True greatness
Thank you Mr Governor, for your lofty thoughts and magnanimity towards the people of Goa. We are glad that you are following in the footsteps of those great men who fought for the independence of our country and who took pains to draft our Constitution for the greater good of the country and its citizens. The Constitution of India enshrines the separation of powers. The Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary are required to function independent of each other. But what we see today is the complete domination of the Legislative Wing.
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Let us hope that luminaries and intellectuals of this great country form a common platform to fight this evil and that the executive and the judiciary live up to their oath of office.
Joaquim Pinto, Mapusa
A dozen lessons Covid taught me
There are a few lessons Covid taught me during the last four months which I would like to share.
Cherish your loved ones, support them and give them the most valuable gift you can give – your time. Be good and do good to people and believe in karma – what goes around, comes around. Support financially and emotionally the people who work for you or your building society – the maid, the driver, the cook, the security guard, the garbage collector, the gardener etc. There is no greater joy than the joy of giving which I realised only when I actually started it. Resolve differences/arguments/grudges/fights with people without being spiteful. You don’t know whether you will see them again in these times of disease.
Read, keep yourself abreast and follow all regulations or advisories issued by the government or health authorities. Be frugal with your expenses and put that credit card in deep freeze for a while, saving should be the new mantra. Many people have lost their jobs during these trying times. Always keep extra stock of medicines, especially if you suffer from chronic diseases, supply chains are disrupted all over. There is no tomorrow, if there is anything you aim to do, do it now. You never know when the world or life will change, who knew that Corona would wreak such havoc and virtually upend the planet.
Find happiness in the small things of life – the kiss of a loved one, the gurgling laughter of your child, the sea breeze caressing your cheeks, the first rays of sunshine coming through your bedroom window, squirrels hopping on the trees, a mendicant’s toothless smile, the flowering of a new rose in your garden. Keep both your mind and body occupied. Exercise, meditate, chant, stretch, attend online courses, anything which floats your boat and keeps your faculties engaged. Mental health in these times is as important as physical health if not more. Believe in the adage ‘this too shall pass’. Tough times don’t last, tough people do. Be an optimist, not a pessimist or a cynic.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Retain Malik as Goa Governor
Every Goan, regardless of his status or political allegiance, has over the last few days been fervently praying that our Governor Satya Pal Malik be retained as the Governor in Goa to complete his unfinished mission of serving India’s smallest State.
I am sure that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his Home Minister Amit Shah, will take an appropriate decision in the best interests of Goa and our great Nation. Whatever the outcome, let us hope that our State of Goa will continue to enjoy the good leadership of the office of the Governor to ensure good governance in our State for the benefit of the many, especially in these challenging times. The ruling BJP in Goa may be feeling that the Governor is running a parallel government, but all that our Governor has been doing is to exercise his bounden Constitutional role in ensuring that governance in Goa does not deviate from the rule of law.
I managed to speak to Governor Malik this afternoon just as he prepares to leave on a visit to Delhi soon and he was so very candid in telling me that around four months ago he had himself requested the Central government to transfer him to a larger State so that he could play a bigger role in the service of humanity.
Let us leave this issue to the wisdom of the Central Government as to where Governor Satya Pal Malik’s skills and talents would be better utilised to the optimum benefit of all, especially to the marginalised in these very troubled and turbulent times.
The role of the office of Governor is by definition to govern. Malik has done impeccably and no matter which State has the good fortune of availing of his services will be the better for it.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Free hand and Open Air Exercising
COVID-19 has probably made physical training experts to popularise the virtues of free hand exercising as well as open air exercising. Some world class physical training instructors have now come in open agreement that free hand exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups being the best form of staying in shape especially if they are done in open areas where there is ample of fresh air and particularly effective and more beneficial if it is done in an environment where a large number of trees are planted. Younger people have to exercise strenuously once a day preferably in the early morning, while with the advent of age your exercising may be in shorter spells of ten to twenty minutes each but all of these in open air like in your garden or in a jogger’s park. Village dwellers have an advantage over urban dwellers since rural areas are mostly surrounded by trees. Also for women and girls, skipping and long walks as well as jogging, are recommended again in open air spaces. Gymnasiums are mostly recommended mainly for body builders. As far as push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups are concerned they can be done in accordance with your body weights. Another suggestion is that walking up against gravity is a much better mode of exercising yourselves. However, all these exercises have only been recommended without wearing face masks, so in a city, residents can walk, jog or exercise with free hands in the morning and wherever social distancing is required, at least 3 meters can be kept between exercisers so as to do away with masks. Try these easy and inexpensive recommendations to keep yourselves immune to the coronavirus.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Rafale jets
India is to be congratulated for buying Rafale jet fighter planes from France to strengthen their defence capability but should not be too complacent in sounding off about ‘the strategic edge’ in the border row with China in Ladakh. It should be borne in mind that China has over 3,000 military aircraft of which over 1,000 are fighter aircraft.
Dranreb Aclos, UK
Plundering Goa
It is sad to see how the present governments both in Goa and at the Centre are literally selling Goa. A new Railway line is to be built and the people of Goa will lose their properties and houses.
Let coal pass through Goa despite COVID-19 restrictions. Let the Goans die as long as we make our profits is their motto. And sorry to say the Chief Minister has to acquiesce to his political bosses or he will be shown the door.
It would have been better if all those, who may have been blackmailed to jump ship, had to sit in jail to maintain their dignity and earn the respect of the people which is better than looting the people and earning their wrath for generations to come.
Francis Dias, Mumbai
Desert Extravaganza
Life should spring back to normal one fine day, and that is the unwritten rule. Corona put brakes on life early on; sports activities came to a standstill. That said, many disciplines are limbering up to be back in action. Cricket restarted with the West Indies–England test series. India’s own extravaganza, the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was scheduled to take off on March 29 in India, under normal circumstances, was postponed.
Amid rumours of being called-off, the governing council of the IPL came up with the big decision to host the mega event in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) between September 19 and November 10. Scrupulous adherence to the standard operating procedure (SoP) of each country cannot be overemphasized.
Cricket is a team game; social distancing may prove difficult but not impossible. The composition of the ‘ dugout’, if at all permitted, will merit attention. Needless to say, there will be far fewer heads in the players’ trench compared to the previous years.
The bio–bubble itself will allow a specified number to make sure there is no overcrowding. Putting the bio — bubble in place is one thing; foolproof maintenance of the same is another thing. Daily health reporting and temperature check, if not daily covid testing, should be the order of the day. Compromises are inevitable during this stressful time. Absence of cheering spectators will deprive the tournament of the glamour that is usually associated with it.
Anyway, the ‘ different IPL’s’ competitive edge may not be rendered blunt because all are professional players knowing well what days in the sun means after a long hiatus by cricketing standards. Presence of star–studded commentary teams should be a consolation.
UAE knows what it takes to host big time cricket. These are trying circumstances alright, but with the vast experience at its command, and watchful eyes of top cricket administrators, the desert country should be able to pull it off.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Co-morbidity and Covid-19
It must be said that a very high percentage of deaths that occurred in Goa due to COVID-19 were as a result of co-morbid conditions such as renal disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer or heart disease. This is probably because of the lowering of immunity as a result of co-morbidity. Of course there were exceptions like the 14-year old girl who fell prey to the disease. It is understood that comorbid patients run a 50% higher risk of succumbing to COVID-19. Hence it becomes absolutely necessary for senior citizens with comorbid conditions to take extra precautions against getting infected by the deadly virus. Such patients, who show even the slightest symptoms, need to be tested for the virus without delay, so that they get timely treatment. People with comorbid conditions could get infected when they visit the hospitals for routine check up. Hence it would be advisable for such patients not to visit the hospitals but rather continue with their medication for their comorbid conditions or contact the family doctor over the phone. Senior citizens with co-morbid conditions may be staying indoors but still catch the infection from the younger members in the family who venture out and end up being asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Hence it would be advisable to monitor the condition of these senior citizens at home using a pulse oximeter and refer the patient to a Covid hospital if necessary.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Plundering Goa
It is sad to see how the present Government ruling both Goa and at the Centre is literally selling Goa to their Stooges. A new Ralway line to be built at the expense of the Govt and the people of Goa who will lose their properties and Houses all for the sake of filling the coffers of Adani.
Let Coal pass through Goa despite COVID-19 restrictions. Let the Goans die as long as we make our profits is their motto. And sorry to say the CM has to acquiesce to his Political Bosses or he will be shown the door.
It would have been better if all those who may have been blackmailed to jump Ship had to sit in jail to maintain their dignity and earn the respect of the people which is better than looting the people and earning their wrath for generations to come.
Francis Dias, Mumbai
