Flooding with despair
The whole state of Kerala is drowning (“Celebrities slam Kerala haters for spreading bigotry”, Gulf News, August 21). Even double storeyed buildings are under water. Many have died. Thousands of people are still waiting for help to come. People have been without food or electricity for days. Thousands are crying for help. Kerala is in the midst of a colossal tragedy. Yet, the Indian national television channels have shown no interest in giving any importance to such a disaster. It seems as though they are not aware that Kerala is part of India, too.
From Mr Jazir Ibrahim
UAE
A terrible tragedy
We are now homeless and there is nothing left in Kerala. We cannot explain how we will be able to fix our houses, recover our important documents, money and more, after the floods. We don’t have shelter in Kerala and now, all our earnings have gone in the floods. It is a hard time for us now. We believe in God and hope he does a miracle on my family. Please pray for us.
From Mr Joed Mathew
UAE
Help Kerala survive
The state of Kerala is passing through one of its most devastating floods the state has ever seen. It has taken hundreds of lives, many people’s homes have been destroyed, people are homeless and many have fled to relief camps. Still, thousands are stranded in their house. They need food, medicines, clothes, blankets, beds and more. When they return to home after some time they have to start their lives from scratch. In addition to that, all kinds of infrastructure of the state are completely damaged. The state needs billions of rupees to rebuild. I appeal to all expatriates from state of Kerala to refrain from spending too much money on celebrating for the coming festivals and donate that money to the Kerala Chief Minister’s distress relief fund. Your charity contribution will not reduce your wealth, but on the contrary it will help someone else in his or her time of need.
From Mr K. V. Shams Al Deen
UAE
Setting an example
We are proud of the UAE Rulers for the donation they have made towards helping those in Kerala. I would like to give them a big salute and thank them for their effort.
From Mr Firoz Kattoor
UAE
Facebook comment
Humanity is not dead
The recent floods that have washed away most of Kerala have been shocking. The natural disaster has not only taken many lives but it has left many people stranded, with nowhere to go. However, despite the disaster, seeing the kind of support people have been giving to the people of the state is heartwarming. From donation drives, to celebrity support and governmental aid, people from all around the world are stepping in to help the people of Kerala. I think this has really proved that people come together in times of hardship and humanity is far from dead. I wish people helped each other out like this every day; the world would indeed be a better place. I would like to thank everyone who have been tirelessly trying to rescue people from this tragedy, as well as provide food and shelter to those stranded. Let us pray that the sun shines bright on the state and the people find a way to rebuild their lives.
From Ms Aditi Kumar
Dubai
Help Kerala this Eid
On the occasion of Eid I would like to wish everyone blessings and kindness. It is a celebration but I think it is important to remember the people in Kerala because they are suffering and have lost a lot of money. They have to rebuild their lives. On this Eid, donate to the different funds offering to help those in Kerala. Whether you are Hindu or Muslim, we are all the same. We are human at the end of the day and humanity needs to trump hate. Let us work together to help these people rebuild their lives.
From Mr Adil Khan
Dubai
Political games
Actor turned politician, Kamal Haasan, is to play a cameo role in the biopic of late Chief Minister, J. Jayalalitha (“Complaint against Kamal Haasan over portrayal of Jaya as ‘dictator’ on his show”, Gulf News, August 3). Ironically, he is being tipped to play the role of politician Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran (MGR). There is already a lot of criticism surrounding his role in the reality television show ‘Big Boss’. People are saying that he is propagating his political career through television. Now his role as MGR in the biopic would definitely boost his image. It would be wise if he opted out of this role as it could definitely make or mar his political career, which is only beginning.
From Mr N. Viswanathan
India
A visionary leader
The former Prime Minister of India who recently passed away, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was a leader who led by consensus and discussion (“Vajpayee: Politics without taglines”, Gulf News, August 19). His three tenures as PM were amiable and people from all religious and communities liked him. He wove India together with his charm and poetry. He was never flamboyant or egoistic. During the last few years, he had withdrawn from public life and hardly commented on any issue. His party, which has been power since 2014, has not exactly followed his footsteps. There has been unnecessary polarisation in the country and law and order has declined. Vajpayee’s wisdom and sagacity will be missed in India.
From Mr Rajendra Aneja
India
Leaders of tomorrow
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan proved that he is not only a politician but is also a leader (“Pakistan PM Imran Khan vows to target corruption in TV speech”, Gulf News August 21). As apartheid leader Nelson Mandela put in his words “A politician thinks about his next term, but a leader think about his next generation”, Khan has done exactly that. I wish him the best of luck.
From Ms Inayat Al Rahman Khan
UAE
Leaders who set examples
This is with reference to the demise of 80-year-old, former United Nations (UN) General Secretary, Kofi Annan, the first African black diplomat from Ghana (“Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan dies at age 80”, Gulf News, August 19). He served the UN Security Council and created many reforms for the UN. He was bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize and his Kofi Annan’s foundation is doing a wonderful job in the African agriculture sector. He was not keen on the war against Iraq and wanted peace. His departure is a great loss to the world especially for peace. May his soul rest in peace.
From Mr K. Ragavan
India
A problem of change
This issue of getting back exact change has been in place a long time (“Property Weekly:VAT’s impact on property prices in Dubai”, Gulf News, August 7). I remember reading one article in Gulf News concerning this issue. Big supermarkets used to benefit in this case as a vast majority of the users don’t care about small fills. The government should impose stringent action to resolve the issue of not getting adequate fils back as change. Consumers on the other hand should be vigilant and stop ignoring this. Ask for exact change!
From Mr Ronald Baguio
UAE
Facebook comment
VAT is the problem?
When paying Value Added Tax (VAT), the cashier has to round off your bill to the next denomination. For example, if you have spent Dh25.10 they are only allowed to take 25 fills from you. Anytime, you’re at a check out round the number to the nearest 25 fills, and that’s what you have to pay, same thing happened twice in my local super market until I made a complaint about it.
From Ms Keisha Christina Mercer
Dubai
Facebook comment
Holidays are welcome I am happy we get such a long holiday (“Long bank holidays send wrong signal to businesses”, Gulf News, August 21). People are working long hours and it is stressful. The banking sector is no less.
Kristina Margit
UAE
Facebook comment Find a real friend
On Friendship Day I heard and read so many friendship quotes and laudable words such as a friend is so and so, a friend is sacrosanct to a human being’s existance. But honestly, how many true friends can we find around us? I think the definition of a friend has changed with time. Those who care for you, those who extend their concern in your hardships, those who heartily enjoy your happines and those who keep in touch with you, irrespective of any condition, and more are those who you need in your journay and who will be there for you when you stumble. Many old or new friends don’t fit the description anymore. If we can find a person with the above qualities then he or she is a real friend. A friend can make or break one’s life. Finding a true loyal friend is the need of the time. Some children while growing up listen to what their friends say more than their teachers or parents. You need people who give you the right kind of advice.
From Ms Shemeem. K
India
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