Ahead of the inauguration of ‘Eastern West Khasi Hills District’ at Mairang tomorrow, social media platforms especially Facebook and WhatsApp are flooded with memes, jokes and comments disapproving the name of the twelfth district of the State.
Most of the netizens have ridiculed the State government for christening the new district “without using a compass”. They also said that the word ‘eastern west’ does not exist in the English vocabulary.
Some of the posts in social media opined that the name given to the new district was done without proper homework by the State government and political representatives of Mairang and Mawthadraishan constituencies.
Dr. Dondor Giri Nongkhlaw, a noted geographer and former teacher of geography in Synod College, Shillong, was vocal in his criticism against the name of the new district.
“The four cardinal points of the compass we learnt in Surveying and Physical Geography are: North, East, South, West. In respect of Prime Meridian and the Equator we have four directions, namely: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest. From politicians and bureaucrats we learnt another unheard of direction Eastern West. What a joke,” Dr. Nongkhlaw said in his social media post which went viral.
Former bureaucrat Tokiwaio Blah posted, “Urgently needed a compass for the MDA govt to learn the four directions.”
Another netizen said, “I don’t know what kind of compass was used by the MDA govt, the officers in the secretariat, the local MLAs and the committee engaged in district preparation to name the new district as Eastern West Khasi Hills.”
Some even posted pictures of a compass to show the direction of North, East, South and West with deriding comments that the State government has used a newfound compass with an unusual direction.
Another commented that the MDA government has “lost its sense of direction”.
Moreover, the majority of social media users suggested that the new district should be named as North West Khasi Hills while some wanted it to be named Mairang District. There were also those who felt that Central Khasi Hills would be a suitable name.
Meanwhile, objections against the naming of the district as Eastern West Khasi Hills have openly emerged.
Madonna Bakordor Langstieh, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Tirot Sing Memorial College, Mairang has written a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma seeking immediate change of the name of the new district to Central Khasi Hills district.
Similarly, the HYC, North West Khasi Hills has asked the government to change the name of the district either as Central Khasi Hills or North West Khasi Hills.
At a press conference here today, HYC North West Khasi Hills president, Joplang Kharnaior said the name Eastern West Khasi Hills district is an embarrassment to the people of the new district.
“Everywhere, the name of this district has become the butt of jokes,” Kharnaior said.
The president of Nongkhlaw circle of HYC, Ebel June Nongrang said though the organisation is not against the creation of the district, the name ‘Eastern West’ is not desirable.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will inaugurate the new district in the presence of local MLA and Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh and cabinet minister Brolding Nongsiej at Mairang tomorrow.
Already the State government has appointed IAS officer Wilfred Nongsiej as the Deputy Commissioner of the new district while IPS officer Maxwell B. Syiem has been appointed as the Superintendent of Police.
