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| Character Building |
| "Narendra Modi is no less an orator than Mark
Antony; instead of the body of Julius Caesar, he used the bodies of
the Godhra victims to turn the tide against his rivals." |
|
K.V. Dharmarajan, Pune
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| |
| Credit Rating |
| It is sad that today India is virtually divided
into Hindutva supporters and pseudo-secularists ("Master Divider",
January 6). However, neither Narendra Modi nor his party is responsible
for this development. Factors like religion, caste, class, feudalism
and conservatism, orthodoxy and modernity have kept the people of
India divided for centuries. |
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T.S. Pattabhi Raman, Coimbatore
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| |
| Just as no news is good news, no newsmaker in these
troubled times is newsworthy. If Modi could be the one this time,
will it be the turn of Veerappan next? Unfortunately, Ravan did not
have the privilege of being born in this sinister new age or else
he too would have been a newsmaker. |
|
K. Chidanand Kumar, Bangalore
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| |
| If there is polarisa-tion in society today, it
is mainly due to the terrorist strikes against Hindus, who are generally
liberal. Modi is simply a by-product of this polarisation. Had Islamist
goons not scripted Godhra and Akshardham, Modi would not have acquired
a cult status. |
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Sushant Pandey, Delhi
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| |
| Instead of "Master Divider", Modi should
have been called the "Dividers' Hater"-the man who hates
the dividers. At least that's how the people of Gujarat perceive him
if the election results are anything to go by. |
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Dr Vivek Agwan, on e-mail
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| |
| What the Congress did in 1984, the BJP repeated
in Gujarat in 2002. After all, profitable experiences are to be emulated
when the gains are sure to be in one's favour. However, political
parties would do well to remember that unwise measures seldom succeed. |
|
Bhupinder Singh Parmar, Jalandhar
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| |
| For a long time, the world has been divided on
the basis of caste, religion and ethnicity. Why is Modi being singled
out? |
|
Devendra Goyal, on e-mail
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| |
| Carnal Copy |
| Thanks to innumerable coffee table books and magazines
dealing with sex, the modern woman has recognised her sexual desires
and requirements ("Bedtime Stories", January 6). Gone are
the days when they spoke of foreplay, today the stress is on afterplay
too. Men have to work harder now to give their bedtime stories a happy
ending. |
|
Dr Sanjay Kapoor, Lucknow
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| |
| Repeating History |
| I really think the English media has a blinkered
view of India ("From the Editor in Chief", January 6). If
Muslim rulers could survive and rule over us for about 800 years even
while ignoring millions of the majority community, we, the majority,
can and will survive even after ignoring the 140 million-minorities,
the Congress and other secularist parties, and you of the anti-Hindu
journalistic tribe. |
|
Ila Narsana, on e-mail
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| |
| Dream Merchant |
| Sanjay Leela Bhansali has produced a dream with
Devdas ("Staying in the Picture", January 6). The film excels
in cinematography, choreography and directorial skills. Bhansali is
the uncontested dream merchant of Bollywood. He dared to turn around
an old drab story set in a remote |
|
| village of Bengal into an entertainer. He took
liberties, of course, but handled them superbly. Old wine in a new
bottle? Perhaps, but an intoxicating one. |
|
Sanjay Kapoor, Pune
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| |
| Lessons from the Past |
| You seem to be annoyed with those politicians who
speak in admiration of former British viceroys ("The World at
Our Feet", January 6). Why go back to history when we study it
only so that we may avoid the blunders that our predecessors made.
Is it worth pondering on the misdeeds of the colonial masters when
we have a home-spun leader, Narendra Modi, capitalising on the divide
and rule policy? |
|
Bibek Das, Kolhapur
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| |
| Failed Union |
| Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan deserve to be in
the list too ("The Pairs of 2002, January 6). Khan should have
made it to the list for exhibiting an animal instinct and being a
possessive and intolerant man who treated his girlfriend as his property
while Rai needs to be condemned for tolerating his unpardonable behaviour.
As a former Miss World, she has failed in her duty to fight for the
rights and dignity of women. |
|
Nidhi, Pune
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| |
| Parallel Lines |
| The BJP's success in Gu-jarat is being compared
to the victory of Indira Gandhi and the Congress in 1971 ("Modi Mania",
December 30). But it should remember that Indira's downfall began
after that victory. The BJP should bear in mind that while Indira
had at least five years before the next elections, it has less than
two. |
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N.T. Prasanna, Chennai
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| |
| The people of Gujarat voted for the BJP not because
of its good deeds but only because its rivals were competing with
worse to their credit. |
|
Sanjeev Shinhmar, Hoshiarpur
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| |
| It is time pseudo-secularists realised that appeasing
the minorities to garner votes will only consolidate the majority
votes against them. |
|
K. Balaram Krishna, Chennai
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| |
| Out of Context |
| My statement appears in the column on "Muslim
Voices" as part of the cover story on the Gujarat polls (December
30). I deem it necessary to clarify that it was not made in the context
of the election results but with reference to the Godhra incident
and its aftermath. I always prided myself on belonging to a state
which was considered peaceful but the intensity of the riots had shocked
me. |
|
A.H. AHMADI, former chief justice
of India, Faridabad
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| |
| Reserve Comment |
| V.P. Singh criticising Narendra Modi is like the
fox criticising the lion ("Hindus are Next", December 30).
Modi is at least transparent. Singh is a hypocrite and a selfish man.
He wants to be seen as a politician who desires to serve the nation
but drains the common man by going abroad for his treatment. He has
no moral right to criticise Modi. |
|
Dr G. Veena Murthy, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh
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| |
| "What is wrong if athletes are being lured
by Andhra Pradesh? They are all Indians first. Besides, the money
will help them in the long run." |
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Anmol Gupta, Jammu Tawi
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| Evergreen Man |
| "With his zest for life and enthusiasm for work,
Dev Anand is a perfect role model. |
|
Harman Chand on e-mail
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| "He may not tire of making movies but going by
his flops the audience is tired of Dev Anand's films." |
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Annapoorna Saini on e-mail
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| |
| Welcome Break |
| It is heartening news that the Yash Chopra-Sooraj
Barjatya brand of filmmaking will not be seen in 2003 ("Thrilled
to Hits", December 30). With thrillers ruling the roost at least
this year, we will thankfully get a break from candyfloss romances,
gossamer saris, perfect rich couples and, of course, chocolate-faced
heroes. |
|
Nirmala Aluri, on e-mail
|
| |
|
| Welcome Break |
| It is heartening news that the Yash Chopra-Sooraj
Barjatya brand of filmmaking will not be seen in 2003 ("Thrilled
to Hits", December 30). With thrillers ruling the roost at least
this year, we will thankfully get a break from candyfloss romances,
gossamer saris, perfect rich couples and, of course, chocolate-faced
heroes. |
|
Nirmala Aluri, on e-mail
|
| |
| Lazy Lot |
| I was shocked to read about the inefficiency of
the governments of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in arresting one
of India's most wanted men ("Post Mortem", December 23).
Working for the Government of India does not mean getting paid each
month and warming office chairs. Every employee in the public and
private sectors has certain duties to fulfil, failing which he should
be fired from his job. Sometimes I wonder what kind of a world Indians
live in. No wonder people like Veerappan have the last laugh. |
|
Ranjith B. Advani, Frankfurt, Germany
|
| |
| War of Words |
| We have tried enough diplomacy against Pakistan
and it is now time for real action ("When India Came Close to War",
December 23). After all, wars are won on the battlefront and not on
the diplomatic front. We have lost this one by not fighting. |
|
Dr Rajiv Chopra, Dehradun
|
| |
| India is a nation of sheep and we just do not have
it in us to go to war despite repeated strikes by Pakistan. Blame
it on the Mahatma Gandhi-Jawaharlal Nehru diet of offering the other
cheek when hit on one. |
|
Lt-Colonel (retd) J.K. Dutt, Kolkata
|
| |
| Fight for Survival |
| The average Indian woman makes for a considerable
chunk of clinically depressed women ("Young, Affluent and Depressed",
December 23). This is because while she is told through school and
college that she is equal to her male counterpart, marriage entails
that she take a secondary position. She is made to feel guilty if
she attempts to pursue a career "at the cost" of her family.
This clash of ideas leads to confusion and helplessness. |
|
Radhika Oltikar, Mumbai
|
| |
| Big Fight |
| For as long as aids is seen as a curse of God,
the patients and their families will continue to be ostracised ("The
aids Mess", December 9). Religious and social organisations should
run a crusade against this flawed perception of people. |
|
Rahul Pandita, Jammu
|
| |
| Lead Role |
On the one hand your cover story has traced the
rise of Sonia Gandhi and on the other it has tried to suggest that
every step of hers is guided by a coterie within the Congress ("The
New Mrs G", December 2). Please note that it was under Sonia's leadership
that the Congress regained lost glory and governance in several states.
Jyoti Basu has said that she is "now a matured politician", Sharad
Pawar has reconciled to her leadership, hardliners like Ram Vilas
Paswan campaigned for the Congress in Gujarat, Yadav leaders like
Laloo Prasad and Mulayam Singh support the party and communists like
Harkishen Singh Surjeet have spoken of a possible alliance with the
Congress. All this has not happened due to any drift either in their
ideology or that of their parties but because of Sonia's guiding leadership
that has made them realise that she is the champion of secularism
and the only leader who can prevent the spread of communalism. |
|
Kolur Basavana Goud, Member of Parliament, Lok
Sabha, Bellary, Karnataka
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Rot in the System
CURRENT
ISSUE JANUARY 20, 2003
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