TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
We will never get another Maradonna!
With profound sorrow I mourn the death of Maradona. Will we never get another of his like during our lifetime and even beyond? When England lost to Argentina in the 1986 World Cup preliminary encounter, the once great English foot-baller Bobby Charlton was asked by one mediaman, “what is your comment on the loss of England team?” Replied Charleton “because Argentina played with 12 men”, that is he considered one Maradona as two.
Maradona developed [A1] into a full-fledged player when he represented Argentina in the late seventies in the Junior World Cup where he indicated that the football Messia is already born and he will come in our midst shortly to entertain us with his left foot shooting power, dribbling, innovative ideas at the spur of the moment and feeding the ball to his colleagues so accurately.
His glorious days of exhibiting magnificent soccer was during the 5 years he spent in Italy for Napoli where his transfer fee was approximately 7 Millions Pounds. I was fortunate that I was in Kuwait where the KTV used to show weekly all the important games played in Italy. Watching him so minutely and regularly I can still say that if he did not have weakness in his right leg and heading, he would surely be considered better than Pele who was a perfect in all the departments of the game. Maradona with his left foot could make the ball to do anything except talk.
Maradona terrified the opponents’ goalkeepers and the entire defensive wall when he was taking the direct free kick from just outside the box. What he was doing nobody knows but it would be a sure goal, even the great wall of China would not be able to stop him from scoring such goals.
His main weakness was his indiscipline and also not having proper guidance leading him into the mess of his life thus bringing a disgrace not only on him but even on the soccer.
Within 12 years of Pele’s retirement we got Maradona to fill that vacuum but now about 20 years since Maradona stopped playing and still can’t get anyone to fill his place and probably will never get because such players come to this planet once in centuries.
A.Veronica Fernandes, Candolim
Football icon will be remembered forever
A true football legend Diego Armando Maradona was the greatest football player of all the time and he had won the hearts of the people with his best well played games. Maradona will be remembered and missed by football game lovers throughout the world.
Yes we all have to leave this world one day, it's hard to believe that but that's the true fact. It's a sad day for his fan's, football clubs, player's around the whole world. He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA player of the 20th century Award. In his career with Argentina, he earned 91caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
We the people of Goa were good fans of Maradona, as football runs in every single Goans blood. We will remember him forever and bid him a final Adeus. May his soul rest in peace. Viva Football
Ronnie D'souza, Chandor
Go, Goa, gone..finito
The impending inclusion of Old Goa village in the greater Panaji PDA is yet another nail in the coffin of our beloved paradise, it does seem that the government is hellbent on not paying heed to local voices and is acting on the behest of their lords and masters at the centre.
As if the ecologically destructive three linear projects were not enough comes this hammer blow of Old Goa being ravaged by the worshippers of mammon.That the area is home to various UNESCO listed world heritage monuments and is a glorious reminder of our cherished past does not make one iota of difference to the great Kahunas ruling us.
The impending boundary extension to include Old Goa is an a absolutely insensitive and nefarious act by the powers that be and would spell doom for the conservation envelope around the churches. Landsharks are moving in quickly to make a killing owing to the fact that inclusion in the PDA would allow for buildings upto a height of 30 mts. to come up in the area, the old 9 mtr. restriction in panchayat zones would become redundant.
Old Goa will has become a real estate El Dorado and land prices are jacking up manifold, no wonder many Dilliwallas and Mumbaikars are flocking to buy up plots in close proximity to the monuments in anticipation of making money hand over fist in future.Expect to witness skyscrapers, glitzy malls, casinos, hotels, (Basilica view, Cathedral view, Jesus view etc. etc.) luxuery apartments in Old Goa a la Gurgaon and Mumbai along with the attendant problems of pollution, crime, garbage and disease.
The worst part is that the Goan shall be disenfranchised in his own land considering drastic demographic changes such 'development' brings in it's wake. CMji, stop being a puppet on a chain of the centre, look at the greater good of the people and work towards it.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Savoury memories
The onion is widely seen as the poor man's vegetable. It is the staple food of the common man and has seen a steep rise in the country in the last few weeks. This is because of hoarding and the sale in black. The price-rise has resulted in kitchen grievances for majority of the households, as the price is too high for them to afford.
Onions are needed by us daily not only for cooking, but also for making salads, poha, bhajiyas and burji. It is also needed for garnishing raita.
This inflation has made the life of the common man very difficult. The worst hit are the fixed income groups like the salaried people, labour class and the pensioners. For them, even the commodities of basic necessities like rice, wheat, sugar, pulses and vegetables are getting out of reach. Every increase in price disturbs their budget.
The government must control inflation and must do something to bring down the price of onions so as to provide relief to the common man.
The price of onions to Rs 100 a kilo in Mumbai and elsewhere in the country is bringing tears to our eyes much before we cut them.
The onion is a staple vegetable for the common man indispensable to many Indian cuisines and recipes, from spicy curries to tangy relishes.
Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai
Include rice as food item for children
In a decision that would benefit over 1.58 lakh students, the Goa government on Wednesday granted it’s approval to provide moong, oil and jaggery to all students from Std. I to VII in lieu of mid-day meals. During the last six months, mid-day meals were not provided to students as schools were shut due to the pandemic. It is understood that the food items will now be delivered to students at their homes. This decision is as per the advice of the Union government to provide food items to the children which should include pulses, oil among other items in lieu of the mid-day meals.
This provision has to be made with effect from the date of the lockdown which is March 16. The main objective of the mid-day meal scheme is to boost enrolment, curb school dropouts and to provide nutritional support to the students.
It is pertinent to note that rice is the staple food for Goans. Rice provides the necessary daily requirement of carbohydrates which gives energy for the body which is extremely vital for children. In Goa it would be desirable to also include rice along with moong, oil and jaggery. In other states the staple food may be dal and roti, but in Goa children are used to consuming rice on a daily basis. Hence rice also needs to be provided to the children as food-item in lieu of the daily-meals.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
