A martyr’s death
Stan Swami reached out to people who were not “his own”; their language was different, their customs were different. Their life style revealed their utter dependency on a social system that cruelly classified them as “untouchables”.
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Stan Swami embraced these, the poorest of the poor, as his very own brothers and sisters. He admired them for their sincerity and their loyalty. It came naturally to him to treat everyone with great respect.
Stan Swami faithfully lived by the truth that “we, (all of us – without exception), are made in the image of God”. It is by holding fast to this criterion that Stan Swami signed his own death warrant. He died a martyr.
Nazar da Silva, Moira
Loss of a great photojournalist
Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize winning Indian photo journalist working with Reuters was recently killed in Afghanistan while covering the fierce fighting between Afghan troops and the Taliban militants. In fact he was on an assignment covering the clashes in the volatile Kandahar region. Danish was a bold and outstanding photographer and never cared for his life while trying to bring the truth through the newspapers. His photographs on Covid-19 clicked at Mumbai and Delhi published through newspapers and periodicals were appreciated by readers at large.
Some of the reputed publications to which he contributed included New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and others.
Danish was also a part of the Reuters team that covered the Canacona building collapse in 2014 and the BRICS summit held in Goa in 2016. On behalf of Goan photo lovers and enthusiasts, I deeply mourn the sad demise of this great photographer and offer condolence to his bereaved family and also the Reuters team. May his soul rest in peace.
Pravin U Sardessai, Adpai
Politicians are…politicians
Indian Politicians survive on creating confusion and ruffling feathers. Stay calm. We all know how the BJP Govt is hampering Delhi Administration through the Lt Governor. We know what happens in Puducherry, Daman, Diu and Lakshadweep. The Church demolition in Delhi was ‘timed’ well while the CM was in Goa. What we need to see is what happens next.
In May, 2021, Delhi people were dying for want of oxygen, with BJP Central Govt not supplying the required oxygen till the SC stepped in. In the meantime, foreign countries saved Indian lives sending in Oxygen, including Indonesia who sent 3400 oxygen cylinders and concentrators to India. Delhi being the India Capital, most aid went there as the deaths were also very high.
Today, Indonesia is facing oxygen shortages and called for help. Indian Govt says there are now no shortages in oxygen. Why is Delhi not sending back the concentrators to Indonesia?
Some Goans say they are not beggars for free electricity. Are the Goan pockets separate for petrol and electricity? What exactly is the Ladli Laxmi scheme? Other States bid during power auctions: in the monsoon period they bag rates at Re1 per unit due to excess power availability. Solar power supply has dropped below Rs 2 per unit.
What did the lone Congress MP from Goa speak in the Lok Sabha? Did he fight or the human rights of late Fr Stan? Suddenly he found his voice in Goa and ‘spoke’ about fuel prices, with no credible data? Why did the Congress HC only now say he will take up the case of Seraulim on stilts?
We need new, intelligent faces who must come in now: whether in new parties or in old parties or we will lose Goa.
R Fernandes, Margao
Takes two to tango
This has reference to the article ‘Choose the right people Herald will back you’ (Herald Insight, July 17, 2021). That was a very informative, insightful report on the state of politics, not just in Goa, but in all other States as well.
Hats off to Herald for taking up responsibility of creating awareness among people. The report has raised some very valid points, worth considering. Yes, it is our collective responsibility to reach the messages of key issues to the people. Further, the report rightly states, if the arteries of information, read awareness, are choked the issues that matter to the people will get choked, leading to a heart attack. Considering the situation around us, it seems like the people are already choked and have suffered a massive heart attack.
Politics is not dirty business, it is the people, read politicians, who make it dirty. But it is not just the politicians, the citizens themselves must take part of the blame.
It is said that politics has become dirty because the so-called good people have kept out. So, the reality is, you cannot clap with one hand, it takes two to tango. We need to combine forces, that’s the need of the hour. Kudos to the Herald for this great initiative.
Melville X. D’Souza, Mumbai
Distribute poll tickets to more women
Women leaders in the State have been in the forefront of several agitations concerning the welfare of the citizens as well as fighting against the destruction of the environment with unplanned development. Various political parties in the State have immensely capable women leaders who have shown their calibre while solving several issues. They have also been responsible in building their respective political parties.
Women have been working hard towards propagating the party’s plans, principles and policies to ensure their respective party’s victory in the 2022 polls. It would hence be in the fitness of things for the political parties in the State to distribute party tickets to more women to contest the forthcoming elections. We need to give women an opportunity to serve the people as elected representatives.
The country has given us several world class women leaders including the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Goa too needs more women at the helm of affairs. Women are hard working, they are more close to the people and by and large not corrupt like the men.
A woman who plays the role of a mother, a sister, a daughter and a wife is more capable to lead the people of her constituency. Hopefully Goa will witness more women leaders contesting the 2022 assembly elections.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Loss of a great humanitarian
Be she a persecuted Rohingya negotiating the turmoil waters in search of new land or he a poor migrant labourer turning “alien” in own land overnight and compelled to undergo “Long March” under scorching sun the pain of the vulnerable souls was sure to engulf the conscience of Danish Siddiqui with his heart-rending clicks descending as a sharp blow upon the “comfort zone” of the escapist lot who refuse to see talk or hear the plight of the victims of man-made disaster!
How “anti-national” enough to “click” spade the spade and treat human beings as human beings instead of judging the children of God through a narrow prism of religion, nationality or economic status! Mother India indeed weeps on the loss of such a great humanitarian.
Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkatta
World Population Day
World Population Day is observed on July 11 every year to pay attention to the global-population issues and highlighting problematic issues taken place by overpopulation.
But unfortunately, every government considers it a headache to think about overpopulation which is increasing rapidly that will not harm the economy but also human beings when it becomes the most populated country with less fiscal. The present government must not be shirker about non-stop increasing population.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
