This refers to your cover story on “men and women making a difference in the battle against hunger” (Nutrition Warriors, January 20). We owe you thanks for raising this rather ugly issue of hunger and deprivation because, as a society, we seem to care only for beautiful things. In a country where healthcare is dreadfully inadequate and superstition spreads faster than a rumour, it is good to know that some people are genuinely concerned. The story of the young IAS officer Somavanshi and his struggle to fight the scourge of ‘daagna’ was particularly inspiring as were many others. Here is a quote from John Conrad’s iconic novel Heart of Darkness that explains hunger like nothing else: “No fear can stand up to hunger, no patience can wear it out, disgust simply doesn’t exist where hunger is and as to superstition, beliefs and what may you call principles, they are less than chaff in a breeze.”
Sangeeta Kampani, New Delhi
The cover photo as also the stories inside touched my heart. Ask the children who are starving how they value a full meal. We overeat and waste food, throwing it in the garbage bin. We rarely share our blessings with the underprivileged. This issue of Outlook should at least tug at the conscience of some of us. As a 66-year-old veteran soldier, one of my important sources of happiness is in sharing our blessings with the poor. We make it a point to look after our service providers like the postman, safai karamchari and domestic help.
R.D. Singh, Ambala Cantt
There is an urgent need to include millets in the diet for many reasons. A beginning has been made by the NGO EcoSikh by introducing items made from millets. These grains are eco-friendly, rich in fibre content, nutritious and easy to cook.
Prithipal Singh, New Delhi
I sincerely congratulate you and the Outlook staff for your cover story on malnutrition prevailing in our country, especially among the children who are our national wealth and future ambassadors. Kudos to Chandra Shekhar Kundu and his tribe for taking care of these children. I wish the government enacts a law making it mandatory for people who spend lakhs on weddings to voluntarily part with a portion of the food directly to dedicated child centres, instead of volunteers collecting the leftovers.
Rangarajan T.S., Bangalore
There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel, as confirmed by the stories of the few obstinate ones. Because of their grit and determination, India may now climb a few notches up the World Hunger Index.
Rakesh Agrawal, Dehradun
This refers to ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ in Poliglot (January 20). As poor healthcare has once again let down the poor with the deaths of infants at a government hospital in Kota, Rajasthan, crossing the 100 mark in a month, it exposes shortage of doctors, inadequate supply of medicines and poor availability of hospital beds. It is unfortunate that this happened despite the outrage caused by news of the outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome in Bihar last year, which took the lives of a large number of children, and the deaths of children in Gorakhpur in 2017 due to the hospital running out of oxygen cylinders.
K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad
Indian diplomacy faces a litmus test as it tries to balance its relations with Iran and the US in the aftermath of General Qassem Soleimani’s assassination (Trumpets: Twitching the Tail of a Serpent, January 20). Exercising caution, India has appealed to both countries to refrain from going to war. With both Iran and the US eyeing de-escalation, the war clouds over West Asia seem to have drifted away for now. India’s stakes in the region are high. Iran is a major supplier of oil to India and India is developing the Chabahar seaport there at a great cost. Moreover, millions of Indians live and work in the region. While France, the UK and the European Union want that the existing nuclear deal with Iran to continue, Japan and China would want a peaceful region to get regular supplies of energy. It is gratifying that Trump, who threatened to unleash overwhelming military strikes, including against cultural sites in Iran, is now clearly intent on de-escalating the crisis. The pressure from the US Congress that the president should seek its approval before conducting any military campaign against Iran has obviously put paid to Trump’s reckless bid to heighten the conflict. But Trump will certainly impose massive sanctions on Iran to thwart its nuclear weapons programme.
Kangayam R. Narasimhan, Chennai
I feel sorry to say Banaras Diary by Rituparna Kakoty (January 20) is unkind on the common reader. One would need a dedicated dictionary for many words and phrases. Quoting them would make a long list. Talking about a multifaceted city like Benares could be much smoother, more informative and enjoyable. What has been dished out is stylistically objectionable.
L.V. Shastri, Bangalore
This refers to your story about “rods and stones greet JNUites protesting fee hike, following crackdowns on anti-CAA protests at many other places” (Campus Rising’s Bloody Sunday (January 20). The mayhem let loose in JNU is a typical symptom of the ailment the ruling dispensation suffers from—unbridled mania for monologue and malignant phobia for dialogue.
George Jacob, Kochi
At the outset, I wish to frankly admit that we, a circle of four-five friends, all in their 70s and 80s, were getting a little disappointed with the last few issues of your magazine because current events and burning topics were not getting due importance. The January 20 issue has made us rethink. Nivedita Menon’s column on the violence unleashed on JNUites (Dangerous Minds, January 20) is full of facts, calls a spade a spade and sets Outlook’s coverage apart from much of the print media. British-era traditions and customs of the police playing loyalties to “His Master’s Voice” have become more brazen in the form of atrocities on the people in the absence of any reforms worth the name. The police care only about being faithful to the powers that be, whether Modi-Shah now or Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. The police comprise the foundation of the criminal justice system. They would definitely be doing ‘right’ as per the culture and ideology of their masters judging their performance. Who said and did what, when and where, and how many lives get sacrificed, are immaterial in the bid to achieve the regime’s target of saffronising everything. The agitation of students and academics supported by all and sundry irrespective of their religion, region and learning are bound to ultimately peter out in the face of the lathis and guns of the uniformed forces fully supported by RSS footsoldiers.
M.N. Bhartiya, Goa
The reluctance of the police to act, the politics of what makes JNU, the fight between Left and Right have all dominated the national discourse. There is an outpouring of sympathy and solidarity from across the country. Bollywood celebrities, activists and others seem to be coming together to stand up for the students and support their struggle for democracy and justice. As our liberals side with separatists and infiltrators, but are vocal against nationalist and Hindu concerns, those who propelled Narendra Modi to fight a civilisational war on their behalf are silently watching. No wonder the grimmest war between the old Nehruvian establishment and the new nationalism under Modi is being fought on campuses. That’s because the Left, almost wiped off India’s face electorally, has invested so heavily on its last bastion—a handful of campuses such as JNU in Delhi and Jadavpur in Calcutta.
J. Akshobhya, On E-Mail
