Letters to the EDITOR: Bhai Dooj: A festival of sibling bonds

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Bhai Dooj: A festival of sibling bonds

Bhai Dooj is a beautiful festival that celebrates the loving bond between a brother and a sister. The festival is celebrated right after Diwali celebrations. This day is filled with prayers, blessings and love. Bhai Dooj is celebrated under different names in different states, such as "Bhau Beej" in Maharashtra, "Bhai Phonta" in West Bengal and "Yama Dwitiya" in South India, as India is a land of festivals, each carrying a deep meaning and message about love and togetherness.

This "Bhai Dooj" is celebrated two days after Diwali. The word "Bhai" means brother, and "Dooj" refers to the second day of the lunar fortnight. On this day the sisters perform some rituals, like offering tika to his brother for his long, healthy and successful life. In Bengali tradition, there is a ritual behind making the 'tika'. The smoke that rises from the diya which has been offered to the puja is used to make the sacred tika. In return for all this, the brother gifts something to his sister as a token of love.

From a mythological point of view, this festival is linked with Yamaraj and his sister Yamuna. When Lord Yama visited Yamuna after a long time, Yamuna welcomed her brother Yama with lots of love and blessings. After this, Lord Yamaraj declared this day as a day of love, blessings and strong bonding of brothers and sisters. Another mythological story is when Lord Krishna visited Subhadra after defeating the demon Narakasur; his sister Subhadra welcomed him by performing rituals with sweets, which is similar to "Bhai Dooj".

In modern days, "Bhai Dooj" has become more meaningful, as families now live far from each other. They connect through video calls and send gifts online.  Though they are far, their hearts are connected to each other. This festival teaches us the value of having family, a brother. This festival makes the bond between brothers and sisters even stronger and more powerful. "Bhai Dooj" is not just a festival but more than that. It teaches us that family bonding is significant and the love between brothers and sisters is a bond or connection that lasts for life.

Anirustha Saha

(anirusthasaha@gmail.com)

Earthquake

stations in NE

The news article 'Centre starts research for earthquake early warning system', published in your esteemed daily on October 22, has drawn our attention. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Northeast India lies in a high seismic zone. The region has forty-five seismic sensor stations of late, but it requires more seismic monitoring stations for better analysis of earthquakes and other natural hazards, as the region is far away from major plate boundary activity. It may be recalled here that the 1950 earthquake in the region was 8.6 in magnitude. It was described as one of the most destructive and tragic earthquakes in history. Another major earthquake that NE experienced in 1897 in the Shillong plateau was of 8.1 magnitude. The critical importance of understanding and ideally mitigating earthquake hazards in this region, therefore, cannot be overlooked. The installation of a new seismograph at Madhabdev University, North Lakhimpur, is the right step for better understanding of earthquake processes and earthquake hazards in the region, as it is closer to the epicentre of the latest quakes than other stations. What we need are microzonation maps for every city to guide planners, engineers and urban policymakers for implementing seismic design standards in the construction of new buildings and also retrofitting older buildings to make cities safer for the dwellers.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Honouring Zubeen Garg with a Tribute

By writing this letter, I want to honour Zubeen Garg with a tribute. After singer-composer Zubeen Garg's death on September 19, 2025, various initiatives were announced to honour his legacy, and both official and grassroots actions are already underway. The Assam government has announced plans to construct memorials to permanently honour his contribution to music and cinema. A second memorial has been announced for Jorhat, where he began his musical journey.

To make him immortal, we can continue to share and listen to his extensive body of work, which includes over 40,000 songs in more than 40 languages. We can support initiatives that showcase and preserve his contributions to Assamese culture, music, and cinema.

As we all know, Zubeen Garg was known for his philanthropy, particularly for those needing medical treatment and children in orphanages. Supporting such causes can continue his legacy of kindness and social contribution. Fans fondly remember him "talking to trees" and his belief that planting trees was a profound gift to future generations. So we can plant trees to give him tribute. In a public statement, Garg said, "I worship trees; I love trees. I am a child of the trees, a child of the rivers, a child of the mountains, a child of nature." There are a lot of things we can do to honour him, with tributes and memorials being some of them.

Violina Garg

Pragjyotish College

Misinformation galore

Of late, due to reasons best known to all bonafide Indian Asomiyas, there has been widespread misinformation galore by a certain section of overnight Zubeen Garg fans with an ulterior design to create a law and order situation as it happened during the last anti-CAA agitation. Initially it was rumoured that after Zubeen’s demise, more trees around Dighalipukhuri have been felled by an Assamese silver screen hero, who in real life happens to be a villain.

It was followed by a false biopsy report done at AIIMS. Next was the Baksa incident, where it was rumoured that three accused were given a very comfortable stay in the Baksa jail. It appears to be the handiwork of a local electronic print and media house which has already been identified by local people. We still remember when, during the last anti-CAA stir, rumours were spread by a third party stating that lakhs of Hindu Bengalis were camping in Siliguri waiting to cross over to Assam to mislead the gullible Asomiyas who resorted to violence. AASU’s passive role in this vital issue is regretted. All these are happening due to the upcoming assembly election.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

India rebuked Pak for doublespeak in the UN

India has sharply rebuked Pakistan at the United Nations for attempting to legitimize cross-border terrorism under the guise of a “freedom struggle”, calling it a display of “doublespeak and hypocrisy” by the “epicentre of global terrorism”. During an interactive dialogue with Ben Saul, the UN Special Rapporteur on Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, held by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, Pakistan’s Counsellor Muhammad Jawad Ajmal claimed that those engaging in attacks against India were “freedom fighters” exercising a legitimate right to resist “foreign occupation”. Ajmal asserted that this distinction was recognized under international law, humanitarian law, and UN General Assembly Resolution 46/51. However, India strongly rejected the claim, pointing out that no UN resolution or international legal instrument justifies terrorism in any form. Terrorism is among the gravest of offences that fundamentally violates the core of humanity. Also that terrorism represents the worst of bigotry, violence, intolerance, and fear, and terrorists are the worst of the worst in humankind.  Pakistan’s “doublespeak and hypocrisy stand exposed”, as the country is “a well-known epicentre of terrorism with established links to multiple terror attacks across the world targeting innocent civilians”. The 1994 UN General Assembly declaration, the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, and a 2004 Security Council resolution all affirm that terrorism can never be legitimized under any pretext. While Ajmal attempted to invoke Resolution 46/51 of 1991, the text of that resolution, far from endorsing terrorism, “unequivocally condemns as criminal and unjustifiable all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism wherever and by whomever committed” and calls on states to refrain from participating in such acts. Ajmal further alleged that India’s counter-terrorism measures violated human rights and claimed that the UN’s counter-terrorism framework had “singled out one religion” in its approach. India dismissed this as another diversionary tactic.

Bhagwan Thadani

(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)

Concern over cutting trees at Dighalipukhuri

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to express my deep concern over the ongoing cutting of trees around Dighalipukhuri in Guwahati. The trees surrounding this historic pond not only add to the beauty of the place but also play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance and providing fresh air in the heart of the city. It is disheartening to see these age-old trees being felled in the name of development. Such actions will not only destroy the natural charm of Dighalipukhuri but also increase air pollution and temperature in the area. The authorities must look for alternative methods of development that do not harm nature. I sincerely appeal to the concerned departments and the citizens of Guwahati to take immediate steps to stop the cutting of trees and to preserve the greenery of Dighalipukhuri for future generations.

Rahit Kumar

(rk3334241957@gmail.com)