Letters to the Editor
Smoking is a health hazard
Authorities need to ban smoking completely (“150 cases lung cancer diagnosed each year in UAE”, Gulf News, December 10). They need to build shelters like those in Japan. We also need to stop people from smoking near the beach. People visit beaches with their children to breathe fresh air and enjoy the weather. They do not go to the beach to get sick. From Ms Helin Al Hosani
UAE
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Air pollution causes disease
It’s not only a problem in the UAE, but around the world. Lung cancer is spreading worldwide and it’s not only because of cigarettes. Air pollution is affecting the environment and we are all going to die slowly, if nothing is done about it worldwide.
From Ms Katarzyna StefaniakRodriguez
UAE
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Take action
My sincere condolences to the family who lost their loved ones (“Days after Abu Dhabi beach tragedy, relatives warn people”, Gulf News, December 10). I’m still trying to understand why children are allowed to step onto the beach without a life jacket. Stricter rules should be put in place to avoid such incidents and accidents from taking place. From Mr Manfred Anwanda UAE
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Gender roles, expectations
For centuries, women have been considered to be just caregivers (“Readers
Views: Helping new mothers at the workplace”, Gulf News, December 13). It is assumed that boys are tough and girls like to share their feelings. Rigid gender stereotypes are a part of the problem as for centuries women have been considered to be only caregivers. They continue on through this journey of life with the belief that to be a man, you must grunt, scratch and keep your feelings to yourself, or be denied feelings at all. They grow, get validated for their ‘manly’ traits and then enter the dating world. Men descend from Mars, women descend from Venus is the misconception.
This is where it all starts to go awry. The natural divide between genders is frustrating and we don’t really see how
to bridge the gaps. Work brings men many rewards, but it also carries repercussions which expose us to risks and lead to lifelong regrets. Both the experiences of men and women tend to be heavily gendered in terms of the sectors we work in; the types of jobs we do; the hours we work and the importance we place on our careers. When compared with women, men spend more time at work, less time at home. While many men reap the rewards that work can provide, we are also disproportionately more likely to suffer the risks, repercussions and regrets associated with the world of work. To be a progressive society, men and women need to share equal responsibility.
From Ms Viveka Kumar Sinha UAE
Incomplete truth
The pieces written by S. Jayakumar are an entertaining analysis on politics (“Reader’s Views: Politics is getting nastier”, Gulf News, December 9). They amused me. He has so conveniently forgotten to quote in simple words, the disgusting rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his chief Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath. Whatever the Congress party leaders or Rahul Gandhi say in their rallies or to the media, sounds tame in comparison. Can the Bharatiya Janata Party not see anything beyond Muslims and cows? We are honestly getting terribly bored now. They need to start talking some semblance of sense or be prepared to go home. From Mr Sehba Masood Khan UAE
Evasiveness and lack of order
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost his cool because everyone is criticising him. He has lost his cool because he fails to give answers to the people, and does not take ownership of his mistakes.
Demonetisation can be an example of his failures. There are many similar examples. He never speaks about the problems present in society and evades important topics in his rallies. This is the reason all his Press meets are controlled and so he is never targeted with questions that might hamper his reputation. His favourite evasive technique is to attack the Congress party because he knows they are a problem. They are a problem of the past, and not of the present. Unfortunately, there are many people who still use the past as an excuse for his present. If things continue this way, we are still going to lose as a country. From Mr Michel Abraham
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Spewing hate
Yogi Adityanath is being recognised by international media organisations for his hatred and communal focus (“Yogi Adityanath: The monk whose prayer is to sow hate”, Gulf News, December 10). Nobody in the Bharatiya Janata Party can win elections on development issues. Which is why they are using religion.
From Mr Zaid Khan
Dubai
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Better educational standard
The Indian system of teaching is getting extremely outdated. We are only practising rote learning, which is useless, as we do not understand half the things we are being taught. We are made to choose subjects that don’t even help us in our future. Chapters are taught only in the pretext of completing the syllabus. The introduction of smart boards and projectors was meant to increase our productivity but currently it is just being used to reduce the work of the teacher. Teachers just copy paste readymade Power Point presentations from the net and read it in class. This spoils the whole point of going to school as the same can be done within the comfort of our own homes.
Moreover, we are not given any guidance for our future and there is absolutely no practical learning happening. This is not only my point of view but my fellow schoolmates feel the same. I would like the different schools to take these matters into consideration and make necessary changes to their syllabus and their teaching methods.
From Ms Shadha Harris
Abu Dhabi
Workers should be protected
India is a vast country with many states, each practising different religions and faiths (“Minimum wage for Pakistani workers in UAE fixed at Dh800 per month”, Gulf News, December 7). Each state has a different language too. In the southern state of Tamil Nadu there are many industries that take care of the people living there. Sivakasi is a famous town and it’s known for its fireworks factories, which not only cater to the Indian market during festivals, but also export their products to other countries.
To my knowledge, millions of people still work in fireworks factories. Because of its vicious side effects, accidents and pollutants, the Supreme Court of India recently banned its use on the occasion of Diwali, and this was a shock for many. On one hand I welcome the decision from the top court on various grounds, but on the other hand where will these people go without their factory jobs?
Millions thrive on the industry. My suggestion to the present government of India and the individual state governments is to provide an alternative means of livelihood for those people who previously worked in these factories. Since people have families and need to raise their children, the government should introduce a small-scale cottage industry of day-to-day products like jam and other items, which will not only have demand but will also make a reasonable profit. I feel like this is an alternative approach for the workers. However by restricting the duration of celebrating in Diwali, millions of people lose their monetary interest.
From Mr K. Ragavan
India
The future is here
Blockchain is key to success. It is gaining attention from governments around the world. A number of administrations are already using blockchain in a range of public services, including health records, voting and taxation. However, this will stop human interaction drastically. From Mr Wasi M.
UAE
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Tis’ the season
When you open any social media platform, all you can see are celebrity weddings (“Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir dance at Isha Ambani wedding”, Gulf News, December 11). These weddings are more than just people coming together, but are stages to showcase the rich and the famous, and how they blow money on irrelevant receptions and parties for the same people. Each event is more extravagant than the other and it sets unrealistic expectations and standards for people. What has the world come to? Why is flaunting wealth the new ‘it’ thing to do? From Mr Rajeev Malhotra Dubai
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