Perceptive Retrospect

There was an invisible common thread running through 2001 that became evident in your special issue: we just don't have it in us ("The Year That Was", December 31). Be it the case of our successful sportspersons who fail at the incline of fame or our Bollywood producers who are happy handing out hankies in Swiss locales, we prefer to play safe. In politics, General Pervez Musharraf got the better of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a media savvy orator par excellence. Why do all Indians that we adulate fall flat on their faces just when it matters the most? Maybe we do deserve rehashed song sequences all over Europe and not a Lagaan.

Ambrish Sahni, Delhi

The best part of your special issue was the assorted list of the year's people. The contrast was more appealing than the comparison. True, J. Jayalalithaa has nine lives like a cat but there is one more trick she knows: like a dog she can cross the road with consummate skill. To outwit the dmk and be in the good books of the NDA, she has supported POTO. General Pervez Musharraf, the Judas of Islam, has performed a hat-trick-he has averted a possible coup in his country, pleased the US and abetted a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament.

Dr U.S. Iyer, on e-mail

Jaw for a Tooth

Letters New Bid on the Block Irrespective of what your film critic says, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G) is just another hyped film that fails to deliver ("Designer Saga", December 24). The movie lacks freshness. Kareena Kapoor, the new overconfident star child who believes in wearing clothes that get skimpier with each film, needs to concentrate more on her acting than her ragged sartorial sense to make a mark in Bollywood. K3G fails to compare with more recent films of new-generation directors and leaves a lot to be desired. Harshada Mopkar, Mumbai K3G has proved that the competition and ego hassles between Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan are nothing but media made. All three lead actors in the film have proved that acting well is all that matters and that there is a place for everyone in the film industry and in people's hearts. The performance of all three is laudatory, something that the film's huge success hinges upon. Meghana Dani-Oza, Dubai

Tavleen Singh is right in saying that attacking militant camps is not the solution ("Hot Pursuit, Cold Feet", December 31). What India needs is a more effective strategy. Terrorism in India is not the outcome of unaddressed grievances or intolerance. It is more fundamental in nature, and political or economic measures or use of tentative force alone would not stamp out the scourge of terrorism. We need to be more fervently inspired as a nation, militarily better prepared, ideologically innovative and assertive, and a lot more self-assured culturally and religiously to take head on the vicious forces of terrorism that have been sapping our energy, national will and morale over the years.

Wing-Commander (Retd) S.C. Kapoor, Noida

Ulterior Motive

The accusing finger in the attack on Parliament points at Pakistan but it is likely that the strike was planned with a dual aim ("The Day India Was Targeted", December 24). Apart from sending ominous signals to India by striking at the symbol of democracy, it appears plausible that the perpetrators wanted to goad India into stepping across the loc so that the already fragile government of General Pervez Musharraf could be toppled. If that is true, we should not allow the terrorists to be successful. Notwithstanding Musharraf's treatment of India, it cannot be denied that he is among the few leaders in Pakistan who are not fundamentalists. A one-eyed ruler is better than one who is blind.

Colonel S.N.P. Shahi, on e-mail

India's SO-CALLED responses of magnanimity in the past only project our nation as a soft target that anyone can strike at will and face nothing in retaliation. With the attack on Parliament denoting a strike against the freedom and sovereignty of India, mere verbal assaults on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism will not do. It is time for India to take decisive steps to crush the terrorist network in Pakistan-it matters little whether that is done diplomatically or with force-or prepare for more suicide attacks, this time at more strategic locations.

Pankaj Roday, Nagpur

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