LONDON ALL DECKED FOR CHRISTMAS

WITH Christmas around the corner, it was a wonderful evening in Central London. Although quite chilly with the temperature at 4 degrees, the Christmas lights and music all around made it warm and electrifying. The festival fervour was avid with thousands of tourists and locals flocking in the city to enjoy and reverberate. Crowd and traffic management by the authorities is commendable to see how smoothly a sea of humanity is controlled without a hitch.

It is a blessing that in 2024, I rejoiced Diwali, Eid and now Christmas in London. The temples, mosques, gurudwaras and churches in and around London are magnificent with the spirit of brotherhood and fellowship very vibrant and there for all to partake.

— Aires Rodrigues, London

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

35 students from I to IV standard of the Government Primary School, Ramdas Panaji Goa were distributed Christmas gifts (each student with 170 rupees worth bath towel and 200 pages exercise book) by the Friends of 3L.

 Besides the above students, two kindergarten students (a boy and a girl) were given new school bags worth rupees 300 each. The youngest kid  was given a bath towel and a two hundred page exercise book. 

All the 38 students were asked to pick up a chit. Sushmita Lamani was the luckiest girl. She got the chit with the number 25. She was given a gift worth rupees 110 (a drawing book and a crayon set). Students were excited with joy to receive the Christmas gift. All got gifts without competitions.

In Goa all those who attend Government schools are economically the poorest of poor students. Friends of 3L reach out to the Government Primary School, near the Pharmacy College, Panaji, Goa. 

We have the desire to reach out to many more students who are studying in Government Primary Schools. But at present our hands do not reach where our vision is. 

“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.”

Rabindranath Tagore 

— Pratapananda Naik,sj

Coordinator, Goa 

3L MISSION

WHO is responsible when a human stampede occurs?  
 

On December 13,  Friday, the Telugu superstar Allu Arjun was arrested in Hyderabad, sent to judicial custody by a local court and granted bail for four-weeks by the High Court. All this within a span of five hours. The case would be heard on January 21, 2025. The reason he was taken into custody was because a woman died in a human stampede-like situation in a theatre where he had gone to watch the premier of his newly released movie.

As per his legal team, the theatre management had in advance informed the police about the actor’s impending visit and wanted security and traffic management. It is sad that a woman lost her life while her young son is battling for life in a hospital, all because of improper crowd supervision and precautions in place.
 
This incident brings to the fore, as what happens if such a situation arises during political rallies and meetings, religious discourses, strikes, hartals, morchas, candle light processions? Would the organisers, politicians and union leaders be arrested and jailed? Hope the laws are clear as to where and with whom the responsibility lies and who would be punished; if there is a large gathering of people for any reasons and a human stampede takes place.

–Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem, Goa