Letters to the Editor: Garbage problem at East Gotanagar

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation towards the garbage issue in the East Gotanagar area due to which the street looks so dirty and people have to smell the awful odour of garbage while passing through the road. The most serious problem occurs when rain takes place and all the garbage at the corner of the road comes at the street which looks pathetic and whenever people pass by the road they have to pass through the garbage first which is very frustrating. Also, the area is heavily populated with monkeys and they eat from the garbage which is very harmful to their health. So, I would like to request the authorities concerned to clean the area for the safety of the monkeys and the public as soon as possible so that pedestrians can walk freely, and they don't have to face any problems while walking on the road.

Joydeep Paul,

Guwahati

National Handloom Day

August 7 was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the 'Swadeshi' Movement which was launched on the same date in 1905. The objective is to protect India's handloom heritage and to enable the handloom weavers and workers with greater opportunities and contribute to socio-economic development. The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated on 7 August 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centenary Hall of Madras University in Chennai.

Be it Tamil Nadu's famous Kanchipuram saris or Assam's Muga (golden silk) mekhela sadors, the Paithani weaves of Maharashtra or Benarasi brocades of Uttar Pradesh, India has the largest and widespread weaving industry in the world. According to the Fourth All India Handloom Census 2019-20, 31.45 lakh households are engaged in handloom, weaving and allied activities.

Due to the Covid-19-induced lockdowns, there are no handicraft and handloom exhibitions or markets. According to the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), tribal handicrafts and handloom worth Rs 100 crore went unsold owing to the lockdown.

Textile clusters should be encouraged in making masks and other medical equipment that uses textiles such as bedsheets, etc., contributing to the medical infrastructure. There is a need to promote the finesse of Indian weavers globally to communicate, disseminate and engage with not just the global audience but the Indian diaspora as well.

Riti Dowerah,

Cotton University

Technology as dictator

Technology is the biggest dictator in the whole world. We are under its "chakravyuh" which no Abhimanyu can find a way out of. We can do nothing without technology. It has spiralled our lives in such a way that it has barged into our most private space, that is the bedroom. Who would free us from the clutches of this dictator? Can we expect a Mahatma or a Mandela? We hear about diseases we had no idea existed, depression is one of them which has carved a niche for itself in the world of diseases. Technology is slowly munching on our lives and the day is not far when it will digest and excrete us out. But let's not accept defeat without putting out a fight. Before that we have to ask ourselves a question, are we ready to give up technology for days which our parents used to talk about?

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur

Olympic medals

While sports lovers are anxiously watching Indian athletes and players performances, we need to ponder why we are unable to get enough medals. To win in competitive sports like Olympics, we need to give sufficient exposure to players in international matches. We have to set our sports priorities right from the school level itself. In schools, textbooks must also include chapters on sportspersons. More inter-school tournaments increase students encouragement on sports. There should be age relaxation for deserving players. Financial help should also be given to such families.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog

Distortion of truth

A few years ago, a film was made on the national women hockey team named Chak De! India went on to become a blockbuster hit. The said film starred Shahrukh Khan who played the character of Kabir Khan, a failed international hockey player of India who took up the challenge to built a women's team to erase the black spot on his career as a player. Now the question is: why did the director change the reel name of the hockey coach? The fact is it was Ranjan Negi, a former men's hockey player who was blamed and termed traitor after the 1982 loss against arch-rival Pakistan in Asian Games. After the game whole nation went into mourning and goalkeeper Negi went into hiding. He was even accused by the armchair critics of taking bribes from Pakistan for letting 7 goals into his net. Ranjan Negi, later on, became coach of the men's team which won gold in the 1998 Asian Games, women's team won gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2004 Asia Cup men's team emerged champion. But the Bollywood change the name of Ranjan Negi as Kabir Khan in the movie? This man spent numerous sleepless nights thinking about how to erase the dark spots in his career by contributing something back to the game he loved the most. The film should have been the best opportunity to clear any doubt about this man in the minds of the people. Instead, Bollywood chooses to glorify a particular religion even by distorting the truth.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

AIUDF's statement

Through your esteemed daily, I fully support AIUDF's statement that without AIUDF support, Congress in Assam would not have got so many seats. Congress needs introspection. Why AIUDF has made such a statement. It is because Congress' vote bank is of a particular religion, neglecting the majority voters of Assam. This is painful for me. Ripun Bora himself was defeated in the last election. He should understand why the majority of Assamese people discarded them.

I would like to suggest one thing for the sinking ship of Congress that the party should discard the family legacy and form it afresh. The majority of Assamese people will accept them. They should read the people's sentiment that the whole Indian public is against the Gandhi family.

Suprakash Chakraborty,

Kamakhya Nagar

Adabari Tiniali, Guwahati

Very few would know about one of the greatest footballers ever produced by India who captained the Indian soccer team in the 1948 Olympics. Yes, we are talking about Shilendranath Manna who inspired the bare-footed football team Olympic semi-final. At that time Nehru government couldn't provide football boots to the players. Some of the players wore socks and others played barefoot. It is important to mention that all the sports bodies were under the control of the government. But during that time Pt. Nehru's clothes were dry cleaned in Paris. After completion of the Olympics, the soccer team qualified for FIFA World Cup in Brazil 1950 but the team was not sent in the last minute because FIFA barred teams who would play barefoot. The then government sent a letter to FIFA stating that since India was a poor country it could not afford football boots for its players. FIFA said that they want a talented team like India to participate in the World Cup and FIFA announced that it would bear the travelling and accommodation cost of the entire team but even then the government refused to buy shoes for the players and the team was not sent to the World Cup. Great Manna was deprived to showcase his talent and skills on the world stage due to Nehru's apathy towards sports and the morale of the team was badly affected. At that time, Shilendranath Manna was among the top ten captains of the world. The irony of the story is that three out of seven main football stadiums in the country are named after Jawaharlal Nehru (one is named after his daughter Indira Gandhi) and even after more than 70 years of independence majority of people don't know about the greatest footballer of India Shilendranath Manna. The country's highest sports honour Khel Ratna is named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's grandchild Rajiv Gandhi ignoring legendary Major Dhyanchand.

Dhiman Senchowa,

North Lakhimpur.

Kudos to

Indian hockey

In the age of mid-septuagenarian, when Covid-19 to daily life, there is no sign of light in daily living, just at that moment, my joy is no bound when the Indian men's hockey team rewrote history as it claimed an Olympic Bronze Medal after 41 years, beating a plucky Germany 5-4. Agree its bronze medal and India becomes third, but how can one forget that our motherland India won seven Olympic gold medals between 1928 and 1964 — losing only in 1960 final to claim silver. The nation won gold again in 1980 (league basis and without semi-final), but has placed no higher than fifth since. Even in this Tokyo Olympics, our men's hockey team didn't start so well when India lost its second match 7-1 to Australia. But the Indian men's hockey team's Australian coach Graham Reid (57) very rightly assessed, "Good teams don't let something like a little hiccup affect their overall performances throughout the tournament," If not then who forget those high-voltage six minutes before half time, four goals scored, when chips were looking down with score at 1-3, India equalized with two penalty corner hits and immediately after scored two field goals. Without any doubt, both the men and women hockey team's performances in the Tokyo Olympics, have shown a sign of revival of the country's national game. We should become once again number one in the hockey world, if the Centre and the state governments (like the Odisha government), sponsor authority, media and sports lovers cheer them up like the small world of cricket. We need to reduce the dependence on cricket to focus on other sports. Kudos to Indian hockey, both men and women for its brilliant performance, and hope that they continue to shine and bring more pride to the nation.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad 121005.

Covid-appropriate behaviour

From 2020 the social relationship has witnessed a drastic change. Due to the undesirable pandemic situation, the Covid-19 theory has made room in our mind in such a way that we happen to listen to anything and everything without any clarification of the source of (mis)information and the result is adverse.

Whatever may be the case isn't it alarming to recall and react to such wrong information with an appropriate behaviour amidst all such confusion arising out of general misconception regarding Covid-19-affected condition as well as a post-Covid-19 condition among the people in our society?

Those who had faced ill-treatment from their 'so-called neighbours' and so-called other people whom 'they happened to know' or believe in, sit together, have a cup of tea and talk about ups and downs in life and so forth – only because of their being (unknowingly) affected by the Coronavirus – only they can realize how pathetic life becomes when even after repeated prayers and requests for common minimum help from the 'so-called known' people, the sufferers had just to face mere denial and a big 'NO' added with hundreds of lame excuses.

I can understand that helpless situation because my better half, Deepika, too, had been hospitalized for nine days after being tested Corona positive last year (i.e., 2020). The next thing was rather too 'shocking' and 'undesirable' to notice that the same 'so-called known faces' behaved as if they were complete 'strangers' and the rest is history.

By God's grace, there was one noble soul in the crowd who had appeared as a 'devadoot' (Messenger of God) and supplied us with everything necessary for my wife's health and wellness during the crisis. Most surprisingly, we were mere customers of one of the most popular wholesale shops in Dhemaji.

When after shedding my tears for long three days in my rented room all day and night being helplessly alone, just praying to God to send one 'noble' soul blessed with kindness and care for others in distress (as my better half was hospitalized during those days), I got the last light of Good Hope, and that was 'Lilen da' (Sri Lilen Dihingia) of Dhemaji, who needs no extra introduction today because of his growing popularity as a 'down to earth' businessman and an 'Asomiya', gaining tremendous success after a lot of hardship and struggle in his day-to-day life in the past.

After regaining my inner strength on the third night, I rang up 'Lilen da' and opened up my heart and conveyed to him the whole unexpected situation (over the phone) that I had been going through and also shared with him the real fact – my main crisis – prohibition to move out of the main gate of my rented house and so forth. I, also, told him that my wife needed some very necessary items of daily use and other things for her health and wellness! What was so positive in him was that he had just asked me what 'she needed' and 'when' and nothing else. He had also assured me of his blessed presence as & when required. Moreover, he had morally boosted me with his true words and given me all positive vibes and responses to be self-confident and strengthen myself to see the brighter side of life (even amidst all turmoil, restlessness and unending pain)!

Yes, I can never repay your unselfish human sentiments and nobility as a genuine human being, 'Lilen da', because you had only stood beside us in our real crisis when the so-called 'known faces' happened to behave with us (in trouble after trouble) in a very unkind, selfish and inhuman way.

Through your esteemed news daily, first of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and 'pranam' towards all the dedicated members of the Medical Staff on duty at the Covid Ward of Dhemaji Civil Hospital without whose service my better half could not have regained her wellness and inner strength to recover from the ailment and return home safely last year (i.e., 2020)! Also, I would like to thank some of the people in Dhemaji who had, at least, taken the stock of the situation over the phone. I would, also, like to thank my near and dear ones – my parents and my siblings who had supported us wholeheartedly from our far off native village at district Sonitpur (due to the prohibition of the Lockdown). Last but not the least, I would like to bow down to respected 'Lilen da' for all his humanistic approach!

Jayanta Topadar,

Sikshak Karyakarta,

Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya,

Dhemaji