Goa deserves
clean ministers
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The new Goa Legislative Assembly has been constituted but the delayed government is yet to arrive. The new Chief Minister could start on a right and high note by not inducting as Ministers those MLAs having criminal cases pending against them.
In a landmark judgment the Supreme Court in 2014 had advised not to induct in the cabinet charge sheeted persons facing trial and had rightly observed that criminalisation of Politics destroyed people’s faith in democracy and that constitutional morality, good governance and constitutional trust expected good sense not to recommend any person with criminal charges from being appointed as a Minister.
The Court also observed that our democratic Republic polity hopes and aspires to be governed by a Government which is run by elected representatives who do not have any involvement in criminal offences.
Some of Goa’s elected MLAs are having very serious criminal cases pending against them.
Let us hope that the new cabinet will not have as Minister anyone facing criminal charges. May Goa lead by example in ensuring probity in public life.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Say bye-bye
to face masks
With the receding Covid-19 wave, the Holi, the Indian festival of colour, that marks the end of winter and arrival of spring season, is expected to be celebrated with pomp, gaiety, and splendour across the country. There are varying accounts of the origin of Holi. According to one version, an evil king “Hiranyakashyapu”, who wanted to get rid of his son Pralhad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, plotted with his sister, Holika, to kill him. Holika, tricked Pralhad to sit in a pyre with her. When the pyre was lit, the boy’s devotion to Lord Vishnu helped him walk away unscathed while Holika, was burnt to death despite her immunity.
Usually when Holika (a bon fire) is burnt, the temperature of the nearby area rises and the people perform Parikrama (go around the bonfire). It is believed that the heat coming from the bonfire kills the bacteria in the body. It is a faith that applying the ash emanating from the fire, on the forehead, promotes good health. As such the devout Hindus apply the ash on their forehead. The next day the people throw coloured powder into the air and splash it on others.
The festival is known as “Dhoolivandan” (adoration of dust). The red colour symbolizes love and fertility while green stands for new beginnings. People also splash water on each other in celebration. It is considered that the playful pouring and throwing of colour powders made from natural sources has a healing effect and the effect of strengthening the ions in the body. In ancient times, colours made from natural sources like turmeric, Neem, etc were used. In the last two years, the Covid-19 claimed over 60 lakh lives across the globe. They comprised nearly 6 lakh people from India. The pandemic in its stride led to the loss of jobs, economic recession, closure of schools and colleges, uncertainty over examinations, and an atmosphere of uncertainty in general.
But the pandemic turned out to be a boon for the pharma market and its turnover in India crossed Rs 1.4 lakh crore. The Indian surgical masks market also flourished with a market value reaching up to Rs 763 crore. Simultaneously India’s sanitizer market also grew sizably. However with this festival, the people would certainly wish to get rid of all the material like the Face masks, hand sanitizers, and other aids, with Holika Dahan.
Raju Vernekar, Mumbai
Ruffling feathers of Pak and China
India ordering a review of standard operating procedures (SoPs) for the operations, maintenance and inspection of its weapon systems after one of its missiles landed in Pakistan is a belated move.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the missile system was reliable and safe but admitted the accidental launch during routine maintenance and inspection. Luckily the accident didn’t cause havoc in the neighbouring country.
But the incident has done enough to ruffle the feathers of Pakistan and China, with both countries demanding a joint probe with New Delhi.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
Work from home culture here to stay!
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the perception to the extent that many Indian companies are willing to extend the ‘work from home’ for a considerable period.
When employees work from home, companies benefit on costs of rent, water, electricity and fuel allowances. Work stations in India are generally crowded. There may be a situation of an asymptomatic employee who could potentially infect the whole office, and hence it is better to err on the side of caution. Though it is a real challenge to work remotely, it also gives an opportunity for one to acquire and hone many new skills like planning, forward-thinking, coordination in times of distress, and so on.
In addition, it is natural that when you are working from home, you save a lot of commute time and get to spend it with your family. Work from home culture is here and setting into Indian culture nicely.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Misadventure with our missiles
I refer to the firing of the missile by India into Pakistan and dread to think of the catastrophic situation if only such a mishap has happened due to the security mismanagement of our nuclear weaponry! Though India is not for a joint probe of the accidental firing of the missile by India into Pakistan as suggested by Pakistan, I wonder whether we would have taken it so easy if only Pakistan has committed this blunder.
I am very sure that the BJP and all the rightwing elements would have made a big issue out of it and as usual, would have even gone to the extent of painting it as an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Modi. They would have given a religious colour to the entire episode and even attacked the related minorities. With the callous handling of such missiles, India stands exposed of its security lapses to safeguard dangerous nuclear establishments posing a great threat not only to India but also to our neighbouring nations.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
‘The Kashmir Files’, battle of narratives
The film ‘The Kashmir Files’ is based on the testimonies of the people scarred for generations by the insurgency in the state, and presents the tragic exodus as a full-scale genocide, akin to the holocaust, that was deliberately kept away from the rest of India by the media, the intellectual lobby and the government of the day because of their vested interests. It portrays the trials and tribulations of Kashmir Pandits post Kashmir insurgency.
The film directly attacks Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and indirectly holds Congress responsible for the exodus, but conveniently forgets to tell us that it was the National Front government that was in power in January 1990, when the alleged genocide took place.
This is one of a film that honestly uncovers a lot of untold stories buried deep inside the country’s history and at the same time makes people question the system. It was not just an exodus of lakhs of Kashmiri pandits but was a genocide of Hindus in Kashmir valley by Pakistani sponsored Terrorists and radical Islamists.
K.G.Vilop, Chorao
