Letters: April 9, 2011

The love for tea
My love affair with tea must have begun years ago (“Piping hot, sweet ‘karak chai’ is a daily necessity for many in Dubai”, Gulf News, April 2). As a high school student, I used to shun a glass of milk for that hot and inviting cuppa and would join my parents as they began their day on a ‘karak’ fresh note. The years rolled on but I remained faithful to my cuppa, especially in college where endless hours of ‘adda’ (gossip) became even more enjoyable with cups of hot tea. During examinations and in winter I relied on piping hot ginger tea, called ‘adrak chai’ in Hindi. When my working days began, my preferences altered and I took a liking to lemon tea. I still very fondly recall those mini breaks that I used to take. I would return to my desk rejuvenated all thanks to that one magical cup of tea. Today, as a busy mother of an energetic toddler, I still owe due allegiance to my favourite beverage which is filled with antioxidants. Now, do you need any more reasons to develop a liking for this wonderful beverage?
From Ms Shiuli Dutt
Dubai

I want my chai
If it’s true that karak chai (strong tea) is famous among Asian expatriates and Emiratis, then why is it not available in shopping malls? I find it hard to get karak chai in malls and business centres, where I normally have meetings. It should be recognised and somebody should make it available as a brand in malls and centres. I get forced to drink a café latte or cappuccino when all I want is a cup of karak chai.
From Mr Mohammad Shaikh
Dubai

Making the switch
I was a coffee addict big time, before I discovered karak chai. I agree that Modern Cafeteria is certainly the best place to have it in the UAE and even though it’s a mission to get there, it is worth the effort in the end.
From Mr Siddharth Kanjilal
Dubai

Ending corruption
India is witnessing an unprecedented level of corruption that of course poses a serious threat to the very fabric of the country (“Curse of corruption in India”, Gulf News, April 3). The huge sum of money involved, running into billions of dollars, is just mind-boggling. However, paralysing the whole session of parliament for the sake of parliamentary inquiry into the 2G telecom scam was also unfair. It seems that the political parties are not serious in combating the menace of corruption effectively. They only want to score some political points. The Joint Plant Committee (JPC) probe has been ordered into several corruption cases, including the Bofors scandal, but nothing useful came out of it. Nobody has been punished. Political parties are not coming forward to support the growing demand for a strong and independent Lokpal [the highest institution in India to investigate corruption] for such cases in order to bring the culprits to justice. Such an authority will certainly help reduce the cases of corruption. But then which politician would be interested in this?
From Mr Muneer Ahmad
Abu Dhabi

End corruption
As India is progressing economically, so is the corruption. Sadly, the prosperity of the country goes hand in hand with corruption. Even the clerk sitting at the attestation desk wants money so that your documents reach the top of the pile; otherwise, they will be lost or end up at the bottom of the pile. Unfortunately, it’s the Indian populace who feel alienated from their own country because of the harassment that is shown towards them at different levels of society in the form of corruption. Maybe that’s the reason why many Indians want to migrate to foreign countries and only visit India like it’s a tourist spot. India is losing a lot of highly educated and innovative Indians because they are not encouraged, taken care of or given attention. Foreign countries treat Indians with more respect, understanding and regard than their own homeland. The disparity between the rich and the poor in India is increasing year after year. The rich will not feel the trouble that the ordinary Indian feels. With all of this happening how can you expect an ordinary Indian to feel patriotic towards his or her motherland?
From Mr Syed
Sharjah
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