World Animal Day
World Animal Day which is celebrated on October 4 every year is a special day for people who love animals. October 4 is also the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi who loved animals. It is a day to celebrate animal life in all its forms. It is also an occasion to acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives. It is a day to acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives. World Animal Day is a wonderful reminder of different ways in which animals enhance our lives.
Jubel D’Cruz
Declaring October 2nd as holiday is disrespect to Gandhiji
Mahatma Gandhi popularly called as ‘Bapu‘ was rightly bestowed the title of ‘Father of the nation’ but the biggest tribute to him for all of us is to follow on his path of non-violence and honesty which practically is non-existent in today’s world. Declaring October 2nd as holiday is disrespect to Bapu as he himself wanted India to progress and develop rapidly while a day off in his memory for our economy means a loss of crores of rupees.
We as a nation celebrate, mourn or even protest with a holiday which is a setback to our country. October with Dussehra, Gandhi Jayanti, Diwali and weekends added means very little working hours. India is a cosmopolitan nation with several religions and each festival for every religion means loads of holidays. Government needs to curtail national holidays in the larger interest of the nation and working more for the development of the country is a bigger honour and tribute than wasting time and energy for any cause.
S.N. Kabra
Right step to connect Vaishno Devi Shrine with New Delhi
Indian Railways deserves all compliments for connecting Vaishno Devi shrine (Jammu and Kashmir) with New Delhi with most modern and comfortable Vande Bharat Express with inaugural run from New Delhi on October 3, 2019 during auspicious Navratras.
It will be a still better gift for devotees travelling through Vande Bharat Express if they are provided with added service of auto-booking of helicopter-service between Katra and Vaishno Devi for desiring passengers. Likewise collaboration can be made with some air-conditioned guest-house (private or government) for comfortable stay provided with bus-service between Katra railway-station and the collaborated guest-house for desiring passengers. Rather a package-tour between New Delhi and Vaishno Devi can be designed by IRCTC comprising travel through Vande Bharat Express, stay at air-conditioned guest-house and helicopter-service. Some coaches can be reserved for group-booking also.
Similar package-tours through Vande Bharat Express to other religious places can be a boon to largely religious-minded members of public in the country, and to promote much-desired religious tourism in the country like is being done in Sri Lanka to attract Indian tourists.
Madhu Agrawal
Commemorative coins of Mahatma Gandhi
Department of Economic Affairs (Union Government) and Reserve Bank of India RBI regrettably did not make commemorative silver-alloy coins issued on 150th birth-anniversary of MK Gandhi on October 2, 2019 available for general public at face-value evidently because metal-cost in a coin was multiple times the face-value of just rupees 150, unlike on October 2, 1969 on occasion of Gandhi birth-centenary when such silver-coins were made available for general public at the then face-value since metal-value of a silver-alloy coin at that time was much lower than the then face-value of rupees ten. This is despite that fact that both RBI and Department of Economic Affairs were cautioned in advance through repeated submissions made in advance with last one posted at various portals on August 26, 2019. Silver-alloy coins in fact are for privileged ones sitting on dais to commemorate the occasion that too totally free, and not for general public.
This practice should be reformed for future when silver-alloy coins may be having face-value of rupees 1000 packed in serial-numbered tamperproof-packing to avoid chances of fake coins to be available for general public right from date of issue through convenient centers including all RBI offices and philatical counters apart from selected post-offices and bank-branches.
Even now, it should be arranged that at least coin-sets comprising of sliver-alloy coins presently sold only through advance-booking to be delivered after many months, may be made available for open sale without requiring cumbersome procedure of advance-booking through convenient centers including all RBI offices and philatical counters apart from selected post-offices and bank-branches with an economy single coin-pack at price of rupees 1000 in serial-numbered tamperproof packing so that less-affording ones may also get silver-alloy commemorative coin.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Poll fever on in Maharashtra
Poll fever is gripping the State of Maharashtra and the political parties are preparing for the big fight. Both Congress and NCP are backing their turncoats and rewarded them suitably with party tickets. Whereas BJP dropped both Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde from the first list and their chances of getting back their appointed position appears rather remote. In the meanwhile a pre-poll jolt for CM has taken place. A person convicted on charge or concealing any information in his nomination paper can get six months jail term or fine or both. In such a scenario CM may have to face trial for failure to disclose pending criminal cases in 2014 poll affidavit. The political scenario is a baptism by fire in the state as of now.
Calicut Krishnan Ramani
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
