Teach children to respect women
It’s an utter shame that a lot of women were molested during the New Year’s eve celebrations in Bengaluru, India (‘Four held over New Year attack in Bengaluru’, Gulf News, January 6). It’s shameful that Abu Azmi, a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) has blamed Western attire for the incident. He compared women with petrol and asked them to keep away from fire, which is an insult to all women in India. It is ridiculous that in a free and democratic country we have such narrow minded politicians still around. It is the duty of the state to allow freedom of expression, safety and security to all, especially when there is a celebration.
Some men have the traditional mindset of interfering in women’s freedom, dictating a dress code, how to walk and behave. Even women in very conservative and traditional attire are being molested, raped and humiliated. It is not the dress that women wear that matters, but the mindset of men and youth of the present generation that need to change. Will these molesters attack their kith and kin if they see them in Western clothing? Women are molested in buses, workplaces and even children are abused in their own homes. Parents should teach their boys how to behave in public and this is very important. It all depends on how the man of the house treats women at home. This is what is carried on to the next generation. So, try and instil good values in your children so that tomorrow you will not be ashamed of the deeds of your children.
The perpetrators of these crimes should be given strict punishment regardless of whether they are minors.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Too easy to waste
The UAE’s determination to collect and distribute all unused and eatable food to the needy people within and around the world is a welcome step (‘Creation of food bank testimony to UAE’s compassion’, Gulf News, January 5). According to the United Nations (UN), half of the food produced is being wasted when millions of people are living in acute poverty. This wastage includes poor harvest, storage, transportation and people’s behaviour. Even though a lot of food is being imported into the country for consumption, the pattern of food wastage is a testimony to the severity of the current situation happening on a daily basis. Wasting food is easier than feeding someone. France enacted a law prohibiting supermarkets from wasting unused food in the past year. The creation of the Emirates Food Bank in line with the Year of Giving initiative, the collection and distribution of eatable food, will make it possible for us to end hunger. The food bank can bridge the gap between need and surplus. This will help in the county’s mission of making residents happy in a shorter period than expected, as feeding someone is a sacred act.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
Two sides to a coin
The current global economic scenario brings two sides of the coin for Filipinos (‘Boom time for Philippines spells more hardship for laggard peso’, Gulf News, January 5). It is bad per se in terms of the peso, as it weakens against the dollar, but it’s good news for remittances and the commitment of the government for further infrastructure. This will surely be a good time for other government projects to be implemented and it’s a high time for investment as the currency is weak. As I said, there’s two side to every coin! In reading this Gulf News report, it explains further how this works.
From Mr Ahyan Bautista
Abu Dhabi
Facebook comment
Why keep so much cash?
The letter from Mr P. A. proves the necessity of demonetisation (‘Letters to the editor: Unfair treatment!’, Gulf News, December 26). He has 21,000 Indian rupees (Dh1,132) here in Dubai and some undisclosed amount in India. Why does he need to keep Indian rupees here? For airport and taxi expenses, as he claimed, will not be more than 1,500 rupees (Dh808).
Just imagine the millions of Indian rupees that were here only in the Gulf countries, by just multiplying 21,000 by the total population of Indians in Gulf. Some may be having more than 21,000 rupees. Why should we keep these amounts at home? Isn’t it a crime? If you do anything illegal, you have no right to blame government.
If Mr P. A. wants to deposit this money in his account, he has time until March 2017 to deposit it to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It is really unfortunate that none of his friends or relatives are willing to help him, but they are absolutely right. Why should they be part of any illegal acts?
From Mr Viren Narkar
Dubai
A remarkable career
The demise of the 66-year-old Bollywood film actor, Om Puri, was a great loss to the film world (‘Om Puri cremated in Mumbai, Bollywood stars attend’, Gulf News, January 8). He established a versatile career in many memorable films. Some of the few remarkable films were Ankuram, Gupt, Hera Pheri, Hey Ram, China Gate, Vinashak, Mirch Masala and Ardh Satya. No one can forget them. His demise is not only an irrecoverable loss to the Indian film industry, but also in the international arena. I pray for this departed legend and the grieving family members.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Rest in peace
This versatile actor left not only his kith and kin, but also personalities from the world of politics in a shock. In his 44 years in the theatre, on the silver screen and on television, he acted with almost all top actors. Some of the films in which he played memorable roles will be remembered by Bollywood fans. He has left a huge void that cannot be filled easily. May his soul rest in peace.
From Mr Sunny Joseph
Mala, India
Biased umpires?
The Tamil Nadu cricket captain Abhinav Mukund is right in his observations that the neutral venue concept is at peril and could kill Test cricket (‘Brilliant Bumrah guides Gujarat to final’, Gulf News, January 5). No doubt, everyone, including the board, may find fault with our loss, but the same view was expressed by most of the teams. To add to our woes, the umpiring was the worst, as in the cases of Indian Cricket Council (ICC) umpires and referees, who had a soft corner for Australia, England and other countries, giving a step-motherly treatment to sub-continental teams. Even during the semi-finals, the umpires were biased towards Tamil Nadu, which has always been at the receiving end after the resignation of N. Srinivasan. It is really surprising that when the board has fallen in line with ICC with regards to the Decision Review System (DRS) rules, why can’t the domestic tournaments, too, implement the same? Anyway, we are proud of Mukund and his young brigade, who put up a brave fight and tried to force a decision in their favour. Better luck next time!
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
Quality matters most
Non-payment of fees by parents cannot be justified by any count (‘Parents, schools grapple over unpaid fees’, January 1). They have voluntarily entered into a contract with the school and they should therefore fulfil their part of the contract. However, it is not unknown to us that fees in many schools seem to be highly inflated. The common argument put forth by the schools is that if you want quality education and facilities, then one must be ready to pay for them. But, it is not difficult to see that there are business groups engaged in the education sector that are adding branches by the year. Obviously, the capital for new branches is coming from the existing operational branches. On the flip side, we also notice that many schools are not operating to full capacity. Therefore, capacity wise, we may not need as many new schools as we are made to believe, although their proximity to the residential areas is an important factor as well.
From Mr Arish Ehsan
Dubai
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