Support Syria and Turkey
It’s heartbreaking to see the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, where thousands lost their lives and were displaced from their homes (“Watch: UAE residents come out in large numbers to send relief supplies to quake-hit areas”, Gulf News, February 8). It’s commendable that the International community is coming together to support the victims. We should pray for the lost lives and also do our best to help them. Contributing to authorised charity organisations, especially at this time, will help many people in need. When we contribute, we connect to the world.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Gulf News: The leading newspaper in the UAE
Gulf News has become an integral part of my life (“Gulf News digital and print bundle subscription offer is back with gifts worth Dh1,000 for readers”, Gulf News,January 20). I came to the UAE in 1987. I remember how, over the course of just a few years, Gulf News had taken over other newspapers, becoming unbeatable in the media and printing world.
They are, without a doubt, the number one newspaper in the UAE.
I enjoy reading Gulf News, and I need the hard copy to get the feeling of having read the newspaper. I have been a subscriber of Gulf News for more than a decade now. The newspaper covers all the topics of the world. The subscription offers are the icing on the cake. The vouchers are useful for us and are worth the annual subscription. My family and I will always be readers of Gulf News. Thank You, Gulf News, for providing us with an updated daily and digital news.
From Mr Ajeet Kumar S Pillai
UAE
ChatGPT, a game changer
The Gulf News article on ChatGPT was interesting to read (“ChatGPT, the viral chatbot from OpenAI: Is this the one-stop solution for all your queries? Will it upstage Google? All you need to know”, Gulf News,February 3). However, this latest app has many pros and cons, as well, which the columnist could have included. Firstly, the app is revolutionary for those with English as a second language, underprivileged students whose educational background is based on their mother tongue, content writers having little knowledge of grammar being able to completely changed the way they present ideas in writing, and teachers who are more burdened nowadays.
Lack of English teachers, especially in developing nations, where teachers choose English as a specialised subject, but still teach using the native language.
On the other side, it can be destructive if not handled properly. It might create hate speech, racism, fake news, and, above all, remove human emotions in writing. Few people have argued it would take away jobs assigned to humans, but they forgot it could create more jobs for startups. When the pandemic occurred, people shifted to online shopping. However, later on, most people still liked to go shopping. When kindle came, people thought it was the death of physical books, but people still held and smelled hard copies. Of course, ChatGPT is a game changer, but nothing can replace a human.
From Ms Aisha Amjad
Dubai
Cricket: India versus Australia
Though the ace spinner, Ravichander Ashwin, is the unsung hero of the Indian cricket team, it is great to read Ravi Shastri’s view (“Cricket: Are the Australians afraid of Indian spinners?”, Gulf News, FEbruary 8). The former head coach of the India national cricket team said that Ashwin’s form would decide the outcome of the series against Australia. Shastri is trying to put pressure on Ashwin. However, it is the collective responsibility of the team, especially the batsmen.
To top it, the Aussies started praising the skills of Ashwin to skittle their own batsmen. No doubt, they are wary of Ashwin’s heroics, but he alone cannot win tests. Pace bowlers and spin trio should strike in tandem to decide the series, and batsmen should put up healthy scores.
From Mr N Mahadevan
India
Remembering the versatile singer
The demise of the singing maestro Vani Jayaram one of the greatest playback singers of India, is tragic and heartbreaking (“Popular Indian cinema and classical singer Vani Jayaram dies”,Gulf News, February 4). She was one of the most prominent playback singers, whose magical voice charmed millions of audiences for five decades in over a dozen languages. She had lent her voice to over 10,000 songs in over 19 languages including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. There are hundreds of superhit songs of Jayaram, and it isn’t easy to pick one as her best.
Still, one of her most popular Hindi songs was ‘Bole re papihara’ from the movie, Guddi, which was released in 1971, giving her instant recognition in the industry. Jayaram was also a trained Hindustani and Carnatic vocalist who, besides film songs, had also recorded thousands of devotional songs and performed concerts across the world regularly. For her outstanding contribution, she earned several national awards and Honours, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian honour in 2023, multiple National Film Awards and various state government awards. Jayaram has left behind a rich legacy of unique voices and songs. She will be remembered by the Indian diaspora, who unitedly mourn her death and pay homage to the immortal singing maestro.
From Mr Ramesh G Jethwani
India
