Readers Write
Religious “leaders” of all creeds fleece innocent people
A friend alerted me to the news report of “Doctor Commander” fellow being investigated for fraud, among other disreputable things. I cannot say I was surprised by anything in the Fox5 report.
At some point, I suppose, the very name “Doctor Commander” might provide some insight into its owner’s psychology. Why anyone would follow such an obvious egomaniac is beyond me. Why anyone would willingly pay money to a business that is represented by a person who professes to be a faith healer is a mystery to me. But if you did, you’re not alone. For thousands of years, millions of people have ridden the crazy-train in the name of religion and faith. For thousands of years, religious “leaders” of all creeds have been fleecing those who innocently seek comfort, answers and hope. It probably started when one primitive human formulated the words to say, “Be nice to me, I can make it rain.” Now we have religious people who say, “Make me rich, I can remove your fears.” It is the same lie clothed in different words.
And it is a lie—a very damaging one. People like “Doctor Commander” use the lie to prey on the desperate—on their need for hope. They use the lie to impoverish innocent people, both spiritually and financially.
If a “religious leader” says that he can give you hope, or can cure you of your ills, you are falling prey to another lie. As we all seek comfort, answers and hope, we should never be persuaded to write a check in order to find those things.
Mickey Desai
Morrow, Ga.
Picky grammarian sounds too prickly
The author of the article “Adventures in Misspellings” (Khabar, August 2008) sounds too picky maybe because she is a freshman college student and less experienced.
Nowadays, most Indians, even the uneducated ones, speak many English words even though they cannot pronounce them correctly or write correctly. During my visits to India I have often seen lots of English words in Gujarati and Hindi newspapers and magazines written in Devnagari script, which show that Indians are well versed in English words.
One needs to watch recent movies and TV programs to see the impact of English words on Indian languages. One character named Shaguna in the popular TV serial “Astitva” comes to mind. Even though she is an uneducated maid, she speaks and understands a lot of English words. Similarly, one can find taxi drivers, rickshawallas, waiters and servants speaking English words frequently.
So it is unnecessary to criticize Indian people for misspellings, as long as they convey the meaning of the word.
Praful Shah
Suwanee, Ga.
Mixing English with Indian languages can lead to mishmash
I can understand Pavithra Mohan’s frustration (“Adventures in Misspellings”) with the spelling errors found in menus of major restaurant and articles of newspapers in India.
My gripe is not with the spelling or grammar, but the way Indians speak English. No, I am not talking about their accent either. Most Indians living in the United States do not speak 100 percent English and they add a few words of Hindi or their local language, such as: Aray yaar, don’t worry! (2) Manubhai, how are you? (3) Take one more roti, etc. Similary, people in India mix English words in their Hindi or local language, such as (1) Koi tension nahin rakhna. (2) Kya time hua? (3) Koi problem nahin. (5) Main fail ho gaya, etc.
Even when they speak 100 percent English, sometimes they make literal translation from Hindi, such as: (1) Speak your heart to me. (2) I don’t want to be a burden on your shoulder. (3) Instead of asking a guest to come in, they say “come, come.” (4) Instead of saying “ring me up,” they say “ring me” (5) Instead of saying “drop me off,” they say “drop me.”
Anu Mehta
by email
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