Beyond the accord
The Gaza peace accord marks a hopeful step, but peace without reconstruction is incomplete. The world’s attention must now shift from ceasefire diplomacy to rebuilding lives and livelihoods. Hospitals, schools and civic infrastructure lie in ruins, while thousands of small traders and resellers — once the city’s economic lifeline — have lost everything. World leaders and international agencies must fix clear responsibilities for humanitarian relief and reconstruction. Without rebuilding Gaza, the accord risks becoming a hollow promise. Real peace begins when the displaced return home and hope is restored.
Gopalaswamy J.,
Chennai
End this war
In his second tenure, U.S. President Donald Trump has done quite a marvellous job in terms of brokering peace. As a peace-loving nonagenarian, one hopes that Mr. Trump does his best now to stop the Russia-Ukraine war. My wish is that the new year should begin with some good news on this front.
Mani Nataraajan,
Chennai
Press meet in Delhi
The incident where women journalists were neither invited nor allowed into a ‘males only media professionals’ press conference held by the Afghanistan delegation in New Delhi was shocking. The delegation might have tried damage control by holding a second press conference but what happened earlier was not in good taste. There are many stalwarts among women journalists and one fails to understand why the Afghan delegation did what it did. The explanation of it being due to a “technical error” is weak. It is true that the Indian government had nothing to do with the press conference but there should have been a statement of regret. The male journalists ought to have walked out of the press conference but why they appeared disinterested is best known to them.
J.P. Reddy,
Nalgonda, Telangana
Under lock and key
On October 12, my family and I set out from Manamadurai in Tamil Nadu to visit the Aralipparai Murugan temple in Sivagangai district. We were there from 7.45 a.m. to 9 a.m., but, to our great disappointment, found the temple closed. On making enquiries in the village, we were informed that a certain priest has the key to the sanctum (karuvarai) and that he pays a visit occasionally to perform the pooja. No one had any further details. There were no sign boards or contact details at the temple to help devotees find out who to approach or what the temple timings or methods of access are. The temple is a very ancient Murugan temple and it is appropriate that arrangements are made to have at least three poojas a day or ensure that the temple lamps are lit on a regular basis.
From what we gathered, it appears that the temple is managed by some individual or private entity, which makes it unclear why such an important responsibility and the temple key should be given to a person who is not available.
Senpagaraja P.,
Manamadurai, Tamil Nadu
Celebrate and clean up
Deepavali is just days away and one is sure to find burnt firecracker litter and waste the next day. If we look forward to the freedom to enjoy the festival without a ban on firecrackers, is it not our responsibility too to ensure that we clean up the firecracker waste? Why are we selfish in leaving the task to conservancy workers?
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
Published – October 14, 2025 12:24 am IST
