Letters to THE EDITOR: Take it sportingly

Take it sportingly

CWG 2022 held in Birmingham was no doubt a landmark event for the nation's sporting prowess. It was yet another excellent performance by our athletes after Tokyo Olympics where India excelled with a gold medal when our Neeraj Chopra won the yellow metal in Men's Javelin. Our own Lovlina Borgohain won Bronze in Boxing. We the Asomiyas along with the rest of the nation were simply ecstatically celebrating Lovlina's feat for months together. The performances of Axom's athletes in CWG 2022 were also simply superb. The only hiccup was about Lovlina who failed to impress, considering their bronze-winning feat in the Tokyo games.

Winning and losing is no doubt a very much part and parcel of the game, and one should accept defeat with grace. We were sadly a bit disappointed with the way Lovlina reacted after her rather disappointing show inside the ring. She ought to know that if she was not interested to take part in CWG 2022, she should have skipped the event instead of crying sour grapes post the competition. CWG is not below standard as we have witnessed so many new records created and many world-class athletes took part in the games who gave their best for their respective countries.

Anyway, all said and done we wish her well. Meanwhile, our Dhing Express Hima Das performed exceedingly well beyond our expectations in the tough pool.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati

Stop caste discrimination

We recently found on a news channel that no one from the village came to cremate the body of a person of an upper caste person who married a lower caste one. Finally, his wife buried the body on the bank of the river. The message stirred society. Today is an educated age. In the past, illiterate people used to follow some of these rules and regulations, but now that we have been living in an educated society. Therefore, such actions have embarrassed the community. The caste system should not be brought about among the people. We are born human beings when humanity should be in harmony with everyone as the supreme religion. Caste ism can never lift society the ladder of progress. The government should also be strict in this regard.

Sanjib Sagar Das,

Bhawanipur, Bajali

Spitting the surroundings red

It is seen that Indians spit anywhere without the fear of being judged or the authorities penalizing them because of social acceptance. We can find the railway stations, government buildings, lifts, public toilets, parks, roads and even cinema halls all spattered in red and crimson. There have been many instances from ages reflecting the obsession of people with spitting, from mothers to grandmothers like spitting to keep the bad energy away.

This habit is unhygienic in general. It not only ruins the environment around but it was also found that it can cause the spread of COVID-19 as the saliva of an infected person carries the virus for more than 24 hours. For all of these reasons, there are certain acts prohibiting spitting in public places. And there are even some guidelines for COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the virus. Unknowingly they harm themselves and the environment too.

Section 149 (b) of the central Act prohibits spitting on public places, roads, and streets and prescribes a fine of up to Rs 1000 in addition to other charges incurred for cleaning or removal of spit from such a place. Despite this, it has been observed that the police or the authorities do not take action against those violators.

Especially Guttka, a form of chewing tobacco flavoured with spices and sweeteners, is a major cause of oral cancer in India. In recent years, all states in India have banned the manufacturing, sale and distribution of Guttka in an effort to address the astounding public health impacts caused by this deadly product. Previous bans on Guttka on 1st August 2002 and again in 2008 were overturned by the Supreme Court on the grounds of unfair trade practice. The most recent ban was upheld by the Bombay High Court on 15th September 2012.

I appreciate the efforts made by the government in maintaining the discipline and also making the people adhere to stop spitting anywhere and consumption of harmful substances. So, it is my earnest appeal to the police and the municipal authorities to also penalize those spitting in public places and selling banned tobacco which is illegal. I hope the authorities take note of this and act upon it.

Deepsikha Choudhury,

Cotton University

The true spirit of independent India

Independence Day represents the true spirit of independent India. The National Flag of a country is a matter of pride for its citizens and more so for Indians, as it is the result of over a century of toil for independence by its citizens.

The first variant of the Indian National Flag was made in 1921, consisting of the colours saffron and green, representing the two major communities of India — Hindus and Muslims. However, at the suggestion of Mahatma Gandhi, the white strip was added to represent the remaining communities of India. Besides that, the 'Ashoka Chakra' in navy blue colour with 24 equally spaced spokes was added to symbolize the progressive stance of the nation in a dynamic modern world.

The 'chakra' is the wheel of 'dharma', which is a tenet followed by a majority of faiths living in India. The National Flag of India consists of the colours saffron, white and green, along with the blue 'Ashoka Chakra'.

Each colour symbolizes the qualities, which India aspires towards. The colour saffron is symbolic of the spirit of detachment, courage and selflessness, inspiring the leaders of the country to focus on the well-being of the nation above everything else. Next up in the tricolour is white, which represents peace, purity and the path of light and truth. The colour blue in the 'Ashoka Chakra' stands for moving peacefully towards progressive times. This is believed to bring about boundless growth like the blue sky above. The last stripe of colour on the National Flag is green, which stands for faith and prosperity, thereby denoting life and happiness. The colour green also emphasizes the need to place your soil above everything else, creating a sense of patriotism among the citizens. The colours of the Indian Flag were decided upon after much deliberation and have served as an embodiment of the guiding principles for all Indians and those who lead the country.

The National Flag is highly respected and any insult to it leads to a punishable offence by law. It is the right of every Indian citizen to safeguard and protect the National Flag of its dignity and honour. The nation will celebrate its 75th Independence Day this year on August 15, 2022. On this very day in the year, 1947, we become a sovereign and independent nation and it was a new beginning for us when our country became free from British rule. Our Tricolour was given its due respect when it was hoisted on the midnight of August 14, 1947.

This year, I will be celebrating Independence Day with the homeless and orphaned children in my area who have no one to take care of them. We will be singing the National Anthem and hoisting the National Flag. And after that, we have arranged a cultural programme for the children. A movie on the freedom movement will also be shown to them.

Jubel D'Cruz,

Mumbai.