OBITUARY - THE LATE MRS. RAYMOND D'SA.
On behalf of myself, my wife and my children, I deeply mourn the sad death of Mary D'Sa - beloved wife of Mr. Raymond D'Sa, the President of Goan Overseas Association and an Executive Body Member of the then Novem Goem Pratishthan Kuwait Somiti - today in the morning at her residence in Kuwait.
May Her Soul Rest In Peace and may the Heavenly God give courage to Raymond D'Sa and his children to bear this colossal loss.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
August 20, 2008
August 19, 2008
EXCELLENT JAMAICANS IN OLYMPICS.
EXCELLENT JAMAICANS IN LYMPICS.
Excellent performance by Jamaican Usain Bolt in 100 metres in the current Olympics at Beijing. With the advantage of perfect start and with horse’s stamina, he easily cruised to the finishing line in the most memorable race in the history of Olympics. His long strides with quick succession gave an added advantage to his already victory confident self. His age 21 is an appropriate time to attain the required climax in such a great race. At this young age to rule the world in sprint is a marvelous achievement for this young man coming from also a young country. It is really an admirable feat for a small nation to produce such a big athlete.
I have seen on TV and movies yesteryear athletes especially sprinters but never I saw a sprinter cruising to the final line in 100 metres with such an ease and confidence as Bolt has done. Normally 100 metres race result looks like photo finish but defeating all his rivals with more than 5 metres lead is an excellent achievement. Such leads you don’t see in sprints but Bolt made it happen because of his superlative sprinting qualities. I saw the former great sprinters like Owens, Heines, Johnson, Powell and Lewis running to the victory with great finish but Bolt was unique in the sense that inspite of winning he still had reserve, I mean abundant reserve power and energy in his body to complete another 100 metres even without going to the podium to receive his gold medal for the already won race.
If Bolt maintains the same level of practice and body conditioning then I don’t think this 100 metres gold medal will escape from his strides in the next Olympics at London. One of the reasons for his great achievement was that he graduated into running 100 metres from 200 metres. By acclimatizing into running a bigger race in the beginning one can easily accumulate his energy and burst it into victory in the smaller race. This is what has happened to Bolt though lot of other factors especially his genes, methods of practice, diet and body conditioning had to be taken into consideration. 100 meters in any Olympics is considered as the most valuable and prized victory since this race creates fastest human being on this planet. I am happy that during my lifetime I saw such a fantastic runner and sprinter. And with the passing of time and with improved and more scientific methods of training, I am sure the now clocked timing 9.67 seconds of Bolt could be still lowered, possibly by Bolt himself because a few metres from finishing line he slowed down taking victory for granted. Otherwise, the clicked timing of 9.67 seconds would have been still lowered by him only and in this race only.
At the time of his starting the race my tense mood took me back to my younger days in Goa when I too was the champion 100 metres runner of Goa being individual athletics champion, 100 metres was my forte in addition to 200 and 400. At the age of 16 at All Goa Interschool Athletics Meet I ran 100 metres in 11 seconds without any assistance of qualified and professional coach and ruled Goa in this item. Originally my forte was 400 metres but gradually I shifted to 100 metres which I found more palatable. During those days the facilities were few and rewards were not commercial. In today’s world athletics victories give you not only name and fame but more than that lifelong commercial benefits. Jamaica though not a thickly populated country with one billion people like India yet within the available manpower resources by providing them best of facilities it created world champions. Jamaica though not an atomic nor an industrial giant yet in sporting field it produced more power than some of the atomic and industrial powers. I applaud this nation for nurturing the physical wealth of its youth. It is a good lesson for huge countries in size and population like India to learn some lessons from Jamaica. Jamaica may be just like any of the States in India in size and population but yet it overpowered India in every department of the Olympics. Countries like India lagging in this area must send it experts and trainees to Jamaica to learn the methods and system used by them and get benefits from them.
In women sprints too Jamaica conquered the world by producing not only one fastest woman in the world but three since all the first three places were captured by them. What a marvellou achievement. Out of 8 finalists, 4 were from Jamaica. It is unbelievable feat. Kudos to them.
What is the use of having such a big population in India if it cannot produce world class athletes and world beaters? By fully concetrating on Maharajas' game Cricket we will never be able to achieve anything in the globalised sports. Our training methods are faulty and not advanced. Our training methods and equipments do not create base for us to reach to the top of the world. And our officials overseeing this area are fully corrupt. Politics of regionalism, casteism, communalism and secterianism are taking precedence over everything. At Beijing Olympics India sent only 57 athlethes but to take care of this small number India sent 42 officials. What a mockery of exchequer money?
Indian sports will never develop to compete at world level and India will never be able to rule the world in sports though India is having all potentials in its manpower. Only our politicians should desist from interering in sports. Sport is totally a different field and once a politician integrates into this field, there is bound to be cracks in the sporting arena. Involvement in running Indian Cricket by Sharad Pawar from Bombay and Narvenkar from Goa both most corrupt politicians in India will surely degrade the greatness of Cricket in India. They have both corrupted the politics in their areas. Active politicians should not be allowed to participate in running the sports in India as it is happening in India today and because of them India is not going up. Politicians have their own ulterior motives to fulfill and everything comes secondary for them. If first time India failed to participate in Hockey in Olympics this time at Beijing then it was only because of too much politicalisation of Hockey on and off the field by the administrators due to their petty politcs. It is a shame for a country having one billion people and not being able to create a dent in Olympics. As an Indian I am ashamed but our Sports administrators and the political rulers of our country are not and they will never either because they are shameless.
.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
Excellent performance by Jamaican Usain Bolt in 100 metres in the current Olympics at Beijing. With the advantage of perfect start and with horse’s stamina, he easily cruised to the finishing line in the most memorable race in the history of Olympics. His long strides with quick succession gave an added advantage to his already victory confident self. His age 21 is an appropriate time to attain the required climax in such a great race. At this young age to rule the world in sprint is a marvelous achievement for this young man coming from also a young country. It is really an admirable feat for a small nation to produce such a big athlete.
I have seen on TV and movies yesteryear athletes especially sprinters but never I saw a sprinter cruising to the final line in 100 metres with such an ease and confidence as Bolt has done. Normally 100 metres race result looks like photo finish but defeating all his rivals with more than 5 metres lead is an excellent achievement. Such leads you don’t see in sprints but Bolt made it happen because of his superlative sprinting qualities. I saw the former great sprinters like Owens, Heines, Johnson, Powell and Lewis running to the victory with great finish but Bolt was unique in the sense that inspite of winning he still had reserve, I mean abundant reserve power and energy in his body to complete another 100 metres even without going to the podium to receive his gold medal for the already won race.
If Bolt maintains the same level of practice and body conditioning then I don’t think this 100 metres gold medal will escape from his strides in the next Olympics at London. One of the reasons for his great achievement was that he graduated into running 100 metres from 200 metres. By acclimatizing into running a bigger race in the beginning one can easily accumulate his energy and burst it into victory in the smaller race. This is what has happened to Bolt though lot of other factors especially his genes, methods of practice, diet and body conditioning had to be taken into consideration. 100 meters in any Olympics is considered as the most valuable and prized victory since this race creates fastest human being on this planet. I am happy that during my lifetime I saw such a fantastic runner and sprinter. And with the passing of time and with improved and more scientific methods of training, I am sure the now clocked timing 9.67 seconds of Bolt could be still lowered, possibly by Bolt himself because a few metres from finishing line he slowed down taking victory for granted. Otherwise, the clicked timing of 9.67 seconds would have been still lowered by him only and in this race only.
At the time of his starting the race my tense mood took me back to my younger days in Goa when I too was the champion 100 metres runner of Goa being individual athletics champion, 100 metres was my forte in addition to 200 and 400. At the age of 16 at All Goa Interschool Athletics Meet I ran 100 metres in 11 seconds without any assistance of qualified and professional coach and ruled Goa in this item. Originally my forte was 400 metres but gradually I shifted to 100 metres which I found more palatable. During those days the facilities were few and rewards were not commercial. In today’s world athletics victories give you not only name and fame but more than that lifelong commercial benefits. Jamaica though not a thickly populated country with one billion people like India yet within the available manpower resources by providing them best of facilities it created world champions. Jamaica though not an atomic nor an industrial giant yet in sporting field it produced more power than some of the atomic and industrial powers. I applaud this nation for nurturing the physical wealth of its youth. It is a good lesson for huge countries in size and population like India to learn some lessons from Jamaica. Jamaica may be just like any of the States in India in size and population but yet it overpowered India in every department of the Olympics. Countries like India lagging in this area must send it experts and trainees to Jamaica to learn the methods and system used by them and get benefits from them.
In women sprints too Jamaica conquered the world by producing not only one fastest woman in the world but three since all the first three places were captured by them. What a marvellou achievement. Out of 8 finalists, 4 were from Jamaica. It is unbelievable feat. Kudos to them.
What is the use of having such a big population in India if it cannot produce world class athletes and world beaters? By fully concetrating on Maharajas' game Cricket we will never be able to achieve anything in the globalised sports. Our training methods are faulty and not advanced. Our training methods and equipments do not create base for us to reach to the top of the world. And our officials overseeing this area are fully corrupt. Politics of regionalism, casteism, communalism and secterianism are taking precedence over everything. At Beijing Olympics India sent only 57 athlethes but to take care of this small number India sent 42 officials. What a mockery of exchequer money?
Indian sports will never develop to compete at world level and India will never be able to rule the world in sports though India is having all potentials in its manpower. Only our politicians should desist from interering in sports. Sport is totally a different field and once a politician integrates into this field, there is bound to be cracks in the sporting arena. Involvement in running Indian Cricket by Sharad Pawar from Bombay and Narvenkar from Goa both most corrupt politicians in India will surely degrade the greatness of Cricket in India. They have both corrupted the politics in their areas. Active politicians should not be allowed to participate in running the sports in India as it is happening in India today and because of them India is not going up. Politicians have their own ulterior motives to fulfill and everything comes secondary for them. If first time India failed to participate in Hockey in Olympics this time at Beijing then it was only because of too much politicalisation of Hockey on and off the field by the administrators due to their petty politcs. It is a shame for a country having one billion people and not being able to create a dent in Olympics. As an Indian I am ashamed but our Sports administrators and the political rulers of our country are not and they will never either because they are shameless.
.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
August 17, 2008
LABOUR UNREST IN KUWAIT.
LABOUR UNREST IN KUWAIT.
The following write-up of mine appeared in the local Kuwait Times yesterday dated 16.08.08. I am now reproducing the same in this forum.
AVF.
"During these days and since last month’s problem of expatriate Bangladeshi Cleaners in Kuwait, lot of stories are in circulation saying that even innocent Bangladeshis were unnecessarily arrested and without any justification were deported. One of the innocent deportees as per information was a Bangladeshi Bakala owner having no link with any striking Cleaners. For his bad luck just because he was watching from close angle the striking demonstrators, he was arrested. Worst part of the whole scenario was that he was not even allowed to call his family in Kuwait to make them aware of his arrest.
This reminds me of the incident taken place exactly 18 years back in Kuwait. Early in the morning in Kuwait City on 2nd August when expatriates were going to work they were suddenly stopped at gun point by the Iraqi military soldiers, got them arrested and put them in the garden as prisoners opposite to Kuwait Sheraton Hotel. All who were thus arrested were kept there in the hot sun and later on many of them were taken to Basrah where they were kept a few days in a very horrible condition. Some of these arrestees were just in their boiler suits. While in detention they were not even allowed to call their family members in Kuwait to inform them of their unwarranted arrest. From Basrah they were taken to Baghdad and from there they were sent back to their countries in their dirty, torn and miserable clothes as if they were criminals.
Performing of this type of inhuman attitude was okay for inhuman personnel from Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s regime but definitely not for Kuwaiti personnel. I resent this type of uncultured attitude in any human beings. It brings bad name to the human species which was created by God with highest degree of pleasure. 18 years back when Iraqi personnel treated Kuwaitis badly in inhuman ways we condemned them in highest terms. How can we accept similar attitude from Kuwaiti personnel who were not like Iraqi brute invaders? Something basically has gone wrong somewhere which brings bad name to the security personnel and also to the security apparatus of Kuwait. What image these poor Bangladeshi Cleaners and other expatriates will carry home when they bid adieu to this country from where they earn their sustenance? Will they talk of gratitude for earning their sustenance in Kuwait or will they talk of hatred for Kuwaitis for treating them inhumanly by some inhuman Kuwaitis who are responsible for damaging the reputation of Kuwait?
The recent strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi Cleaners were not the first in Kuwait. The early expatriates in Kuwait from my home place in India were telling so many stories of mid fifties of how they were witnessing Strikes at KOC Centre under the British when the Asian manpower were victimized on the basis of the colour of their skin. These Asians especially Indians and Pakistanis were discriminated by the top British management in the matter of salaries and other facilities including poor food facilities provided to the non-whites. Even integration between whites and non-whites by decree was forbidden thereby giving an apartheid colour to the whole system. And on certain occasions when the victimized staff of KOC protested, the very next day they were sacked from their jobs and deported back home to their countries without any proper investigation.
The first major labour strike and demonstration in Kuwait took place in mid seventies, somewhere in 1978. One Indian construction company was awarded the major contracts to build Seif Palace and other works at Ardiya. It was a big project and when the management found wanting in many respects, the Indian contractual manpower started demonstration and strike against their management leading into all round chaos including stoppage of work. This resulted in the local authorities to reprimand the top management of the Indian construction firm. During the demonstration some Indian workers trying to act aggressive were not only sacked from their jobs but were also deported. Hence, to cool down the situation, Indian Government of Janata Party deputed it’s the then Industries Minister George Fernades who after preliminary discussion with the concerned parties local as well as Indian, rushed to the Amiri Palace and met with the late Amir of Kuwait and melted the whole boiling situation to the satisfaction of the concerned parties.
Where Indian diplomacy then succeeded the Bangladeshi diplomacy now failed. It is a pity to see now Bangladeshis in general are looked down with suspicion from all angles. Even the law abiding and innocent Bangladeshis are looked with suspicion. Is it the result of their revolt against the injustice meted out to them by the hard core management of Cleaning companies? While they were made to suffer, can others with right frames of mind remain as silent spectators? Is it not right to raise one’s voice against the injustice committed on the innocents? Is it not our religious duty to fight against the injustice done on poor people? When Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was once asked when there will be justice in this world, came the reply within a split of a second saying “when everyone of us will gather courage to fight against the injustice committed on to others as if that injustice is committed on to us only, then only there will be justice in this world”.
Many segments of expatriates are suffering in Kuwait. They are made victims of injustice either by the defective prevailing system or by their own expatriate superiors who think they can do anything with the backing of the prevailing law. The lust for Dinar is creating monster in many of us. We have to raise our voice against the injustice the way we raised our voice in unison when Iraq committed injustice against Kuwait 18 years back.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait. "
The following write-up of mine appeared in the local Kuwait Times yesterday dated 16.08.08. I am now reproducing the same in this forum.
AVF.
"During these days and since last month’s problem of expatriate Bangladeshi Cleaners in Kuwait, lot of stories are in circulation saying that even innocent Bangladeshis were unnecessarily arrested and without any justification were deported. One of the innocent deportees as per information was a Bangladeshi Bakala owner having no link with any striking Cleaners. For his bad luck just because he was watching from close angle the striking demonstrators, he was arrested. Worst part of the whole scenario was that he was not even allowed to call his family in Kuwait to make them aware of his arrest.
This reminds me of the incident taken place exactly 18 years back in Kuwait. Early in the morning in Kuwait City on 2nd August when expatriates were going to work they were suddenly stopped at gun point by the Iraqi military soldiers, got them arrested and put them in the garden as prisoners opposite to Kuwait Sheraton Hotel. All who were thus arrested were kept there in the hot sun and later on many of them were taken to Basrah where they were kept a few days in a very horrible condition. Some of these arrestees were just in their boiler suits. While in detention they were not even allowed to call their family members in Kuwait to inform them of their unwarranted arrest. From Basrah they were taken to Baghdad and from there they were sent back to their countries in their dirty, torn and miserable clothes as if they were criminals.
Performing of this type of inhuman attitude was okay for inhuman personnel from Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s regime but definitely not for Kuwaiti personnel. I resent this type of uncultured attitude in any human beings. It brings bad name to the human species which was created by God with highest degree of pleasure. 18 years back when Iraqi personnel treated Kuwaitis badly in inhuman ways we condemned them in highest terms. How can we accept similar attitude from Kuwaiti personnel who were not like Iraqi brute invaders? Something basically has gone wrong somewhere which brings bad name to the security personnel and also to the security apparatus of Kuwait. What image these poor Bangladeshi Cleaners and other expatriates will carry home when they bid adieu to this country from where they earn their sustenance? Will they talk of gratitude for earning their sustenance in Kuwait or will they talk of hatred for Kuwaitis for treating them inhumanly by some inhuman Kuwaitis who are responsible for damaging the reputation of Kuwait?
The recent strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi Cleaners were not the first in Kuwait. The early expatriates in Kuwait from my home place in India were telling so many stories of mid fifties of how they were witnessing Strikes at KOC Centre under the British when the Asian manpower were victimized on the basis of the colour of their skin. These Asians especially Indians and Pakistanis were discriminated by the top British management in the matter of salaries and other facilities including poor food facilities provided to the non-whites. Even integration between whites and non-whites by decree was forbidden thereby giving an apartheid colour to the whole system. And on certain occasions when the victimized staff of KOC protested, the very next day they were sacked from their jobs and deported back home to their countries without any proper investigation.
The first major labour strike and demonstration in Kuwait took place in mid seventies, somewhere in 1978. One Indian construction company was awarded the major contracts to build Seif Palace and other works at Ardiya. It was a big project and when the management found wanting in many respects, the Indian contractual manpower started demonstration and strike against their management leading into all round chaos including stoppage of work. This resulted in the local authorities to reprimand the top management of the Indian construction firm. During the demonstration some Indian workers trying to act aggressive were not only sacked from their jobs but were also deported. Hence, to cool down the situation, Indian Government of Janata Party deputed it’s the then Industries Minister George Fernades who after preliminary discussion with the concerned parties local as well as Indian, rushed to the Amiri Palace and met with the late Amir of Kuwait and melted the whole boiling situation to the satisfaction of the concerned parties.
Where Indian diplomacy then succeeded the Bangladeshi diplomacy now failed. It is a pity to see now Bangladeshis in general are looked down with suspicion from all angles. Even the law abiding and innocent Bangladeshis are looked with suspicion. Is it the result of their revolt against the injustice meted out to them by the hard core management of Cleaning companies? While they were made to suffer, can others with right frames of mind remain as silent spectators? Is it not right to raise one’s voice against the injustice committed on the innocents? Is it not our religious duty to fight against the injustice done on poor people? When Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was once asked when there will be justice in this world, came the reply within a split of a second saying “when everyone of us will gather courage to fight against the injustice committed on to others as if that injustice is committed on to us only, then only there will be justice in this world”.
Many segments of expatriates are suffering in Kuwait. They are made victims of injustice either by the defective prevailing system or by their own expatriate superiors who think they can do anything with the backing of the prevailing law. The lust for Dinar is creating monster in many of us. We have to raise our voice against the injustice the way we raised our voice in unison when Iraq committed injustice against Kuwait 18 years back.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait. "
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