Shillong, October 21: Music, songs, dances and speeches were the ingredients chosen to speak-out against the frequent bandh as speakers aired their displeasure over the “bandh-culture” during the public platform meeting “Enough” organized by the Informed Conscious And Responsible Existence (ICARE) to protest against the thirty-six hours bandh called given by the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
The HNLC bandh was called to protest against the maiden two days visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Shillong on Monday.
Even as speakers spoke in one voice against the bandh culture at the public platform meeting at Khyndailad, some of them however felt that “talk” and “dialogue” to the grievances of the ngos and the HNLC is the only option to find a peaceful solution.
Braving the bandh, a good crowd consisting of the young and old including women and students converged in Khyndailad to listen and take part in the protest against bandh at forenoon. The public platform was followed by a musical concert “Free Your Mind” featuring local bands.
A group of hip hop dancers also enthralled the people as a way to express their solidarity with the “anti-bandh” public meeting.
ICARE president Toki Blah told reporters, “We have called this public meeting not to be against anybody but to revive the right to freedom of every citizens of the state.” He also said that the public meeting is also to provide a platform for the common man to come and speak out about their grievances they face because of the frequent bandhs.
Blah said confrontation is not the solution to any problems and stressed that the expression of the people is a strong message that they want a free and an independent society.
Earlier, the Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC) led by Neil Nongkynrih present a song “Make me a channel of Peace.” A rapper who is also a student of St Edmunds also enthralled the public with his rap song, “Atrocities is killing me, Can’t live this life full of tears.”
Participating in the meeing, a teacher DKB Mukhim while expressing his concern over the fate of the students who will be receiving their convocation on Tuesday when the HNLC bandh will still be on, he said, “I urged the concerned groups to withdraw this bandh and other agitations since the convocation happens only once in a lifetime.”
Mukhim said he understand that different groups have various issues which they considered important to them, but felt that they must find a better way of taking up these issues without trampling the rights of others especially the less privilege who depends on their daily wages for livelihood.
Mukhim felt that destroying private and public properties, depriving the rights of people to earn their livelihood is totally ‘wrong.’ He said one should fight for a cause by taking the right paths that are also legal and peaceful.
A newspaper columnist LG Laloo however accused the citizens themselves for supporting such agitations. He said, “It is us who are encouraging bandhs, we as citizens and government employees have chosen to lock ourselves inside our houses whenever there is a bandhs. This has to change,”
Former legislator and Congress member AH Scott Lyngdoh said that influx is a serious issue and needs to be address but reminded that there are various existing laws in place to tackle it. He did admit that despite having these laws especially the Regulation of Trading License by non-tribal 1954, it has been a failure wehich subsequently led to the present problem.
Observing that there has been no working plan on how to implement the ILP till today, Lyngdoh felt that the state government and the agitating ngos must come together and have a thorough debate and accordingly come up with the best solution to counter unabated inflow of illegal influx into the state.
Film producer and journalist Commander Shangpliang said the reason behind all these bandhs and agitations demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) is because of ‘ego’. He said, “State government should invite both the ngos and the HNLC for dialogue.
Shangplaing felt the best solution out of this impasse is for the government to call the ngos and even the HNLC for talks. – By Our Reporter
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