang Dal and state government, the same gang was nowhere to be seen or heard in condemning the murderer or demanding punishment for the murderer in the triple murder case of Golaghat. Bhupen Borah went further to compare the murderer with Lord Krishna by saying that Love Jihad was practised by Lord Krishna, so the murderer is innocent. He might have been influenced by the philosophy of Lord Krishna and committed the murders. They even did not even utter a word against the murderer until now because it might hurt the sentiments of the people belonging to the murderer’s religion. In broad daylight, three innocent lives were taken by a Frankenstein, but that did not touch the souls of members of the appeasement gang.

Spondon Hazori,

Biswanath Chariali.

Diminishing reading culture

The reading culture is at its lowest point right now, and we can only blame the time for arriving at such a juncture where people are comfortable shelling out money on material things but, when it comes to buying a book, they suddenly turn thrifty. Earlier, many Assamese newspaper groups would bring out special issues on the occasion of festivals or any important event. Come the Bihu season or the Puja season, the Assamese newspaper groups would publish colourful special issues where literary stalwarts like Homen Borgohain, Dhrubajyoti Bora, and Anuradha Sharma Pujari would pen out beautiful pieces. But since 4-5 years, many newspaper groups have stopped publishing these special issues as they started to remain largely unsold. It pains me to see such a dismal state of Assamese literature. Also, very few writers in Assamese can create a whirlwind today. The void left behind by geniuses like Homen Borgohain and Lakshminandan Borah is yet to be filled. But there is hope—hope that people will again imbibe the reading habit and that there will be fine writers to keep them engaged.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.