1) Proud of you Virat!
Thousands of congratulations to Virat Kohli on becoming the first Indian to score three consecutive tons in ODIs and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar for praising him saying that he is not a normal human being. In fact, such appreciation from Sachin proved that he has a wide heart in his existence. We are proud of Virat and Sachin because they are Indian.
– A Zafar,
2) Ola- Uber strike set to continue
Drivers of the app-based cab aggregators Ola and Uber went on an indefinite strike and protesting their low earnings. The strike has been called by the Maharashtra Navnirman Vahtuk Sena, the transport wing of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which claims that several drivers of these cabs are not able to cover costs due to the falling business. In Mumbai alone, there are over 45,000 app-based cabs but a slump in the business has seen a drop of about 20 per cent in their numbers. Driver unions have consistently gone on strikes across metros in the past, with some of the demands being putting a stop to low-fare bookings, setting fares based on vehicle costs and even reinstating blacklisted drivers who have been given low ratings by passengers. This is a well-planned agitation and Mumbaites face the surge as the strike set to continue and hamper the paid transport service for some more time.
– Nikhil CK Maniam
3) CIC complimented
The Chief Information Commissioner and all others at CIC including Commissioners, officers, and staff deserve full compliments for successfully holding its 13th annual convention at Pravasi Bhartiya Bhawan, New Delhi on October 12, 2018, at a very short notice after the President of India consented to inaugurate it just two days ago. Venue-change, printing, and distribution of invitation-cards for security considerations replacing earlier e-invite was indeed a tough task.
Deliberations at the convention this year were more practical in comparison to earlier years with both the President of India and DoPT minister rightly stressing to prevent misuse of the wonderful sunshine Act. This convention also turned into a farewell for Chief Information Commissioner and three other Commissioners who will all be remembered for their remarkable verdicts especially to prevent misuse of the RTI Act and ensuring providing allowable information, a drastic reduction in pendency-time, well-equipped new CIC-building and an appreciable but long-pending hike in salaries of hard-working CIC-staff.
Three remaining Commissioners after December 2018 are also doing very well coming fully prepared after careful study of each case before hearing. It should be hoped that new-to-be appointed Chief Information Commissioner and other Commissioners will follow the legacy by making the RTI Act successful to be ranked as globally best transparency Act.
– Subhash Chandra Agrawal
4) All Souls’ Day
All Souls’ Day, which is celebrated by the Catholic Church on November 2 every year, is a Christian festival that honours all Christian souls who have died.
Many people visit the cemetery and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Special Masses are celebrated in cemeteries and in churches on that day.
Catholics on this day remember and pray for the souls of people who have died and who are in Purgatory – the place in which those who have died to atone for their sins before being granted the vision of God in heaven.
The thought behind this is that when a soul leaves the body of the dead person, it is not entirely cleansed from venial sins.
But, through the power of prayer, the faithful on earth can help these souls gain heavenly vision they seek. At each one’s home, a special rosary is recited to remember and pray for the souls of their family members, friends, etc.
– Jubel D’Cruz
5) Kohli — a name ‘synonymous’ with a Ton!
Every Virat Kohli innings these days surpasses some record or the other as the Indian captain becomes the only player from our country to smash three consecutive tons in ODI innings to add another feather to his illustrative hat. His name has become ‘synonymous’ with a ton and anything less from his blade is considered a failure. India lost the Pune ODI in spite of Kohli heroics and this would give sleepless nights to Indian selectors as the World Cup would be held next year but our team other than the skipper looks vulnerable.
IPL is responsible for India’s poor performance in ODI’s as we even play the 50 over the game in T-20 format hurrying into things which proves our downfall. Mental conditioning is the key for a changeover and our Board needs to hire a top psychologist for counselling sessions for a makeover. If we lose against depleted sides like West Indies in our home conditions, winning the World Cup abroad next year would be a gigantic task though not impossible!
– S.N.Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
