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HomeOpinionLetters to the Editor: Nov 20, 2018

Letters to the Editor: Nov 20, 2018

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1) Catholic weddings and customs

Until recent years, the idea of a Catholic marrying outside the faith was practically unheard of. Such weddings took place in private ceremonies in the parish rectory, not in a church sanctuary in front of hundreds of friends and family. These days, many people marry across religious lines. The rate of ecumenical marriages (a Catholic marrying a baptized non-Catholic) and interfaith marriages (a Catholic marrying a non-baptized non-Christian) varies by region.

If the non-Catholic is a baptized Christian (not necessarily Catholic), the marriage is valid as long as the Catholic party obtains official permission from the diocese to enter into the marriage and follows all the stipulations for a Catholic wedding.

A marriage between a Catholic and another Christian is also considered a sacrament. In fact, the church regards all marriages between baptized Christians as sacramental, as long as there are no impediments.

Good-quality marriage preparation is essential in helping couples work through the questions and challenges that will arise after they tie the knot.

Because Catholics regard marriage as a sacred event, the church prefers that ecumenical interfaith couples marry in a Catholic church, preferably the Catholic party’s parish church. If they wish to marry elsewhere, they must get permission from the local bishop. He can permit them to marry in the non-Catholic spouse’s place of worship or another suitable place with a minister, rabbi or civil magistrate – if they have a good reason.

– Jubel D’Cruz

 

2) Avni controversy seems unwarranted?

Even terrorists are gunned down in self-defence and the tigress Avni controversy is unwarranted. Human life seems to have no value in our country where animal deaths are grieved more vociferously than thousands of innocent whose killings go unsung. The Avni controversy was fuelled by Minister Maneka Gandhi’s tweet who we all know is an animal lover just like we all are. But her comments at times are a publicity stunt and she created a molehill unnecessarily and overlooked that the tigress had killed many innocent lives and was shot down in self-defence.

It is true that man-animal conflicts are unfortunate. We are finishing off our jungles and forests in the greed for development and money. This would result in an ecological disaster, cause famines and floods and diminishing wildlife is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to a major natural catastrophe in the decades to come. Protecting forests and jungles would automatically end the man-animal conflict and then, why would animals encroach our area when they have peace in their own homes?

– S.N.Kabra

 

3) Railways must now initiate to ensure cleanliness

Cleanliness on trains and at railway stations is still a paramount factor which needs an urgent attention after passenger safety. The railway administration has made certain arrangements to ensure cleanliness onboard trains including OBHS facility and ‘Clean My Coach’ SMS/helpline facility.

Presently, for the passengers travelling by air-conditioned coaches, a disposable bag is supplied to all the passengers at the originating station. The bag has instructions for the passengers to use it to dump the waste and trash it. No doubt this has been initiated to ensure cleanliness in the coach but such a move to provide a bag is unwarranted. The current arrangement of providing disposable bags is of no help as it cannot be re-used or may not be possible to recycle it.

Hence, the railways should now initiate an alternate strategy to ensure cleanliness by providing mini trash bins in the entire coach. A mini trash bin will help ensure to discard the waste and will otherwise help to save the environment and ensure hygiene.

Hence, the concerned Hon’ble Ministry of Railways and Railway Board are requested to look into this suggestion and implement the environment-friendly measure on trains at the earliest.

– Varun Srinivas

 

4) Samadhi for Vajpayee contrary to his own ideals

It refers to some media reports that Rashtriya Smriti Sthal where the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was cremated, is now being developed as Samadhi of the departed leader. But it will be in contradiction to the cabinet-note of the year 2000 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister headed the cabinet meeting decided that neither Samadhis of departed leaders would be created nor government bungalows in Leyton Zone of New Delhi would be converted in memorials. Present central government abided by the decision when demand for converting official residence of Choudhary Charansingh as his memorial was boldly turned down.

Undoubtedly, Atal Bihari Vajpayee does command respect in public and politicians cutting across party lines much more than other political leaders, yet breaking his own decision by developing his Samadhi will be against his ideals. Instead, the Central Government can name Rashtriya Smriti Sthal as Atal Smriti for VVIP cremations, in the manner pyre-platform presently used for VVIP cremation at Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi is named after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya when the raised platform was specially developed for cremation of former Jansangh President. It is significant that Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in New Delhi was also used for the first time for a VVIP cremation of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Rather all samadhis developed after 2000 decision of Union Cabinet like of Dr Sahib Singh Verma should be abandoned with government bungalows converted indirectly as memorials of Babu Jagjiwanram and Kashiram by allotting these to trusts run by their family or followers should be done away by cancelling long lease of trusts in respect of 8 Krishna Menon Marg and 12-14-16 Gurudwara Rakabganj Road in New Delhi.

– Madhu Agrawal

 

5) ISRO has made the country proud

It is an important milestone for the Indian space programme towards achieving reliance on launching heavier satellites and India slowly and steadily masters rocket science. Heartiest congratulations to ISRO team. We are proud of your every success and failures no matter how big or how small it is. If the rocket is significant for its muscle, satellite GSAT-29 is equally heady. If its transponders are to serve remote regions of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, it also features three hi-tech gadgets — a Q/V-Band communications payload, an optical communication payload and a high-resolution camera. All the three are demonstration gadgets. The first two are used mainly for inter-satellite and space-to-space communications. The significance of the Mark-III is that it considerably reduces India’s dependence on foreign launchers for taking up its heavy satellites. Now that the two developmental launches of the Mark- III have been completed, the rocket has been declared fit for operational runs, the first of which is likely to be in January, for the Chandrayaan-2 moon mission. ISRO has made the country proud.

– Nikhil Krishnan

 

6) Ram Temple issue – a ploy to win 2019 election

All the propagations by the leaders of Sangh and other organisations, that the government must bring in an ordinance to commence the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya is nothing but a ploy to win the upcoming elections in 2019. It is a reality that the BJP government has failed to fulfil most of its promises which it made in 2014 before it came to power. Whenever the election comes close they raise their voice as once again the Sanghs are raising this issue intentionally to divide the people in the name of religion. The people must understand this “divide and rule” policy and should not let the leaders divide our country.

– Mohd Rahmani

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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