Fasting: Unifying force for communal harmony
Fasting is a common thread of communal harmony among Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. Christians have entered Lent and observe fasting. In Islam, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset during Ramadhan. In Hinduism, fasting takes on various forms and is observed on auspicious days dedicated to different deities. Whether it’s abstaining from food, specific meals, or certain practices, fasting is regarded as a means of purification, self-discipline, and spiritual upliftment.
Despite the diverse theological underpinnings of fasting in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, the essence remains the same. Fasting is a profound commitment to spiritual growth, selflessness, and communal harmony. In a world often marked by division and strife, the practice of fasting serves as a powerful reminder of our shared values and aspirations. It teaches us to look beyond our differences, to embrace diversity, and to cultivate empathy and understanding for one another. Let us exemplify the timeless pursuit of communal harmony and universal brotherhood.
GR Crasto, Navelim
Thank God for big mercies
It was God’s grace upon the teachers and students who were saved from a huge disaster due to a technical snag which had occurred in the brakes of the Balrath bus. However, the presence of mind of the driver while descending from the steep slope, and bringing the bus to a grinding halt by colliding it to the nearby tree, was one of its kind. However, the locals cautioned that negotiating these steep slopes on hilly regions require trained drivers who are well equipped to drive on hilly terrain.
Furthermore, 16 teachers and students had sustained minor injuries like tooth fracture or chest pain. Unfortunately, once again it reveals the shoddy maintenance that’s been taking place of these buses. Subsequently, the Balrath buses’ maintenance need to be supervised strictly by the authorities concerned. Nevertheless, such type of drastic acts ought not to happen in the near future. Jeopardising innocent lives can be controlled by maintaining strict preventive measures.
Joseph Savio Desouza, Candolim
Why different laws for different people?
The State government has reportedly come out with a proposal to levy a fine to the tune of Rs 50,000 on those who film any protected monument or sites owned by the government without taking any necessary permissions and paying the requisite fee.
Well, it looks like the government has gone totally bankrupt and has absolutely no funds to carry the maintenance of all the protected monuments in Goa.
If the government has so much of love for our historical monuments, then why is it allowing some people (especially migrants) to illegally set up more and more ‘gaddas’ or kiosk in the vicinity of such protected sites in Goa?
Why is it allowing domestic tourists to have their own alcohol related parties and to litter such protected sites with broken glass bottles and garbage in Goa?
And what about the bungalow that has been illegally constructed right in the middle of the heritage precinct of Old Goa by a non-Goan? Why the same structure has been protected and still not being brought down on the lines of all the houses/shops/beach-side shacks, restaurants etc of our poor Goans by using a bulldozer despite the same coming up illegally in a protected heritage site of Old Goa?
The government should first look into the above mentioned illegalities on top priority basis, demolish the illegal structure at Old Goa, impose hefty fines on those putting up their own illegal structures/littering such historical protected sites with broken glass bottles/garbage and then decide to extort money from those for merely filming these protected monument/sites to fill it’s own empty coffers in Goa.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Require relief for other prisoners too
The arrest of all the eight former Indian naval personnel by Qatar for alleged espionage for a third country, namely Israel, their sentencing to death by their Court, subsequent commutation of their death sentence to imprisonment terms, however, confirming conviction and now, all of them released without a murmur; all this appear as if we are reading a mystery novel of Agatha Christie! Though we are relieved that our former navy personnel have been saved not only from the gallows but also from imprisonment, the entire episode appears quite unbelievable, as one believes that the Qatar Courts would not have sentenced them to death, unless the charges against them must have been grievously serious and, proved beyond doubt.
That the release of all the eight convicted of alleged espionage has happened just a week after India signing a $78 billion LNG deal with Qatar, makes one believe that even trade- benefit considerations between countries could change the course of the verdict of the courts, despite the courts having condemned someone to death on serious charges, say like, espionage! It is also said that Prime Minister Modi’s direct intervention in the case and his discussions with the Qatari Amir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani last December in Dubai paved the way for the release of all the eight former naval personnel. That Kulbhushan Jadav who is still languishing in Pakistani jail convicted of espionage and terror and is also a former Indian naval commander, is also a case in point.
One really wonders if only a common man from India is destined to gallows for similar offence by another country, say, Qatar, will our government machinery and the Prime Minister himself have taken similar out of the way efforts to get him back to India unscathed, as they have done in the case of the eight former Indian naval personnel? We learn that many Indians, some of them really innocent, are languishing in jails for years together in many West Asian countries for different offences. Many poor fishermen from the South get regularly imprisoned in Sri Lanka on very flimsy charges.
Our government should play similar quiet diplomacy like what they have played in the case of the eight naval personnel in the case of the above prisoners too and see that all of them get exonerated of their charges by the respective courts and bring them back to India. Will the government come forward to their rescue too?
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
The Ides of February
bring bad tidings
With the Supreme Court striking down the law brought in 2017 that had withdrawn the limits on political donations from individuals and corporates and mandated that no accounts be kept of such donations, one wonders whether the political parties will be asked to refund those donations in excess of limits as on date to the donors.
It is reported that the BJP received Rs 720 crores during 2022-23 of a total of Rs 850 crores donations made to political parties. Thus they will be the hardest hit. In the absence of the political parties ability to refund the donations to the donors a National Support Fund should be set up with that money to provide relief and assistance to the weaker sections of our society who remain at subsistence levels. The modalities of the National Support Fund and its manner of working can be given to a Supreme Court mandated committee to set it up and get it running.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
