Kala Academy renovation
The dubious renovation of Kala Academy is birthing one controversy after another. It started with the partial collapse of the amphitheater last year for which Govind Gaude disclaimed all responsibility saying his department was not involved until a video of him standing in front of the structure and claiming credit for the refurbishment emerged. He conveniently put the blame on the PWD in a bid to deflect adverse publicity. Last month a portion of the corridor’s false ceiling collapsed, for which again Gaude shed all accountability mentioning that the building had not been handed over to his ministry yet. Last week a renowned theatre personality highlighted a litany of grievances at Kala Academy ranging from inadequate sound systems to below par lighting facilities and other malfunctioning equipment. Infact a Goan classical singer who held a programme at the academy recently insisted on renting a sound system from a vendor, so bad were the acoustics in the hall; many other artistes have followed suit. The minister, instead of addressing genuine concerns of the cultural fraternity was quick to take umbrage and brazened it out saying that the KA issue is being politicised by the artistes. The Charles Correa foundation with wide experience of architectural renovation was never consulted and has been dismissed as inconsequential by the mantri even though they were willing to provide their services for free. He very famously asked reporters once whether the work for the construction of the Taj Mahal was awarded following the tender route when questioned about arbitrary award of the Kala Academy renovation to an inexperienced contractor. With such ignoramuses as ministers cultural activity in Goa will take a hit, why many artistes could boycott Kala Academy altogether.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Press Freedom Day
No amount of information dissipation can substitute the role of press in moulding public opinion. Democracy craves for reliable and impartial press that transcends pulls and pressures. It is imperative that a ‘World Press Freedom Day’ needs to be observed to uphold the ethos of democracy. It is, therefore, observed on the May 3 every year to remember the values that define press freedom. There was a period when the freedom of press was threatened almost on a daily basis. The newspapers thrived only on the absolute integrity, and dedication to duty, of the owners and editors of newspapers. Independence of press, however, is always under scrutiny. Freedom of expression as a human right cannot be seen separate from people’s access to fair and unbiased information. For that, highest level of professional and ethical integrity on the part of journalists cannot be overstressed. Training and skills, objectivity and perfectionism, go together with inborn qualities. It may be good or bad, but without freedom the press can be nothing but bad. Press is the watchdog of democracy; but the people themselves are the watchdogs of an independent press. Thomas Jefferson famously said that he would have a free press without a government but not a government without a free press.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Advocating workers rights
On May 1, people all over the world celebrated Labour Day. But most of the working class labourers were present at their workplaces and not at home. Labour Day is also known as May Day and International Workers’ Day. The governments of all nations throughout the world must strictly ensure that all labourers receive a paid holiday on this day, and they must pass a bill to strengthen the rights of labourers across the globe. The capitalist world leaves no stone unturned in its cruelty against the labour class people, often treating them as bonded slaves. Our future generations must be freed from this cycle of injustice and autocracy must be freed. There is an urgent need to ban this system of exploitation in every sector.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
World Cup dilemma
This Indian World Cup squad resembles the IPL’s underperformers. Pandya’s current form and mindset wouldn’t even secure him a spot on Nepal’s cricket team, yet he’s been included. The absence of Rinku Singh from the squad is truly disappointing. While Sanju Samson’s selection is justified due to his recent form, he’s not known for his explosive batting. When it comes to chasing 230 runs in 20 overs, there seems to be a scarcity of batsmen capable of such feats, except for SKY. Rishabh Pant, just returning from injury, may not replicate his past T20 performances immediately, especially considering his strengths lie in Tests and ODIs. While we hope for India’s victory in the World Cup, it seems more like a wish than a confident prediction.
C K Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai
Side effects of Covishield
The British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company AstraZeneca has admitted in court papers that its Covishield, can cause rare side effects, TTS (for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) i.e. clot in blood vessels of the brain or elsewhere, along with a low platelet count. This can lead to organ damage and death. The 2023 report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that TTS emerged as a new adverse (life threatening) event following immunisation in individuals vaccinated with COVID-19. Now the question is, will the effect be only immediate or can it be like slow poisoning or slow – deterioration of health and organs failure? If so, scientists should urgently find an antidote vaccine / medicine for it, to see that more lives are saved. Covishield was developed by AstraZeneca and was produced by the Serum Institute of India. In India, it was one of the widely administered COVID vaccines.
P V Srinivas Sreelekha, Secunderabad