MyVoice: Views of our readers 20th June 2020

China seems to have assessed Modi's folly

It was heart-wrenching to hear about the martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers during the China faceoff on the border. For me, the Galwan Valley disaster is only the latest manifestation of an entire government becoming hostage to a prime ministerial over-lordship.

Here is A Prime Minister who even claimed to have micro-managed the Balakot operation, giving the Air Force pilots the confidence on how to trick the weather and enemy radars.

At home, the country has already paid a terrible price for prime ministerial waywardness on almost every front, but a blunted political opposition is unable to exact any democratic retribution while he goes on copiously issuing himself certificates of excellent conduct.

Unfortunately, our global adversaries, especially the Chinese, do not find themselves under any obligation to give the Prime Minister as much as an inch. In fact, it should be taken as a given that after as many as 18 interactions between the two 'strong' leaders, Beijing must have formed an unsentimental assessment of Prime Minister Modi, his strengths and weaknesses, flaws and frailties — and has now moved in for the kill. During those 18 meetings, the Chinese leadership must have seen through our man.

Dr Harshavardhan Rao, Hyderabad

Just testing, screening not enough

The current pandemic demands a holistic approach towards the issues faced by the slum population and an increase in the testing rate as well. This will not just aid in identifying the novel cases but also prevent its spread in the adjoining non-slum areas. An example can be taken from Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, that went from being a coronavirus hotspot to a model for other developing nations grappling with the pandemic.

Their 'chase the virus technique' has not only reduced the number of new cases and increased recovery rate massively but also curtailed the mortality. Dharavi is also the best example of how working with the community can lead to a better strategic management of any issue.

It is noteworthy that for the urban poorest, a massive chunk of who reside in these informal settlements, it is incredibly difficult to follow the norms of social distancing due to space constraints and many other issues. In addition to that, these people are extremely vulnerable as far as their economic security and food security are concerned.

Thus, it is not only imperative to focus on the amelioration of testing and screening facilities, but also equally impart importance to the food and income security of the vulnerable population residing in these informal settlements.

Ameena Syeda, Bahadurpura, Hyderabad

A nostalgic piece, indeed!

The news item 'Ebinezer, an illustrious, inspiring teacher' (June 14) instantly turned me nostalgic. Mr Ebinezer was a very competent teacher. When I was in SSC, he was promoted as the headmaster of the school and he retired in the same year. He used to each us English.

He was tall and lanky and used to wear a coat when in duty. He had exceptional command over the language and was adept in teaching subject. His lessons were quite engaging and hilarious.

He was profoundly knowledgeable person and his teachings left indelible impressions in the minds of thousands of students studied in the Historical McLaurin High School, Kakinada.

All the then teachers are real gurus and each one used to be identified with his or her mastery over the subject like Telugu Somayajulu, English Sarmaji, Mathematics Edison, Science Paulina madam, Hindi Bathula Rama Rao and so on. Thank you, The Hans India!

Rama Krishna M, Kakinada