20-07-2025
MyVoice: Views of our readers 20th July 2025
Stray dogs also need shelters
Itis apt that a petitioner has urged the Supreme Court for earmarking designated spaces to feed stray dogs while the apex court sought to know why he cannot feed them at home. Within the ambit of the petitioner, it is understandable that he has compassion for the uncared and starving stray dogs, and he may feed them on his own but to provide shelter to countless stray dogs is literally impossible for any individual. It is to be noted that many volunteers and compassionate people do feed them regularly or on special occasions.
If our governments at the State or Centre make a provision for establishing shelters for dogs that are not owned like in some foreign countries, these people will be able to feed them. Even otherwise, the government should make safe designated places for stray dogs and kitten in shelter homes and vaccinate them, treat the unwell besides providing food and keep them open so that people can bring food on occasions. It can allow people to come forward and adopt pups by duly following statutory norms. Meanwhile it is absurd and inhuman if the strays are culled for whatever reason.
Dr T Ramadas,Visakhapatnam
Play boosts physical and mental health
Theadage 'All work and no play make Jack a dull boy' holds eternal significance. Play or playing is one of the simple, yet rewarding activities, one can indulge in. It picks curiosity and allows you to explore the world in an engaging way.
Besides being fun, play opens a sense of enjoyment that is essential for development and overall well-being. Play can also build problem-solving skills to help navigate the challenges we face in life. It is time to unleash your inner child, spark your creativity, and learn why play is an important part of living a happy life. Play is not just for kids but a biological need in our DNA that develops the brain. We become smarter, stronger, and happier each time we play.
Play boosts imagination, reduces stress, improves skills, bolsters teamwork and self-esteem, and hone several other skills.
The National Play Day was created on July 19 in 2024, while the International Play Day is observed every June 11 to encourage everyone to unleash their inner child, spark creativity, and learn why play is an important part of living a happy life. This day is intended to spread happiness. Whether you are a child or adult, playing is enjoyable and relaxing.
Dr Burra Madhusudhan Reddy,Karimnagar.
Schools getting bomb threats: More to it than meets the eye
Thecountry's three most happening cities are being mindlessly targeted by anti-India forces, each of which has a specific identity. The timing of hoax bomb calls or emails obviously indicates a sinister design to disturb the nation, especially when Assembly elections are round the corner in some States. More so when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started an election campaign in one of the poll-bound States on Friday. While bomb detection and disposal squads found nothing incriminating at any of the hundreds of targeted educational institutions, both public and private, it is pertinent to note that the entire exercise was aimed at creating panic among school managements, students, parents and the administration concerned. That is a scare, which might pose more 'trouble' than a real bomb threat. Though advanced technology, particularly AI, was used, the investigators suspect the use of offshore platforms for the purpose of sending the hoax bomb threats. The tone and tenor of the message indicate that it is the handiwork of Jehadi groups, targeting the 'non-believers'. This is where the international community should come in and evolve a certain 'discipline' to regulate the usage of AI, which has already threatened to cause catastrophic damage all over the world. The very fact that the platforms used to send the threats could not be traced is an indication that more sinister activities are in the pipeline.
Govardhana Myneedu,Vijayawada
Inhuman to blame dead pilots for the AI171 crash
Thishas reference to the delay in investigation and blaming the pilots of the ill-fated Dreamliner aircraft even after their death. It is quite sad that after the release of preliminary report into the AI171 crash at Ahmedabad, the topic has shifted to the cockpit fuel switches.
The fact is that experienced and well trained pilots become a source of perfect judgemental knowledge.
They use mandatory procedures to prevent errors, including pre-flight, in-flight and post flight procedures. Wasting time about fuel switches and keeping people in a state of confusion with its findings is no good. I sincerely hope that the aviation authorities will invite seasoned pilots from across airlines and try to understand from them about the procedures they follow while flying. Rather than blaming pilots, who have also perished in the crash, the investigators must zero in on the actual cause that led to the accident and put things in the right perspective. The authorities should understand the mental agony of the distraught kin of the 260 crash victims and ensure that they don't rub further salt by floating some bizarre theories.
G Murali Mohan Rao
Secunderabad-11
Tesla's Indian foray also brings along challenges
TodayIndia, the most populated country, is the biggest market in the world. According to a report, the increase in the number of rich people in India may be a matter of pride from the viewpoint of marketism but the reality is that half of the country's population is still dependent on the government! Indeed, Elon Musk is the world's richest man and the products of his branded companies are sold across international markets. Musk wanted to launch the electric car from the stables of Tesla in the Indian market for a long time but due to the high tariff rules and the high prices of his car, his idea was getting postponed. However, Musk's participation in the second term of US President Donald Trump and relaxation of rules by the Indian government, Musk's dream of selling the much-awaited Tesla cars in India has come true.
Of course, there is no dearth of people who love foreign cars in the Indian market, though the predominant section is the middle class. Tesla cars are equipped with the latest technology, but the Indian government will not allow Tesla to use all its features on Indian roads because the traffic rules here are not as strong as in foreign countries. Tata, and Mahindra's Indian cars and some foreign makes are also equipped with latest facilities and are present in the Indian market for a long time at half the price, while Tesla's lowest priced car is Rs 60 lakh.
I feel that if Musk wants to become an automobile king, then keeping the middle Indian market in mind, he should contemplate launching a normal Indian budget car like Nano. Undoubtedly, the arrival of Tesla cars will bolster the Indian market and the government revenue. With Tesla coming to India, other domestic and foreign car manufacturing companies will provide better facilities to maintain their hold on their customers!
Arvind Rawal,Jhabua (MP)
Hindi is a unifier, not a national threat
Thewrite-up by K Krishna Sagar Rao was candid after the language war in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala reignited an unwanted but a predictable and politically motivated debate even after the Centre made it clear that learning Hindi is only an optional subject. When NEP itself supports the three-language formula that is aimed at empowering students with national and global communication tools, one fails to understand the uncalled-for resistance from certain political parties. Ironically, in Mumbai, the powerful promoter of Hindi not just in India but globally through Bollywood, the breakaway Shiv Sena and MNS are creating havoc by beating the aam aadmi for speaking Hindi. This goes to reveal linguistic jingoism that hurts the state's long-term interests. Apparently, opposing Hindi on flimsy political grounds undermines national integration. Political parties must understand that as Hindi is a widely understood medium, it can unite and never be a threat. It is high time; the political class keeps politics out of the language space because Hindi is practical and only a means of connection that illuminates the cultural lamp that unites us as a nation.
K R Srinivasan,Secunderabad-3
Shameless war over language
Thethrashing of non-Marathi-speaking people in Mumbai by Raj Thackeray's goons in some areas of Mumbai a fewweeks back is a matter of serious concern and a shame to the country's image and the state. Hindi is the official language of India, spoken by nearly 90 per cent of the people. Even those working for a living in other states are also being forced to speak the language of the state, despite Hindi being widely spoken and understood by most of the people. This divisive politics is ruining the lives of poor migrants, who are trying to make an honest living in a city far away from their home. For Raj Thackeray's goons, it does not matter if fathers no longer educate their children or send money for the medical care of the old. If we are to go by Thackeray's argument that non-Marathi people are redundant in Maharashtra, perhaps the party should begin from the top. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) should first banish non-Marathi-speaking film stars, sportspersons, politicians, and entrepreneurs, who live in Mumbai and boost the state's economy. However, the party is unlikely to do this since political leaders stand to gain from the rich and famous. If the non-Marathi entrepreneurs are driven out of Mumbai, some other city will replace it as the financial capital of India. Thackeray should remember that Mumbai did not automatically become the proverbial city of dreams -- it became so because of the contribution of those who migrated to the city. Earlier too, Bihari workers were beaten up in Mumbai by MNS goons, forcing them to leave their place of work. Is this the India of our dreams? These political parties are upending the integrity and the democratic character of the country. How would the Marathi-speaking people feel if they were meted out the same treatment while earning a living in some other state? The wrongdoers must be prosecuted so that no one dares to indulge in such anti-national activities again.
Jubel D'Cruz,Mumbai
Centre should shun its
divisive language push
Thisrefers to the article, 'Hindi & politics of regionalism (July 18). The Union government's attempts to impose Hindi as the national language is visible and understood by one and all. It is also a fact that it is one of the ideological goals of the RSS to bring Sanskrit as the administrative language and till such a time Hindi should take the place of national official language as recommended by its founders. The way the union Home minister humiliated those speaking English and the way the Tamil Nadu government is deprived of its due funds for not accepting the tri-language policy further confirms the game plan. But it should be understood that nothing is lost by not learning Hindi, but much is gained by learning English as seen in the youth taking up jobs in many countries with their ability to communicate in English, while youngsters, who only know their mother tongue are rushing to southern states and ending as migrant labourers. By not knowing the southern languages they are neither deprived of their jobs nor do they find it difficult to manage their living down South. Therefore, the Union government should give up its coercive efforts over states to accept its language policy, which, in all certainty, will end up with Hindi being taught as the third language. The general apprehension of the local tongue getting extinct with the entry of Hindi also has relevance. If Sanskrit should be accepted for its ancient roots, then the argument on why not Tamil be treated as the official language as it is more ancient and spoken by crores in many parts of the world? Hindi is just 200 years old, while Tamil has been flourishing for thousands of years. Promoting a language is welcome but imposing directly or indirectly is divisive, which needs to be discouraged.
A G Rajmohan,Anantapur-515004
Hindi as the bone of contention
Apropos'Hindi and politics of regionalism', either by accident or design, the writer conveniently forgets the attempt by the Hindi heartland to project itself as the keeper of Indian nationalism and culture. Not just language, there are other areas in which they believe their numbers make them the true representatives of Indian cultural heritage. While it may be true that other parties are raising the language issue for their own political gains, all parties, including the BJP, raise issues which they think will fetch them votes. Speaking Hindi in Kerala may not make the speaker a lesser person, but speaking one of the southern languages in the Hindi heartland gets a notorious label or the other. And the less said about the acceptability of the people of Northeastern states to those in the Hindi heartland the better!
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
