Letters to the Editor: Musketeers, the stoic silence

Very recently, almost all the print and electronic media received a high degree of publicity regarding the appearance of three Gogois in state politics as members of the combined opposition. They are Sarvashree Gaurav Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, and Akhil Gogoi, and the trio was projected as the three Musketeers of state politics who were supposed to bring radical changes to Assam politics and fortune. One of the other esteemed missing members is Bhupen Borah, the president of APCC, who is already in the news due to very wrong reasons facing social boycott by the sons of the soil for his infamous comments involving Lord Krishna, Draupadi, Dhritarashtra, and Gandhari with Love Jihad. Previously, he was also in the news for tearing his shirt before the media while opposing the eviction drive in Garukhuti. Even his entry into the Namghars of the state has been banned by the Xatradhikars.

I, as an Asomiya, do feel that all three Gogois mentioned above are not aware of this development, as this news doesn’t tally with their ‘secular policy’. Their stoicism and deafening silence on this particular issue are noted by the bonafide Asomiyas.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Walking tracks

The health is wealth adage is getting more true day by day as people are working on their bodies to look more presentable. But working out in the open is more beneficial than working out in closed enclosures like gyms. European and American cities have walking and cycling tracks where people can sweat it out. Assam has also taken cues, and many cycling and walking tracks are in the making now. If seen from a different angle, the government, by building these tracks, is investing in a healthy voting population that will make good voting decisions. Even though this is a very good step, a few things that the government should consider are avoiding the paver blocks in these tracks, as the paver blocks are meant for pavements, as the name suggests, and not roads. Paver blocks also decrease tyre life, so cycling on paver blocks is not a good decision. As the cities are losing their green cover, the government should compensate for this and plant trees alongside these tracks.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

Human intelligence versus AI

Artificial intelligence has become a transformative force in today’s evolving world and has impacted several industries globally. However, if there is one field that AI cannot influence and reshape traditional practise in, it is ‘journalism.’ Journalism is an industry of the sea, and the ever-busy field needs more human power for reporting, approving, and publishing news and stories. The profession involves much more than mechanization. Clearly, AI-involved work can account for only about 10 per cent of the total function in journalism. Another key aspect of journalism is that it involves a lot of emotional intelligence. For example, a journalist visiting a flood-ravaged area or a fire-destroyed spot and speaking to the affected people by expressing his/her concern can never be compared with a robot’s workmanship. It is important to remember that journalism is more than just the sum of its parts, and the profession’s human character cannot be automated by any means. Accuracy requires proper and in-depth verification, and Robots cannot get it right every time.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

(siva19kumar@gmail.com.)

Shed terror for talks

The dicey equation between India and Pakistan has bordered on hate and hope. Whenever a tinge of anticipation pushes people of both countries to look forward to hearing ‘good news’, it's back to square one. The word 'dialogue', thanks to the rogue ways of Islamabad, is all set to become defunct. But Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif seems to think otherwise, as he has ‘called’ for a dialogue between the two neighbours while addressing a summit in his country. Sharif has said war is not an option. But the Pakistan Prime Minister should know that New Delhi is never in favour of a war.

On the contrary, in the past, whenever India opened up to its neighbour for a dialogue, bang came an ambush on the Indian army or a cross-border attack, orchestrated by Islamabad. That, indeed, is the problem because, as external affairs minister S Jaishankar has said, India cannot ‘normalize’ terrorism for the sake of a bilateral dialogue. India's taming of the ‘wild horse’ Pakistan in more than one instance, via diplomacy and military, has brought the latter to its knees. Therefore, it is laughable that Sharif is now favouring talks. There is little doubt that the people of both countries are yearning for peace. If at all talks have to take place, Islamabad should divorce its terror companions. A country that is next to nothing in terms of diplomacy and decorum requires to be shown its place.

Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com.)