He stood for change
R.K. Laxman was an eminent cartoonist in modern India (‘State funeral for Indian illustrator Laxman,’ Gulf News, January 28). He entertained us for the past sixty years, and he has held a mirror to the society by creating satires targeting politicians. His cartoons are related to poverty, against corruption, price rises and touched the minds of millions of people. The cartoons that were published at the time of an emergency were also discussed widely. However, “The Common Man” regular cartoons will be remembered in the minds of people forever. He embodied hopes, aspirations and provoked the minds of Indians for decades, and he will be remembered as a person who stood for change.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
A great loss to journalism
The story on the state funeral for the legendary Indian illustrator was good to read. The death of the 94-year-old illustrator, R. K. Laxman, was a great loss to the journalism world. He was known for his creative illustrations and meaningful messages. He served more than five decades in the Times of India newspaper and won Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. His creative work was lauded by millions of readers. May his soul rest in peace.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
The power of satire
In Europe, satire has a long tradition (‘Hollande and the wars ahead,’ Gulf News, January 28). It dates back thousands of years when Aristophanes, the Greek comic, used caricatures of leading figures in arts, politics and in philosophy and religion when he wrote plays.
In our days, cartoons were a quick way, though not always successful, for cartoonists all over the world to make people look beyond what they see. It was to make them think about things a little differently. This way of expression needs to be protected by Europeans, considering that not many years ago, during the Nazi era; books were burnt because of their content.
On the other hand, no one in Europe forgets the genocide in Rwanda, the Beslan massacre in Chechnya, the Peshawar school or the innocent victims in Nigeria.
From Ms Maria Malakata
Athens, Greece
Breaking stereotypes
The people who say or think that women are not equal to men or that men are more successful and harder workers, should meet this woman, who is an example that they are wrong (‘Meet the UAE’s first female crane operator’, Gulf News, January 28). She has proven them wrong, and I salute her.
From Mr Vikas Aswani
Dubai
Facebook comment
Being supportive
I am grateful that the UAE empowers women by providing and supporting opportunities on their selected fields despite cultural differences and other strict traditions.
From Mr Madell Tumolva Roces
Sharjah
Facebook comment
Road crossings needed
What these people are doing is not right by jaywalking, but they are not given frequent pedestrian crossings or bridges (‘Reader spots Abu Dhabi jaywalkers,’ Gulf News, January 28). The pedestrian is sometimes expected to walk for kilometres just to get to the other side! Two kilometres by car is not a big deal, but by foot it is not a small deal.
From Ms Faraz Idris
UAE
Facebook comment
A similar problem
I would like to share my experience with a bank when I faced a similar situation (‘Reader’s complaint: I lost money on ‘guaranteed’ investment,’ Gulf News, January 28). I, too, invested in a small plan of Dh800 per month, which was automatically deducted by the bank and sent to a different entity. However, for the past two years I did not receive any updates or statements of accounts regarding the funds. I did not know what was happening to my money or its status. I contacted the entity, and I was able to get the fund status. I was literally shocked that for the past two years of investments, only half remains as the business had taken the first whole year of contribution as their charges and towards the insurance contributions. Then when I asked why there is no statement of accounts at least every few months or even a year, I was told: “We do not send such statements.”
This is our money, and yet we do not get updates on our funds? I think the UAE Central Bank should compel these investors to send fund activity reports to investors or else, like this reader, we will have zero balance and a heart attack at the end.
From Mr Shabir Zain Al Deen
UAE
A mistake to invest
I have had a similar experience in recent times wherein the representative from the investment portfolio bank conveyed the process wrongly, and now I am paying penalties towards it.
It was a great mistake to go through such a portfolio of investments, which is yet to mature in the mutual fund market, sadly.
From Mr Debashish Ray
Sharjah
Give credit where credit is due
The US President Barack Obama’s visit to India is a tremendous boost to the bilateral relationship between India and the US (‘India free to pursue nuclear commerce without logjams,’ Gulf News, January 27). In terms of outcome, sealing of nuclear deal is the major breakthrough. While it was the vision of the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who initiated the deal even if it meant losing power, it is Narendra Modi who sealed the deal through his diplomacy. The credit is due to both the leaders, but the beneficiary are the people of India. To achieve this feat in a short span of seven months is all the more commendable. Ever since Modi took over the reins, there has been vibrancy to India’s external relations. Whether that will translate into investments that will spur economic growth remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the whole atmosphere has transformed and the results are bound to follow. Therefore the debate over who should get the credit is meaningless and a waste of precious time. The Opposition parties in India, who don’t like to see the rise of Modi’s stature, will continue to look for lapses through a magnifying glass and they will never acknowledge any of the good work from the government of the day. This is the bane of Indian society and if there is one strong reason why the progress in India is slow, it is this attitude of Opposition parties whose five-year agenda is to oppose whatever the ruling party does. If they unite on issues of national importance, India will become a superpower faster than predicted. Unity in diversity is the uniqueness and beauty of India and only if politicians follow this to the letter, the spirit of India will witness a sea of positive change.
From Mr Ganeshan Srinivasan
UAE
Consumer movements
There are many aspects of unequal situations in a market and poor enforcement of rules and regulations (‘Making more than a point with a corporate boycott’, Gulf News, January 29). Hence, there is a need to sensitise people and encourage them to participate in consumer movements.
Rules are required for the benefit of the consumers, to protect them in the marketplace. It is most often seen that when there is a complaint, the seller tries to shift all the responsibility onto the buyer or the manufacturer.
Consumer awareness through consumer movements is an effort to change this situation and to safeguard the interests of the consumers. Logos and certifications help consumers get an assurance of the quality of the goods or services purchased. The organisations that monitor and issue these certificates allow producers to use only their logos provided they follow certain quality standards.
However, it is often said that the consumer movements can be effective only with the consumers’ active involvement.
From Ms Huda D.
Sharjah
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