Beharbari Outpost: Letters to The Editor

'Beharbari Outpost' is one of the most popular and most viewed television serials of Assam which is telecasted on Rengoni TV. I am also a big fan of this series. The character KK and Mohan have unique popularity among the different sections of the people of Assam, irrespective of caste, community, age, religion and profession. Since 2013, it has been entertaining people at a regular interval. Its direction, acting and all aspects are very impressive. Mainly it shows current issues of our society and unfolds social follies satirically as its content, which has a positive impact on its viewers like us. Its fan base is available everywhere. But nowadays it gives priority to showing current political issues. I feel some of the contents of the serial may hurt the sentiment of some people. So, I urge the content maker of the 'Beharbari Outpost' to leave aside some political issues which may not be favoured by every section of the viewers.

Aditya Ankur Nath,

Tezpur.

Super spreader

The entire world is under the attack of coronavirus or should we call the Chinese virus. Millions of people across the globe are regularly falling victims to the Wuhan virus. Recently two mega sports events concluded at Wembley and Wimbledon, the Mecca of soccer and tennis with a full-house without following the COVID protocols. The so-called gentlemen of Britain demonstrated the most indiscipline nature. They behave as if coronavirus have said goodbye to the world. Immediately after the conclusion of the two events the coronavirus cases have shown a massive spike in England and its neighbouring countries.

We still remember BBC reporting globally our Kumbh Mela as the super spreader (which is of course true) but what is about those two events held in their backyard? 99% of the crowd witnessing the EURO Cup final violated the COVID protocols at their sweet wills plus exhibited the most unsporting and rowdy behaviour. Unable to take the defeat sportingly the supporters of the English team indulged in vandalism and even they did not spare the Italian fans outside the stadium. The racist remarks passed by the English press and crowd against their own-coloured players for failing to score was unbecoming for a nation like England which is also known as Great Britain.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Breeding ground

Sometimes back one of our young doctors Dr Seuj Saika was assaulted by a violent mob during his duty hours causing grievous injuries somewhere in Nagaon district. The reason for the attack was that a COVID positive patient expired in that health centre. Again, some time back under the Rupahihat PS an on-duty doctor was attacked and the police station was vandalized by an unruly mob belonging to a particular religious community after the death of one youth during curfew hours while playing cricket violating all the COVID norms laid by the Health Department. The cause of the death was drowning as the youth jumped into the nearby tank after the arrival of the police team. Interestingly, both these law-and-order situations took place under the same police station. It appears as if the said police station of Nagaon district has become the epicentre of religious terrorism.

Joel Gayari,

Tangla.

Go fishing

The line from Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway "Anyone can be a fisherman in May" have been riding my Ferris wheel of thoughts since the time I read the Hemingway classic back in my school days. Fishing, for some a pastime and some a livelihood. I am the first kind. As I live in an urban settlement, this pastime only comes to the fore when I am in my ancestral village in the summers. I remember my father used to make small bamboo fishing rods for me. Sometimes I was lucky and sometimes I had to come back without a catch. This practice has taught me that no matter what face each day with the same energy. When we sit on the banks of the river and fish we feel a calm breeze engulfing our minds and taking us away from the hullabaloo of life and the artificial lives that we have created for ourselves. Fishing is akin to meditation as it teaches us to be patient. Fishing has also helped people suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). When we go fishing we become one with nature, now whether we want to become a fisherman in May or in August, which is the toughest month to hook a fish it is up to us to decide. In May everyone is a winner, but you have to be special to be lucky in August. The same is with life; patience is the key to the treasure of success.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

Acceptance of
the Atypical

'Acknowledge the favourable, knock the wrong' - the fundamental remedy to withstand anything exotic we come across. But do we?

We exercise several subjects which are usual in foreign countries but regarded as taboo in our home country. Why this matters is present because we greet the western line of thinking and count them as a move to put in a scent of modernization to our way of life. Nevertheless, are we giving credence to each of its pragmatic outlooks? The response is transparent.

For instance, when we meet by a chance situation wherein the bread runner of the family is a woman and the male of the family be the head of the household. Do we respect it? No, we call it an act of disrespect to the prevailing patriarchal society. There are instances where a teenager works for experience supposedly in a renowned cafe. Is that regarded as an act of maturity or the peer group gossip on the financial status of the teen? To a great extent we support celebrities or bloggers who don't even know who we are in person but do we even bother to help our friend who requires the same amount of support just to boost his confidence in social media? When it comes to education, the struggle between the choice of the stream is yet in practice with higher validation given to the students from science, but should this even be a matter of concern?

Thus, through your esteemed column, I would like to draw the attention of the masses to evolve and give a warm reception to all the unfamiliar we meet up with because only the youth of this very day can work together to bring changes for betterment to our country.

Anjali Chandak,

Guwahati.

Mobile phones to students

Since the pandemic has affected the entire system, our education sector has also suffered a lot due to this havoc. The educational system from primary school to university is connected with online education today. Now the use of the internet has become mandatory for every person, even for children. Although it is common for everyone to have a smartphone nowadays, it becomes a bit difficult for people below the financial scale to buy a mobile phone for their children and because of which those students are left behind. Hence to help the students, the government of Assam has decided to provide smartphones for class IX and X students in government schools, which is an appreciable initiative.

My concern is to draw the attention of the authorities concerned regarding proper online classes. Just as the decision has been taken to provide mobile phones to the students, it would be better if the education department also pays attention to give strict instructions to the government teachers to provide bona fide online classes to the students. It has been observed that many teachers take the wrong advantage of online classes as some teachers only share the material without teaching the students. They could have made classes more interactive by mandating the participation of every student. Apart from this, teachers can give tasks to the students so that they can develop their thinking ability. Only then it will be worthwhile to provide smartphones to the students, otherwise, they will not be used properly.

Nitashree Baishya,

Guwahati.

Left alone

Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan is all alone with his trusted Lieutenants Mehdi Alom Bora and Manjit Mahanta boarding the Congress ship. Now, Ajit Bhuyan holds all the office-bearer posts of his Asom Gana Morcha, the party with the distinction of having just a single member. After the declaration of poll results, MP Bhuyan went to hibernation but recently came out after he had received the news about upcoming polls. During his tenure as a journalist, he was very vocal against Congress but once he joined politics he took the support of Congress and AIUDF. Again as Editor in Chief of a TV channel he was dead against the CAA or the CAB, but after quitting journalism he formed a party with some deserters to unite with Congress after getting confirmation of party ticket. The best option for Ajit Bhuyan will be to join either AIUDF or Congress.

Pratap Dutta,

Tezpur.

Power problems

It appears that the State Power Minister has been on his toes to mend all the loopholes that have crippled the Electricity department. All the steps taken by him to enhance more revenue are indeed welcoming. But, will departmental inquiries be also undertaken into the consumer-related issues that arise from time to time due to the utter negligence and indifferent attitude of some senior officials of the ASEB? It's a fact that many consumers receive erroneous bills sometimes that is unimaginably high even when the consumption of electricity is not so high. It generally occurs because of faulty meters. Quite regrettably, when a complaint is registered with the respective sub-division in black and white regarding receipt of a high bill, few officials bother about looking into it promptly. Again, some officials behave as though the complainants were an importunate beggar or someone asking for donations. They pretend to be too busy to talk to the consumer. Besides, they show several excuses and thus put off adjusting the excess amount of the wrong bill. Nobody has much time to approach them frequently with the same complaint. As a result, the payment due date of the wrong bill is very often lapsed and the bill keeps inflating till it stands at a huge amount putting the consumer at a loss finding ways to pay the same.

As such, I, through this column of your esteemed daily, request the Power Minister of Assam to issue strict instructions to the senior officials of the department at his disposal regarding their slackness and incompetency and indifferent attitude towards consumers' grievances.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat

Encounters

Recently a spike has been seen in the number of extra-judicial killings by the State police. There is no doubt that omitting the criminals is a great relief for the general people. The public is also showing a hopeful reaction to these encounters as they believe that the rigorous judicial process will not provide timely justice, which is rather verifiable to some extent. Some media reports also show the criminals or the accused roaming freely. In this regard, there is the scope of reforms in the judicial process to bring back the people's faith in the judiciary.

Sourabh Pran Borah,

Teok,

No mercy

Bollywood has a history of mocking Hinduism and Hindu Gods and each time the offenders are let free. Later on, they justify by saying don't mix art and religion and just free themselves by saying 'sorry'.

Distortion of history and making fun of only Hindu Gods has become the favourite topic of Bollywood. Now recently, Kareena Kapoor Khan had written a book named 'Pregnancy Bible' which offended the religious sentiments of Christian people and a police complaint was filed against the actress. That's why the Bollywood brigade finds it easy to hurt the sentiments of Hindus because no one would take action against them.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Population control versus CAA

On one hand, the government of the day wants to impose population control among its citizens and on the other hand, it wants to import foreign citizens to this country by implementing the CAA. Is it not a paradox? Instead of wasting time and energy on flimsy issues, the government should concentrate on imparting quality education to its younger generation and as well as providing quality health services to its citizens. Good/quality education can only produce an honest and rational human being. And quality health care services can produce a healthy workforce. For sure, the combination of both would make India a strong and prosperous nation.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati.

Commercial dealings of kidney

It is an extremely saddening and pathetic incident of selling of kidneys by some people in the Dharamtul area of Morigaon district reportedly for repaying their loans. It should be contained immediately by applying all necessary measures. It needs large-scale awareness amongst the people of villages and interior areas. From the version of victims as aired in the media, it is appearing that victims have been selling their organs, especially kidney willingly to meet their needs under the influence or inducement of some self-interested brokers.

The victims i.e. the donors of the kidney have to face prolonged systems/procedures before the state-authorized committee that comprises the superintendent of the GMCH, Joint Director of Health Services, some prominent persons of NGOs for scrutiny. The committee issues NOC for donating kidneys after scrutiny to thwart any malpractice. The Human Organs and Tissues Act, 2014 has been in force since 1994. The main purpose of this act is to regulate the removal, storage and transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs. The state authorized Committee has to follow all procedures and directions as laid down in this Act. But if a poor person is motivated by criminal brokers, he will tell a lie before the committee pretending to be closed to the patient recipient by saying that he/she is willing to donate his kidney for saving the life of his close one. In such a situation, the committee concerned has nothing to do except issuing NOC accordingly. One should not be under the illusion that one can sell his kidney through brokers somewhere in Kolkata. Without getting a copy of the NOC from the state-authorized Committee no medical institution will remove and transplant a kidney.

As per existing rules, the living donor can be a family member such as a parent, child, brother, or sister. A living donor can also come from someone who is emotionally related to the recipient such as a good friend, spouse or in-law. In some cases, a living donor may even be from a stranger which is called anonymous. Hence the chairman and members of the Committee are required to be more cautious during issuing NOC because as per the media report almost all donors victims are found hailed from the same area Dharamtul of Morigaon district.

It is suspected that victims have been found motivated by criminal brokers that one can survive by donating his/her kidney. It is also seen that some victim donors have purchased GI sheet roofs of their houses, TV sets etc which is a clear indication that victim donors are found meeting their needs by selling their kidneys in covetousness noticing others under the influence and inducement of some criminal brokers. Hence urgent awareness is needed to save poor people from this inhuman practice. Simultaneously, the speedy investigation is required for bringing the culprit brokers to face trial before the court.

SK Chauhan,

Retired Dysp,

Bhagadattapur Kahilipara,

Guwahati-19

Danish Siddiqui

A Reuters photographer (now chief photographer) since 2010, Danish Siddiqui (41) who had covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Rohingya refugees crisis, the Hong Kong protests and Nepal earthquakes, was killed while covering clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.

Recently, his photos of mass funerals held at the peak of India's devastating second COVID-19 wave went viral and won him global praise and recognition. Maybe, due to this, many people trolled him on social media and a section also rejoiced over his murder, because they do not know the role of a photojournalist.

Hence one feels that it is not right to do so because Danish Siddiqui was only fulfilling his duty, who had told Reuters, "While I enjoy covering news stories - from business to politics to sports - what I enjoy most is capturing the human face of a breaking story."

As per media, Siddiqui also covered the war in Iraq, the Nepal earthquake, protests in Hong Kong, the Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka. At home, Siddiqui's photographs were seminal works, from capturing the Delhi riots to the most recent images highlighting the gravity of the second COVID-19 wave. In achieving martyrdom while on duty, Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish has exposed the brutality of the Taliban forces before the world and it is time the Indian citizens particularly the social media and the media raised their voice against the Taliban leadership. Danish you are still living in our heart, may your soul rest in peace and may your movement find success.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad.

Limit number of pages in Court verdicts

Courts, especially the Supreme Court is giving very lengthy judgments at times running into hundreds or thousands of pages like the Supreme Court verdict of 09.11.2019 on Ram Jambhoomi, which is practically not read by even litigants themselves and is beyond the understanding of commoners. Such lengthy court verdicts are showpieces for libraries and are read-only by researchers and select lawyers. Need is that commoners including litigants may find short and precise court verdicts so that they may not have to depend on lawyers to know salient features of the lengthy court verdicts. Such an improved system will prevent media and commentators from twisting court findings according to their needs.

Things can improve a lot if India also adopts the practice of countries where there is a limit on the number of pages of court verdicts which is different for Supreme Court, High Courts and Trial Courts in those countries. Or else, every lengthy court verdict exceeding say 50 pages may be compulsorily accompanied by a precise version with a limit of say 50 pages to be simultaneously issued and posted on the website on the date of judgment itself.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal,

Delhi