The Hatras horror
The temple priest turned politician and CM of UP has finally woken up from his slumber to the horror produced and directed by his own police and District administration and suspended some police officials.
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This action is not new and many such suspended officials slowly return back to their jobs as seen by the action taken against the wife beater police chief of MP. So this is the motto of the BJP sarkar, ‘sab ke sath, sab ka vikas’.
Matias Lobo,
Tivim
Question of safety
As we all aware of increasing crimes on a higher rate. Sidelining COVID-19, jobless situation and corruption is ruling at a great speed. In every discussion when things fall on track why can’t women protection.
We are committed to respecting and promoting women’s rights, which includes the right to safety of women and girls. Women have the right to be free from violence, harassment and discrimination.
Removing the barriers of an unsafe environment can help women fulfil their potential as individuals and as contributors to work, communities and economies.
Every time question of stricter laws is under consideration, why so much delay to protect safety of every single female. Women’s safety in public space is very complex.
Perception of safety – as opposed to their risk of experiencing gendered violence or crime – very much determines how they interact with public space. We are still thinking to introduce self defence techniques and giving chance for another crime to happen at our neighbourhood.
We need government complete safety ensuring probing is done with compete justice. With the successive rates of brutality imposing strict punishments is still in interrogation.
Farha Sayed,
Benaulim
‘Goapur’ to ‘Signaturepur’
Blaise Costabir shoots straight from the lip and is not afraid to call a spade a spade; referring to his article ‘Na khaunga Na Khane Dunga’ (Herald, Sept 25). He compares Singapore to Goa. How Singapore in a few years, came up from a third world economy to first world economy. Meritocracy taking precedence over mediocracy.
The best people in the industry, science, medicine, economy, etc, are picked up to head the government departments. Zero tolerance to corruption is their trademark.
It is relevant to note at this point that the president of Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), Damodar Kochkar, has made serious allegation against the government that it is mired in red tape and bureaucracy and no measures are taken to lift the industries from stagnation in the present pandemic.
Files remain on their bosses’ tables for want of signature for obvious reasons; earning Goa the sobriquet ‘Signaturepur’.
No wonder Goa has slipped 5 places from 19 to 24 in ease of doing business.
Agnelo Furtado,
Chinchinim
Gain for Roman script Konkani?
There was a news item (Herald, Sept.24) under the heading “When Britain says Deu Borem Korum ….”. This very caption was transcribed as “When Britain says Dev Borem Korum” in a letter to the Editor in Herald on Sept. 26. Most probably the writer of the letter found the spelling of ‘Deu’ wrong, and corrected it to ‘Dev’!
This is a clear example of a word being differently spelt by Konkani writers in Roman script. Some write ‘Paus’ (Rain), others ‘Pavs’, ‘Pavos’ and so on. ‘Went/Gone’ is translated as ‘Gelo’, ‘Guelo’, ‘Guielo’,’ Ghelo’…! An adjective like ‘Mhello’(dirty) is sometimes read as ‘Melo’, ‘Mel’lo’, etc. There have been instances of someone of English back ground, reading “Hat” (Hand) as “Hat” (Head Cover)!
One, who knows Devanagari, whether he/she knows Konkani or not, would read “Hat” (Hand) all over the world, for “the Devanagari alphabet as it is used in Sanscrit, has only one sound for each letter, and in this lies its principal perfection”( Mgr. S R. Dalgado in Introduction to his Konkani-Portuguese Dictionary ,1893).
The Devanagari is for Konkani what Roman or Latin script is for Portuguese or Italian, its alphabet, therefore, should be Devanagari (Dalgado, Ibidem). In other languages, the same Roman alphabet may have sounds different from the original. As long as the Portuguese language back ground subsists, there may be readers of Konkani in Roman Script in Goa.
The modern young generation is quite well conversant with the Devanagari. It is high time therefore that they should be encouraged to read and write Konkani in Devanagari. “Nagrivadis” is something of a misnomer: they should rather be called “Dalgado-Nagrimogis” who are fighting a true and just battle to make Dalgado’s dreams come true!
It is really an irony of fate that a Konknni Akademi, in Goa, under the aegis of Dalgado, should strive to promote Roman Script for Konkani!
Jaime Couto,
Ucassaim
Protecting children from online activities
Online classes have been the norm for school and college students to follow their studies. This will continue till normal classes commence which in all probability will not be any time soon. Hence children spend more time on the internet during the pandemic in order to access their online classes. However like every modern invention the internet has a good and bad side to it
. Use of the internet has dangers like cyber bullying, sexual exploitation and such other crimes. Children could also be visiting unwanted sites for prohibited contents.
It is understood that the Directorate of Education (DoE) has asked schools to make parents and students aware of the danger of cyber bullying, sexual exploitation and other such crimes through online means and ways to overcome it. Due to online classes children spend a lot of time on the internet unsupervised. Hence there is every possibility of online exploitation of children.
Institutes have been asked to sensitize parents by reaching out to them online. The guidelines issued also calls for parents and students to create a ‘strong’ password and frequently change it and not to share it with anyone. Parents also need to keep a watch on the sites their children visit on the internet.
There are also several parental control apps available for parents to monitor their children as they browse through the internet. Children need to be protected from potentially harmful online activities.
Adelmo Fernandes,
Vasco
Make donations wisely
One should donate seeds to farmers so that they can grow more crops, adopt an orphaned child so that his/her future may be secure, feed a hungry person, help a handicapped person, donate to a village school library, to an old age home, or an orphanage.
Schools in several villages have no shelter but temples have marble floors. When asked to donate Rs 200 to a school, people ask hundreds of questions but thousands of rupees are donated to a temple without asking questions.
How will we become a superpower in the real sense? We call ourselves an agriculturist nation while our farmers commit suicide in almost every State of the country because they have nothing to eat and cannot repay the loans they have taken.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai
