Positive steps for India
The Indian presidential election results provided a good indication of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and its administrative skills during its three-year tenure (‘Ram Nath Kovind elected new President of India’, Gulf News, July 21). It made a good base for the 2019 election. With all the opposition parties’ criticisms and many allegations, the NDA government nominee Ram Nath Kovind has been elected as the 14th president of India and the second Dalit community leader, which is laudable. With his vast experience and knowledge in political history, he will serve the people of India without any partiality and favour. This election result is a dramatic development in the history of Indian politics, for a better future in the coming days. Kudos to Kovind.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Respect and support women
This is awesome news for Indian women in cricket (‘Indian women take World Cup by storm’, Gulf News, July 22). I am Pakistani and I am proud of India’s team captain, because we should respect women, we should respect talent and we should respect humans, no matter what country they belong to.
From Mr Fahad Amir
Umm Al Quwain
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A must-read for issues still relevant today
I found it quite shocking that 63 per cent of the poll respondents had no idea who Jane Austen was (‘Poll analysis: What’s your favourite Jane Austen novel’?, Gulf News, July 21). Well, to all those who have no idea about this wonderful author, Austen was an English novelist, who is widely known for her six romantic novels, many of which, have even been adapted to films. Her novels describe the living conditions of women in the 19th century and how they led their lives – having the men in the family decide their future. In her books, Austen shows the restrictions within which, women lived. As a teenager, I found Austen’s books fascinating and I recommend her books to everyone. My favourite is Emma and in the book, Austen describes Emma as a twenty-something girl who is strong and also a bit thoughtless, nevertheless having both financial security and independence. Despite this, we can still see that most of her activities are influenced by the men around her. Reading the news headlines these days, I can only tell you how that feels. It is a pity that the stories that were written in the 19th century are still relevant when it comes to our current societal mentality. But even today, Austen’s stories are enjoyable, with relatable characters.
From Ms Elizabeth Cecil
UAE
Callous attitude
The recent tightening of littering laws in the UAE is welcome, but I wonder how it can be strictly implemented (‘Littering motorists risk Dh1,500 fine in Dubai’, Gulf News, July 14). Just the other day, while returning from Fujairah at around 1pm, a car was ahead of me on the road, and when we reached a semi-isolated area, the motorist suddenly flung a plastic bag full of waste food from the car. It landed with a splat on the road.
Such callous attitude from people is certainly disappointing. What can we do?
From Mr T. V. Ashok
Ras Al Khaimah
The mango debate
What most Pakistanis don’t know is that the anwar ratol has its roots in a village two hours from New Delhi, India, in what is now the Baghpat district of the western area of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (‘Mango lovers enjoy extended season in the UAE’, Gulf News, July 22). The village is called Ratol, and its first ratol tree is just over a hundred years old. Many years before the partition, a mango grower from Ratol migrated to what is now the Pakistani part of Punjab and named a sprig he’d transplanted there after his father, Anwar.
Does that settle the India-Pakistan mango debate?
From Ms Rachie Dulay
UAE
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An alarming message
Since its inception, Al Jazeera has always been biased in reporting news from around the Arab world (‘Qatar helped Al Qaida target UAE troops in Yemen: diplomat’, Gulf News, July 21). They played a huge part in the rise of extremist groups and provided extensive media coverage for them. I feel their agenda has always been to incite hatred and division among Arab nations.
It’s not the variety of articles or topics that Al Jazeera covers that I am talking about, but rather the message they pass on to you. If you read between the lines, you will understand. For example, Al Jazeera does not refer to Daesh as a terrorist organisation. How did they, in the past, interview Osama Bin Laden and many Al Qaida members? They had access, and maintained contact with them.
From Mr Jean Mora
UAE
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