Letters To The Editor: Save the Bharalu

Save the Bharalu

The river Bharalu is one of the distinguished tributaries of the mighty Brahmaputra. There was a time people used it for fishing, swimming etc. The Bharalu passes through the heart of Guwahati city. It is known to all that the colour of water is blue. But after visiting this river your concept about water will change, because the colour of the water of the Bharalu turns black. It carries all pollutants of Guwahati. All dirty elements of several industries are mixed in the river Bharalu. It causes the worst impact on the river. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation took several steps for cleaning the river. Huge amount of funds were also used for cleaning up the river. But after thousands of such steps taken by the Government, the condition of this river remains pathetic. Gradually, the river has been made the natural dustbin of Guwahati. The State Pollution Control Board has marked Bharalu as one of the most polluted river stretches in the country, falling under priority 1 as per CPCB with a BOD level of 52.0 mg/l, hence making it totally unfit for drinking and bathing purposes. Moreover, the pollution level at Bharalu is regarded as one of the major sources of contamination affecting the overall quality of Brahmaputra's water. It also causes adverse affects on the health of street animals and also people. If the river Bharalu issue is not considered more seriously by the appropriate authorities, then the river Bharalu will soon become a part of history in front of our eyes. So, I urge the Government to take immediate necessary steps in the matter.

Mahendra Kumar Nath,

Tezpur

Mangeshkars

hounded

Author Vikram Sampath's concluding volume on freedom fighter, 'Veer Sarvakar: A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966', has rekindled the debate surrounding the concerted attempts made by the successive Congress Government along with the Left-liberal brigade to falsely vilify the freedom fighter and besmirch his reputation. The book bought forth the hypocrisy of the Leftist gang who project themselves as champions of free speech and expression but are themselves prepared to travel miles to squelch dissenting opinions. The book referred the case of dismissal of Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar from All India Radio by the Congress Government for not conforming to their diktats. The Congress Government ostracized anybody who glorified Veer Sarvakar. The top Congress leaders have been hell-bent on proving Veer Sarvakar's link with assassination of Mahatma Gandhi as one of the co-conspirators. Hridaynath Mangeshkar was sacked from All India Radio because Pandit Mangeshkar created musical composition based on Veer Sarvakar's iconic poems. Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar and his sisters Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar and Padma awardee Usha Mangeshkar had created musical tunes and given their voice to compositions which were made from Sarvakar's poems. Since Usha Mangeshkar and Lata Mangeshkar did not go for government jobs, they were untouched by humiliation from the leaders of Congress. When Lataji made her sojourn to her heavenly abode on Vasant Panchami/Saraswati Puja (she is often considered as incarnation of Maa Saraswati), many Twitter and Facebook users with Leftist mindset trolled those celebrities who posted condolence messages in their account.

When any leader of Congress voices his/her concern for freedom of speech and expression, it gives a good reason to laugh out loud. We all know how legendary Kishore Kumar was treated when he sung songs for the film Aandhi starring Sanjeev Kapoor and Suchitra Sen, which was based on the life of former PM Indira Gandhi. Nobody has forgotten how another legend, ghazal king Jagjit Singh was ill-treated by Indira Gandhi's administration during the Emergency era. Congress leaders talk about growing intolerance in the country, but if that is true then the Modi Government should have put people like Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Naseruddin Shah, Swara Bhaskar, Aamir Khan, Vishal Dadlani, Prakash Raj, Kamal Haasan behind bars.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar

Great sight

It was rather a great sight to see New Art Player, once the epicentre of all cultural activities of Guwahati city, again bustling with activities in the new imposing building at its new site in Ambari. The occasion was Saraswati Puja on February 5. Hope the august members of this once-famous cultural temple of the city will once again enliven this dormant temple of arts and culture to dispel any doubt that the then New Art Player has become No Art Player!

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati.