Over the months, I have grown to love this section of the magazine. Mr. Raghunath’s insight into the real issues of society and his hilarious allegories on myriad issues is a wonderful take on things. Besides being extremely funny, his jottings are usually food for thought when one studies the writing more closely. All in all, ‘The Sting’ is definitely entertaining and befits its name.

Rupak Sen , Kolkata

The media was flooded by news of Sikkim’s earthquake in the month of September. Print and electronic media had a field day with the issue and no matter where you looked, Sikkim was in some way or the other featured. That is commendable considering the widely believed notion that the North East region of India is largely neglected by the media from the mainland. However, what have we heard about Sikkim lately? What is the media doing when it comes to reporting on the situation as Sikkim slowly gets back to its feet after being devastated by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake? Now that the media has drained every bit of mileage it could from the issue, it has left for the next feast, forgetting the plight of the people of Sikkim who are still struggling to cope with the events of September 18th.

Sunil Tamang , Sikkim

Natural disasters will come and go but are we as a nation ready to step up our resistance and come up with better designs for our establishments or do we go back to the stone age thereby taking a back step? Sikkim needs to be rebuilt and the devastation in the state due to the earthquake of the 18th of September needs to be heeded as a wake up call not only for all the other states of the North East but for the country as a whole. We need to change our mindset from ‘react’ to ‘act’. We can no longer wait for disaster to strike and then deal with the ensuing problems, we need to prepare for disaster before it strikes.

R. Sailo , Aizawl

Paresh Baruah is indeed in big trouble if the news reports that are circulating are to be believed. If Arunoday Dahotiya’s claims that New Delhi offered the Burmese Government `100 crore to kill Paresh Baruah are true, then the Ulfa C in C’s days are surely numbered. In September itself, it was widely reported that Paresh Baruah was wounded in a skirmish with authorities, some news reports going to the extent of stating that he had been killed. In such a scenario where New Delhi is dangling the carrot before its neighbours, the net is definitely closing in on Paresh Baruah and his kind.

Jitu Gohain , Silchar

Finally, we have a unified voice for the Nagas. Can the leaders of the various Naga groups actually put their differences aside and try to see eye to eye for the greater benefit of Nagaland as a whole? Such a situation would indeed be utopian. Nagaland has suffered immensely due to the conflict which has dragged on for more than six decades. Countless lives have been lost and it is way past time to put an end to it all. Hopefully, this unified voice can speak coherently with the Central Government and finally settle the age old dispute.

C. Kipgen

via e- mail

I am no expert on the guidelines of IIM but it is surprising that someone who had a 94.16 percentile in the Common Admission Test and who was placed fourth in the general category list such as Mr. Rajat Goel failed to get admission in IIM Shillong. If IIM follows the norms and admits applicants on the basis of merit, then surely it is set for glorious days ahead. If the admission was based on merit then we would have to conclude that the people who got admission in lieu of Mr. Rajat Goel would be people who secured percentages of 94.17 and above. Common sense would argue that, as such, IIM Shillong is now filled with geniuses. Let us see how they perform now.

S. Kharbudon , Shillong

Manipur is one of the most promising states of India. It has produced icons across different disciplines even though it has been tagged as a ‘disturbed’ state. In spite of the troubles that Manipur is facing, it has  risen above the prevailing situation and been conferred not one, but two prestigious tourism awards. The people of Manipur should see the potential that the state has and look at the bigger picture. There is so much that the people of the state can do if only they leave matters of the past to the past. The ‘disturbed’ tag has really hampered the tourism sector in Manipur if not completely nullified it. Tourism is a sector which besides generating revenue, can mitigate unemployment. At the end of the day, stirring up trouble and reviving age old issues benefits no one, rather, everyone stands to loose.

S. P. Singh , Imphal