Thatched House

For Morung Express Editorial Jeremiah 7: 4. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" To the Jews, the Jerusalem temple was no ordinary building. When the first temple which Solomon built was dedicated, ‘fire came down from heaven and consumed the burned offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (2 Chron. 7:1).  But the Jews began to treat the temple building as a talisman, having magical powers which guaranteed their security. So, Jeremiah stood at the gate of the temple saying not to put their trust on the temple but to reform their ways and actions and deal with each other justly, so that they may live in the land. But the people wouldn’t listen. The unimaginable happened in 587 BC when the Babylonians destroyed the temple and took the Jews captive. Not only did the temple crumble, their identity, hope, and false religion were crushed. The...

Morung Express Editorial   There is relentless pressure for both the young and the not-so-young of our generation to stay in touch with the latest: breaking news, phone app, designer wear, car model, etc. The slightly older folks struggle to stay relevant by practicing the sms lingo, opening a facebook account, trying their hands at online gaming, or going for that funny colored dress. It doesn’t come out well at times. Some dads embarrass their kids by posting family pictures which can also pose security threat to the family; kids get irritated trying to teach their moms how to use WhatsApp. Some try to put on that stylish American accent and the mother tongue influence pops out unaware leading to red-faced moments.  Everyone wants to break the news online, be it about an earthquake or a spelling mistake on a roadside billboard. But when kids think that they are on top and in touch with the latest, times change, and after a quick while, they go out of fashion. I ...

Morung Express Editorial A friend lamented that in spite of all the things which are so visibly going wrong in our society, we are not able to mobilize a collective voice of protest. Only when an issue turns into a crisis, boils over, and spills into the streets and things get out of hand, there is some face saving action. But once the temperature cools down, the action is half done and forgotten or shelved as an issue pending further investigation. The concerned authorities are ineffective to take any concrete action and the so-called high powered committees constituted to look into the cases are often compromised or their reports not acted upon. The common people have lost trust on the government and non-government authorities to deliver the goods. Ultimatum letters are often served with the warning of resorting to ‘own course of action’ if the demands are not met, but somehow, things drag on as usual. As a result, the apathy among the people grows and the hope for change...

Morung Express Editorial Forcing the present healthcare system to deliver services is like flogging a starved mule to work The precarious HIV situation in Nagaland has been in the news. It is a harsh reality that with the resources invested; the situation is still far from satisfactory. But HIV/AIDS situation is not an isolated case. Good healthcare is so difficult to achieve. People visiting healthcare centers across the State know that all is not well. The standard reaction is the pointing of fingers at the government machinery which is responsible for running the services. But things get more complicated when we explore the factors which determine the type of healthcare we receive.  HIV/AIDS happens in the society. When a patient reports at a clinic, it is only the tip of the iceberg which manages to pop out of the water surface so that it becomes visible. So, tackling a medical condition which is mostly hidden in the society is not an easy thing. Many of th...