Expectations galore: Letters to The Editor

The 15th Assam Legislative Assembly started its first budget session on July 12 with many new faces making it to the august House. High hopes are attached to this new government with an assiduous leader leading the way. A successful government listens to and not just speaks. Recently the Chief Minister was in news for his comment on MLAs that they are only relevant inside the Assembly. These types of comments are not expected from such a leader. Development can happen if all the 126x2 hands join together. Every hand is important. By this comment, he has belittled the choice of people of all these 126 constituencies of which he is also a part. The Chief Minister should refrain from such comments in future. The Chief Minister is a learned man who knows his way around politics, and if there is someone who can give Assam a slot in the top five states of India, it is him. The Chief Minister loves to read which helps him to keep calm under strenuous situations and to have a ready answer for any question that is thrown at him. His Ministers should try to emulate him and his working style. We all hope that healthy arguments would flow inside the Assembly and every member would be heard. Every member is important inside and outside the Assembly, there should not be any hierarchical flexing.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

We are capable

Japan, once devasted by the first nuclear bomb hardly 75 years ago, once again is going to host the 32nd Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the greatest show on the earth for the second time after it was previously successfully hosted in 1966. Along with Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing, respectively capital of South Korea and China, hosted Olympics very successfully in the past thus being only the 3 metropolises of Asia to host the Olympics. As a proud Indian, I too feel India is fully capable to host Olympics in near future. We still remember that sometimes back we hosted COMMONWEALTH GAMES, another mega sports event very successfully during the UPA regime, though the organizers indulged in a high level of corruption to bring disrepute to the nation. So why wait? Let us bid immediately for the future Olympics. We are fully capable.

Dr Ashim Choudhury,

Guwahati.

Mental health

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic causes bad effects in every sector. Especially the educational sector is fully shuffled for it. The traditional system of education turns into online classes. The whole classroom, school or college campus entered inside the android mobile putting an end to our charming journey of offline education. Children are bound to keep themselves in their own home leaving everything. Their physical activities like cycling, walking, swimming etc., are also resumed. Pandemic put a full stop to their desire to travel to and fro. All these changes have brought irritation and confusion to their mind in every sphere increasing the responsibility of parents and elders in handling them. In such an untoward situation parents and elders should carefully handle their children encouraging them to cling to their hobbies and what they like to do. We can also encourage them for gardening inside our house campus which may bring instant happiness and will give them a chance to play with green and nature. It will keep away their anxiety, stress and uncertainty a lot.

American clinical psychologist and author Dr Lisa Damour suggests the parents be calm and have a proactive conversation with their children. Parents make sure that there is a schedule for the day which can cover playtime, conversation periods over the phone with their friends and relatives, technology-free time leaving aside their mobiles and other electronic entertainment devices. We should help them feel their emotions and show empathy and support to eliminate frustration. We should have a family game night after every few days or cook meals together with them. Parents should manage their anxiety in their own time and shouldn't overshare their fears with their children created by the pandemic situation. As an efficient driver, every parent and elder should drive their passenger like children ensuring safety and security in every regard in their smooth journey during the pandemic period. I also being a victim student of the period requests all my students, friends and juniors to face the tough time with confidence and to do whatever around you that solace your mind and confirms your sound health.

Aditya Ankur Nath,

Tezpur.

Preservation of

culture and tradition

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to express my concern about the Endangered Indigenous Culture & Tradition in Modern Society.

"A person without the knowledge of their history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."

In this 21st century when the whole world is revolutionized by technological advancement and development in scientific research, the culture, tradition and languages existing for centuries are gradually getting vanished from the pressure of adopting modernity.

Being in touch with where you come from is extremely necessary as it helps in getting to know ourselves and make our life stable. Do we feel secure and grounded when we know where we come from? What are our origin and culture?

Cultural heritage can come in many forms:

1. Tangible: artefacts like sculptures, paintings manuscripts etc.

2. Intangible: Oral traditions, rituals, performing arts etc.

3. Natural Heritage: Cultural landscape and geographical landscape.

We should try to protect and preserve our culture and tradition so that our future generation can look up to their past and origin like we do. Students should be introduced to literature and oral stories from the past that connect to their culture today. It's our moral duty and responsibility to share and showcase our culture's art, ancient traditional practices, religious events and cultural festivals.

Ways to rediscover and preserve one's culture

• Speak and teach your ancestral language and save it from extinction.

• Eat your culture's traditional cuisines.

• Google to acquire knowledge about your culture.

• Stay in touch with your family and follow your family tree.

• Travel and explore your native place.

• Try to learn about cultural rituals being performed.

• Try on a new piece of traditional clothing.

• Maintain and continue practising cultural traditions and share them with others.

Indigenous cultures and languages are at high risk of getting endangered and need preservation before they die out. If we fail to preserve it now, the future generation will forget about the rich, unique and precious culture and tradition their ancestors followed.

Riti Dowerah,

Guwahati.