By Rajan Narayan

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the stock markets all over the world, including India, crashed due to the trade war started USA President Donald Trump. For a Saturday following the week when 95.3% of the students who appeared for the 10th class board exam cleared the same. For a Saturday following the week following when the decision of the All India Football Federation was to delay recognition of the Churchill Brothers as the winners of the I-League. For a Saturday following the week when schools re-opened in April instead of June 2025.

STOCK MARKET CRASHED
AND a few stray thoughts on stock markets all over the world, including India, crashing due to the trade war started by US President Donald Trump. Over the years, a lot of manufacturing has moved out of the US due to the high cost of labour. The biggest US companies like Apple have been manufacturing their high-profile products in countries like China and India, where labour cost is much lower.
Even automobiles where the US had a big lead are no longer cheaper in the US, as better cars at more competitive prices are being made in Japan, Europe and China. So much so, Americans have been importing products from all over the world. Trump decided to reverse the adverse balance of trade by trying to force American companies to bring back their factories to the US. The remedy he has resorted to is doing more damage to the US and the rest of the world.
Donald Trump has imposed stiff import duties on products made even by American companies outside the US. The import duty is the additional cost that Americans will have to pay for cars, iPhones, and even steel, automobile spare parts, and textiles imported from India, among other products. On the one hand, this will make products from India and other countries more expensive for American consumers. On the other hand this will lead to a sharp cut in the import of the products into the USA.
Trump’s decision will impact manufacturing and jobs in India and other countries like China, Japan and Korea. To give a practical example, the US is the largest market for Indian IT companies like TCS, Infosys and even IT hardware companies like HCL. The US is also the biggest market for the luxury cars manufactured by the Tata Group, like the Jaguar and the Range Rover. Consequent to the 26% additional import duty, these products have now become too expensive for the American consumer.
As a result, the price of shares of the Tata Group have fallen steeply. During the last week alone, there has been a huge drop in the wealth of Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and the Jindals because of the steep tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. The worst victims have been the small investors who do not have the capacity to bear the huge losses.
India does not have the capacity to impose counter tariffs against the US, as its imports are much lower than its exports. Donald Trump has reversed the trend of increasing globalisation. This had led to manufacturing shifting from high-cost centres to low-cost centres. By forcing US firms to bring back manufacturing to the US, Trump is killing American industry.
The fears are that the tariff wars will lead to worldwide recession. You do not need nuclear weapons to destroy the world. Just economic wars are enough to cripple industry and destroy jobs worldwide.

10th CLASS SUCCESS
AND a few stray thoughts on the 95.3% students who appeared for the class 10th board exam clearing the same with super success. The pass percentage is three percent higher than in 2024. In absolute terms, 17,961 of the 18,837 students who appeared for the class 10th board exam succeeded. It must be pointed out that the higher pass percentage is not because students have become more brilliant, but perhaps the lowering of the standards.
The biggest obstacle for students in the 10th standard was maths. In the last two years, students have been allowed to opt for basic maths, which is much simpler than the traditional maths paper. It is significant that 66% of the 10th standard students opted for basic maths in 2025. Students who have passed the SSC with basic maths can still join the science stream in class 11 if vacant seats are available.
What is significant is that the pass percent is much higher in rural areas in Bicholim, with a registered 98.5% pass. Moreover over as many as 45 schools have reported 100% results in the 2025 exam. As usual, more girls than boys have passed the exams. The highest scores, not surprisingly, have been in maths and science. Which has touched a 100%. The other high-scoring subjects are languages, with Urdu students getting 99%, followed by Konkani and Marathi with 98%. The problem is that the number of seats at the 11th standard is much lower, and therefore, not all the students who have passed the 10th standard will get admission to higher secondary.
A conscious attempt has to be made to divert the students who have passed the 10th standard to skill centres like the ITIs. If the jobs cannot be found for the 10th standard students, it will lead to growing frustration.

AIFF DELAYED RECOGNITION
AND a few stray thoughts following the decision of the All India Football Federation to delay recognition of Churchill Brothers as the winners of the I-League. The Churchill Brothers’ team, which has been managed by Churchill Alemao for the last 40 years, topped the charts in the recently concluded I-League tournament with 40 points. The winner of the I-League automatically gets entry into the Super League tournament.
The Churchill Brothers’ team became the undisputed champion when they collected 40 points and topped the table. The football federation however claimed that there was a dispute over the results of a match featuring the runners-up, Inter Kashi, who have 39 points. If the AIFF appeal goes in favour of Inter Kashi, they will get three more points and will be declared the winner. Goan football fans are convinced that there is a conspiracy against Goa. The Churchill Brothers insist that they won the tournament with merit and should be awarded the trophy.
Meanwhile, the professional FC Goa team has again lost in the semi-final in the Super League tournament, which is effectively controlled by Nita Ambani. The Goa FC team, which was started by Dattaraj Salgaocar and Srinivas Dempo, is now owned by Jaydev Mody of Deltin.

SCHOOLS OPEN IN APRIL
AND a few stray thoughts on schools reopening in April instead of June 2025. The Education department claims that there was 90% attendance on the opening day in the secondary level from the sixth to the tenth standard. This was despite a protest by parents outside many schools against the reopening in April instead of June. It is reported that two schools in Calangute had less than 10% attendance.
The Goa government has pointed out that CBSC and Kendriya Vidyalaya have been observing a school reopening in April for many years without any protest from parents. The Educational department has, however, made many concessions in view of the protest from parents. In the hot month of April, schools have been permitted to function just for three-and-a- half hours from 8am to 11.30am with a 15 minute break for tiffin. Students have also been assured of a five-week-long vacation from May 1 June first week. The logic behind the early re-opening of schools is that the three-month gap is too long, with students losing interest in studies. It’s also been claimed that more hours are needed to implement the new economic educational policy syllabus.
With the government in no mood to revise the schedule and go back to June, parents and students will have no choice but to accept the new school timing calendar. Unfortunately, parents have dragged the children into the protest.

TIGER AT SAWANTWADI
AND a few stray thoughts on a tiger sighting at the Goa-Maharashtra border in Sawantwadi. Forest officials believe that the tiger must have migrated to Sawantwadi from Keri in Goa. For a long time, the big cat lovers have been insisting that the Mhadei Sanctuary is a tiger habitat. There have been demands for creating a tiger reserve in the Mhadei forest belt.
This has been opposed by Vishwajit Rane on the claim that this would affect the tribal population living in that area. Vishwajit has been claiming that there are no tigers in the area. However, the National Wildlife Board has recognized parts of Mhadei as a tiger corridor, if not a reserve. The spotting of a tiger in Hadfade forest in Sawantwadi, adjoining Goa, is a sure indication that Mhadei is a tiger habitat.
Wildlife photographer Darshan Vegurlekar from Goa captured pictures of the tiger while trekking through the jungle in the Tillari river basin at the foothills of Amboli. Meanwhile, there is disturbing news from the Bondla zoo, where two jungle cats are reported to have died of a viral infection in the last few days. Apparently, the virus is targeting not only humans but also wildlife.

HINDI KARAOKE
AND a last stray thought on the first Sunday of every month when a unique Hindi karaoke session was held at the Nana Nani Park at Miramar. Several senior citizens participated in the karaoke sessions with timeless Hindi melodies. At the last karaoke session held on April 6 Hindi songs of the 60s and the 70s were belted out by senior citizens. This included “O Basanti Pawan Pagal” from film “Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai” and “Ajj purani raato mai khoya ki muje awaz na do” from the film “Aadmi.”
There were also songs by husband and wife team, Nutan and Damodar Wagle, and Rajeev Simbal. The karaoke session, as Arun Baba Naik says, has been dramatized by talent and the songs have no expiry date. For those who want to show off their singing skills or just watch others having fun singing the karaoke way, should go to the Nana Nani garden at Miramar on the first Sunday of every month at 7pm.