I write in reference to your article Mogadishu attack: car bomb in Somali capital kills at least 79 (December 28): news about fatal attacks of any kind at any time of the year and targeting any one is very hard to take in. But the bomb blast in Mogadishu that has left scores of people dead in the Somali capital seems even more cruel because it claimed the lives of many youngsters who were simply going to university. Also, how cynical is the timing, given that a new year with new goals were upon them.
Their deaths are not only a tragedy for the loved ones they have left behind but also for Somalia. Here is a country that has struggled with all kinds of strife for decades and yet there seems no solution in sight. Even though this is a time of year to be joyful and hopeful, I find this latest tragedy most distressing and disheartening.
All I can do at this moment is pray for those who have died but also for those who have survived – in the hope that this will not happen again.
K Ragavan, Bengaluru
Time for India’s government to press the reset button
I write in reference to your article Internet restrictions ahead of fresh India protests (December 27): since the passing of the citizenship amendment bill in parliament, India has been seized by unrest. The scale of protests and their frequency across the country have not been seen for many decades. Students in all the major cities have galvanised against the bill. Even Indian students at Oxford and Harvard universities have joined the protests. Their concern is that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to convert India into a Hindu state.
Pictures of large detention centres being constructed in some states have also exacerbated the fears among many people.
Perhaps it is time for the government to press the reset button and engage in an earnest dialogue with all the aggrieved parties. In a democracy, after all, it is important to carry as many people and groups with you as possible through debate and discussion.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
We came here with a sense of adventure and a love of the region
I write in reference to John Dennehy's article The man who greened the UAE's desert (December 29): the description at the beginning of the article reminds me that this is how some of us came to the country back in the old days. There was hardly any air conditioning, fancy cars or big houses. And yet it was an amazing adventure for us expats. We came not for money but for the love of the region.
A big thank you to The National for sharing this nostalgic article.
Tanya Milbourne, Dubai