MyVoice: Views of our readers 31st October 2021

Being healthy is beautiful

I recently saw a wonderful English movie where a fat girl enters a beauty contest and faces many problems, mainly disbelief, from all around. The mother, who is a previous winner of a similar contest, is shocked that her daughter even thinks of entering the contest. It is unfortunate that being thin has become such a normative ideal.

Many people, especially the growing children, do not confirm this and are fat for many reasons. There are many factors involved and it is not a simple equation of excess diet added to a lack of exercise. The advertisements, brandings, models, movies, celebrities, and the society almost bombards on a constant basis that being thin and fair is the only way to be beautiful. What would explain celebrities endorsing fairness creams and slimming agencies? The whole society stacks against many young growing minds with this propagation of what beauty is as per normative standards.

Is it really a responsible society? A healthy society and a healthy individual are what we are seeking. It is important to understand the difference between 'being fit' and 'being healthy'. One can be extremely fit and yet be having major blocks in the blood supply of the heart. There have been many cases of athletes and fit individuals who have collapsed suddenly. It is true that sedentary lifestyles, excessive indulgence in digital devices, unhealthy eating habits, and easy access to junk foods by a click on the app, are all responsible for causing problems of obesity and overweight. There is an urgent need to address these issues on a larger scale where everyone in the society needs to get involved one way or the other. However, it needs a massive readjustment at many levels to stress that being beautiful is not being thin and fair. We need a shift from the message, 'Beauty is Fitness and a Fair Tone' to perhaps 'Health is Beauty.'

— Dr Pingali Gopal, Warangal

We are now a 'cashocracy'

'Finally, cash flow is the deciding factor' (October 30) is an unfortunate news item to go through in Huzurabad by election. All major parties have taken this election as most prestigious issue just because of dismissed TRS strong minister Eatala Rajender defected to Bharatiya Janata Party and contesting to take revenge particularly on Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao. The entire campaign programme was focussed on pelting allegations on each other.

In order to win the polls by hook or crook, the voters were made corrupted by corrupt politicians with high amount of cash and other gifts. Voters, mostly coming under below poverty line, got attracted with all such allurements. This kind of unethical and immoral practices are not new in Indian electioneering times. Democratic principles are buried by power monger politicians and voters' righteous nature was contaminated beyond rectification.

Intellectuals like former Chief Election Commissioner T.N Seshan passed many strictures during his tenure and all parties shivered with consequences if not followed the set guidelines. Where are such public figures now? If existing, they are becoming mute spectators. This is the actual problem. At least on observing what was going on in Huzurabad by election, all apolitical stalwarts should wake up from slumber to set right the politicians and public from demoralisation of our democratic system through various platforms instead of just writing columns in newspapers.

—Dr NSR Murthy, Secunderabad

Gadkari would be a better PM than Yogi

By plugging for Yogi Adityanath; albeit with caveats your edit on whether Yogi will be the next PM of India puts the cart before the horse. It is not certain if BJP is going to win the polls at the next general elections. It would probably be the largest single party but unable to form a government on its own. In such a scenario, Yogi will not be acceptable to the partners because of his autocratic style of functioning. Gadkari in my opinion will be the preferred candidate with his accommodating stance. The people of the country has suffered enough from rigid and uncompromising attitude of the present PM. Only those who believe that Yogi is likely to lead them to some glorious Hindu rule like in the past are likely to support him as the prospective PM candidate.

— Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Healthy heroes can serve for long

Heart attack deaths are becoming a regular feature for Indian film stars. Smart and young Puneeth Rajkumar or others. More of sugar in the blood, cholesterol, calories and high blood pressure lead to heart attack. Better film stars adopt healthier nutritious dietary or eating habits. Better avoid overwork, over exercise, over weights lifting, food with high cholesterol, sugar and salt. Have a happy lifestyle by giving time for relaxation and hobbies too (with friends and family).

Also better film industry persons avoid over-investments in movies as it is a gamble. No one can predict a film to be a hit or flop. 80 to 90 per cent of movies produced are flops (in India or elsewhere). Better movies are produced in a shared mode by groups of producers as it reduces the loss-effect and distress-effect if the movie is a flop. However regular human life should be full of happy development management and joyful success solutions.

— Nivriti Sreelekha, Secunderabad

Courts should rein in fuel price hike

Although fuel price is mother of price rise, ever since the pandemic outbreak, the woes of commoners have been multiplying every day as evident from skyrocketing price rise of all commodities including essential commodities. Reality is that lion's share of fuel price is constituted by taxes of government.

Eyeing on enormous tax income to state exchequer, authorities cleverly exempted fuel price from GST envisaging uniform Tax for entire country . Had it been brought under GST, fuel price would have decreased greatly. Thus, present fuel pricing policy of authorities as evident from recurring fuel price daily is utterly anti-people welfare oriented to core by so-called democratic government claiming to be people's government.

It is high time that apex court must interfere in such vital topic under judicial activism. In order to rescue hapless commoners who are being thrown now from burning pan to fire

— Jayashreee Thampi, Thiruvananthapuram

Puneeth was a real powerstar

Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar passed away due to a fatal cardiac arrest on Friday. The government of Karnataka, in the meantime, has been striving hard and alerted concerned departments to heighten security in anticipation of chaos and furore.

Puneeth Rajkumar, one of the most liked actors of his generation, was the son of Kannada film icon Rajkumar. In 2002, director Puri Jagannadh launched him in a leading role in his masala film 'Appu'. The film was a superhit of its time and completed a 200-day run in the theatre. Puneeth's mother Parvathamma Rajkumar produced the film under 'Poornima Enterprises'. The film was so successful that it was remade in Telugu in 2002 as "Idiot", in Tamil in 2003 as "Dum", in Bengali in 2006 as "Hero", and in Bangladeshi Bengali in 2008 as "Priya Amar Priya".

As a child prodigy during early 1980s, he entered the Kannada film industry as a breath of fresh air, winning the hearts of everyone, with his immaculate acting and melodious singing at such a tender age. Despite being the young son of Dr Rajkumar, there was hardly any trace of ego, as he always remained humble and down to earth, even after winning several awards as a Child Artist, purely based on his own merit.

After a decade long gap for studies, he once again re-entered our hearts, this time as a handsome hero, lovingly nicknamed "Appu", and went on to carve a niche for himself as "Powerstar" due to his roles as action hero which demanded very high levels of fitness & physique, involving special stunts & martial arts. After a decade of powerful acting, he once again impressed us further by additionally donning the hat of a TV host, thereby becoming an integral part of our daily lives.

Furthermore, as a producer in later years, he revolutionized the industry by presenting us some of the finest films which are worthy of Oscars! Not to forget, his recent music production company gave a ray of fresh hope to hundreds of talented artists, and most importantly, acknowledgement of Kannada music in digital space.

With such a strong foundation as a self-made man at a young age of 46 years, as Puneeth Rajkumar was preparing for much bigger plans to take the Kannada ecosystem to much higher levels, the almighty at the top had some other plans for him, and took him away from us prematurely. It will be very difficult for us to come to terms with the news that our Appu is no more in this physical world.

But going forward, the fact that even within such a short time frame, he has impressed us several times, and contributed so much to the world, will ensure that he will remain in our hearts forever. He showed his maturity showing his magnanimity by his helping attitude with 26 orphanages getting his share of donations to keep the orphans in good stead for years. Apart from 25 schools, 16 old age homes, 19 Goshala, 1800 students education and in Mysore a big organization named shakti dhama, where girl students are taken care.

— Jayanthi Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai