Kindness prevails
A 20-year-old Tek Bahadur Dhenga joined our company as an office boy two years ago. During this period, he has won the hearts of the entire department with his smile, his service and above all, his helpful nature. Never has he complained about any task. He is the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave and yet he appears so lively. He hails from Nepal and has a large family, due to which he had to leave school after the seventh grade and find a job. He has had a tough life, but he has never uttered a word against anyone. He is honest, humble and can be trusted with confidential jobs. Even if we are unhappy with him, he won’t frown, but would have a sad expression on his face, which makes us feel worse. He is a very nice person — always smiling, even when eight of us in the department are constantly calling him for some job or the other. He has a big heart — when he returned from Nepal, he brought back gifts for all of us, which was a very sweet gesture. In this often selfish world, he is a reminder to us all that there are good people on this planet who make the world a better place. His dream is to act in a Nepali movie and all of us do hope that this would come true one day.
From Ms Elaine Fernandes
Dubai

Thank you
Just when I was losing faith in the phrase, ‘goodness begets goodness’, Gulf News brought a ray of hope in my life (“A stranger’s kindness”, Gulf News, November 12). The kindness of the taxi driver is rare in this world of greed and selfishness. I would like to salute this man who went out of his way to help someone in distress. I had been instilled with similar values from a young age — life is a circle and whatever good or bad we do will come back to us. Thank you Gulf News for keeping that flame of faith burning by highlighting the actions of such good people.
From Ms Rubeena
Sharjah
Full name withheld by request

Two sides of a coin
I have seen a lot of improvement in taxi drivers’ attitudes, especially when it comes to driving and communicating with customers. I appreciate the hard work and time taken by the management in training taxi drivers — they are doing an excellent job. Recently, I didn’t have my car and thought of hiring a taxi to get to work. Without any hesitation, the driver drove me to my destination. During the ride, we had a friendly conversation and discussed his job and family. He told me he works for 12 hours and gets paid on a commission basis and taking all that into consideration, he is still happy. In a day, a taxi driver gets more than 50 customers. There are those who bully the drivers and some simply fiddle with the radio. I have heard and read a lot of complaints about taxi drivers who were curt or drove recklessly. They are also human and it irks me when a few people create a nuisance and make their jobs harder. I am sure many of us own cars, but how many of us have sat in a taxi and gotten to know the driver? Many of us don’t have the time and are very arrogant. I thought of hiring the same taxi in the evening and it was waiting outside my office at 6pm, sharp! There was absolutely no disturbance and the driver followed all the traffic laws.
From Mr Mathew Litty
Dubai

True hero
I am a big supporter of Yasser Arafat, as he was a true political leader who left no stone unturned to acquire freedom for his people (“Revolutionary forever: Yasser Arafat”, Gulf News, November 12). He used both violent and non-violent ways to highlight the plight of the Palestinians. The most important thing about him was that he proudly led his nation. The days of the siege in his Ramallah headquarters in 2004 and his near-elimination by the Israelis bring tears to my eyes. He always stood firm. He will be remembered as the ultimate freedom fighter.
From Mr Ali Wahab
Sharjah

Let them be
I do not think zoos should be abolished (“Speak Your Mind: Animal rights”, Gulf News, November 13). If I had not visited a zoo, I would not have been able to see many wild animals. It was and still is very exciting to get a glimpse of these animals at close proximity. We witness live animals, which is quite a different familiarity from getting to know them through pictures.
A well-maintained zoo, which has been made for the right purpose and in the right environment, is always a benefit for humans, as they are able to understand much more about the animal kingdom. Though looked after in all the right ways, I am not sure how animals feel about their life in captivity. If they seem happy to be in a zoo, let this not be abolished, as we humans simply cannot visit a jungle to see and experience wild animals that are part of Mother Nature.
From Ms Latha Siby
Dubai

They deserve to be free
As an animal lover, I think zoos should be abolished because animals aren’t comfortable there. The zoo keepers must be aware that animals are receiving their proper diet. When we put animals in a cage, they lose their freedom and become lonely. Zoos must also have more facilities for animals, since they cannot speak for themselves. The animals may be missing their natural life in the wild.
From Ms Maribel George
Dubai

Early start
Every human is an indispensable part of Mother Nature’s diversity and when one section is neglected, the entire balance of Nature would be in danger. Instilling basic values like tolerance, non-violence and compassion in our minds at an early stage makes us more conscious when we interact with animals. If we are tuned and trained in such niceties, we will respect Nature’s bounty and show socially desirable qualities.
When the process of education is well-planned and structured with conscious and deliberate objectives, students would be friendly towards animals and all other living creatures.
From Ms Rose George
Dubai

Time it
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) should put a timer on traffic signals (“Red-light jumping still a big menace”, Gulf News, November 13). The current system of the blinking lights is very confusing and could even be dangerous. The timer system in Ajman, for example, is very good.
From Mr Ejaz
Dubai
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