MyVoice: Views of our readers 23rd December 2021

Put Indian emblem, not PM's picture on vax certificate

While dismissing the plea to remove the Prime Minister's photograph from the vaccination certificate, the Kerala HC Judge observed that the petition was politically motivated and frivolous. The judge went on to say that "100 crore people do not have any issue with this, so why do you? '' and further added citizens need not be ashamed to carry a vaccination certificate with the PM's photograph with a moral boosting message "Together, India will defeat COVID-19."

I think the Judge seems to have overlooked the fact that no one is objecting to the message and are proud of our Prime Minister. However, any official certificate issued by the government to citizens, only the Government of India emblem should find a place as Prime Ministers may change but Bharat (India) much above whoever occupies the office. Also, if the judge feels that the PM's photograph in the vaccination certificate is moral boosting, why is his photograph without a mask also a component of the message which he has been conveying to the people.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

Any medical advice needs to be backed up by scientific research

Apropos Dr Suravajjula's Moot Point titled, "That great Indian food and medicine dilemmas' (THI, Dec 22). From the medical point of view, it is well-known that the red meat is dangerous when compared to other nonveg sources and veg proteins are far better than nonveg sources. Usually, doctors refer to dieticians for specialised or NIN protocol diet while for diet restrictions in their speciality they adivise accordingly.

Modern medicine has an advantage over others in vogue by dint of advanced research and setting aside prejudices. Allopathy has done yeomen service to Covid field also and vaccines have been doing their might as well, barring a few failures due to other factors like co-morbidities and above all to circumvent the fast-emerging mutations of the dreaded virus medicine needs emerging trends. Any remedy is ok but needs to be proven by scientific research and Allopathy is outstanding in that aspect.

Dr T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam.

II

Dr Ramu Suravajjula's Moot Point, "The great Indian food and medicine dilemmas" (Hans, December 22) is very interesting and the food items like rice, 'Avakaya' and other Andhra pickles mentioned therein reminds the four to five decades back younger days. Venna (butter), ghee and 'pappu noone' (white sesame/gingelly oil) were also part of our daily menu.

There were dialogues and poems in Telugu cinemas on 'gongura pachhadi' (roselle/hemp) without which food is incomplete. 'Chaddiannam' mixed with butter milk and soaked with a few leaves of citron or lemon on the previous night used to be the morning breakfast and all were healthy. Those days have gone into history. Any menu we take today has a negative effect. Our elders used to treat any disease with 'populapetti' items which come under Ayurveda medicines.

N Ramalakshmi, Secunderabad

Time for greater precautions

The Union Health Ministry said that Omicron is 3 times more transmissible than the delta variant. If it is so, then we should not forget the losses caused to us due to the last Covid wave.

And if we see on the ground level, very few people are following Covid safety norms. I think political parties should first stop their rallies, inaugural functions, etc., wherever mass gatherings are happening. Also if we see the number of daily Covid cases found in US, UK, and other countries, we have to take it as an alarming sign and should start preparing from ground level for hospital equipment and facilities.

Harshal Suresh Desale, Pune

Rahul's preposterous lie

It is preposterous and naïve on the part of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to claim that 'lynching' was unheard of before 2014, to imply that it all began after the NDA came to power in the country.

As far as lynching incidents go, Congress party can be safely attributed to the trend in the country; and the major and unmissable incident of unprecedented mob lynching was in 1984, during anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, when Rahul Gandhi's father Rajiv Gandhi took over reins of Congress and the country.

The habit of Rahul Gandhi calling media people 'government agents' when posed with unpleasant questions, has become a pathetic habit with him to show anger, when cornered with such unpleasant questions.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad