TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024
Adeus Fr Nevel Gracias
I am shocked, after hearing the news of Fr Nevel Gracias death. He was from Velim, Salcete. He was a great writer of Konkani tiatrs, specially Lenten tiatrs and also he wrote articles on Gulab, Ixtt, etc. He wrote Lenten tiatr in advance, one year before, He wrote 2023 Lenten tiatr, while casting Prince Jacob. He won many awards. In 2013 he received late Fr Freddy award as best director, etc.
I always liked his Tiatrs because they were based on Biblical scripts, which drew huge crowds at church squares of almost every village.
One of his best Lenten Tiatrs is 'Hi. Porza Vonttani Vakantta Thi'. I am his fan, I used to call him always and discuss on tiatrs, articles, etc. It’s all because I am a tiatr lover, articles reader from Gulab, Ixtt etc, for many years.
I cannot write anything more, I only pray for God to give him eternal rest and convey my sympathies to his family.
Edgar Martins, Chinchinim
Does religion unite or divide us?
Religion must unite the people of the country and the world but what we can see is that religion has divided the people so much that we are ready to kill the people of the other religions. Which religion teaches us to hate the people of other religions?
Secondly the job of the government is to govern the country irrespective of the faith of the people. Government should not promote building or destroying places of worship of any religion. The government must concentrate on providing infrastructure and controlling inflation and not indulging in divergent tactics to divide the people on religious lines. Politicians must keep their religion to themselves and not impose it on others.
And last but not the least, we the people are finally responsible for electing communal leaders and political parties who make provision for building places of worship when there is no money to pay for the schemes enacted by them for the welfare of the poor.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
Beware of your properties, Goans
With reference to the report 'Forged sale deeds deprive Assagao locals of properties' (Herald, May 16), it is astonishing that Goans are being robbed of their properties in a clandestine manner.
What is unfortunate is the way in which sale deeds are forged, long after the owners of properties are gone. One hopes the culprits are caught soon and justice is brought to the victims.
Goans, not just those living in the State, but living elsewhere in the Diaspora need to be cautious about their properties. Those in the Diaspora should ideally make a trip to Goa regularly and cultivate good relations with neighbours, so that their family estate can be taken care of. Clearly, with little or no help coming from the government, Goans are fighting a tough battle.
Anish Esteves, Mumbai
Shuttlers did India proud
India's extraordinary feat of winning the Thomas Cup, dethroning reigning champions and 14 times winner Indonesia 3-0 at Bangkok, marks a new high in Indian badminton history. Few would have fancied India's chances at the premier men's event. But the players punched above their weight to overshadow champion sides like Malaysia, Denmark, and finally Indonesia to reach the pinnacle of glory.
India's maiden success brought back the golden memories of 1983 when 'Kapil's Devils' hoisted the cricket World Cup. The win comes as a shot in the arm for Indian badminton and should inspire a generation of budding shuttlers to aim high.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
Tar ball menace affects entire West Coast
The Salcete coastline has reportedly witnessed fresh deposits of the oily substance known as tar balls thereby hampering the movement of visitors. The tar ball menace has become an annual feature which occurs ahead of the Southwest monsoon. However the menace is not confined only to Goa but is seen along the west coast of the country. Its annual occurrence during the monsoon has led marine biologists and experts to demand an investigation in the matter. Tar balls are dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface.
They are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments and transported from the open sea to the shores by sea currents and waves. Experts have urged authorities to take stricter vigil and check if ships are dumping burnt oil waste off the western coast of India. Tar ball pollution is a major concern to the marine ecosystem.
Microbes such as bacteria and fungi are known to be associated with tar balls and some are potential human and animal pathogens. Successive governments in the state have not been able to find a lasting solution to this menace which can have a negative impact on tourism. It seems necessary for the Goa government to take up the matter with the centre in order to come up with a permanent solution to the problem.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Temple run reaches Goa
While the whole of India is feverishly seized with the idea of shivlings in masjids, the purported temple(s) run has also reached Goa's peaceful shores. A prominent minister in the erstwhile cabinet has exhorted ASI and the local archives & archaeology department to look for temple remains in Goa under places of worship of other faiths. So confident is the gentleman that he has unequivocally claimed that remains of demolished temples will 100% be found in our state.
He added that remains of structures of other religions would also be found. Echoing the utterances of our Hon'ble CM, the mantri mentioned that in the 15th century the Portuguese razed to rubble @300 temples in Goa and that the denizens of Goa wanted the so called places of worship to be restored or rebuilt. It is entirely another matter that civil society and the common man has raised no such demand. Temples are being conflated with cultural glory and power.
While the majority of eligible Goan youth remain unemployed, prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing, manufacturing is in the doldrums and the economy is in a tailspin. Some kind of ennui seems to have set in the citizenry who have adopted a policy of 'grin and bear it', there seems to be no other option while the politicians are digging up the foundations of our syncretic culture and tearing asunder the fabric of a secular State.
Rekha Sarin, Benaulim
Stagflation at doors of India
It will not be wrong if we say that Stagflation is at the doors of country and we need to have to take number of steps to improve the economy of the country. At present both the wholesale and retail inflation numbers are crossing the tolerable limits and if the immediate remedial measures are not taken these numbers can touch the unbearable limit. At present the wholesale inflation is around 15% and the retail inflation around 8% which reflects the prices of goods.
There may be numbers of factors which had impacted the present position and we cannot deny that due to Corona economy of entire world is shattered and our country cannot aloof from that.
Moreover unusual heat wave adversely impacted the production of wheat and the country under such circumstances decided to ban the export of wheat.
With all the combination of these above factors it caused the prices of commodities from fuel to perishable food items to skyrocket.
Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar
