Monday Musing
[ Ranjit Sinha ]
The other day, when one of my journalist colleagues reminded me about my retirement age, which is approaching nearer, it came as a blissful reminder of the past, pushing me into the memory lane of the mid-’90s, when I had landed in Itanagar with the aim of discovering myself as a journalist in the Land of the Rising Sun.
I remember nostalgically the foot march from Karsingsa to Doimukh, before I completed my journey to Itanagar by bus from Doimukh.
Disruption of road communication, followed by incessant rain, had made my journey from Banderdewa to Itanagar a memorable and enjoyable one as the scenic beauty of the hillocks on both sides of the road captivated my mind and soul throughout the trip.
In the course of time, when, slowly and steadily, a sense of belongingness to the scenic beauty of this Himalayan state and its people has developed in my mind, nature’s fury during monsoon every year makes me realize that spring does not blossom and plays it part forever in the lap of the mountainous state.
The suffering of the people and the damages caused to properties and infrastructure during monsoon are heart-touching and unbearable. It is very painful to digest any report on the death of school children or the death of passengers in a car accident due to landslides during monsoon.
Other unresolved issues which have been encroaching on my domain of thought for long are the dilapidated school infrastructure and shortage of school teachers, and the lack of proper and effective health services delivery system, particularly in the remote and far-flung areas of the state.
I wish all the SSA teachers of the state get their service regularized and the people of various districts get better health services in their own districts before I retire as a little-known journalist of Arunachal Pradesh.
Last but not least, I wish Arunachal tops the list of the ‘green and clean’ states of the country within a few years.
We humans, irrespective of political and social status, are responsible for creating garbage, including non-biodegradable waste, everywhere in the state capital. There should be a people’s movement to arouse common sense (which is very uncommon) in ourselves for a picturesque and clean Arunachal.
Many students and other youths have already realized the need to keep the state clean and green, and are offering voluntary services in small groups. One of the examples of such groups is the ‘Green Media’ community. It is not an organization or an NGO but a group of likeminded individuals of different age groups, which is conducting cleanliness drives in the nook and corner of the capital region.
The group’s members, mostly young people, arrange vehicles for lifting garbage, using their own resources, without waiting for any help from any organization or government agency. They deserve applause for their path-breaking role for the cause of Arunachal. The state needs such young brigades which have the nerve to think big and dream big.
