Open places of worship
Your Comment – Road map for Sunday Masses by Fr. Mousinho de Ataide on Herald dated May 29, is fully borne by facts to reopen our Churches and restart Masses in our parishes.
It’s been almost more than two months that we Catholics in Goa are without Sunday obligation and other days without Mass and thus without receiving the Holy Communion in person, which the Body of Christ that we receive is the source and summit of our Christian faith, which we have been denied as we are using the Youtube to attend Mass and receive the sacrament spiritually.
We would request our Archbishop to discern and prayerfully request the Goa government to open our places of worship at the soonest.
John Rebello, Old Goa
Proper disposal of used masks
Wearing of mask plays a very important part in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The good news is that since wearing a mask is now mandatory, everyone is seen wearing one. The bad news is that people are littering the streets, parking lots, opens spaces, etc. by improperly disposing off these used masks. These used masks can be contaminated with the virus and thus prove dangerous as it could contribute in spreading the infectious disease more easily.
Experts feel that viruses, when left exposed, can survive between a few hours and a few days. The infected masks have respiratory secretions on them and can be dispersed and transmitted through the air. Incinerating a used mask would be a proper way to dispose it. But even putting it in the trash can or the home garbage could also be effective. But the garbage collector should not be handling the garbage with the bare hands as is usually seen in the state of Goa. Hence they can end up being super-spreaders of the coronavirus.
The civic bodies need to provide all the workers, who handle the garbage on a daily basis, with the necessary protective gear during the pandemic including gloves, as the garbage will also contain masks that have been disposed. Proper disposal of the mask is as important as wearing it.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Goan fruits and nuts are tastier
In Goa the earth and the soil are endowed with and consists of all essential minerals in generous quantities which contribute to the fruits and the nuts grown in Goa to be of a tastier variety. Even the climate is conducive to growth of fine variety fruits and nuts as well as we get ample rainfall with allows for growth of sturdy trees that bear these tasty fruits and nuts.
The Mancurad mangoes are the king of Goan mangoes and are delectable and are globally popular. The Goan cashew nuts have a very fine taste as do the cashew apples which make for good quality ‘neero’ as well as fine quality cashew feni and ‘urrack’. The elaichi and Moira bananas are the finest available in not only the continent but in the world. The Goan coconut has a distinct quality taste. Goa is also known for the finest variety of jack fruits which are uniquely with a Goan flavour. Also the Goan pineapple has got not only a lustrous exterior but is very tasty. The other Goan fruits are the papaya, the custard apple and the chickoo which have a distinctive good taste.
People in Goa should endeavour to plant these fruits and nuts trees in their backyards and orchards to propagate the good taste of Goan fruit and nuts especially now as the monsoons are round the corner and thus provide for themselves delectable Goan fruits and nuts.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Blind eye to migrants plight
It is heartening that the Supreme Court has noted the plight of migrant workers stranded across the country following the Covid lockdown and ordered originating states to offer them free food, shelter and transport to those wishing to return to their hometowns. The Railways will assume the responsibility once the train moves.
It is unfortunate that the authorities have turned a blind eye to the woes of the migrants and left them in the lurch. Heart wrenching scenes of migrants plodding on foot towards their hometowns speak a thousand words.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
Break the tobacco chain
Tobacco is a killer, and annually about eight million people succumb to direct as well synergistic tobacco effects. ‘Say no to tobacco’ is catchy but is not so easy to put into practice though the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is not far away — May, 31 to be precise.
The theme for 2020, ‘Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use’ looks perfect because of the predominant youth population in many parts of the globe. The 10–25 age group constitutes nearly 30% of India’s population. Both chewed tobacco and smoked tobacco are dangerous to the body because of the toxic chemicals in them. The synergistic, in other words additive, effects of smoking and chewing tobacco, is indescribable. The “passive smokers”, and nearly 1.2 million of them succumb to long term inhalation of smoke of others’ cigarettes, too, are unfortunate sufferers of smoking.
The WNTD is intended to promote “twenty four hours abstinence” from smoking. The campaign cannot end in one day; a relentless crusade to curb tobacco smoking, and chewing, is essential. The WHO believes ‘tobacco epidemic’ is the scourge of the world, and rightly so. In India, successive governments have consistently endeavored to tighten the ‘Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act’ by focusing on the youth in the 15-24 age group.
Studies have shown that when youngsters’ access to cigarettes is decreased, their addiction may wane. Since beedis constitute more than 70% of tobacco smoke in the country, especially in rural India, stringent taxation on beedis is the need of the hour. The strong tobacco lobby has been a stumbling block to governmental efforts to bring a ban on smoking and chewed tobacco.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
