Wimbledon to crown new queen today
July 13 proved to be lucky for Marketa Vondrousova as she overcame Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 as also for Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur who came from behind to beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. Both entered the finals of the Wimbledon Championships 2023. It is now to be seen if Vondrousova who reached her second grand slam final having earlier played in the French Open finals or Ons Jabeur who has reached her third grand slam finals after last year having reached the finals of the Wimbledon and US Open to win the Venus Rosewater Dish. It is to be seen if Vondrousova will be second time lucky or if Jabeur will emerge as third time lucky. While Vondrousova has a technically superb game, Jabeur has a never say die attitude. Vondrousova will aim to become the first unseeded woman to win the Wimbledon in the Open era as also the first since Billie Jean King won it in 1963 when unseeded. Jabeur will set her goals on becoming the first Arab woman to lift the Wimbledon or for that matter any grand slam title which will be a historic feat for the never say die Tunisian powerhouse.
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Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Things which need to be tackled this monsoon
With the onset of the monsoons, there is lush greenery prevalent everywhere, the landscape is blanketed with wide variety of plants and flowers, a truly beautiful sight to behold. The amphibian world springs to life with their sounds of high decibel music. Fire flies are seen giving out their puny illuminations . Fishing activity have ceased and will resume in three weeks. But there are eyesores such as flooding of streets and sewage dotting the urban and rural areas which need to be dealt with. Authorities should have been prepared for mega disasters such as cyclones, tornadoes and rising sea levels.
Small drains or gutters cannot take the onslaughts of huge and rising water levels, and there is need for a better broader gutters to drain the water faster. Moderate rainfall has plunged the capital city into a crisis with perennial woes of flooding. Fragile dilapidated infrastructure need to be spruced up by the PWD with timely works. Dangers of open manholes, and drains require to be secured with proper covering, so that no untoward incidents occurs.
Uprooting of trees should be tackled in a timely manner by disaster management teams, which should be in place 24/7. Malaria, dengue , cholera and various other vector borne diseases have not been reigned in or eradicated. Monsoon woes are abundant and taking a toll on the well being of the citizens. Hence healthcare facilities have to be upgraded on a war footing to alleviate manifold health issues. A battery of ambulances, fire services have to be ready to deal with emergencies this monsoon.
Ashley Noronha, Fatorda
It’s monsoon time. Be safe!
It is pertinent to note that tourists are just overwhelmed by the scenic beauty of Goa, that they are even ready to risk their lives by climbing those slippery rocks, just for the sake of selfies or videos. However, due to incessant rain, the rocks tend to be slippery and one can easily loose one’s balance and that can lead to a dangerous fall. Moreover, the strong waves pull the victims, who can find him/herself in a dire situation.
Evidently, Instagram and other social media accounts of the tourists are flooded with these selfies or videos taken at certain dangerous spots which have turned out to be dangerous because of the fury of monsoon. After all, it’s not wrong to shoot a video or take selfies as long as it’s done within its limits and that too on a safe zone. Furthermore, tourists should listen to the advice given to them by locals.
Eventually, it’s really a welcome move from the govt bodies on issuing public advisory against entering dangerous water bodies during the monsoon. This could go a long way in handling the situation to a certain extent. Goa is a prime tourist location wherein you can enjoy yourself to the fullest, but be careful to take care of yourself too.
Joseph Savio Desouza, Candolim
Youth have to build their own future
Being creative is an art, and creativity can flourish at different times, and in various vocations. ‘Youth’ itself is a talent, but a perishable one. That is why youthful talent begs to be tapped. Despite possessing abundant skills, a lot of young brains find themselves unemployed for reasons not too difficult to fathom. Learning and earning supplement each other well. One’s content can be copied, nor his/her creativity. One’s skills cant be ignored; disregarding his/her skills isn’t easy. Technical support and vocational training have their own place; they cannot be substituted.
However, it is important for the youth to learn and earn at their own behest. A United Nations study has revealed that one in five youngsters are ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)’. Amidst the Covid 19 pandemic, one in six youth were out of employment. More than 400 million new jobs have to be created to absorb nearly 70 million unemployed and another 40 million new entrants into the job market. Professionals, self employed or hired, contribute in varying measures to the equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Gone are the days when the future was built for the youth. The present world order expects youth to build a future. Leaders can only direct the youth to the road leading to glory; the latter themselves should navigate the stumbling blocks and reach their destination of success.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
RTI Act has been diluted
It is really unfortunate that the RTI Act, which was enacted in 2005, promising a new era in transparency in government functioning, has almost died its own death, with the executive not showing any keenness to infuse fresh life into it. According to an estimate, between 40 and 60 lakh RTI applications are filed every year, but just less than 3 percent Indian citizens have ever filed an RTI application. The Act has been slowly weakened due to unwarranted amendment, overreach of the executive, and restrictive judicial interpretations. Ever since its ratification, several attempts have been made to deliberately dilute this law and hamper access to information by the public. For example, efforts were made to eliminate ‘file noting’ from the domain of the Act twice in 2006 and in 2009 to stop RTI questions. But these proposed amendments were dropped due to widespread public objections. In the administration and functioning of a democratic government, the right to access and seek information is a sine qua non for transparency, openness and accountability. Unless citizens are empowered with the right to ask questions, democracies cannot and will not survive. Late Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer said, “A government which functions in secrecy not only acts against democratic decency, but also buries itself with its own burial.”
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
