Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Dear friends
In Meghalaya, the agitation for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) has created uncertainties and day to day activities have been severely affected. Two persons have lost their lives, though the pro ILP group refuses to take the blame even as police personnel have confidently stated that this is the handiwork of the pro ILP group. Whatever may be the case, humanity in Shillong is at its lowest ever. To burn a person alive is a heinous crime and has no place in a civilized society. Perhaps the issue could have been settled peacefully had the Government been open to the idea of negotiations with the agitating NGOs without prejudice. Our President Pranab Mukherjee, who was recently in Shillong also advised that in a democracy, talks and negotiations are the best way to solve conflicts. Dr. Mukul Sangma, who was listening to this, has not yet acted on it and invited the agitating group for talks and is still sticking to his stance that the implementation of the ILP will hamper the development of the State. A consequence to this is that we have bandhs and blockades which are harming and affecting everyone starting from tourists, affecting the residents of the city and this list of affected people would be endless if one was to go into it in detail. Even though we had made the impasse in Shillong our cover story in last month’s issue, we have yet again focused on the ILP impasse in this issue as our cover story as the developments that have occurred in the last 30 days have been significant and also worrisome. Lives have been lost needlessly and the agitation has taken a violent turn. The popular saying ‘Time heals all wounds’ has somehow lost its relevance here as matters have only gotten worse. The shocking incident of a non – tribal being burnt alive by miscreants believed to be pro ILP is a testament of how bad the situation is currently in Shillong, a town which, for ages, has been home to a vibrant mixture of different communities, each with their own traditional wealth.
Wealth comes in many forms and it is no secret that the North East region is a treasure trove of cultural wealth. The recently concluded ‘Monolith Festival’ was a cultural extravaganza organized on the fringes of the sacred grove of Mawphlang, just 25 kilometres away from Shillong. Events such as these play a pivotal role in portraying this cultural wealth of the indigenous people of the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya to the rest of India besides giving a major fillip to the preservation of tradition and culture in a modern day world.
As opposed to the notion that secluding ourselves from the outside world will strengthen our culture and heritage, I feel that it is the spreading out of this culture into the outside world that will strengthen it. As a tree spreads its roots to strengthen itself and thereby enable itself to grow stronger and provide more shade, so too should we strengthen our cultural roots and showcase this rich culture to the outside world, a world, which I believe, is all too willing to accept us as we are, strong in our ties with our heritage and also open to the wonders of the world outside our beautiful corner of North East India.