PICTURE SPEAK
"Clash of Cultures", India Today, October 18	"Rearranging Marriage", October 18

"Lucknow's new way of life has almost driven out its old genteel past. Society needs to move with the times but not at the cost of its values. There must be proper amalgamation of traditional and modern culture."

Sharad Verma, Lucknow

"Rearranged marriages in India are better planned and pragmatic. It is like driving to your life's destination with a proper roadmap. Interaction before marriage also minimises chances of incompatibility."

K. Chidanand Kumar, Bangalore

New Age Bonding

As someone who met the love of her life on the Internet last year, I find most conventional methods of arranging marriages appalling and traumatic for everyone concerned ("Rearranging Marriage", October 18). People who are mature or "modern" enough would never prefer to reduce themselves to a brief matrimonial ad or rely on relatives to search for their life partner. The Internet allows scope for meaningful and substantive communication.

Sugeeta Roy Choudhury, Pune

The Internet has made it easier for people to get married to whoever they fancy. It has also opened up a plethora of opportunities for divorced or unhappily married people to find another spouse or partner. It is not surprising then that just as marriages by choice are increasing, so are divorce rates.

Puneet Madhok, Mumbai

There is no doubt that matchmaking is more flexible now. But there is another side to the story. Earlier girls were expected to be just beautiful and homely but now they have to be well educated, beautiful, cultured, homely but broadminded, working but simple. Isn't acquiring so many attributes traumatic for any average girl?

Heena Singh, Delhi

While we hail websites like www.shaadi.com for having blurred the lines between castes and religions, matrimonial ads which blatantly seek "fair and beautiful" brides cannot be overlooked. Our fetish for fair complexion refuses to die out.

Amita Collins, Bangalore

The East continues to be east because of its deep-rooted belief in social bonding which is a byproduct of its conviction in the institution of marriage. However, of late, the focus seems to be on technically correct marriages rather than ethically correct ones.

Suresh Behera, Ranchi

The new trends in matchmaking have caught on only with the elite. We have a long way to go before we get rid of our biases. Only when a majority of Indians overcomes its prejudices against different castes and religions can we claim that we have progressed as a nation.

A. Jacob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram

The non-traditional ways of arranging marriages have taken the sheen out of the whole system. Even the resultant bonding is not proving to be an enduring one. This is corroborated by the rising number of divorces and separations.

Siddhartha Raj Guha, Jabalpur

Renewed Conflict

It would have been better had the UPA Government asked the Phukan Commission to submit its report early instead of scrapping it altogether ("Stop Rewind Replay", October 18). It is highly unlikely that the CBI will come up with anything new. This only strengthens the belief that the country's premier investigative agency is a tool in the hands of the ruling party.

Anil Pr. Lingam , on e-mail

Indulging friends and persecuting adversaries is a common trait among our political parties. But politicians get away with everything. It is hard to recall any instance when perpetrators of crime were actually brought to book in spite of their opponents trying their best to nail them. .

Bishan Sahai, on e-mail

The hue and cry over the UPA Government's move to order a CBI probe into the Tehelka scam comes as a surprise. It is a natural follow-up to the boycott of George Fernandes in Parliament by the Congress when it was in the Opposition.

Arun Jain, on e-mail

Limited Vision

The Gandhi family's move to concentrate only on Rae Bareli and Amethi shows how the interests of the people are hostage to political considerations ("Where is the Party?", October 18). They are just following the age-old practice of politicians for whom personal preferences outweigh greater public good.

Bibhabari Rath, Cuttack

HANGING IN BALANCE

Capital punishment definitely checks the increase of heinous crimes ("Noose in Knots", October 18). In the long run, however, the death sentence needs to be abolished and replaced by a life-term penalty. As people are apprehensive that criminals would be freed after 12-14 years and may take revenge it would be prudent to enact a law ensuring that they are not released for at least 25 years. Ashok Kumar Ghosh, on e-mail We need to decide whether to abolish death sentences or continue with them. If capital punishment is supposed to act as a deterrent, delay in its execution is going against its basic purpose. M.M. Gurbaxani, Bangalore

Looking Within

The new wave of patriotic films which do not vilify another country is a welcome change ("The New Nationalism", October 11). But the big question is on how long it will last. Since Bollywood is known for its herd mentality, filmmakers would be afraid to try anything similar the moment one of these big budget films flop..

Siddhartha Shukla, Delhi

One more movie should have been added to the group of films depicting the new nationalism-Anil Sharma's Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon. As the movie is based on the 1971 India-Pakistan war, it should have been taken into consideration.

Ayush Khare, Raipur

The new patriotic films are a tribute to the manner in which our nation has survived in spite of so many pulls and pressures. Even though globalisation is an inescapable reality it should not be allowed to overshadow nationalism.

Sangeeta Thapar, Lucknow

Reaping a Rich Harvest

The roots of the success of the Punjabi-origin agriculturists in the US lie in the hardworking nature of Indian farmers ("Firmly Rooted", October 11). They are now in a position to trigger a new revolution in Indian agriculture-the technology revolution.

Rajprit Singh Saluja, Kanpur

Right Treatment

Proper handwashing before touching patients is the most effective way of preventing hospital-acquired infections ("The Killer Within", October 11). Negligence even among doctors in observing this simple and effective practice is the reason why hospital-acquired infections are the leading cause of mortality in hospitals even in developed countries.

Nagesha S. Kasinath, Maine, USA

Clarification

The Buddhist Society of India and other such organisations have expressed their resentment on the publication of a photograph of Lord Buddha ("See How They Shine", October 11). The photograph was not published deliberately or with any malicious intent of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizen or to insult religious beliefs. The inconvenience caused, if any, is deeply regretted.

-EDITOR

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