Thatched House

Morung Express Editorial   When Governor P. B Acharya nominated 10 members to the Court of Dibrugarh University, he was accused of nominating at least four members who neither have strong academic background nor good social reputation except that they all have RSS background. The Governor’s action was not an isolated case, but a part of a systematic plan of the RSS-led BJP to saffronize our education. The attempt to oust Amartya Sen from Nalanda University is a more recent example. The Nobel Laureate said that the Modi government is attempting to seize control over academic institutions in the country.  Professor Meera Nanda in her book ‘The God Market: How Globalization is making India more Hindu’ argues that with neoliberal capitalism, religiosity has not decreased but increased especially among middle class and the god market has become a booming business to tap this increased religiosity and money. Globalisation has not curtailed the spread of virulent politic...

Morung Express Editorial JCB is a development tool. But uncritical use of such machines results in destruction of rich biodiversity which we are blessed with. Once lost, it is very difficult to restore the habitat for our co-creatures, the plants and animals. The destruction of terrace fields, jhum fields, irrigation channels, footpaths, even graveyards, and total change of the once naturally beautiful landscape by these ‘metallic monsters’ are done in the name of development. This makes one to question if we sometimes make ‘development’ an idol and we sacrifice our natural resources as worship to it.  Before election, every politician promises development. And we all want it. Ours is a developing society and we want to become a developed nation. But we forget to assess a candidate or party by character and raise the hope for development as the most important thing. The result is that we have a party at the centre which is showing its true color, trying to saffronize o...

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 ...