| Remote Sensing |
| "Kalpana Chawla has left footprints of fire in
the sands of time that shall ignite the minds of millions of Indian
children for generations to come." |
|
S. Aravindan Neelakandan, on e-mail
|
| |
| Orbituary |
| The life and death of Kalpana Chawla have broken
several myths ("Eternal Voyager", February 17). Her success
showed that there is nothing wrong with our system of education if
an unfashionable Punjab Engineering College could give the all-important
boost to fire Kalpana's imagination. The difference lies in the quality
of teaching and the commitment of teachers. Besides, there is nothing
antithetical about being a naturalised American and yet remaining
rooted in Indian values and culture. |
|
H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, Mysore
|
| |
| It is time we stopped grumbling about the brain
drain as Kalpana could not have become a space woman had she remained
in India. In a country which has a dearth of people we can look up
to, Kalpana is a star. |
|
Onkar Chopra, Delhi
|
| |
| Kalpana worked not for the progress of a single
nation or organisation but of humankind as a whole. In her death,
she has been scattered all over space and has proved that she is truly
a citizen of the Milky Way. That such a great soul belonged to our
country is indeed a matter of pride for the entire nation. |
|
Priya Kale, Mumbai
|
| |
| Middle-class India should be inspired by the legacy
of Kalpana. Let us hope that an environment is created where women
get an equal chance to prove their mettle instead of having to go
to the West. |
|
Suja Nambiar, on e-mail
|
| |
| The lives of the seven astronauts on board the
Columbia are inspiring to thousands, especially in a country where
let alone space travel, air travel remains a dream. It does not make
any difference if Kalpana was a naturalised American citizen or an
Indian American. All that matters is that she was one of us.. |
|
Jinu Mathew, on e-mail
|
| |
| Kalpana's life and death remind me of the words:
"One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a
name". |
|
Anand Aivalli, Bangalore
|
| |
| Being Indian, all of us cherish the memory of Kalpana
and her meteoric career graph. Would it not be befitting if we choose
to honour her memory by pledging to work harder than ever before in
our respective fields? It would be pertinent to recall that "the
heights by great men reached and kept were not achieved by sudden
flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upwards
in the night". |
| Dr Anuradha Khanna, Panchkula |
| |
|
Though Kalpana deserves all the
praise and accolades showered upon her, the fact remains that like
so many India-borns, she achieved success in a country where opportunities
are plenty and equal to all without discrimination. Our scientific
community in India works under innumerable fetters and discriminations
based on caste, creed, sex and religion and even high-profile scientists
are treated shabbily.
|
| D.V. Madhava Rao, Chennai |
| |
|
"It is a blessing in disguise for ordinary
citizens when political rivals expose each other like Mayawati has
done with Raja Bhaiya."
|
| Madhu Agrawal, Delhi |
| |
|
Too Much of a Good Thing "Vivek
Oberoi has taken off like a Diwali rocket but let's see if he lights
up the sky or explodes."
|
| Rajneesh Batra, Delhi |
|
| Quit India |
|
Twenty years ago, Assamese students had taken to the streets against
the same problem of illegal immigrants from Bang-ladesh which has
rankled the government now ("Disquiet on the Eastern Front",
February 17). The difference was that the protesters were labelled
"anti-national" and "anti-minority". A couple
of years ago when an Assamese journalist working for a Delhi magazine
suggested a story on the problem of illegal immigrants and its possible
spillover, he was tartly asked by his senior to take off his blinkers
and reminded of the other "serious issues" facing the
nation. "When you take up arms against the state, the state
will take up arms against you," was his senior's interpretation
of the anti-foreigner agitation of the early 1980s when 900 people
lost their lives demanding the same thing that everyone is demanding
now: that illegal immigrants be sent back.
|
|
Kuntil Baruwa, Delhi
|
| |
| The only solution to stop illegal immigration
from Bangladesh is its merger with India. After all, we both belong
to the same ethnic stock, speak the same language and are equally
illiterate and poor. |
|
Malanath, Dharwad
|
| |
| Tooth Pick |
| If the bones and dentures of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose are available in the Japanese temple, they should be scientifically
examined to confirm whether the official version of his death is correct
or fate took him elsewhere ("Close to the Bone", February
17). |
|
P. Krishnamurthy, Hyderabad
|
| |
| Limitless Love |
| What happened to our culture ("Private in
Public", February 17)? We seem to have imbibed all the wrong
things from the West. If at all our youth want to learn anything from
the West, it should be their discipline and the hard work they do.
When we watch TV with our children we take care to see they do not
watch any obscenity. But when it is happening live on the roads in
front of them, how can we protect them? |
|
Surya Prakash Rao, on e-mail
|
| |
| Maybe the only difference between pre-marital relationships
in the 20th century and now is that the dim-lit staircase has turned
into a well-lit, casual and musical coffee shop. But does it mean
that the present generation is vulgar? |
|
Prajakta Hasabnis, Punen
|
| |
| Be it a close friend, a relative or a lover, it
is natural to express fondness through gestures. We need to worry
more about things like nuclear programmes and blood-thirsty despots.
Let people be. |
|
Abhinav Vats, Jaipur
|
| |
| Larger than Life |
|
Your story about the valiant Second-Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal who
lost his life in action reminded me of a similar story I had read
in school back in 1938 ("Death Be Not Proud", February
10). It was about an English Private Richard Doubledick, who went
to live as a guest in the house of a French widow after the cessation
of hosti-lities between France and England. A conversation revealed
that the private had killed the widow's only son in action. Indeed,
fact is stranger than fiction.
|
|
V. Rai, Mumbai
|
| |
| Partners in Prime |
| Your statement that Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil
is the only former chief minister who returned as a cabinet minister
is incorrect ("The Golden Pumpkin", February 10). Patil
has the company of Shankarrao Chavan who was the chief minister during
the Emergency and was happy to be a "mere cabinet minister"
in Sharad Pawar's ministry in 1978. The lust for power or position
puts self-respect on the backburner. |
|
Sadanand Varde, on e-mail
|
 |
|
| On the Alert |
| It is a tragedy for India that we can choose our
friends but not our neighbours ("A Neighbourhood of Trouble",
February 10). With a bunch of rogue neighbours like Pakistan and Bangladesh-one
formed as a result of the folly of Jawaharlal Nehru-Mahatma Gandhi,
the other a blunder made by Indira Gandhi-India has to remain alert
all the time. Unfortunately nearly all our neighbours give shelter
and assistance to anti-Indian terrorists. For the sake of our national
security, it is essential that we remain vigilant and tough with our
hostile neighbours even if we have to face stiff criticism from Nehruvian
secularists who always behave like rnis-Resident Non-Indians. |
| A.K. Sharma, Chandigarh |
| |
 |
| |
| Passed Up |
| The omission of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu
Naidu from your list was flabbergasting ("The High and Mighty",
February 3). He is a far more influential person than many others
on your list and has even proved that he can do a lot more-and a lot
better-than others. |
|
G. Sandhu, on e-mail
|
| |
| If You Please |
| It is ostrich attitude to be lost in the wonderland
of parties oblivious of an India that is scarred by violence, intolerance,
hunger and exploitation ("The Party Machine", January 27).
How long will this dispensation-of piteous poverty on the one hand
and lavish lifestyle on the other-last? |
|
Wing Commander (Retd) S.C. Kapoor,
Noida
|
| |
| Just in Case |
|
The current revelations on the conduct of the judiciary is like
detection of cancer or aids at the terminal stage ("Rot in
the System", January 20). Not only are the delays a mockery
of the concept of justice but there is no guarantee either that
one will get justice. Isn't it shocking that a judge can get away
with any crime? Our laws themselves hold that unequals cannot be
considered equal and so when we say all are equal before the law,
shouldn't punishment for the erring judges be more severe and surer
than for the ordinary citizens? It is time this principle of equal
justice is understood and necessary steps are taken to make the
judiciary accountable to the people of this democratic society.
In fact, it is time the Contempt of Court Act is replaced with a
Contempt of Citizen Act.
|
|
P.M. Ravindran, on e-mail
|
| |
| Several allegations you made about former chief
justice of India (CJI) A.M. Ahmadi, his daughter Tasneem Ahmadi and
former CJI A.S. Anand are incorrect. You have given no details either
of the so-called "favourable orders" passed or Tasneem's
"booming practice". The overwhelming majority with which
the Bar Council resolution against Justice Ahmadi was defeated showed
that there was no issue of his "talking to members of the Bar".
He had been an outstanding CJI and his work in reducing arrears in
the Supreme Court is a record of sorts. While suggesting that Justice
Anand influenced the judiciary in respect of his wife's property case,
you have failed to point out that three courts decided in his wife's
favour by detailed reasoned judgements. Sometimes the zeal to cleanse
the judiciary does more harm than good to the institution. |
|
A.M. Singhvi, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court,
Delhi
|
| |
| "Let our filmmakers not hype up Oberoi. He
could become the next Hrithik Roshan." |
|
Romila Prasad on e-mail
|
|
Middle Class Muscle
CURRENT
ISSUE MARCH 03, 2003
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