Editor,
The recent report regarding the dismantling of the 1963–64 Ramakrishna Mission memorial plaque at Laban and the proposed installation of Swami Vivekananda’s statue exposes a deeply troubling malaise in our public discourse: the knee-jerk impulse to weaponize technicalities and derail constructive heritage initiatives under the guise of procedural purity.
So-called activist, Malabika Bisharad has raised questions over the plaque’s removal and opposed the proposed statue, invoking ongoing litigation surrounding the property. While questioning authority is a recognized right, weaponizing the mere word “litigation” to stall a historical tribute is an abuse of public discourse. Let us be sharp and clear: vague references to litigation do not constitute a legal injunction. Unless an explicit, binding court order directly restrains the installation of a commemorative statue at this site, invoking pending legal proceedings is nothing more than speculative obstructionism disguised as civic vigilance. If a specific judicial stay exists, produce it. If it does not, stop using the court’s shadow to block a national icon’s memory.
What, precisely, is the agenda here?
Swami Vivekananda’s 1901 visit to Shillong—his stay in Laban and his historic address at Quinton Memorial Hall—is not a convenient footnote to be cited only when executing a grievance. It is an irreplaceable piece of Shillong’s spiritual and historical identity. Given that the original structure has already been allowed to deteriorate and disappear, fighting over a memorial site while offering no constructive alternative is perverse.
Opposing a statue under these circumstances presents a false, unnecessary dichotomy. The plague and the statue are not mutually exclusive. A serious, solution-oriented approach would integrate both: restore or appropriately reposition the historical 1963 plaque while erecting a dignified statue alongside a permanent heritage display detailing Vivekananda’s legacy in Shillong. To turn a straightforward effort at historical preservation into an administrative battleground is both misplaced and profoundly counterproductive.
The hypocrisy becomes impossible to ignore when viewed against recent events. Shillong recently witnessed the outright vandalization of national icons—the shattering of the glass casing at Vivekananda’s memorial and the desecration of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s bust at R.R. Colony during political unrest. When public mobs are actively defacing national figures, it takes an astounding degree of misplaced priority to channel public outrage against a legitimate, constructive effort to erect a permanent memorial for the very same icon.
If the goal is genuinely to safeguard Swamiji’s legacy, the objective should be to facilitate, refine, and demand high standards of execution—not to paralyze the process. Raising inquiries, reviewing title documents, and insisting on administrative transparency are fair. Transforming those inquiries into an engine of continuous delay and controversy is not.
The Ramakrishna Mission is a century-old institution bound by the rule of law, and no one suggests bypassing binding judicial directives. But broad insinuations cannot be permitted to substitute for hard legal prohibitions. Heritage does not belong to self-appointed gatekeepers, nor should it be held hostage by personal agendas or procedural paranoia.
Preserve the original plaque. Verify the legal title. Install the statue. Build the memorial display. Educate the public.
Stop manufacturing controversies over every attempt to honor our history. It is time to step out of the way and let Vivekananda’s legacy be honored with the dignity it demands.
Ranjit Bose
Bivar Road
Shillong
