Trump taking
us for a ride
Donald Trump is leading the Indian establishment through a merry dance on the tariff issue. Now he wants India to drop tariffs to zero on all US goods. India was in a hurry to meet Trump’s demands when he commenced on his campaign of retaliatory tariffs.
It was also counting the brownie points that we were the first country to commence negotiations for a trade deal with the US which got us firstly relief and then preferential lower tariff compared to China. Now the bird has come to roost with Trump turning the tables on us and seeking more substantial concessions.
Clearly we were not able to read Trump through and through who was operating on an extreme strategy of negotiation consistent with his background in business.
Once his target succumbs, he will attempt to drive home his advantage home to secure his original objective. In contrast China played the confrontational game of retaliatory tariffs which forced Trump to come to the negotiating table and make concessions that China wanted.
The problem is that we are easily fooled by the West and presume that the joie de vivre shown indicates friendship which it is not and we learn the hard way. Apart from this, Trump is known to be erratic which he has shown yet again by asking Apple not to make the IPhones in India.
Apple in the initial period of the tariff wars assuming that the high tariffs on China would stay had ramped up plans for the expansion of its IPhone manufacturing line in India.
Now that thing has gone for a toss with the latest Trump retraction. That’s more mud on the Indian establishment’s face who should learn that they should not count their chickens before they are hatched.
Srinivas Kamat, Mysore
Saga of water shortages
and power cuts
Not a single day passes without the public resorting to morchas, agitations basically due to the authorities turning a blind eye to the basic human requirements of electricity and water. What is happening nowadays with taps running dry and frequent power cuts has never happened before and in this extreme heat conditions life becomes more miserable. We had presumed that with the underground cabling network, situation would improve but it has turned worse.
Regarding the roads, the less said the better as the conditions are deplorable to say the least. Just to mention a small stretch from Agnelo Ashram to Nuvem on the old NH 17, half the road is dug at numerous places leaving just a small gap for just one bus or a four wheeler to pass and during night time no hazard lights are in place.
This work is going on for months now with no indication it will be completed before the monsoons. Why are the general public made to suffer when the knights in shining armour are having a cosy and luxurious lifestyle at the tax payers cost?
Lucas D’Souza, Verna
‘Monsoon break’
for Konkani tiatr?
Artistes, especially tiatrists and tiatr lovers are in for some bad news, as the Kala Academy Goa’s premiere cultural centre which was closed for renovation, is now set to remain closed yet again for two months for rectification work.
Ardent tiatr lovers in the state may have to forgo watching their favourite tiatr at the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao in the monsoon. The management of Ravindra Bhavan has reportedly decided to shut the Pai Tiatrist hall for staging of tiatr shows in order to pave the way for the renovation and refurbishment of the amenities of the 2025 IFFI festival. It is learnt that the roofing of the main auditorium will be changed to plug seepage of water during the rains. Incidentally, repairs work has reportedly been carried out not only last year but over the past five years.
Tiatr happens to be a popular form of entertainment for Goans. The government could think of building a separate auditorium to be used exclusively to stage Konkani tiatr and screen Konkani movies.
The Pai tiatrist hall which was built for staging tiatrs has now become a multi-purpose hall. South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, has called for the recognition of tiatr by UNESCO as a cultural and heritage treasure. Speaking during the zero hour in Parliament recently, Capt Fernandes urged the Ministry of Culture to establish a task force in collaboration with the Government of Goa and members of the tiatr community to facilitate the process of securing UNESCO inscription for tiatr.
Having an auditorium dedicated for Konkani tiatr and Konkani films could be the first step towards this goal.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Wage war against forces
of national disintegration
India needs to launch a war against the forces of national disintegration, who are trying to marginalise those who speak languages like Bengali. Even some law enforcers have been acting like catalysts of national disintegration. Recently, migrant workers from West Bengal, despite having valid Aadhaar and voter cards, were kept under police vigilance for nine days in Rajasthan just because they spoke in Bengali. Bengali contributes to our national anthem and national song. But migrant workers from West Bengal have continuously been harassed from Rajasthan to Odisha just for speaking Bengali. Only a continuous war against these forces can keep a multi-lingual and multi-religious country like ours strong and united.
Sujit De, Kolkata
