All
roads lead to Rome
There is a very wise and popular saying that, in the past, all roads led to Rome. During that time, Rome was the unofficial capital of the world. Interestingly, at this moment, it seems as if all the roads of the nation lead to Assam. On April 11, Union Home Minister Amit Shah came to Assam and addressed a huge public rally at Dibrugarh. Very shortly, he will be returning to Assam on May 11 to hand over appointment letters to those who have qualified for the various government jobs.
Interestingly, after the Central Home Minister, it will be our PM Modi who will be en route to Assam to witness 11,000 Bihu dancers performing Bihu dance in Sarusajai stadium on April 14, which will create a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. Our own central cabinet minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, has already become a permanent resident of the state. So, the first fortnight of April will be very hectic for Assam, as all roads seem to lead to the state, even though no immediate election is in the offing. So let us hope and pray that this very trend continues.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Untold facts
During our school days, we read and learned about the Mughal emperors, starting from Babar to the last known Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. We also learned that the Mughals were invaders and ruled Bharat for almost six hundred years, which was a very prominent part of our history. It is known to all that Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Begum at the expense of his kingdom’s exchequer, which drained the nation dearly and was one of the main causes of the downfall of the Mughal kingdom. But thanks to Rupjyoti Kurmi, an MLA from Mariani, for his bold claims in support of the NCERT’s decision to delete Mughal history, we know that Shahjahan had again married three to four times after the demise of his beloved Mumtaz. Is it called ‘true love’? We also did not know that another Emperor, Jahangir, had more than a dozen wives in his harem. If those above facts are true, as claimed by Kurmi, I strongly support NCERT’s step to erase the Mughals from Indian history. During the Mughal period, monuments and architecture of ancient Bharat were destroyed, and resources were looted and plundered. There is nothing to differentiate between Mughal and British rule (more precisely, the East India Company’s tenure). Aurangzeb taught us about secularism, but in reality, he did exactly the opposite. In fact, during the Mughal era, non-Muslims were tortured and brutalized to the maximum.
History makes a man wise.
Joel Gayari,
Tangla.
Not a wise
decision by APSC
The decision of the Assam Public Service Commission to conduct the CCE mains exam in June is not at all a wise decision. Previously, they had published an annual calendar where they clearly mentioned that they would conduct the mains exam in August or September.
Now APSC is deviating from its own words and saying that it would conduct mains in June. Even the UPSC gives at least three months to prepare for the mains. We request the APSC to stick to their calendar and conduct the mains in August or September, as they had promised.
The new chairman, BB Dev Choudhury, had our respect, but with such decisions, even his efficiency to conduct the exam is questioned. Does he not know what it takes to appear in the mains exam? We are in utter shock.
Nabanita Devi Goswami,
Dispur.
ICT instructors
underpaid
The Digital India Vision of the Prime Minister has been fulfilled in Assam only with a partial attitude by the state government. 1328 ICT (information and communication technologies) instructors working in various high schools and high secondary schools in Assam have been working under severe financial hardships as they are paid a meagre remuneration. They have written many times to various stakeholders of the Dr. Banikanta Computer Literacy Programme, yet no feasible solution has been sought by the government till date.
Nitul Borah,
North Lakhimpur.