FIFA ban on Indian Football
The unprecedented ban imposed on AIFF by the world football governing body FIFA makes our heads hang in shame amongst the sporting world. Despite repeated warnings by FIFA since May to fall in line the AIFF took matters very casually and with time running out the world body took this drastic step citing interference by outside forces as the primary reason for the ban.
One need not be a rocket scientist to envisage as to who these outside forces are. These politicians who have never kicked a ball or held a racket have been calling the shots of almost all the sports federations or State associations with their money and muscle power thereby depriving eminent retired sports personalities of heading these sports bodies. Hopefully better sense prevails and FIFA rescinds it ban, so that India who are declared as hosts for the Under-17 women’s WC which the football crazy fans are eagerly waiting to watch goes ahead as scheduled otherwise it will be a double whammy for Goa as most of the important matches are scheduled over here.
Lucas D’Souza, Verna
Curbs on free speech?
With reference to the article ‘Unreasonable curbs on free speech?’ by Adv. Dr Olav Albuquerque (Herald, 17-8-2022), I wish to submit just the following:
The restrictions imposed on Free Speech are being used, misused and abused by all dispensations, specially the present one, and recourse to Courts is often in vain. Hence they are unreasonable. You have a right to see virtues in the Portuguese Constitution regarding free speech, but let us remember that till 1974 in Portugal and till 1961 in Goa even a wedding invitation card had to pass through the Censor’s scissors.
Mousinho de Ataíde, Saligão
‘Tree-planting’ contest for schools?
Every year competitions in various fields are held between different schools. The inter-school competitions may include essay writing, drawing, elocution competition or competitions in various sports disciplines and games like football, volley ball, etc.
During the monsoon season why not have ‘tree-planting’ competition among the schools? The school planting the maximum number of saplings could be given a prize and presented a rolling shield. This will go a long way in inculcating the love for trees among the school students. The saplings that are planted could be geo-tagged in order to ensure accountability as the planted saplings can be monitored so that the plants are looked after.
Every year during the rains fishing competitions are held for fishing enthusiasts at various water-bodies across the State. Why not have ‘tree-planting’ competitions among individuals who are lovers of nature and prizes given to those who grow the most number of saplings and take care of them so that they grow into trees?
The prizes could be given to the winners the following year after judging the growth of the saplings. This will imbibe in the citizens the love for nature and the need to grow more trees. Just distributing saplings at public functions with much fanfare will not ensure that the saplings will be planted and, more importantly, taken care of.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Patching machine in pothole
This has reference to the report ‘When a patching machine fell into a deep pothole’ (Herald, August 19 2022). What an irony – a saviour in the form of a Jet Patcher machine itself becoming a victim! The picture of the patching machine stuck in a deep pothole and the report, make for sad reading. One wonders whether we would ever need such a machine at a huge cost, if only the roads were constructed to last.
It is the same situation in cities Mumbai, where crores of rupees are spent on repairing potholes. When will the authorities wake up to reality? In the meanwhile, however, innocent lives will continue to be lost due to the laxity of the authorities. Can only God save us now?
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
CJI Ramana has been remarkable
As our Chief Justice of India NV Ramana retires on 26th of this month, the Nation remains forever indebted to him for all his arduous efforts in the attempt to regain and restore the much needed independence of the Judiciary.
His three immediate predecessors having taken the Judiciary to a point of disdain by compromising its sanctity and Sovereignty, Justice Ramana during his 16 months in office has tried his best to realign the wheels of Justice which had gone awfully off track.
As the Custodian of this pillar of hope, Justice Ramana has had an uphill task of battling a government that has been all out to erode judicial values. Justice Ramana has ably taken head on, the powers that be in his noble mission to protect and safeguard our Temples of Justice.
It is imperative that every Judge across the nation dispenses justice without fear. The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and a judiciary which is truly independent. A judiciary that is accountable only to the Rule of Law.
Unscrupulous politicians with their own hidden agendas who seek to undermine the rule of law should reflect and act on the wise words of Reuven Rivlin, former President of Israel, who said “There is no and there cannot be any situation, in which we don’t respect the law and the judiciary. It is unacceptable to attack the courts; criticism is allowed, but attacks are not. It shakes the basis of our Democracy.”
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Salute the warriors
The best way to find oneself is to lose oneself in the service of others. Human welfare, or helping fellow human beings, goes beyond the imagination of mere mortals. Very few individuals would want to be left out in the process, but comforting others comes with a huge cost: putting one’s own life on the line. However, the very feeling that one can make a difference in others’ lives by being a part of their woes, enthuses and encourages a selfless soul to go the distance.
People helping people in need is a supreme gesture or sacrifice. Natural calamities, generally, do not come calling. Man-made disasters, too, affect people of all hues. Over the years, hundreds, or more, instances readily come to mind where people have gone out of the way to address the burden of the distressed.
These are the ones who arrive first at the scene of devastation, and depart last. Past rescue and relief operations in major tragedies indubitably prove that ‘human warriors’ are as important as ‘soldiers at war’.
Common people, doctors, nurses, policemen, volunteers, onlookers have consistently acted as ‘modern nectar’ for the diseased and dying brethren. For some, being a good samaritan is a profession; for others it is a vocation. For both it is a passion.
Tireless and focused, leaving family and friends behind, the humanitarian workers’ singular aim lies in injecting hope and saving life.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Abandoned boat sets off alarm bells
The sighting of an abandoned boat with weapons in the Arabian Sea off the Raigad coast has set off alarm bells. The UK-registered yacht contained three AK-series assault rifles and ten boxes of live rounds.
One may recall that Pakistan-based terrorists had entered Mumbai by a similar sea route, off the Raigad coast, on November 26, 2008. Though the authorities ruled out any immediate terror threat, the Maharashtra government has done well to put the Coast Guard and other relevant agencies on high alert and carry out investigations.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
