Passion is happiness, food is his passion

Passion is happiness, food is his passion

I love how Das Sreedharan, owner of six large organic vegetarian restaurants in London, UK, talks about food in this article (‘Food is a source of ultimate happiness’, Gulf News, September 24). He stated: “Food is the fundamental light that ignites our soul. It is about emotions, love and nurturing. Food is what connects and reunites people across generations; it is a source of ultimate happiness.”

Through hard work, dedication and the passion for food, Sreedharan has become what he is today. It’s a proud moment for all Indian food lovers when a celebrity chef like Jamie Oliver called Sreedharan “the man England should learn to eat from”.

In the words of the Dalai Lama, “happiness is not readymade, it comes from your action”, and is what comes to mind when reading this article. Action with passion is truly the happiest moment.

From Ms Jisha Hemant

Sharjah

Nations should work together

Iran is playing politics on the stampede that happened in Makkah when the Saudi authorities tried their best to provide the best facilities for the pilgrimage (‘Iran’s anti-Saudi Arabia propaganda is just absurd’, Gulf News, September 27). If some of the people don’t obey the rules and regulations of the administration, then for sure nobody can avoid this kind of accident. I request all global officials to, instead of blaming the Saudi authorities, work together towards a viable solution and make an arrangement to the best of our extent.

From Mr Fayyaz Al Deen

Fujairah

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Can’t throw blame

That unfortunate accident was beyond any human control. Accidents are natural and not planned. It isn’t right to cast blame.

From Mr Waqas Babar

Dubai

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Iran stirring the pot

The Saudi authorities did everything they could and they always want to have a 100 per cent safe Haj every year. I went to Haj and I was satisfied. If ever I want to suggest anything to the authorities, it is just minimal. Iran is just stirring the pot and just making this issue bigger. Saudi Arabia has a lot of pressure on it as the center of the Islamic faith.

From Ms Maitha Al Khalifa Abineheet

Dubai

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Tracking pilgrim movement

Although the authorities do their best to keep pilgrims safe and in a comfortable situation, looking at the huge number of pilgrims, it appears that we might want to employ more use of technology (‘Are large gatherings inherently dangerous?’, Gulf News, September 26). In this regard, I might suggest an idea in which each pilgrim could be asked to wear a compulsory electronic device, like a wristband with a unique serial chip. With this, they could track pilgrims on their journey much like how Salik toll gates track cars.

It would allow the authorities to be able to track the number of pilgrims entering and leaving between different points of the pilgrimage at any time. Any over crowding or imbalance in the rate of inflow versus outflow in any section would then be observed in time so that appropriate measures could be taken in advance.

From Mr Ahmad

UAE

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Constant reminders to be patient

Lane discipline, measured walking and no pushing and shoving should be taught and ingrained into the pilgrims by constant announcements in different languages and display pictures. I also think that it is important for there to be ushers located at strategic sites to maintain order and discipline.

From Mr Yazdi H. Malu

Mumbai, India

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Crowd control and communication

There needs to be constant crowd control. When one wave of people is walking, there should be an enforced gap. Meaning, if the front wave stops, the wave behind them stops as well. Leaders wearing patrol jackets and large signs would also help the flow of traffic.

From Mr Imran Rashid

UAE

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Teach emergency procedures

Safety is a two-way process. Muslims should be given training in their home countries on strategies to avoid stampedes and once they are in Saudi Arabia, they should be given some sort of verbal training or leaflets on what is expected of them. Police should do crowd control and put contingency measures in place for safety and evacuation in case of an emergency.

From Ms Sadiqa Alam

UAE

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Removing Assad will cause aggravation

The perception of the US and Western powers will be forced to change in tandem with Russian strategy in coming days (‘West should join Putin to defeat Daesh’, Gulf News, September 26). With the migrant crisis getting out of control and it starting to affect the socio-economic fabric of many European countries, no nations can remain as mute spectators anymore. Now the focus has been shifted from the strategy of dominance to survival. Removing Syria’s Bashar Al Assad’s regime at this juncture will only aggravate the situation. The Middle East crisis reached this state on account of a culmination of several mistakes committed in the past, not only by the affected countries, but by others as well. So, the responsibility of restoring peace is a collective one. Concerted efforts by peace loving nations can eradicate the global challenge posed by Daesh and bring all displaced persons back to their home countries. Virtually, another bipolar world has been created with Daesh and rest of the world.

From Mr Girish R. Edathitta

UAE

Daesh is critical threat

It is thought provoking that despite Russia’s long association with Damascus, Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to fight against Daesh is a welcome one. Daesh is predominantly in Syria and Putin’s decision is laudable.

The West has to join arms with Russia to eradicate the advancing Daesh terrorist group. When the West joins, this global menace maybe reduced. Will the West join Putin? Assad is not the critical threat to the international community.

From Mr K. Ragavan

Bengaluru, India

Endured much for Myanmar

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi began the Nation League for Democracy in a country that was closed off from the world (‘Today in history: National League for Democracy is founded in Myanmar’, Gulf News, September 27). She was a political prisoner and had to endure much hardship for almost four decades now. She has done great things for her country.

From Ms U. Mohammad

Dubai

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Is this freedom?

What did she do for Muslims in Myanmar? It’s a shame for this kind of democracy to be so closed off to an ethnic group.

From Mr Azman Rana

Dubai

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Hypocritical in her silence

I think that she is a hypocrite because she preaches freedom and rights, but she did not do anything for the Rohingya Muslims.

From Mr Mohammad Baqi

UAE

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Opportunities are here

The UAE is among one of the most secure places on Earth, unlike some Western countries (‘Letters to the editor: Stop American dream delusion!’, Gulf News, September 27). There are plenty of opportunities here and golden chances to grow on personal and financial levels. I personally love this place. It’s second home for me.

From Mr Shahid Syed

UAE

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What you want it to be?

I agree. The UAE is a great nation of beauty, luxury, tidiness, a cool atmosphere and excellent recreational facilities. This place is as affordable as you want it to be.

From Mr Abdul Salem Mohammad

UAE

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Spot on

Many delusions
I also agree, Ms Lili Maria nailed it with this letter. I love UAE and there are many delusions about the US that are going to get people into trouble moving there.

From Mr S. Salem

UAE

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