Where was India’s coverage?
As a visitor to Dubai, I was really thrilled to find a full page article with photos on the bold and systematic efforts by the Indian government being successfully pulled off in one of the largest evacuation in Indian history from Yemen (‘Yemen coverage shows Indian media aloof from world affairs’, Gulf News, April 27). This article not only covers the procedure adopted by Minister V. K. Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but it also gives the statistics of the number of people taken out of the situation they were in.
Astonishingly, when I was in India, when this operation took place, I didn’t see any coverage of this historic moment neither in Indian newspapers nor on the television.
I am still wondering why this attitude by the media to not cover this event when they cover all kinds of unnecessary mudslinging of the different political parties.
However, I have decided to take this page from Gulf News to India and distribute it to my friends and relatives to make them know the exact details of the operation. Thanks, Gulf News, and please keep it up!
From Mr Ramananda Acharya
Bengaluru, India
Rahul Gandhi destroyed Congress
In reading a letter to the editor by Sunny Joseph, he has all praises for Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, for reasons only known to him (‘Letters to the editor: Rahul speaks for the people’, Gulf News, April 25). His only contribution to the nation is that he had been instrumental in the routing of the Congress Party in the last general elections held in India. He deserves credit for this and every Indian should thank Gandhi for exerting all his efforts in overthrowing his own government, to such an extent that there is no effective Opposition in parliament, which is a credit that goes only to him. Moreover, he can also be credited with the first Opposition leader to be seen sleeping in parliament while a serious debate is in progress in the House.
Joseph dreams of Gandhi changing the future of the farmers of India by taking the reins of the party from his mother. And, he also goes one step ahead and says that Gandhi has a human face and is a rare phenomenon among the present Indian politicians.
One must understand that by visiting farmers houses, by travelling in private jets and helicopters with the media around him will not help resolve the farmers’ problems at all. It is a matter of dismay that there are senior wise leaders in the Congress Party who know India and Indians, accept the leadership of such an inexperienced person like Gandhi.
It is high time that Congressmen think differently if they want stay in Indian politics. They need to do some introspection and study the reasons for such miserable stature.
From Mr Radhakrishnan Nair K.
Dubai
Trivial divorces are universal
Divorces over such trivial matters are due to a lack of maturity (‘Saudi couple divorces over football match’, Gulf News, April 27). The television channels that are showing these, often time-wasting programmes, instead of content that people can learn from, like how to deal with family matters, is the problem. Then there is the problem of the media that seem to only raise these issues from Saudi Arabia, when they can be seen in any other country as well. Many women are divorced due to small and trivial issues.
From Mr Abu Maryam
UAE
Website comment
Important for the world to help
Thousands of people lost their lives when the earthquake struck in Nepal and the situation is very much alarming (‘Quake toll tops 2,800 as 6.6m hit in Nepal’, Gulf News, April 27). Hundreds of people were struck by the debris and rescue operations are underway, but the United Nations (UN) and the world’s countries should give full support in the rescue operations and send their teams with required supplies of medicine and food.
Natural disasters can’t be controlled by us, but if emergency rescue operations are done effectively, we can save lots of lives. Hundreds of people are displaced and are in need of medical aid and require food and water. Natural calamities can occur in any part of the world, but with helping hands, we can also support the people.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Finding the real solution
Referring to Nick Clegg’s opinion article in Gulf News, I think the only solution is for the weapons industry and the governments who support them to halt all production and sales of guns, tanks, bombs and every other evil contrivance of engineering known to man and instead focus on the real crisis at hand – climate change (‘Solution lies on land, not at sea’, Gulf News, April 25)!
According to a Guardian article dated April 23, an arms race of over 18 billion dollars is being waged here in the Middle East. This is the problem and this is where the solution lies!
From Mr H. Buck
UAE
Armenian massacre has lasting effects
Turkey hosted leaders from World War 1’s former allied powers recently to honour the tens of thousands killed at the Battle of Gallipoli 100 years ago in one of the most futile yet emblematic campaigns of the conflict (‘Leaders join commemoration of centennial’, Gulf News, April 25). This battle of Gallipoli ended with up to half a million casualties. The honourable Presidents of France and Russia, Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin, respectively attended the commemoration ceremony that was held at a hilltop memorial in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The Armenian Church conferred sainthood on the victims in what was believed to be the biggest canonisation service in the history. During the ceremony, President Putin said that Russia was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with ex-Soviet Armenia, still a close ally for Moscow in the region. There is no justification for the mass murder of people, he added. The leaders put a yellow rose at the centre of a wreath resembling a forget-me-not, a flower that has become a symbol of the genocide remembrance. The Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian thanked all those who were there to once again confirm their commitment to human values, to say that nothing was forgotten.
This commemoration ceremony showed the horrible memories of the genocide committed by Ottoman forces and they are still haunting the Armenians even after 100 years. It is something incredible.
From Mr Sunny Joseph
Mala, India
Reading develops global citizens
The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival should give deep insight into the significance of reading, not only to children, but to everyone, as a whole (‘A welcome initiative to encourage reading,’ Gulf News, April 25). It instils a spirit of enquiry within children that spreads its wings to larger horizons. It prepares him or her to be a global citizen and makes the young mind a fountain of new knowledge. He faces the world with no fear or complex. Reading develops the child’s personality and makes him feel that he belongs to society. As the old timers say, reading makes a man perfect.
From Mr Thomas Matthew Parackel
Kerala, India
Gross negligence seen again
According to a news item, a six-year-old girl was forgotten in a school bus by the bus driver and supervisor in Sharjah. After three hours, a man heard the girl on the bus, who was crying for help. The police rushed to the area and found the girl in the bus hungry and terrifying.
In the recent past, Aatish Shabin, a four-year-old pupil in Abu Dhabi died as she was also left locked inside the school bus. All such cases are indicating gross negligence by the people connected to the schooling system. However, it is a matter to note that everybody is pleading not guilty and reluctant to admit or accept the mistake, which is not only ridiculous but also alarming that our children are at risk in the school buses.
There should be a supplementary attendance system of all the boarded students after completion of picking up the children in the bus and that attendance needs to be rechecked upon dropping the children off at school as well as at home. This practice will greatly help to overcome such incidences and tragedies in future.
Parents pay heavy school fees as they want complete assurance and safety for their children at all cost.
From Mr Mumtaz Hussain
Dubai
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