Plea to follow holiday rules

Dear Sir,This is with reference to the letter by Sadique K P (Gulf Times, December 29) regarding confusion over winter holidays. I totally agree with  the concerns raised and would fully support it as I am also an affected party. My children were not provided with any winter holidays when most of the other Indian schools were closed. What astonishes me is that the directive of the Ministry of Education to have uniformity with regard to school holidays is openly flouted. Some Indian schools are giving holidays while others are not providing any. I wonder how this is possible. When asked, school officials give some excuse to justify their decision not to give holidays. But as a parent, I have found the reasons provided by the school totally unacceptable. I request the authorities concerned  to look into this and take appropriate steps to address the issue. Jackson, DohaSmile and be happy in 2017Dear Sir,2016 is now history. You cannot change what has happened. Why don’t you think of doing something different in 2017? Years are just calendar days, but it’s how you utilise them that makes sense.Maybe you cannot change your spouse, your job, or even your flat, but there is something sure you can do to smile. A real and genuine one, not a plastic smile! Maybe you will say how can I smile with all the suffering in my life? Do you know that majority of the people spend their time living in the past, reflecting “Why this happened?” “Why me?” “Why now?” Why? Why? Why? Even if they get answers, they do hardly change. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift that’s why it’s called PRESENT.” Be conscious about now and just smile!When you believe that everything happens for a reason and there is a hidden meaning beyond that you may not understand right now, you will not react negatively and will have the power to move forward in life.Ali Al-Aradi, (via e-mail)Please send us your  lettersBy e-mail editor@gulf-times.com