Letters to the EDITOR: The Exodus

 The Exodus

Election fever has already started to grip the entire nation, including Assam. Unlike previous occasions, there has been a massive exodus of political heavyweights and lightweights from one party to another. The reason is very simple. Most of them have deserted their original party as they were denied party tickets to serve the people. According to them, the only way to serve the common people is by becoming either an MLA or MP.

This is the price we, the common people, the electorate, the so-called kingmakers, have to pay for being kingmakers in a democracy.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury

Guwahati

Anunaad- The Resonance: A relevant film

Anunaad- The Resonance, is a new-age independent Assamese film capturing human trafficking and the allurement and false narrative of a better city life outside Assam for folks, especially in rural Assam. It shows how teenage girls from rural Assam continue to fall prey to hypnotic promises of marriage to outsiders, in connivance with the local middlemen (and women), and then become an intricate part of human trafficking, getting sold and resold to men in North India. Many such incidents in real life have come to the attention of the public through the media. The dreams of these simple village girls get shattered in the dark world, where there is no respite.

Urmila Mahanta, in a sombre role as Jaanmoni, gets battered by the events of her life in Haryana, where she’s married and then gets sold to older men, who rape her repeatedly, and is forced to do all chores in the house and in the fields till she falls sick. Udayam Duarah, as Raja, plays the role of a pimp and a local middleman in an Assam village.

Reema Borah, as director of this Assamese film, has captured the sensibilities of the story and the characters. This is an excellent Assamese production with a fresh but known subject. However, storytelling could have been enhanced with better editing in certain parts. Overall, a big thumbs up to the entire team.

Ashim Bhuyan,

Guwahati

Bipolar individuals need full care

According to a rough estimate, there are more than ten million men and women who exhibit “bipolar disorder.” Affected individuals display extreme mood swings—they can become manic at one point and depressed at another. From being overjoyed, elated, and excited to being down, hopeless, and sad, the person tends to be disassociated with their surroundings. 

In between, the person may appear normal. At times, there may not be a normal mood phase, or there may be an admixture of excitement and depression. During a low, suicidal thoughts are not uncommon, and that makes the condition troublesome for all concerned. An individual who is not aware that he is in the manic phase can have strained interpersonal relations. 

Not surprisingly, the management of bipolar disorder is aimed at reducing the severity and length of mania and depression to enhance quality of life.  Generally, a person is said to be in remission for bipolar disorder if he or she has not exhibited either mania or depression for at least one week; to be described as a person in ”sustained remission,”  the person has to be symptomless for a longer period.

Since mood stabilizers, behavioural therapy, and lifestyle alterations are  integral parts of bipolar disease management, the affected person may go on to effectively discharge his duties in remission. World Bipolar Day is observed on March 30.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

gbhat13@gmail.com

Stimac’s effort is unacceptable

During the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers held in Guwahati, the Indian football team encountered a disheartening setback, enduring a demoralizing 1-2 defeat against Afghanistan. This loss marks the first defeat to Afghanistan in over 15 years, highlighting the struggles of Afghan football despite being underdogs. It signifies a new low for Indian football, illuminating the pervasive challenges the sport faces within the country.

Igor Stimac's poor team management and coaching are the main reasons for which one can ask for his dismissal. It sparked widespread criticism across the country, and it makes one completely understand that Stimac’s performance is unacceptable. Additionally, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) administrators are also held accountable for the dismal state of Indian football.

Vijaykumar H K

hkvkmech1@gmail.com

Karma catches up with Kejriwal

The Delhi high court denied interim relief to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the financial crimes agency, last week in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam case. The high court gave the ED time until April 2 to file its response to Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest as well as his application seeking interim relief. As the court is of the opinion that the respondent has to be granted an opportunity to file a reply, an opportunity for effective representation, and declining this opportunity would amount to denial of a fair hearing as well as a violation of one of the principles of natural justice, Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest and his interim relief application will be decided on April 3, and no adjournment will be granted on that date. Kejriwal, who is also head of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the ED on March 21 and is accused of being the “kingpin” in the liquor policy case. Kejriwal had made irresponsible, baseless, and wild allegations against Congress leaders, including former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, in the past. In a blistering attack on Arvind Kejriwal, the phrase "karma catches up" was used, suggesting that he was facing the consequences of his past actions.

C K Subramaniam

cksumpire@gmail.com