What you need to know:
- Readers write about community issues and share their opinions on events taking place all around the world.
An out-of-this-world achievement
This is with reference to the Indian Space and Research Organisation (Isro), which successfully launched the Chandrayaan-2 rocket on July 22 (“Chandrayaan-2: India’s ‘Bahubali’ rocket takes off at 1.13pm UAE time on Monday”, Gulf News, July 23). The earlier launch of the rocket was disrupted by some technical snag. It has now been rectified. The rocket was successfully launched. Indian scientists deserve praise as they were capable of succeeding at this mission. It will improve India’s image in the world. I would like to wish the team on their achievement.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
The loss of a leader
The passing away of veteran Indian politician Sheila Dikshit is a huge loss not only for the Congress party, but is also a loss for the entire country (“Sheila Dikshit ‘transformed face of Delhi’”, Gulf News, July 21).
She was a part of the Congress for her career and was elected as the chief minister of Delhi for three terms. She was an affable personality and a committed leader who had made a notable contribution to national politics. She was a respected personality.
In her term as chief minister the New Delhi went through momentous transformations, through building world class infrastructure for the city, better roads, flyovers and the metro line. She helped make New Delhi less polluted. Her work on developing health the sector and education was also noteworthy. She has left a vacuum which will be hard to fill.
From Mr Ramesh G. Jethwani
Bengaluru, India.
Mob lynching in India
The cases of mob lynching in India is on the high (“Man lynched for ‘stealing peacocks’”, Gulf News, July 21). Since the existing ruling government was re-elected, there have been many cases of mob lynching, and communal politics being implemented.
Many minority communities in India are being forced to say Hindu slogans and are being beaten up if they don’t comply.
If you check the cases from January 2019, there have been many mob lynching cases registered with the police, showing that such violence is on the rise.
This needs to stop to ensure the safety of people and communities. Racial harassment cannot and should not take place. The people who are doing this are spoiling the name of the country and are affecting internal peace and harmony. Mob lynching should be punished without any bail in such cases. Unless and until the government takes urgent action it won’t be possible to stop such people.
Aurangabad is a popular tourist destination, but over the years, it has lost its charm due to communal conflict. The recent elections have changed the scenario of Aurangabad.
The current government is trying to spoil the atmosphere within the country and action needs to be taken against this.
From Mr Lodhi Azmatullah Khan
UAE
Politicians in India are corrupt
I wish there was a law which allowed citizens of India to expose the corrupt politicians who are busy making money off the common man and living lavishly.
Second, no politician’s children or relatives should allowed to contest elections. There must be a basic educational requirement, and an absence of criminal history.
I am a part of a family of four and since we can’t resolve our differences, I understand how hard it must be for the Prime Minister of India to resolve the differences of the various communities in the country.
India is full of resources. Now, all cities look like a concrete jungle.
Life has become very hard for the common man and there is no relief.
How come housing in Mumbai is so expensive? A cap should be put on the resale of flats. Public transportation should be made of highest standards so that people opt for that, ultimately reducing pollution and congestion.
Any politicians who have assets of more than 50 lakhs should not be allowed to contest.
From Mr Arvind Dhumale
Abu Dhabi
Raising children right
The recent news about the missing Indian teenager running away from home and going missing was baffling (“Chided for watching YouTube, Indian boy runs away from UAE home”, Gulf News, July 14). It serves as an example for parents raising teenagers. While we in our roles as parents are the true well-wishers for our children, it is becoming increasingly difficult to bring up young teenage children who are at such a vulnerable age.
As young generations are getting addicted to devices, it might be hard to lay down a standard rule to tackle this issue. Either the screen time rules could be set from day one in every home depending on the child. Or parents need to take the calculated risk of letting their child exercise that liberty and enjoy their “me time” in order to build a relationship of trust and bonding with their teens. These young children need to be treated as adults so that they feel valued and connected.
The drastic step taken by the missing child could not be limited to screen time alone, but could arise out of other outcomes as well when the child feels dejected due to situations we as parents may not foresee. Hence, we as parents need to be alert and maintain the right balance between discipline and freedom.
From Ms Nidhi Choudhury
UAE
Success and destinations
Success has many rules. What suits you might not suit someone else. Lured by a new job I had to journey by train to another place, at the cost of being separated from my family. Seeing the tearful eyes of people at the railway station, there to bid me farewell. Soon it was all over. The moment the train pulled me away from those waving hands, my future dream awaited. The journey was long, and spanned over two nights, but what comforted me was the fact that I could visit and return to those who care about me. I consider take-offs and landings to be essential elements of life. A mountaineer takes both pain and happiness while ascending and descending.
From Mr M. Husain
Dubai
Selectors and mistakes
By and large, the Indian team selected for the West Indies tour seems to be okay (“West Indies Test call-up a double-edged sword for Wridhiman Saha”, Gulf News, July 22). Though the selectors say that Hardik Pandya has been rested, it is a blessing in disguise for his brother Kunal Pandya. It may be true that cricketer Dinesh Karthik did not justify his place in the ICC World Cup team but the same can be said for Rishabh Pant, who at least had better opportunities as compared to Karthik. Probably cricketer Washington Sunder has taken his place in Twenty20, to give a token of representation to South India. Whether he gets into the playing 11 or is benched like Karthik, as fans we wait to see the decision. Incidentally, we hope Indian captain Virat Kohli doesn’t get exhausted before the Test series against West Indies begins. Time and again the team selectors are the ones to blame.
From Mr N. Viswanathan
India
Wear what you desire
Women should not dress to impress, instead women should dress in outfits they are most comfortable in (“Speak your mind: Society or self-expression? What influences women’s dressing in the UAE”, Gulf News, July 19). Following trends and fashion is merely a myth which people follow but to look good but feeling good is the main thing. Fashion ultimately is to wear clothes that a woman feels most comfortable in.
From Ms Pramitha Dsouza
Dubai
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