I refer to the poignant article Fury as Indian authorities are accused of protecting rapists by Samanth Subramanian (April 15). The two recent instances of the shameful rapes of young girls in the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh have brought ignominy to India. It is indeed ironic and horrible that Indians, who worship many Goddesses daily, have no respect for the country's girls and women. When I lived in Brazil, my colleagues used to proclaim: "Our women are our national wealth." Women are respected and esteemed in Latin America. Indians would do well to accept their belief about women being the national wealth of a country.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
Fond memories of the UAE
I refer to your editorial The memories of the UAE's early days should not be allowed to fade (April 14). It was an interesting read. As someone who lived in the UAE for more than half a decade and saw all the cultural heritage sites in the UAE, your editorial refreshed my memories, particularly of the Bait Al Naboodah museum with its old furniture. People who have spent significant time in the UAE cannot forget the place. I am reminded of Sharjah in the old days, with its gold souq and mosques and other landmarks. So many fond memories.
K Ragavan, Bangalore
If you want to save, avoid temptation
As an Indian expatriate born and brought up in Dubai, I have witnessed the rise in cost of living over the years. Salaries are slow to increase, but the cost of each and every product has climbed up.The one silver lining is that rents have fallen down. One's thinking about income and expenditure must always be governed by realism. We need to spend in accordance with what we earn. We should try to avoid temptations. Sometimes this is hard, but it is a must if we want to save. In order to boost savings and substantially cut down the cost of living in, one must also stop competing with others. When moving here, one doesn't usually know how long he or she will stay. This means that one should not splurge on expensive possessions. Try to find inexpensive alternatives, or better yet go for used ones. It helps the environment.
Mathew Litty, Dubai
It hurts to see Syrian children crying
I refer to your online article US starts air strikes in Syria in response to chemical weapons attack — live updates (April 14). I don't care about the political goings on in all the countries involved in these attacks. I just feel it for the people. The young, the aged and the very innocent lives that will be lost. I'm a Christian, and quite frankly I know nothing about Syria. It just hurts to see the children crying.
Name withheld by request
