Letters to the Editor: Baby Boss

Baby Boss

The ongoing IPL, running uninterrupted in spite of the Pahalgam tragedy, has simply proved that the show will go on at any cost without even one day's break. This uninterrupted IPL simply proves that we Indians have learnt to live with terror. The ongoing IPL has produced a Baby Boss named Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 14-year-old lad from Bihar. Making his debut in the IPL representing the Rajasthan Royals, he made a world record by smashing a century in 34 balls, setting the pink city Jaipur and the world on fire.

Now it is up to BCCI to nurse and groom carefully this young wonder, as it is often seen that in some cases some young wonders get lost in the midway due to wrong handling. The press also has a role to play in this regard, as it is seen in some cases that due to excessive exposure and pampering, a talent is lost before it blossoms. We, the cricket fans, are waiting with very high hopes to see Suryavanshi touch the sky. Amen.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury.

Guwahati.

Terrorists have no religion

We are deeply saddened and anguished by the horrific terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.

We strongly condemn this heinous and inhumane act in the strongest possible terms. Such barbaric killings are a grave crime against humanity.

Those who commit such acts have no religion, nor can they ever embody the values of humility, respect, or modesty. Moreover, they cannot claim to follow the true teachings of any faith.

Let us remember, "In the religion of Islam, the unjust killing of even a single innocent person is considered the killing of all humanity." We stand firmly with the victims and their families during this tragic time and pray for the swift and complete recovery of the injured. We respectfully appeal to all Indian citizens to uphold peace, tolerance, and brotherhood in every corner of our country.

Abdul Majid

(amajid971197@gmail.com)

Unsafe Guwahati

The news article 'Snatchers flee with chain, leaving behind pistol and bag' published in your esteemed daily The Sentinel's city page on April 30 has drawn our attention. As reported, a couple was taking selfies at Jalukbari when two riders reached the spot and engaged in an altercation with the couple for taking selfies in a public place. During the scuffle, the pillion rider managed to snatch the chain from the neck of the lady and fled the scene, leaving behind a pistol and bag. The rising cases of theft, robbery and chain snatching, which have emerged as a disquieting concern about public safety, are nowadays very common in the state capital, Guwahati. In the past, crime and antisocial behaviour were restricted to manageable proportions across the state. But population explosion, urbanization and modernisation, scientific and technological advancement, socio-economic and other environmental changes, degradation of value system, corruption, excessive greed for material gain, and moral turpitude – all these factors have immensely contributed towards the transformation of society, going from bad to worse. Almost every day, everywhere, the city dwellers face a lot of insecurity in life. Strong policing is a must, more particularly in isolated places. Due to lack of promptness and inadequacy of the police force, criminals often escape punishment, as a result of which repeated crimes occur and fearlessness prevails among potential criminals, and it poses a threat to the social fabric. What is immediately needed for the police is intensifying patrolling round the clock, as the city's certain very, very important roads (VVIR) have hardly any presence of security personnel during night hours. Apart from police, the state government should be serious in solving problems of crime and disorder and ensure protection of innocent people of the society. Society, as a whole, has some responsibility in checking this disturbing trend of crimes. Citizens' Committees must be set up in every ward to keep a close watch on the happenings in their respective localities and keep the police informed of suspicious movement of strangers, which is the need of the hour to check the growing crime graph in the city.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Enforcing COTPA

So much has been spoken about banning smoking in public places and educational institutions. However, not much appears to have been done in preventing the mushrooming of shops selling tobacco products near schools and colleges. Vendors selling cigarettes, chewing tobacco and gutkha in the vicinity of schools is a common sight in many towns and cities of the country. "The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003", also referred to as COTPA, prohibits smoking and consumption of other tobacco products in public places nationwide. Sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions is banned under the same Act. 

This Act also encompasses other requirements like displaying signboards and effective enforcement. Therein lies the catch, because for any law to succeed, the importance of its practical implementation on the ground cannot be overstated. Stressed-out young minds, eager to experiment, are frequently enticed by tobacco products within easy reach. Of course, it is not as if the students cannot buy tobacco products elsewhere. That said, the least the government can do is to strictly implement COTPA and remove all stores dispensing cigarettes and tobacco products near schools and colleges so that youngsters are not enticed by them and can study w2ithout distraction.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

Advantages of unity

Unity is the foundation of strength and progress. When we stand together, we can overcome challenges more easily and achieve greater success. It creates a sense of belonging, where every individual feels valued and heard. Unity reduces conflicts, builds trust, and promotes peace within families, communities and nations.

A united group can face adversity with courage, share ideas openly, and work toward common goals. It encourages cooperation, kindness, and harmony. In unity there is power – not just to survive, but to grow and thrive. Truly, where there is unity, there is unstoppable strength and lasting peace.

Sofikul Islam

Assam

Trump’s 100 days in second term

President Donald Trump’s 100 days of his second term of office offer the world and the United States a stocktaking of his attempts to wreck and remake his country and its global role. Debates abound in all areas of his presidency: is he a fascist or ‘merely’ a conservative authoritarian? Is he destroying or rebalancing the American and global economies? Is he wrecking or recalibrating the global order? Will his imperial geopolitical ambitions lead to a wider great power war? What will the impact be on the US social and political fabric, on the constitution, and on democracy of his divisive and anti-democratic offensive against immigrants, federal employees, regulation of big corporations, and assaults on workers’, women’s, and minority rights? Is he crazy, or is there a method to his madness? These questions are in themselves quite dizzying. The actions that have provoked them are causing anxiety, consternation, despair, fear, anger, and mass resistance, but also inspiring much adulation among Trump loyalists. Trump’s decisions cause divisions; it is becoming clearer, even among his own electoral and political base. In his first 100 days, Trump has taken a chainsaw to the federal government, weaponised the Justice Department, pardoned violent January 6 insurrectionists, bypassed Congress with an avalanche of executive orders, fired inspector generals who, since Watergate, have safeguarded against executive abuse, and deported immigrants and even citizens without due process.

Trump has intimidated prestigious law firms whose lawyers worked on court cases against him, threatened universities’ freedom and independence under the guise of fighting antisemitism, and implemented and/or paused a barrage of tariffs that have torn asunder the world trading system. He has repeatedly threatened to invade Canada, Panama and Greenland and opened the federal government to the whims and profits of billionaires. This is, among other things, like amplifying an ongoing global arms race that risks broader instability and conflict, a sustained assault on workers’ rights, and an assault on the hard-won rights of racial, ethnic and gender minorities. Trump is weaponising all aspects of state power to protect and unleash corporations against ‘enemies’ and competitors, foreign and domestic. And is willing to increase the risk of war to do it.

Bhagwan Thadani

(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)