Secular Citizen Vol.29 No.6 dated 10th February 2020

St Agnes College M'luru, centenary celebrations 2020 -Ivan Saldanha-Shet.

Mother Mary Aloysia Centenary Memorial building and the centenary celebrations 2020-21, at St Agnes College Mangaluru, was inaugurated

by Apostolic Carmel (AC) Congregation Superior General Sr M Susheela on January 3. Mangaluru diocese bishop Dr Peter Paul Saldanha blessed the Mother Aloysia centenary building. A thanksgiving Eucharistic celebration was held. Bishop Dr Peter Paul Saldanha was the main celebrant and was joined by Mangaluru diocese bishop emeritus Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza and Udupi Bishop Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo. Karnataka Jesuit Province Provincial Superior Fr Dr Jerome Stanislaus D’Souza SJ delivered the homily.

Sr M Susheela said , “ St Agnes College has crossed several milestones in 100 years of existence. It has been

ents who admit their children.”

tivities and five mega events.

Mangalore University Vice Chancellor P S Yadapadithaya pointed out the institution had helped women excel in their careers. “The college is known to do things in a different way,” he stressed.

Provincial Superior Karnataka province Sr M Shamitha, Principal St Agnes College Sr Dr M Jeswina, Managing director Ivory grand real estate

Director Rambus Inc USA Meera Rao said; “The college had helped students in building selfconfidence and in developing leadership qualities.”

a long and enriching journey. Students in St Agnes College learn the value of freedom, responsibility and commitment.”

Bishop of Mangalore diocese Fr Dr Peter Paul Saldanha observed, “The college has walked a long distance and empowered women as effective citizens of the country. The institution has made women confident and to believe in themselves.”

MLA U T Khader praising the management stated, “St Agnes College has contributed much to society and country in the field of education. It has lived up to the expectations of the par-

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In her welcome address, St Agnes College principal Sr Dr Jeswina Ac pointed out that St Agnes College is a legacy of the sisters of the Apostolic Carmel that was instituted to commemorate the golden years of the Apostolic Carmel Congregation, founded by Mother Veronica in India in 1870. “The centenary year and all the celebrations remind us of the second superior general of the Apostolic Carmel Mother Mary Aloysia, the founder of St Agnes College and a pioneering visionary in the mission of education.”

Donors were felicitated. MLC Ivan D Souza and former MLA J R Lobo released the calendar of events for the centenary year which includes 100 acTHE SECULAR CITIZEN

Dubai Micheal D ‘Souza, former chairman of Dockendale shipping Australia Leslie J Fernandes, Managing director Hyssna international Ronald Pinto and Chairpersons KEF holdings Shabana and Faizal were present.

THE HISTORY in a nut shell : Miss Lazarus, the then European Inspectress of Schools, asked Mother Aloysia ;Why don't you raise the status of St. Ann's High School to that of a College. The most encouraging of all was the visit of the D. P. I., Mr. Little-Hales, to Mangalore. He not (Contd.. on p. 6)

10-16 February 2020

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Contents pg. 2 - St. Agnes College M'luru, centenary celebrations 2020 pg. 3 - Our country going through a difficult phase pg. 5 - Voice of the People pg. 7 - The Mahatma continues to be murdered...! pg. 8 - You the citizens decide: pg. 9 - Democracy in India? Our is neither a fish or a flesh! pg. 11 - Unemployment, society's greatest scourge pg. 12 - World Marriage day pg. 13 - A 26-yr-old Tamil man is challending beggary pg. 14 - Recipe pg. 16 - Fun page pg. 17 - The Silver Anklet pg. 18 - Reflecting on Lord's prayer pg 20 - Matrimonials pg. 22 - Voice of the people

Cover : Unemployment, society's greatest scourge: (Article on pg.11)

Our Country Going Through a Difficult Phase

By Don Aguiar Every Republic Day I switch on the TV, grab my breakfast and watch the parade on Doordarshan. I have been following this routine for the past many years. But this year, it is different. This year, Republic Day is not just about watching the parade or standing up for the national anthem as it plays on the TV. This Republic Day we celebrate our Constitution. We celebrate the diversity of our country, we celebrate the real meaning of words like equality, justice, liberty and fraternity and how these core values are holding us together as a nation.

When we celebrate Republic Day, we have to think seriously whether we are really happy and prosperous, whether all communities are dwelling in this country peacefully, but the present condition does not look so good.

Because when there is no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there is a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. We must hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives.

Over the past few months, we are going through phases of despair and helplessness because of constant news about growing inequalities in India, our freedoms being curtailed, and delays in justice.

And every time we need hope, we turn to the incredible people who are fighting to protect and celebrate our constitutional rights by organising sitins, flash mobs, campaigns and peaceful protests.

As the voices of protest on the streets get louder – and women and children (Contd.. on p. 4)

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(Contd.. from p. 3) join them across the cities and small towns of India in sits-ins and flash mobs to show their defiance against an unyielding government that insist on a Citizenship Amendment Act that nobody asked for, nobody wants – we hear the regime’s apologists demanding an open debate. At the same time they want the traitors – read CAA protesters – to be shot at sight.

What debate do they want? What debate is possible when non-violent protesters are abused, intimidated, beaten up and arrested?

Whether the government succeeds or not, one thing is clear. The man on the streets has refused to fall in line with the divisive agenda of the right. His wife is at the sit-in. his kids are missing school. His collage going daughter’s facing the baton and bullet. But he will not yield. And therein lies the regime’s challenge. How long can the government keep fighting its own citizens as the world watches India’s economy fall apart?

Our country is going through a difficult phase now; unfortunately, it is even worse than when the country was ruled by the British. At least they were more practical and grasped the situation of the nation. People are now afraid to talk as threats are the language of today’s majoritarian politics.

The general feeling is that there is no guarantee when one will be arrested and put in jail for no fault of one's own, which is very dangerous for a democratic country like India.

Will we be able to maintain our democracy or will we lose it by the infidelity and treachery of some of our own people? Will history repeat itself?

It is this thought which fills us the citizens with anxiety and makes us most anxious for the future. This anxiety is deepened by the realisation of the fact that in addition to our old enemies in the form of castes and creeds we are going to have many political parties with diverse and opposing political creeds.

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Will the Modi government place the country above their creed or will they place creed above country? But this much is certain that if the Modi government place creed above country, our constitution will be put in jeopardy and probably be lost for ever. This eventuality we the people are resolutely guarding against and are determined to defend our constitution with the last drop of our blood.

It is quite possible in a country like India that there is danger of democracy to retain its form but give place to dictatorship. In fact if there is a landslide, the danger of this possibility becoming actuality is much greater.

In the maintenance of democracy, John Stuart Mill says, not “to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with power which enable him to subvert their institutions”. There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men who have rendered life-long services to the country. But there are limits to gratefulness.

The Irish Patriot Daniel O’Connell says, no man can be grateful at the cost of his honour, no woman can be grateful at the cost of her chastity and no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty. This caution is far more necessary in the case of India than in the case of any other country. For in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or heroworship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.

We must not to be content with mere political democracy. We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well. Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy.

It means a way of life which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity as THE SECULAR CITIZEN

the principles of life. These principles of liberty, equality and fraternity are not to be treated as separate items in a trinity. They form a union of trinity in the sense that to divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy.

The sooner we realise that we are not as yet a nation in the social and psychological sense of the world, the better for us. For then only we shall realise the necessity of becoming a nation and seriously think of ways and means of realising the goal. The realisation of this goal is going to be very difficult – In India there are castes.

The castes are anti-national. In the first place because they bring about separation in social life and also because they generate jealousy and antipathy between caste and caste.

But we must overcome all these difficulties if we wish to become a nation in reality. For fraternity can be a fact only when there is a nation. Without fraternity, equality and liberty will be no deeper than coats of paint.

Democracy has thrown on us great responsibilities and the right wing government has lost the excuse of blaming the British, the past governments or the opposition for anything going wrong. If things go wrong, they will have nobody to blame except themselves. There is great danger of things going wrong. Times are fast changing.

People including our own are being moved by new ideologies. They are getting tired of Government by the people. They are prepared to have Governments for the people and are indifferent whether it is Government of the people and by the people.

If we wish to preserve the Constitution in which we have sought to enshrine the principle of Government of the people, for the people and by the people, let us resolve not to be tardy in the recognition of the evils that lie across our path and which induce people to prefer Government for the people to Government by the people, nor to be weak in our initiative to remove them.

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Solving the NRC conundrum!

archaic judicial laws

A motor-mouth BJP leader may have unwittingly solved the NRC conundrum by profiling people on the basis of their food habits. This method does away with the headache of cumbersome documentation. You will not be required to produce any proof of birth in India. You will not be required to disclose your religion. The only question you will be asked is: " What is your food preference?"

Every state in the country is known for its food speciality. Maharashtrians like misal pav; Gujaratis prefer Dhoklas; people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are partial to Biryani; Sikkimese swear by their momos; Goans relish fish-curry rice; if you have a weakness for rogan josh you are a Kashmiri and so on. But if you eat poha you are doomed, you'll be sent back to Bangladesh!

It is time that we overhaul our judicial system and revise our archaic laws to deliver speedy justice and punishment to persons convicted of heinous crimes. 7 year have passed since the Nirbhaya rape case sent shock waves across the country that triggered a public outrage calling for fast-tracking of the case and speedy hanging of the 6 rapists. All this seems to have been forgotten, because what we are witnessing today is a an endless charade of judgements, appeals and dismissals by various courts of the petitions of the 4 death –row convicts.

Unprecedented also was the petition in the supreme court challenging the rejection of the mercy plea of one of the convicted by the President, which the supreme court has dismissed. As of today then, It is still not known as to when the 4 convicted rapists will be hanged as the mercy pleas of 2 more have yet to be filed , and still more appeals and petitions to be heard.

—A. F. Nazareth Alto Porvorim

—Prof Robert Castellino Orlem

Dividing Game Today, India is being blatantly divided on the basis of religion. We citizens have never faced this kind of problem during the previous governments. Amit Shah and Narendra Modi are only dividing country on communal basis. Every citizen of India has the right to voice their opinion whether the duo likes it or not. They are traitors in their own nation, just like the Nazis of Germany.

— Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai

Overhaul our 10-16 February 2020

Whither Legislative Councils?

In the midst of the turmoil the nation is facing today on account of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), another disturbing development has taken place. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government passed a resolution to scrap the state Legislative Council.

Legislative Councils are part of the State Legislatures in just a few states in the country. One is given to understand that it is the prerogative of the THE SECULAR CITIZEN

state whether to have a Legislative Council in the first place. However, one needs to review the concept of the Legislative Councils or Vidhan Parishad,as it is called. The Legislative Councils in states, one is given to understand, are the equivalent of the Rajya Sabha at the Centre. And, the basic purpose of this second House is to act as a check on hasty or incorrect actions by the elected representatives in the Legislative Assembly. They are a like a watch guard.

In view of the AP government having passed a resolution for abolishing the state Assembly and also, looking at past instances of how Legislative Councils in some states have been abolished and reinstated later at will, it seems like Legislative Councils are insignificant and can be discarded like toys; a plaything! The main reasons for these actions being that, the Legislative Councils do not accept the views of the government and therefore they can be abolished. In the AP case, this step was taken as the (YSR) government failed to get two crucial bills passed in the Legislative Council. A case of high-handedness? So where do we stand? Whither Legislative Councils?

—Melville X. D’Souza - Orlem, Malad West

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(Contd.. from p. 2) only raised no objections but also advised Mother Aloysia on the procedure to be followed, adding that he himself as a member of the Senate would put in a word on her behalf. This heartened Mother Aloysia and she informed the Bishop of her intention of opening the Junior Intermediate class as a tentative measure in June 1920.

When George Fernandes was given the union heavy industries portfolio under Mr. Morarji Desai Government, he accepted only one, organized by the Catholic Association of Bombay with Cardinal Valerian Gracias as President, at the Cama hall Bombay, seen in the picture are the communities too Padma Vibh Bhushans one the UPA and the other NDA. Also seen in the picture is Mr Alex Shenoy, and Dr. Anthony J. F. Sequeira, CAB President (1976)and Vice president, all India catholic union (1977 -84).

Novena to St. Joseph Glorious St. Joseph, father-father and protector of Jesus Christ! To you I raise my heart and my hands to implore your powerful intercession. Please obtain for me from the kind Heart of Jesus the help and the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare. I ask particularly for the grace of a happy death and the special favor I now implore (name it).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel animated with confidence that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. V.: O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His name, R.: Hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.

Accordingly, the Junior intermediate class was opened on June 22, 1920 by the Bishop at St. Ann in the Garden House with the following subjects: Part I - English Part II Kannada, Malayalam, French Part III - Ancient and Modern History and Logic. There were 8 students on roll. Lecturers from St. Aloysius College offered their services.

In October 1920, the High School building at St. Agnes was sanctioned for use as temporary College. On January 29, 1921 the Madras University Commission inspected the proposed building and grounds of the College. On the 4th of March, the application for affiliation was placed before the Senate and it resolved to send it to the Government. The sanction finally arrived on April 14, 1921. It seems as though the geneses of St. Agnes College was a boon from God for the 83 years of educational efforts of the Apostolic Carmel. The College was formally inaugurated on 2nd July, 1921. The Eucharistic Sacrifice was celebrated in an improvised chapel by Rev. Fr. Prosperio S. J., Rector of St. Aloysius College.

Miss Violet Leeks, the Lady Principal, outlined the brief history of the foundation then known as St. Ann's College. Even after 100 years going by the glorious progress marches on and hopes to march on with the strong will of AC's and the Almighty for another century in to 3020 AD.

—D.J. Coelho 6

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10-16 February 2020

The Mahatma Continues to be

Murdered…!

J

anuary 30, will always remain etched in the memory of the people of India! It was on this fateful day in 1948, that Mahatma Gandhi, our beloved Father of the Nation, was brutally gunned down, as he was going for his evening prayer meeting at Birla House. That night in a voice choked with emotion, the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in an address to the nation said, “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere”. There could not have been words more accurate to reflect the pain, anguish and void that millions of people, both in India and across the world, felt at that ing, “Yeh lo azaadi” and police reports terrible moment of history. This year, reveal that the gunman’s social media posts indicate that ‘he wants on the anniversary of his to emulate Godse’, the asassassination, which is sassin of the Mahatma, there traditionally observed is cause for concern. When as ‘Martyrs Day’, as the a Union Minister provokes a nation remembered the crowd saying, “Desh ke gadMahatma, a large secdaron ko”, and the violent tion of the people of India crowd responds, “Goli maarhad this one sentiment in by fr. cedric Prakash on saalon ko” (What do the mind: The Mahatma consj protesters deserve? To be tinues to be murdered in shot dead!); when the Delhi India today!

Police legitimize these violent words Millions of women, men and children by giving ‘permission’ on 2 February to across the length and breadth of the a group to hold a rally at Jantar Mancountry are out on the streets, for the tar, in support of those words; when past several weeks! They hold hands ‘hinsa’ can be mainstreamed in such to form long human chains and are a blatant manner, will the doctrine of enveloped in silent prayer. They were Ahimsa stand the test of time? The singing songs of freedom and stag- Mahatma continues to be murdered in ing street plays. They read from the India today.

Constitution and deliver passionate speeches on the pluralistic and demo- That Nathuram Godse is being sugcratic framework of the country! Never gested as a national icon, is placing before since that fateful day in 1948, the country at an abysmal depth. A sehas the nation bonded so closely with nior member of the ruling party called one heart and one voice saying, “We Godse a ‘true’ patriot. Another memare the people of India”, but sadly ber wants to rename a city with the adding, “The Mahatma continues to assassin’s name; besides, some of the most powerful rulers of the counbe murdered in India today”. try, are shown paying homage to his When a man brandishes a gun on the statue. As a nation we have stooped protesting crowds and brazenly opens to a new and unthinkable low. The fire and injures a student, it reflects Mahatma continues to be murdered in much of what is happening in the India today. country today. Ahimsa (non-violence) was the corner stone of Gandhi’s phi- Satyagraha was the hallmark of the losophy of freedom and peace. So, Mahatma’s efforts to give India freewhen this gunman opens fire chant-

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dom from colonial rule. The historic Dandi Salt March of March 12, 1930 reverberated throughout the world.

At a time when social media and the television were not even in one’s wildest imagination, Gandhi believed that in order to attain one’s goals, people had to come out and protest, even if because of that struggle one would have to pay a price. Just as Swaraj was the birthright of every India, so was Satyagraha. In the end, it was this potent weapon, the force of truth and the ability to protest come what may, which brought the nation freedom. Today, as millions of Indians are protesting non-violently, every effort is being made to stop their protests, to stifle their voices, to detain and even arrest them, to fabricate false charges like sedition against them, and to even kill some of them. No one who protests is spared! The Mahatma continues to be murdered in India today.

Gandhi believed in dialogue. When those who were victims of violence and in pain like in Noakhali, Gandhi went and listened to the people, especially to the survivors. Interestingly enough, when Anna Hazare, a few years ago launched his campaign and protest against ‘corruption’ in the country, Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India, had the humility to send emissaries to listen to the protestors in order to find an amicable way out. Today however, a (Contd.. on p. 19)

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WHETHER YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN A FREE DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY?

W

by Eric D'Sa

e elect our representatives by voting once in 5 years. Unfortunately once we do so our representatives do not bother to check from time to time what their constituents have to say when fresh laws are being implemented. They vote as per the party whip which is used by one or two leaders on the top of the party pyramid. In a vibrant democracy, people participate politically, not only during but between elections.

Democracy is far more than a periodic ritual of exercising our franchise.

These days we are witnessing unprecedented public protests in India. Thousands continue to assemble on the streets to demand that the government rethink the Citizenship (Amendment) Act ( CAA ) and the National Register of Citizens ( NRC). Such public protests are the hallmark of a free, democratic society, whose logic demands that the voice of the people be heard by those in power and decisions be reached after proper discussion and consultation.

As Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has stated, Indians are inherently argumentative lot and our traditions of debate and discursive problem solving go back millennia. Not to say we as a nation do not have many problems that need discussions. Anyone who doubts this should have a chat with a random sample of young students from our universities. If eternal vigilance is the price to be paid for freedom, our millennials say they are ready for it.

For this, the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are necessary. Any arbitrary restraint on the exercise of such rights — for instance, imposing Section 144 — shows the inability of the government to tolerate dissent. It shows not the propensity of people to riot but rather the incapacity of the government to discuss, deliberate or listen. An unreasonable limitation on protest is an affront to the very people in whose name a government is allowed to temporarily govern for upto 5 years.

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One must be grateful to the courts in India for having reiterated that the right to protest is a fundamental right. An ordinary citizen who wants to find out what our Constitution has to say on the matter, may examine it and find that the word ‘protest’ is missing. He may read the relevant articles of the Constitution, particularly Article 19, which provides freedom of speech which is the right to express one's opinion freely without any fear through oral / written / electronic/ broadcasting / press.

For example, the right to free speech and expression may be taken to mean that everyone has a right to express their personal opinion on, say, a film, or on the condition of the city they inhabit; the

YOU THE CITIZENS DECIDE: right to associate to mean the right to form self-regulating clubs, professional associations or societies. The right of peaceful assembly means the right to have a picnic in a park or to participate in any religious festival which as a nation we have many. Important as these rights are, being aware that in authoritarian, illiberal states, even these rights are not guaranteed, this view is too narrow, because in a democracy each of these rights embodies active not passive citizenship.

They constitute our political freedoms.

The right to free speech and expression transforms into the right to freely express opinion on the conduct of the government. The right to association becomes the right to associate for political purposes — for instance, to collectively challenge government decisions and to even aim, peacefully and legally, to displace the government, to not merely check abuse of power but to wrest power. This is the basis of our multiparty system where Opposition parties are valuable adversaries, not enemies, and compete healthily for political power. We should not forget not too long ago this happened with the ‘I am Anna’ anti corTHE SECULAR CITIZEN

ruption movement.

Finally, the right to peaceably assemble allows political parties and citizenship bodies such as university-based student groups to question and object to acts of the government by demonstrations, agitations and public meetings, to launch sustained protest movements. In short, each of these rights has two interpretations. On the first, these are exercised largely by people for private purposes, free from government interference, in a classically liberal, non-political public space. On the second, rights are strongly associational, exercised to influence or gain power, and are therefore fundamentally political rights basic to a democratic society.

The constitution of any country gets its substance not just from the letter but from the historically distilled lived experience, referred to as its spirit. The second interpretation, therefore, flows directly from our own recent history. Undoubtedly, the background of the Indian Constitution is formed by its anti-colonial struggle, within which the seeds of a political public sphere and democratic Constitution were sown. The Indian people fought hard and long to publicly express their views on colonial policies and laws, to dissent from them, to shape minds and form public opinion against them, to speak to and against the government, to challenge it. People not only signed writ petitions but staged dharnas, held large public meetings, peaceful protests and demonstrations and even, for instance in Gandhi’s satyagraha, launched civil disobedience movements.

None of these are literally found in the Articles of the Constitution but are presupposed by it. That is why the Preamble states that India is a democratic republic. If the people of India before independence were not scared to peacefully protest publicly against a very powerful empire - may be the largest one the world has known that strode across the globe - should the Citizens of this country which is the largest democracy in the world today, be fearful to dissent against their own government?

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Democracy in India?

Ours is neither a fish or a flesh!!!

F

or centuries we had enough India has scored the with kings. Then came the Brit- lowest bottom in last ish. The East India Company 13 years’ record. How entered through business and acquire does the Global Index power to prolong their stay in India. Work? Their assessGiven the situation, our political fore- ment is based on five fathers had no choice but to set up a points: democratic outlook in here. Democ- The first point is the racy did not emerge in India but we election process. had, so to say, no choice but to accept Countless times in last democracy. Our leaders were aware of ten years the Electhis fact. tion Commission was

Democracy has succeeded blamed to be biased in the West for various reasons. Our and favouring the rulleaders were in touch with ing party.

England, France, Germany The second and America. Democracy point is, has yelled fruits there bethe governcause people are more or ment’s rulless educated and welling party. aware there. Ours is not so.

The second Here most of the masses point is, are highly ignorant and unthe governeducated. Here, people eas- by Ignatius Dabhi ment’s ruling Sr. Journalist ily believe that in everyone’s style.

The account can have fifteen third point is, lacs their credit. Masses more easily the ruling party’s spirit believe that in everyone’s account can of partnership. The have fifteen lacs in their credit. Masses P M and B J P chief more easily stomach such a bluff here are often heard saythan in the West. And we have such ing “Congress-less leaders who know well enough how India”, which means to take the maximum advantage of the ruling party does our people’s ignorance and simplicity. not want any oppoSuch a royal bluff can never be accept- sition! They prefer ed by the Western masses. Secondly, to rule unopposed... Because of its most of the masses in the West come crushing majority, the B J P wished to from the same stock. It is not so here. rule unopposed. Most of the ministers Pluracity of the Indian Sub continent’s are accused of arrogance and autosociety is fundamentally based on the cratic attitude. The leader in the West four castes. Gaps between the rich is respected.. over here the leader is and the poor, gaps arising from vari- feared. Can this be called democratic? ous castes and creed, gaps between Fourthly, social freedom. Most of the the educated and uneducated masses Opposition leaders have often said are so wide that a political system like that present government is vindictive democracy fails - miserably fails - to and destroying social freedom. This is unite them. undemocratic and anti-people. Fifthly,

The International Economist political culture. Public issues are ighas in its latest report published a well nored, burning problems are sidestudied declaration that of 165 demo- lined, society is divided... Basing its cratic countries, India from its 10th observation on these five major issues stand tumbled down to 51 position. the organisation judges how demo-

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cratic a country is.... INDIA IS GIVEN 51 RANKING. THIS IS THE LOWEST IN THE LAST 13 YEARS......

This so-called democratic outfit has failed the people of India.

Corruption has deeply penetrated in our system. Power-drunk politicians ignore the masses after the election.. farm sector is marginalized...... lacs of educated youths are jobless..... The Constitution is grossly violated.... religious fanatics are protected, elected and promoted....

This secular citizen sincerely wishes god Lord’s interaction to protect, pro tote and prolong democracy in India.

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27th All-Religion Prayer & Get-Together Ladislaus L D’Souza, PC

“T

he backdrop proclaims that ‘we are here in the name of one God’!

Do we really believe that?” asked Father [Dr] Frazer Mascarenhas, SJ in his Keynote Address at the 27th InterFaith Meet held at the National College Auditorium, Bandra, on 30 January 2020. The audience, evidently comprising of people from all walks of life and of various faith persuasions and age groups but naturally erupted with a resounding “YES”! But Father Frazer, a former Principal of Mumbai’s premium college, Saint Xavier’s at Dhobitalao, was quick to point out that “we are here in the name of various gods and all gods, each a manifestation of the one God in different forms!” Father Frazer, a gutsy man of principles, who has known to have stood up to bullies of every hue, challenged his listeners to work towards an authentic, valid experience of God by looking beyond ourselves and nature for that oneness of God that makes for a sense of unity with Him! This he pointed out is possible only by striving to understand and relish the richness of the Scriptures and traditions of the many religions coexisting in India. A deeply spiritual man, he brought out the essence of this striving very effectively by pointing out how the Indian Armed Forces, comprising as they do of individuals of various faiths, unitedly protect EACH and ALL of us, with a Muslim heading the Sikh Regiment, an Anglo-Indian heading the Jat Regiment and so on. “It is consoling to realize that the person standing next to me is willing to stand in the line of fire to protect me regardless of our respective religions,” said Father Frazer whose long stint at Xavier’s saw the institution achieve university status.

He led the participants to see how the reality of the Divine can be learnt from one another at the grassroots of human reality, making for a better future for all.

He insisted that with the world on the brink of a disaster on account of pollution apart from all that is negative in the human psyche, no person of any single religion as such can claim to be able to save the environment. We each need

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the other to encourage the achievement of unity in diversity by together pledging to hold high the sentiments of the day’s event!

Dr [Mrs] Anjum Ara MK Ahmad, InCharge Principal of Rizvi College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Bandra, pinpointed poverty as being a major concern.

She bemoaned the fact that despite being so rich in terms of cultural diversity, India was ridden with injustice of every kind, not to speak of the marginalization of minorities. Dr Anjum, who was awarded the Indo-Global Exemplary Educationist Award in 2018, felt that if the country was to truly benefit in every way, all groups in the country need to be involved in its development, with government guaranteeing the rule of law, promoting inclusiveness, and ensuring full citizenship and equal rights.

Shobha Didi, Head of the Brahma Kumaris, Bandra & Khar Centres, and the Chief Guest for the Meet, was effusive in the expression of her sentiments concerning the annual Inter-Faith meet organized by the Daughters of Saint Paul, BUILD, Bandra Hindu Association & NSS Unit, R.D. & S.H. National College & S.W.A. Science College, staunchly supported by other educational institutions of repute. She averred that the objective of such an event can be realized only by each and everyone across the spectrum pledging sincerity in maintainTHE SECULAR CITIZEN

ing the country’s multi-religious yet secular character.

The Meet formally opened with a Reading from the Holy Bible that brought out the importance of love in all our relationships as Indians. The prayers from Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and others brought out succinctly the relevance of the Meet itself. Several innovative presentations dwelt on the need for both retaining and strengthening the country’s social fabric by way of weeding out all divisive tendencies that periodically crop their ugly heads.

The one person who came in fulsome praise for the unstinted effort that has seen the All-Religion Prayer Meet in its 27th year was Sister [Dr] Pauline Chakkalakkal, DSP. Greatly respected for her contribution to society, she was felicitated with a framed LETTER OF APPRECIATION by Dr Neha Jagtiani, Principal of National College of Arts & Science. One of the points emphasized

by Sister Pauline during her Welcome Address was taking pride in the rich heritage that we celebrate amidst the prevailing “Unity in Diversity”. The very purpose of this annual exercise is to create awareness of the fact that we, from differing religious backgrounds, come together as children of one God to cherish our oneness as citizens of a multicultural nation, India!

10-16 February 2020

Unemployment, Society’s Greatest Scourge “BBC o ho BBC! BBC stands for many, many things!

BBC o ho BBC! Bombay Bekaar-khao Company!”

That was a ditty some of us picked up when growing up as kids, without of course then knowing what it all meant!

In time I was to realize the connection between the words of these lines to unemployment (and not to the British broadcasting giant!) which I presume was as acute then as it is today and were put together as a hint for the unemployed though able-bodied local bully who had a wife, kids, and a secure roof over his head, not to speak of the luxuries of life that came his way as dowry! If truth be told, the bumpkin never, ever worked for a living!

Individual dimension – This dimension concerns two types of individuals, the first being the one who sincerely wants to work but can’t find suitable employment, and the other, the one who lacks the will to work. However, this dimension is often overshadowed by the family dimension as we shall see below.

Family dimension – Strangely, the weirdness of the Indian psyche whereby certain men are virtually encouraged, even goaded on,to refrain from making due effort to earn their livelihood is something not many understand. Amazingly, certain communities in India consider a boy-child born after the birth of three girl-children as ‘lucky’, the truth of whether he is lucky for himself or for the family being there for all to see! As for a girl born after the birth of three Unemployment - biggest male-children? Unlucky to evil of every age! say the least! And boy! Such It is a well researched fact a girl is made to experience that unemployment is conthat supposed ‘un-luck’ rathnected with negative health er rudely. Considered a bad consequences, leading as by Ladislaus L omen, she is ill-treated to the D’Souza it does to stress-related core, often denied the benefits illnesses and a lowered enjoyed by the male children, self-esteem as a result of unmet psy- deprived of basic nourishment and chological and social needs in such education, even as she is considered contexts as: time structure, social a workhorse of sorts, a maid to boot. interaction, personal goals, status, Now, take the case of Simon who was identity andsocietal recognition on the born after the birth of three daughone hand and uncertainty about the ters. Spoilt to the hilt by his mother, future, financial instability, and loss of sisters and aunts, to the point of letvocational identity on the other. This ting him get away with just about anyexplains why questions of coping be- thing – not excluding murder! - he took come key issues. school for granted, passing through each standard merely because of the Jane Addams of Hull-House fame teachers’ familiarity with the family and the first American woman Nobel through an aunt who was a teacher.

Laureate [Peace Prize 1931] says: As luck would have it, he managed to “Of all the aspects of social mis- pass through his SSC Boards by the ery nothing is as heartbreaking as skin of his teeth. Piquantly, hardly had unemployment.”Incidentally, the ugly he begun to show signs of feeling like head of unemployment has three di- the UK’s Prince of Wales, there came mensions that need to be taken seri- along three younger sisters who were ous note of: the individual dimension, made to treat him like a king of sorts the family dimension, and the social by the parents. So while Simon got in dimension. and out of jobs, just for the fun of it

as he’d himself say, his elder sisters would pamper him silly,unabashedly calling him baba even in adulthood, and not letting him exert or strain himself, even as the younger ones literally hung on to every senseless word he blabbered and doing his bidding like there was to be no tomorrow! If at all an elder sister complained over anything concerning him, the parents would tersely tell all the three elder girls: “He is your only brother – don’t grumble! If you get married and lose your husband you can easily get a replacement! But if you lose a brother, you can never get another!” As for the younger daughters: “He is your elder brother – you must do whatever he tells you.”

In time baba-Simon married a working girl brought to him by an elder sister while he himself had no qualms about remaining jobless, and had babies which were also, in time, looked after by an elder sister, while yet another sister would buy him the latest cameras [which he has never used till date!], mobiles, smartphones, tablets and what not, each of which cost a fortune! For his part, he’d whine about others not knowing how to run a business or bring up children, even if such whining meant biting the hand that fed him! Finally, when an elder sister, on retirement started a small enterprise in his name, it was she who would spend her retirement going over to the office regularly to work her butt off in order to keep baba’schoola burning while he stayed home practically throughout the month with an excuse of some health problem or the other.

For her part, she’d often pretend her ‘boss’ was so kind-hearted as to permit her to report to work a little late on certain days! One does hear of dolls’ house played by siblings being limited to ‘bride-&-groom’ and ‘mama-dada’; but playing boss-and-employee was something novel! And as though to justify her action, she once cited her parents extracting a promise from her (Contd.. on p. 15)

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World Marriage Day!

World Marriage Day is an observance sponsored by American Organization Worldwide Marriage Encounter, associated with the Catholic Marriage Encounter movement. It is observed on the Second Sunday of February (This year on 09 February 2020).

World marriage Day honors husband and wife as the foundation of the family, which is a basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily married life!

Definition: Marriage also referred to as Matrimony, which is a culturally recognized union between a man and a woman only. In other words, a wedding! It establishes rights and obligations between married couples, as well as between them and their children, and between them and their in-laws. Typically, it is an institution in which their interpersonal relationships, usually ‘sexual’ are acknowledged or sanctioned.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also declares that men and woman of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, and its dissolution.

Also, marriage shall be entered into, only with the free and full consent of

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the intending spouses. (Article 16:98).

Rights of Marriage: Sir Edmund Ronald Leach (07 Nov.1910 – 06 Jan. 1986), British social anthropologist, in a 1955 article in Man, argued that no one definition of marriage applied to all cultures. But He offered a list of “Ten Rights”: 1. To establish a legal father of a woman’s children.

2. To establish a legal mother to a man’s children.

3. To give the husband a monopoly in a wife’s sexuality.

4. To give the wife a monopoly in a husband’s sexuality.

5. To give the husband partial or monopolistic rights to the wife’s domestic and other labor services.

6. Similar rights to the wife also.

7. To give the husband partial or total control over property belonging or potentially accruing to the wife.

8. Similar control to the wife also.

9. To establish a joint fund of property – a partnership for the benefit of the children of a legitimate marriage.

10. To establish a socially significant ‘relationship of affinity’ between husband and his wife’s brothers.

Further Rights and Obligations: A marriage bestows rights and obligations on the married persons, and sometimes also on the relatives as well. These may include, depending on jurisdiction: *Giving one spouse control over the other spouse’s labor and other services, both inside and outside the family, for their mutual benefits. *Giving one spouse responsibility for the other’s debts. *Giving one spouse visitation rights when the other is confined or hospitalized. *Giving one spouse control over the other’s affairs when the other is debilitated.

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*Establishing the second ‘legal guardian’ of a parent’s child. *Establishing a ‘joint fund of property’ for the benefit of their children. *Establishing a relationship between the families of the spouses.

The Catholic Tradition: (The nos. in brackets pertains to the article in the CCC or Catechism of the Catholic Church. It defines marriage as a ‘Sacrament’ ordained by God (216); signifying the mystical union or marriage between the Bridegroom Christ and His Bride the Church (228).

The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish themselves, is a partnership towards the ‘whole of life’; and by its very nature ordered towards the good of the spouses, and the procreation and the education of children. This covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a Sacrament! This mutual love between a husband and wife becomes an image of the eternal love with which God loves humankind (229). He blessed them, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).

The Catholic Church, along with other Christian traditions, adheres to the noble principal set forth by Jesus Christ in Matthew19:6 – That married spouses who have consummated their marriage, “are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate”. The Apostle Paul unfolds this spirituality: “This is a great mystery, and I mean it is a reference to Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32).

The 1983 Code of Canon Law confirms that the essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility!

In Christian marriage they acquire a distinctive holiness and firmness by reason of it being a Sacrament! The Letter to the Hebrews clarifies: “Let the marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers” (13:4).

—Dr. Hazel Colaso, Bandra (W), Mumbai.

10-16 February 2020

A 26-yr-old Tamil man is challenging beggary Naveen Kumar, a 26-yearold Assistant Professor at JKKN College of Engineering and Technology, Komarapalayam, leads the Atchayam Trust, which has over 400 volunteers and is now present in around 18 districts across Tamil Nadu.

Beggars are very common on Indian streets and public places. Often, when approached by one, we do one of two thing – ignore them or give them some money so that they leave us alone. But, this doesn’t solve the problem of their situation and India’s rising number of poor. And that’s what Naveen Kumar, 26, Founder of Atchayam Trust, thinks too.

Since 2014, Naveen’s trust has successfully counselled over 4,300 beggars and rehabilitated 424 of them. In 2019 alone, he helped rehabilitate 104 beggars. The trust has a presence across 18 districts in Tamil Nadu and is run by more than 400 volunteers. Speaking to a web portal, Naveen said, "My main motto is to create a beggar-free India. To achieve this, the first step is to not encourage beggars by giving money. Rather, people should offer them employment opportunities, food, clothes and get them into a home for social security.” Naveen, an Assistant Professor at JKKN College of Engineering and Technology, Komarapalayam, manages his full-time job at the college and looks after the trust as well.

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For him, providing beggars with a new chance of life is the main priority.

Coming from an impoverished background himself, he understands the struggles needed to make ends meet. Naveen decided to try to change the lives of beggars after he discovered that a beggar had bought alcohol with the money he had been given. Naveen’s first rehabilitation project was to empower 60-year-old Rajasekar, who lost his family in a car accident and lost all his IDs too.

It wasn’t an easy task to get him a job without an ID, but Naveen found a watchman’s role for him at a children’s home with the help of a friend.

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Since then, Naveen has helped many by distributing clothes, cleaning kits, food, and medical care to the people.

The trust offers baths, haircuts or shaves, which is done by the nursing team. After, they are categorised into 19 categories, based on which every beggar is sent to an old-age home or a rehabilitation centre.

For Naveen, the next aim is to start Atchayam's own beggar rehabilitation home.

In Tamil literature "Manimekalai," Atchayam translates to 'the divine vessel of inexhaustible food.' Staying true to the name and ethos of his NGO, Naveen aims to be an inexhaustible resource to the destitute, to give them the basic privilege of a dignified life.

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Famous Indian chillies INDIAN FOODS ARE incomplete without chillies in their recipes. But did you know India has almost ten types of chillies spread all across the states?

Javla Cutlets

Indian foods are incomplete without chilies in their spices.

They benefit the digestive tracts, promote healthy heart, relieve joint pains, promote weight loss, mitigate migraine, reduce cancer risk, prevents allergies. Here are the eight most popular chillies found in India: Guntur chilli, Andhra Pradesh : Andhra Pradesh is known for its spicy dishes and the credit goes to Guntur chillies, from Guntur district of the state.

Guntur is the main producer and exporter of most varieties of chilies and chilli powder from India to countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Middle East, South Korea, USA and Latin America.

Kashmiri chillies, Kashmir : As the name suggests, this chilli is found in Kashmir and is the most sought after red chilli in India for its colour. An Indian kitchen is incomplete without Kashmiri mirch powder as this adds the colour to the mouth-watering dishes every households cooks. This chilly is less hotter or pungent, as compared to the other variants.

Jwala chilli, Gujarat : This chilli also known as finger hot pepper, is primarily grown in Kheda, Mehsana and southern parts of Gujarat. Although its green initially, once it matures it turns red in colour. This chilli is easily available in market throughout the year and very pungent in flavour.

Kanthari chilli, Kerala : This chilli is grown in Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

It is also known as bird eye chilli of Kerala and becomes white when matures. It adds heat and lends good flavour.

Byadagi chilli, Karnataka : It is a famous variety of chilli, mainly grown in Karnataka.

It is named after the town of Bydagi, which is located in the Haveri district of Karnataka. KByadagi chilli is similar to paprika.

Bhut jolokia, North East India : Also known as ‘ghost pepper’. Bhut jolokia is certified as the hottest chilly in the world in the Guinness Book in 2007. It is an interspecific hybrid (of Capsicum Chinese and Capsicum frutscens) chilli pepper cultivated in North Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. Bhut jolokia is used as a food and a spice, popularly in combination with meat or dried or fermented fish.

Ramnad mundu or gundu, Tamil Nadu : Almost spherical in shape, this chilli has a very shiny skin and is orange red in colour, grown in the Ramnad district of Tamil Nadu. This chilly is particularly used to add flavour to the Chettinad cuisine.

Dhani, Manipur : This chilli is grown in Manipur and is easily available in Kolkata. Known for its strong pungent smell and heat, it is blood

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Ingredients: 2 cups fresh galmo (javla) 2 medium-size onions, finely chopped 3-4 green chilies, finely chopped 3-4 sprigs of coriander leaves, finely chopped 1 small tomato, finely chopped 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 3 tsp meat masala 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1 cup rice flour Juice of one lemon Salt to taste Method: 1. Wash and clean the galmo (javla).

2. Keep it to drain in a sieve.

3. De-seed the tomato and chop it fine.

4. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

5. Use only 1/2 cup rice flour first, then add as required.

6. Squeeze the lemon juice in the mixture.

7. Add salt to taste.

8. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.

9. Now take the mixture and form patties on your palm.

10. In a frying pan, add enough oil and fry the patties on low flame.

11. Don’t be in a hurry. Let it cook well

by Jubel D’Cruz on one side then turn on the other side and cook till done.

12. It should turn nice and crispy with a nice crust.

13. Serve your cutlets as a starter or as a main course. red in colour.

BENEFITS OF CONSUMING GREEN CHILLIES : • Green chillies come with zero calories. In fact, they speed up one’s metabolism as much as 50 percent for up to three hours after eating.

• Green chillies are loaded with antioxidants, that protect the body against free radicals by acting as natural scavengers. Green chillies can also keep prostate problems at bay.

• Green chillies also exert a number of beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system.

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10-16 February 2020

(Contd.. from p. 11) in a dream to look after their ‘baba’ – not to mention his wife and family! Parental glorification of unemployment at its best!

Add to this the tradition of family property going only to the only son of the family and you know how deeply ingrained is the BBC culture in baba’s psyche. Needless to say, unless the parents of the family grow out of the cocoon of their psyche, ‘baba’ will remain a permanent member of BBC, adding in no mean measure to the rate of unemployment prevalent in the country!

Another case that merits analysis is that of Lavira and Regno. Marriage for him came with a 1-bedroom flat as dowry. Within a year of the grand affair that the wedding was, Regno lost interest in working and casually gave up his job while Lavira continued working and even bore Regno two sons.

As if in keeping with the sentiments of the Biblical saying, “Like mother, like daughter” (Ezek 16:44), both sons took after their father. While the elder son joined the BBC after having worked for less than a year after graduation, the younger son simply refused to study beyond Standard X, embracing with open arms the prospects of remaining jobless the rest of his life with the BBC! Post retirement, Lavira soon got a job but Regno dear prevented her from taking up the offer on the grounds that if she continued in employment, the sons would refuse to work. To cut a long story short, the family is now a jobless foursome, surviving on Lavira’s pension.

Social dimension - The famous counsel given by Polonius to his son, Laertes, in Act-I, Scene-III of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, before embarking on a visit to Paris,was: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend.”

Apparently, Delize was all out to prove the veracity of the opposite of this phrase as is evident from the fact that after the birth of three children, hubby Carlos decided to opt for voluntary re-

10-16 February 2020

tirement, confident that the sum that would come in following such a step was steep enough to last a life time of growth for the entire family. But the lavish kind of lifestyle that the family led ensured that the kitty was soon empty, necessitating the distress sale of their 2 bedroom apartment, with her shifting to her mother’s with the kids and he into a wood-and-tin room a few miles away. It wasn’t long before penury ensured that “borrowing” was the name of the new game Delize had taken to playing with gusto! And the reasons for the act cut across all sense of reasoning – from illness, no groceries, short of onions and potatoes, school fees to be paid, bills pending, to booze to be bought for Mister Bekaarkhao’s birthday party, with reasons for not returning ranging from ‘no money has come in yet, so how am I to return your money?’ to ‘Arrey - come on yaar! Where am I running away and where is your money running away?’

‘But your borrowings have totalled 97,000 rupees already!’ ‘Only? What is 97,000 rupees, men! You give me another three thousand and round off the figure to one lac. And I’ll give you the full amount when my Petula sends me money for looking after her children whom I’m feeding fukat here!’ No prizes for guessing that Petula herself came in with a begging bowl for family alms.

The remedy…

Can one imagine the effect of such an attitude on society per se? Time, society in general woke up from its slumber and the Church, for her part, fully seized of the situation, voiced its concern from the Pulpit in an attempt to change mindsets and to thus ensure that no Catholic per se remains unemployed, adding to the misery of family and society alike but, rather, strives for probity in family and public life alike!

Time indeed families, unlike their uneducated counterparts of yesteryears, woke up to honest reasoning being the only deciding factor in ridding both family and country life of the scourge of unemployment.

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China bans Christian funerals as new rules take effect Christian funerals have been banned in some areas of China as the communist government begins to enforce a set of repressive regulations on religious practices.

In the eastern province of Zhejiang, the government has put in force a set of Regulations on Centralized Funeral Arrangement, which bans priests from attending funeral prayers outside a religious place.

The government claims the new rules aim to “get rid of bad funeral customs and establish a scientific, civilized and economical way of funerals.”

“Clerical personnel are not allowed to participate in funerals” at homes and “no more than 10 family members of the deceased are allowed to read scriptures or sing hymns in a low voice," the rules state.

The new rules began to take effect recently, although enacted on Dec. 1, said a Catholic in Wenzhou Diocese in Zhejiang.

The regulations strictly ban “religious activities outside religious places, so the priest will not be able to hold funeral prayers outside the church,” he told UCA News.

"It has been oppressed to this extent.

I only do what I should do, otherwise I cannot face God," Father Guo said.

"They don’t let me be a priest. If they don’t let me go to church, I’ll just go underground. Anyway, the church on the ground is now oppressed no differently from the underground. Be restrained."

"The government now requires society to simplify funerals. The funeral ceremonies held by our church are simple, do not burn paper, and do not pollute the environment,” he said.

China has banned funerals, burials and other related activities involving the corpses of deceased victims of the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan in Hubei province.

—UCA News

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Muslims can hv 4 wives....

Christians can hv 16 !!!

Two little boys were sitting together in a church during a wedding ceremony.

As the couple said “I do”, one of the boys leaned over to the other and asked, “How many wives can a man have?”

The second boy looked at his friend like he was an idiot and replied, “He can have 16 wives.”

“How do you know that?” the first boy asked.

“Weren’t you listening? The priest just said it : four better, four worse, four richer, and four poorer”.

*****

Santa : My wife’s birthday is in the next week and you know what she has started leaving magazines lying around with jewellery advertisements circled.

Banta : Wow! What have you planned to gift her?

Santa : I have understood the hint! I am planning to gift her magazine rack.

*****

Two boys were so disorderly in school that their teacher ordered them to remain after school hours and write their names 500 time. Some 15 mins later one of them burst out in anger and sorrow and between soba said, “This ain’t fair his name is Sam and my name is Gulshandeep”.

*****

Teacher : People celebrate Thanksgiving Day in USA. Don’t you think In-

*****

page dia should start celebrating the same?

Student : No! In India people first reject the gift and in no time accept it an says, “Iski koi jaroorat nahi thi”

***** Height of attitude

An old man’s t-shirt had words: “I am not 60, I am 18 with 42 years of experience.”

*****

Sam : I love her so much Raj : She’s just 14 and you are 28 Sam : Age is just a number Raj : And jail is just a room

*****

I was in a cab today and the cab driver said, “I love my job, I’m my own boss.

Nobody tells me what to do.” Then I said, “Turn Left.”

*****

Son : Give me money for gym Mom : Will you become John Cena by going to the gym?

Son : Am I becoming Einstein by going to school?

*****

Kids : I love walking in rain so that no one can see my tears.

Adults : I love walking in the fog so that no one can see that I am smoking.

Legend : I love walking, because prices of petrol and diesel are skyrocketing.

*****

Graham Alexander Bell : I used to study under a candle William Shakespeare : I used to study under street light Mr Bean : What did you guys do during the daytime?

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Love is one long sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock.

***** At the pub with wife

Random girl : Hey handsome, can I have your number?

Me : Hey, I’m with my wife, please don’t disturb me. I’ve told you this 9047125563 times.

*****

If we shouldn’t eat at night, why do they put a light in the fridge?

*****

Wife : If you keep losing your hair at this speed, I shall divorce you.

Husband : Oh my God! And I was stupid enough trying to save them!

*****

Banta reading newspaper news : Indian athlete lost gold medal in long jump.

Banta comments : Idiot! Who told him to wear gold medal while jumping!

*****

Doctor : Madam, your husband needs rest and peace so here are some sleeping pills.

Wife : Doc, when should I give them to him?

Doctor : They are for you!

*****

Husband throwing knives on wifes picture. All were missing the target!

Suddenly he received call from her “Hi, what are you doing?” HIs honest reply, “Missing you”

***** Plastic surgery

Wait for me honey, I’m just finishing my make-up You don’t need makeup, Jane. Oh, Richard.... Really? That is so sweet of you! You need plastic surgery.

10-16 February 2020

The Silver Anklet Short Story Father seldom believed in anything, least of all in mother. It was only natural when mother said her small family of two boys and I, the only daughter, would never starve, father would roar with laughter.

Mother always said she possessed the entire fortune of her great family.

A few years later mother died from giving child-birth. A month went by and one morning I was given her wealth, as stated in her will, a silver anklet.

Being the eldest the lot of my two brothers fell on my shoulders, since father took to drinking. I loved my brothers and did all I could to help them.

Late, one evening father stormed into the house and demanded I give him the silver anklet. I had to refuse. Life at home was becoming unbearable; more so, for the boys. I decided to dress them up, bundled together a few of my saris and around midnight we slipped out of the house. Father was asleep on the verandah quite intoxicated.

but full of very nice people. I asked for work and that my brothers be given food and shelter. It was immediately granted.

The husband and wife had an only son, called Raj, who was my age. Raj and I became good friends. He was always worried about me and did most of my work for me. Then one day he said a strange thing: I don’t think your mother was being, he said seriously.

“Here, let me see that anklet,” Raj insisted. I showed it to him. It seemed as if he were trying to weigh it in the palm of his hand. Then he began to twist it about and to note the intricate patterns on the anklet.

“What are you looking for?” I asked, tossing back my long black hair. ”Your mother’s forWe fled , the three of us, across the hard and blis- By Melvyn Brown tune,” he replied, “Anyway, there’s no secret inscription on tered fields of paddy, still it”, he blurted, adding. “Let me thirsting for the long awaited rains. I keep this was a day”. would miss the farm, the work and the friends I had made. What mattered most The next day Raj ran up to me and to me was the welfare of my young swung me around with his strong arms. I brothers . Perhaps, I thought out aloud, caught my breath for one brief moment. our going away might change father.

Personally, I longed to see the day when “Look what I found when I discovered he would pull himself together – be the how to open it. The inside of the anklet kind of man he was when mother lived. was hollow.” He explained.

Her sudden death seemed to have unsaddled him. He had turned worse than Unbelieving, I saw the glitter of the diamonds and precious rubies wedged inthe village tramp. side the anklet. “Mother was right, after Our going away meant nothing to father. all”. I gasped.

I forgave him. He had lost all sense of values when mother passed away. He “Well, where will you go now – you’re a had loved her very dearly. I can still pic- rich woman?” Raj asked me with a warm ture his face as mother moved about the smile. house attending to us and the same time talking with him.

“Back home to father – to help him get My brothers and I walked the whole of that fateful night and by daybreak we came upon a farm smaller than our own,

10-16 February 2020

back on his feet, and start a new life,” I said, unruffled. There were my two brothers to think about and Raj. THE SECULAR CITIZEN

Honouring Love Sometimes I get disturbed by the so-called 'sanskari' people who have issues with Valentine’s Day celebrations without even understanding what it stands for. One of those so-called sanskari persons, who tried to create ill-feelings about this day, is actually in jail now on charges of rape.

True love does not require extreme levels of Public Display of Affection (PDA) which sometimes go over the top now-a-days (and are often faked). But Valentine’s Day actually honors a true 'sanskari'; it honors a man who stood by his validity of marriage during times when casual sex was often happening in the Roman Empire.

It was during the time of the Roman Empire that a certain Caesar (common name for the dynasty) felt that men who got married became effeminate and did not want to fight.

He felt that those feelings made men mushy headed and incapable of being warriors. He commanded that none of his soldiers should get married during service. He also said that you 'need not get married to have sex'. Every soldier was given legal rights to choose any woman he desired and he could have sex with her. There were no restrictions on the number of women the men wanted.

Valentine was a Christian priest who did not approve of this. He quietly allowed the soldiers to get married and blessed their marriages.

The Emperor heard about this and had Valentine executed for treason.

Valentine’s Day thus honors the sacredness of marriage and the place for true love is in marriage.

In honor of his heroic death, the Pope declared that February 14th would thenceforth commemorate the soft-hearted St. Valentine. Today, Valentine’s Day has become an iconic day for celebrating love and spending a lot of money on various gifts for our loved ones.

— Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai

17

Reflecting On Lord’s Prayer Have you heard the name of Dag Hammarskjold? Dag was the second Secretary General of the United Nations’ Organization (UNO). He was universally known and admired peacemaker. He died in a tragic plane crash at Zambia, Africa while he was on a peace mission.

prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer. In the Mass prayer I often introduce it, “Let us pray The Lord’s Prayer which Jesus taught us as the model of all our prayers”. So much so, St Augustine said about The Lord’s Prayer “What we ought to pray for is in The Lord’s Prayer; what is not in it, we ought not to pray for.” I repeat St Augustine’s words, “What we ought to pray for is in The Lord’s Prayer; what is not in it, we ought not to pray for.”

Dag Hammarskjold has had no declared religion. But he was responsi- The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer of ble for building a Meditation Room at love. We are praying to a loving and UN. People say that the UN Secretary caring God. So our prayer is a prayer General often prayed and meditated of surrender. William Barclay says rightly that The Lord’s Prayer on the Lord’s Prayer in the is a prayer of a disciple. The Meditation Room of UN. As a Lord’s Prayer is one which proof we have his ‘Markings’, Jesus taught his disciples to his journal published after his pray. In Mathew The Lord’s death. In the ‘Markings’ there Prayer is part of the Sermon are several references to the on the Mount. Here Jesus is Lord’s Prayer, the Our Fadirectly addressing his selectther. One of the most moving ed twelve and other disciples. by Fr. Varghese references reads, “Hallowed In Luke, seeing Jesus praying, Paul, SJ be Thy name, not mine, Thy one of his disciples asks JeKingdom come, not mine, Thy sus, “Lord, teach us to pray”. will be done, not mine”! This example is enough to identify Dag Anyone can recite the Lord’s Prayer; Hammarskjold as a disciple, a fol- but only a disciple can really and lower of Jesus, in fact, as an unknown meaningfully pray ‘The Lord’s Prayer’.

Christian.

For ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ means first of The Lord’s Prayer, dear to the heart of Dag Hammarskjold, has been in the news recently. According to some news reports, in ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ Pope Francis has changed a phrase “Lead us not into temptation” into “Do not let us fall into temptation”. The change in the phrase is significant. It means to say that, God is not responsible to lead us into temptation; but we are responsible if we fall into temptation. So we pray in the new version of The Lord’s Prayer “Do not let us fall into temptation”.

When we meditate or pray The Lord’s Prayer, we realize that it is a complete

18

all recognizing God as God, that is our heavenly Father or Father in heaven.

And secondly the disciple himself/ herself has surrendered and acknowledged God as his/her Saviour. William Barclay says, “Only on the lips of a disciple has the prayer its full meaning”. One has to be a disciple of Jesus to know the meaning and the implication of each word of The Lord’s Prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer has two parts. In the first part the first three petitions deal with God and his glory. In the second part we pray for our needs and necessities.

“Our Father who are in heaven Hallowed be thy name - THE SECULAR CITIZEN

- Thy Kingdom come, - Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.”

Then we present our personal needs, - “Give us this day our daily bread - Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us - And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”

We can see the marvelous unity of the whole Lord’s Prayer. First, we acknowledge God, his supremacy and then only we turn to ourselves and our needs. When God is given his due important place in our lives, then everything else in our lives falls into their proper places.

Jesus has taught us to call God “Our Father”, not “My Father”. Only Jesus can say in its true sense “My Father”.

When Jesus was baptized by John, “he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and alighting on him. Then a voice said from heaven, ‘This is my own dear Son, with him I am pleased’”.

In Mark and Luke the voice is directly addressed to Jesus. “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.”

Jesus has such a respect for his Father that he uses the word ‘Father’ rarely. As William Barclay points out, “In Mark’s gospel Jesus call God ‘Fa(Contd.. on p. 19)

10-16 February 2020

(Contd.. from p. 18) ther’ only six times, and never outside the circle of the disciples”. In the first gospel Mathew refers to God as ‘Father’ a few more times than Mark. But in Luke’s gospel the Evangelist refers to God as ‘Father’ fewer times than Mark! But we have many more times reference to God as ‘Father’ in John’s gospel. In the Farewell Address to his disciples Jesus refers to God as my Father several times.

When we call God as Our Father we acknowledge our relationship not only with God but also with ourselves and our fellow men and women, in fact, with the whole universe. We are the children of one Father, whose only begotten Son is Jesus. So we are all brothers (and sisters) of Jesus. We cannot use the word Father cheaply.

It calls for reverence and adoration.

Jesus makes it clear to teaching us to call God as heavenly Father or Father in heaven. So while we invoke ‘Our Father in heaven’ we acknowledge God’s holiness and power.

As William Barclay says, In Lord’s Prayer we bring the whole of God to our lives and our whole life to God’s presence. So I tell people that the Good Lord always hears my prayers and grand it to me without fail. For, I know I am praying to God in the light of my present and past experiences; but I am praying to a Gracious God, the Father who knows not only my past and present but also my future.

So I can put my full trust in God, the Father and pray sincerely. And God in his love and kindness always grand me what I ask for in prayer or better than what I have asked! So I end my prayer always saying, “Thy will be done”.

As you can see, the Lord’s Prayer is a serious prayer. It is not to be recited lightly. It calls for commitment. It calls for submission. It calls for our surrender to God’s will. It is a commitment, a submission, a surrender, which makes us free as the children of God. Can we pray like Dag Hammarskjold, “Hallowed be Thy name, not mine, Thy Kingdom come, not mine, Thy will be done, not mine”!

10-16 February 2020

(Contd.. from p. 7) scandalous arrogance seems to have got hold of the ruling class. They are certainly not interested in listening or dialoguing with the protestors. On the other hand, every effort is being made to portray the protestors as ‘anti-nationals’ or people who have been ‘bought-up’ in order to protest. The Mahatma continues to be murdered in India today.

The Constitution of India is the only sacred book of the Indian people. The constituent assembly represented India’s pluralism, intellectual brilliance and visionary leadership. They gave the people a Constitution that represented the very best of India’s secular and democratic framework. In the Sabarmati Ashram which he founded, Gandhi had one overarching philosophy and spirituality – Ishwar Allah tere naam, sab ko sanmati de bhagwaan.

He was inspired by John Henry Newman’s quest for truth in the soul-stirring prayer, Lead Kindly Light. One of his favourite hymns was Abide with Me, which was almost dropped from this year’s ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony. In a cruel but systematic manner, the wealth of India’s pluralism and the sanctity of the Constitution is being destroyed. The Mahatma continues to be murdered in India today.

Freedom to preach, practise and propagate one’s religion is a great gift given to the people of India, whilst maintaining the secular credentials of the country. However now, in a highly manipulative way, religion is being used to divide people and even to discriminate against them. In Gandhi’s Ashram, everyone found a home in keeping with the Indian tradition of Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family), a phrase which exists in the ‘Maha Upanishad’ and the ‘Rig Veda’. It is also engraved in the entrance hall of the Parliament of India. In a very calculated and devious manner, a large section of India’s population is made to feel unwanted and excluded only because of the faith they profess. Citizenship to illegal immigrants is sought to be conferred, not because of the fact that THE SECULAR CITIZEN

they have fled another country because of persecution, but on the basis of the ‘religion’ they profess. The Mahatma continues to be murdered in India today.

Gandhi also believed that freedom of speech and expression is fundamental for the healthy growth and progress of any nation. He refused to stay silent. He wrote and he spoke.

For him, communicating the truth was essential in his quest for liberty. The tragedy today is that hate speeches and lies have gained preponderance.

Powerful people from the ruling regime revel in such dirt! So when a comedian dared to take on in full public view, one who spews venom and falsehood all the time, it is the comedian who is punished with a fiat from a minister of the government, even if the ‘act’ happened to be on a private airline and that both parties were private citizens. Ironically enough, when government ministers and officials display even worse behaviour in public, they get away without even a reprimand. The Mahatma continues to be murdered in India today.

The ‘Mahatma’ is ultimately the soul of India, the soul of every citizen, the soul that has been born in the lives of millions of our country women and men and who continue to yearn for the cherished values of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, so emphatically enunciated in the Preamble of our Constitution. The soul which sees its aspirations emblazoned on our national emblem, Satyameva Jayate (Truth Triumphs). A soul which sings the national anthem in full gusto and in unison, as the tricolor fluttering above is devoutly saluted! A soul which is in deep anguish, witnessing in great pain, how the Mahatma continues to be murdered in India today; but above all, the soul who with unflinching courage decides that the time to stop this murder is NOW! *(Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights & peace activist/writer.

Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com)

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Royal Christian Family MATRIMONIALS 7032. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in November 1977), Ht. 5’ 6”, Wt. 72 kgs, Fair Complexion, Edn. Degree in Electronics and Telecommunications, working as Telecom Engineer. Contact email : franky54@rediffmail.com 6531. POONA : Tamilian Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in May 1975), Ht. 6’, Fair Complexion, Handsome, Edn. M.Com., Having well established business. Contact email : tony137@rediffmail.com 7028. ABUDHABI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in September 1985), Ht. 5’ 6”, Wt. 65 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. Diploma in Mechancial Engineer, working as a Stores Officer in Shipping Company. Contact email : pjmpraveen@gmail.com 7026. AMERICA : Goan Roman Catholic Divorcee, (Born in March 1977), Ht. 5’ 10”, Wt. 72 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com., working as a Manager. Contact email : aydenoneil@gmail.com 7025. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in May 1992), Ht. 5’ 8”, Wt. 56 kgs, Fair

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lorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in June 1988), Ht. 5’ 11”, Wt. 80 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. M.C.A., Software Engineer, working as an Software Engineer, Asst.

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Complexion, Edn. B.E. (IT), working as a Software Developer. Contact email : kevin92ster@gmail.com 6707 Mumbai : Goan RC bachelor, (Born in June 1975), Ht. 5’ 10”, Wt. 70 kgs, Fair Complexion, Edn. B.Sc., having own business. Seeks a Family oriented girl. Contact email : maxabreo@yahoo.com / maxabreo@vsnl.net 7024. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in April 1980), Ht. 5’ 9”, Wt. 65 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. SSC / Diploma in Electricals, Having own Business. Contact email : jeny22_m@yahoo.co.in 6250. MUMBAI : East Indian Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in January 1974), Ht.5’ 8”, Wt. 76 kgs, Wheatish C o m p l e x i o n , E d n . B . A . , w o r king as a Manager. Contact email : cardoz.clint@gmail.com OR 9833563182 6994. AUSTRALIA : Mangalorean Roman Catholic divorcee, (Born in April 1959), Ht. 5’ 11”, Wt. 80 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. Dip. ITI Course, working as a Technician. Contact email : ninearies21@gmail.com 6996. MUMBAI : Tamilian Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in September 1990), Ht. 5’ 5”, Wt. 75 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. BMS., M.Com., MBA in Marketing, working for L & T Infotech. Contact email : rodnidavid@gmail.com 6991. MANGALORE : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in July 1984), Ht. 170 cms, Wt. 65 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. Engineering, working as a Electrician Contracter. Contact email : priya.tellis5@gmail.com 7017. MUMBAI : Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in March 1981), Ht. 5’ 8”, Wt. 67 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. MBA working as a Administror.

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Contact email : matheanil@gmail.com 6973. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in June 1989), Ht. 5’ 10”, Wt. 80 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Sc., Nautical Science, working as 2nd Officer in Merchant Ships. Contact email : meltondsouza@gmail.com 7039. M UMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Bachelor, Handicap - slight Scoliosis - taking treatment, spine slightly curved. (Born in September 1976), Ht. 5’ 4”, Wt. 45 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.A. Computer Prog. / Hair Designer, Having own business. Contact email : reginarodrigues634@gmail.com 6986. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in March 1990), Ht. 160 cms, Wt. 66 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. Graduate, working for MNC. Contact email :alwyn90lewis@yahoo.com 7019. MUMBAI : Tamilian Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in June 1981), Ht. 5’ 6”, Wt. 60 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com., working as a Customer Services. Contact email : dasvinod1@gmail.com 7004. MUMBAI : Tamilian Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in August 1988), Ht. 5’ 7”, Wt. 90 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.E. (Inst.) MBA, working as a Sales Engineer. Contact email : amarian1988@gmail.com OR 9967657806 7007. AUSTRALIA : Goan Roman Catholic Bachelor, (Born in September 1977), Ht. 5’ 8”, Wt.72 kgs, Fair Complexion, Edn. B.Com., MBA in Aviation. working as a Froud Analist Banking in Australia. Contact email : gerald-white@hotmail.com

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Royal Christian Family MATRIMONIALS 7086. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, (Born in March 1991), Ht. 5’ 8”, Wt. 62 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. 12th + Hotel Management Graduateion. working as a Developer Manager in Insurance Company. Contact email : samanireena05@gmail.com 6868 CANADA : Goan Roman Catholic Spinster, (Born in January 1992), Ht. 5’ 4”, Wt. Medium, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. M.A., HR Toronto and International Business Management Toronto. Only U.S. and Candian Citizens from good family background apply. Contact email : sugarlog2009@hotmail.com 7085. MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, (Born in January 1989), Ht. 5’ 5”, Wt. 47 kgs, Fair Complexion, Edn. MCA. working as a Banking service professional in private sector. Contact email : dorinbaretto27@gmail.com 7080. MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Spinster, (Born in July 1991), 5’ 5”, Wt. 78 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. M.Com., working as an Accountant. Contact email : fernandesronita25@gmail.com 7078. USA : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, (Born in September 1992), 5’ 6”, Wt. 65 kgs, Brownish Complexion, Edn. B.E. Mumbai, MS Newyork, working as a Consulltant.

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Contact : email : apoline_ubi@yahoo.co.in 7056. MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Spinster, (Born in December 1988), Ht. 4’ 11”, Wt. 51 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. MBA in HR, working HR Field. Contact email : nancyfernandes9@gmail.com

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21

' Other priorities needed ' With reference to Dr. Hazel Colaso's letter titled : India's Priorities ! in The Secular Citizen dated 3 February 2020 other priorities needed are the direct election and not the indirect election of the mayor as planned and the direct election of the deputy mayor and the sheriff and deputy sheriff for the municipalities and direct and not indirect election sarpanch for the villages as planned .

The pension paid to people jailed during the emergency must not be scrapped as planned .

E - bikes for BKC which do not require a licence are a good idea but their battery must be recharged by a dynamo and it is better if three wheeler E- bikes ie E-bikes with two front wheels are promoted as they are more stable than two wheeler E-bikes and that they have luminous strips pasted on their body so that they be easily seen at night by other vehicle drivers and pedestrians and a separate lane must be created for them to prevent accidents and both the rider and pillion rider must wear crash helmets for their safety.

But it would be even better if modern fast moving vestibulated/ two joint airconditioned compartment trams with powerful air blowers and exhaust fans as a back

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up for ventilation and a fire extinguisher for safety sake in each compartment and a high speed motor on each wheel and a back up motor which are powered by a third electric rail and back up solar powered batteries with back up batteries or generators to power the tram in case of an electric failure or short circuit .

The tram must run along a fixed barricaded route and passengers must enter and exit it in a disciplined manner ie in a single file from double doors at tram stations .

The recent introduction of the Central Railway local AC train is a good idea but it must have back up air blowers and exhaust fans and a back up solar battery with a back up battery or generator or third electric rails to help power it in case of an electric power failure ,short circuit or snapping of overhead wires and fire extinguishers in all compartments and high speed motors with back up motors on each wheel to help increase its speed and it must be subsidized to reduce the train fare and a double decker local train which is a long standing demand and which must be AC must be introduced so that train commuters can travel pleasantly and comfortably and safely rather than like in animal like conditions at present.

Double doors must be introduced so that train commuters so enter and exit it in a single file in a disciplined manner at all stations and fully refundable non photo ID passes and flat fare tickets must be introduced to help boost local train travel.

These then are the other priorities needed.

—Peter Castellino

David & Company Rivendell House, 1st Floor, 650, J. S. S. Road, 2nd Dhobitalao Lane, Mumbai 400002

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' Curb church burglaries and eucharist desecrations ' With reference to Ivan Saldanha ShTHE SECULAR CITIZEN

et's article titled : Church in Karnataka burgled - Eucharist desecrated in The Secular Citizen dated 3 February 2020 hidden CC cameras and buzzers and burglar alarms and fire alarms must installed through out the length and breadth of the church and the church area and connected to the nearest police station and fire exchange .

Fire extinguishers and fire hoses and fire balls must also be kept to deal with fires and short circuits and in addition to this there must be a fire room to store extra back up fire equipment and fire drills must be conducted regularly.

Churches must install an inward opening door at church entrances for parishioners to enter and exit the church one by one in a single disciplined line and church offices must have money safes for storing church money and church offerings with number code openers and burglar alarms attached to them and electronic doors to prevent burglaries from taking place and all church documents must be stored in duplicate to ensure that they are kept safe and secure and cheques issued by the church must have a cheque safe ie a very thin cellophane / tape placed over the cheque figure to curb cheque tampering and the church guards / security must have photo ID cards and must have guns/ rifles to help deal with violent burglars.

The very fact that the St Francis Assisi Catholic Church, Kengeri was desecrated means that the person who did so as well as committed the burglary was a communal person and a burglar .

In these ways we can and must curb church burglaries and eucharist desecrations.

—Peter Castellino

Jack of All Stall Reliable House for Religious Goods Gloria Church Bldg., 263, Dr. Ambedkar Rd., Byculla, Mumbai - 400027

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Keep Mosqueitos Away Use Medicated Mosquito Net for an Undisterbed Sound Sleep

• Medicated mosquito net.

• You can wash 20 times.

• You can use for 3-5 years.

• Manufactured as per WHOPES specification.

• No smell, no taste, any one can use.

• Available in Single & Double size -small, Medium and Large size.

• Safe for All. • Provides long lasting protection against mosquitos and other insects.

Sleep Naturally no coil, no liquid, no chemical sprays only medicated mosquito net. use it for years

For Orders: Call: 091 - 9820485389 WhatsApp: 091 - 9820485389 Email : secular@sezariworld.com Printed, Published, Edited and Owned by Lawrence Coelho, Printed at Plascote Industries, 23, Municipal Industrial Estate, K.K. Marg, Jacob Circle, Mumbai - 400 011 and Published from 99/101, Perin Nariman Street, 1st Floor, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001. Editor : Lawrence Coelho.