Dubai: Safest city for solo female travellers
I’m a solo female traveller, born and brought up in Mumbai, India(“Safe, popular tourist spot and expats’ first choice, here’s why Dubai is special”, Gulf News, February 20). When I moved to Dubai, my life changed for good five years back! I eventually realised my love for travelling. And finally, I commenced my travel blog last year, because I wanted to encourage more women to pursue their passion for travelling and share my experiences with the world. I’m a firm believer in the saying ‘age is just a number’, as I explored my love for travelling in my mid-twenties. But, that was not enough to keep me from travelling across continents.
Initially, I came to Dubai on a tourist visa, not knowing that this beautiful city would impact my heart, and I would want to stay here forever. I started searching for a full-time job because I knew that Dubai had my heart, and I’d love to settle here. I guess I always had a soft spot for travelling. Dubai did change my life; not only did it help me discover myself, it also made me independent and, most importantly, it made me feel safe. Safety is still a big concern for any woman who wants to move to a new place and obviously for women who are solo travellers. Dubai never made me doubt my safety from day one to the present day. I am proud to call this city my second home. My euphoria knew no bounds when Dubai topped the list for the world’s safest country for a female traveller. I advocate for making this world a safe place for women to travel safely. I have travelled across more than six countries. No city has felt safer than Dubai. I’m looking forward to spending my life here.
From Ms Soniya Jhamnani
Dubai
Diplomacy for peace
Paths of diplomacy are the best solution in the Russia-Ukraine conflict (“Ukraine Crisis: Diplomacy must be given a chance”, Gulf News, February 23). Humanity cannot afford another war. The world has already been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Peaceful resolutions to bring peace to the region is the need of the hour. Hope, saner counsel prevails.
From Mr Richard Hay
India
India versus New Zealand: Women’s ODI cricket
No doubt the Indian batswomen went down to the highly ranked New Zealand cricket team for the fourth time in a row (“Mithali Raj column: Winning the women’s World Cup may speed up our IPL”, Gulf News, February 22). Indian women’s team, in their last One Day International (ODI), recorded their highest ever run chase of 265 set by Australian women in September last year, a win that had ended their rivals 26-match winning streak. Unfortunately, skipper Mithali Raj’s well-crafted half-century went in vain as Indian batting flopped again, losing the first Women’s One Day International (WODI) against New Zealand by 62 runs. Still, I feel there is no need to panic as the women in blue are scoring runs to set winning targets. However, as averred by our captain Mithali Raj, who is leading the team admirably, it is the bowling department that is a worry. If our selectors could unearth match-winning bowlers, especially pace bowlers, and hone their skills, there is every possibility that our team goes all the way through the World Cup Tournament. Incidentally, there is a need to discipline talented players like Shifali Verma and Harminder Singh, who threw away their wickets after scoring 20 to 30 runs. They should learn to convert them into the fifties and hundreds. Anyway, I am really proud of our mercurial captain Mithali Raj, who is still shining.
From Ms Kavitha Srikanth
Tamil Nadu, India
Cricket: India beat West Indies
Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for winning the One Day International (ODI) and T20 series against the West Indies team 3-0 (“Inspired Suryakumar Yadav leads India to series sweep of Windies’, Gulf News, February 20). It has resulted in our Indian team climbing to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 ranking. It is also heartening to know that the new head coach and captain are in the process of finding the perfect combination for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. The most important thing is Rahul Dravid, and Rohit Sharma are not keen to shut the doors on players who failed in their first outing. Therefore, it should encourage budding youngsters like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Avesh Khan, who failed in their first match. Furthermore, I hope Sanju Samson, who has found a place in the T20 squad to face the Sri Lankan team, gets more chances under Rohit Sharma to stake a claim in the T20 World Cup squad. I wish the entire team the best.
From Mr N Mahadevan
