Ways to avoid train tragedies
The Mumbai local train tragedy was waiting to happen. Especially at curves, like in the present incident, where trains tilt, precious lives are always hanging in balance. Either the burgeoning crowds need to be regulated or the frequency of trains requires to be augmented. Although the periodicity of trains can be increased, whether the step can prevent accidents of the Mumbra-type is a point to ponder because of the working hours of commuters and issues associated with additional trains. More rakes and track fencing could be solutions but the latter is subject to ifs and buts because of the narrow gap between tracks. Now, the Railways has declared that automatic doors with louvers will be installed in the entire suburban railway system. However, these doors can merely add to the confusion as they are prone to technical glitches. Moreover, alighting and boarding the train could give rise to a problem of a different kind. All stakeholders should sit together and thrash out solutions before another tragedy unfolds.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Trump-Musk feud
The bitter feud that broke out this past week between billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump is more than bravado gone wrong. It highlighted the ugly, juvenile tendencies of both as they aired a personal grudge on a global scale. For many, this feud comes as no surprise, just confirmation of what has long been evident – that the ambitions of the super-rich are shaped less by ideology and more by ego, self-interest, and performance politics. Musk was Trump’s biggest campaign donor during his re-election bid in 2024 and a regular fixture at campaign rallies in the final months before the November vote. As a reward for able support, Trump as President assigned Musk to head the department of government efficiency (DOGE) where he and his team slashed foreign aid programmes and laid off thousands of federal government employees. Through the DOGE he influenced government policy to suit his own interest. While politicians and business people have an umbilical relationship shaped by the election campaign’s need for donations, politicians must maintain a safe distance from profit-driven persons and entities to retain the credibility of democracy, especially in America.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Eschew hatred
Any society which claims to be democratic and civilised must respect right of every citizen to express his/her independent opinion on any subject or issue and tolerate freedom of speech to the highest level, however unpalatable it appears to the ear of any government, a party leader or an individual. But in the garb of free speech, no individual or community can be character-assassinated; also instigation of violence through words or pen must be strict no-no. Hence those who target members of a particular community as ‘terrorists’ or ‘tacit supporter’ of terrorism must be awarded exemplary punishment. This ‘culture’ of branding any particular community as ‘criminals’ by citing their dress, terming a region of this very country as ‘mini Pakistan’ or certifying a religious denomination as ‘infiltrators with lots of children’ should be immediately brought to an end with the implementation of strict penal measures.
Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata
Master storyteller
In the passing away of the eminent British spy thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, the world has lost a master storyteller who had experiences in life as a Reuters and BBC correspondent and as an MI6 informant. He also was a pilot in the Royal Air Force. His most famous books are The Day of the Jackal, The Dogs of War, The Odessa File and The Fourth Protocol. The Day of the Jackal was made into a movie which features the aborted attempt on the life of Charles de Gaulle, which became a hit. In the movie the assassin is seen practising target shooting on a watermelon using what was supposed to be a special bullet that was filled with mercury and which exploded on impact. His books are unputdownable with intrigues and master plots.
Elvidio Miranda, Panaji
Source of inspiration
Coco Gauff has made headlines across the world as the first US player to have won the French Open since 2015, ending a 10-year drought. Her inspiration have been the Williams sisters – Venus Williams and Serena Williams. She decided at the age of eight that tennis is what she wanted to play all her life and then went about achieving that dream with clinical efficiency; at the age of 21, she has two Grand Slam titles in the bag. There are not many children who have such grit, determination and perseverance. If you are a parent of a young child, do read out to them her story and her journey that would be better than reading them some fairy tale or some mythological story. Coco’s life is a real fairy tale, one of talent, hard work, tenacity in the face of trials and tribulations and of course the resultant success. Indira Gandhi once said, “There is no shortcut to success.” Truer words were never spoken.
Rekha Sarin Trehan, Benaulim
