First they killed innocent children with spurious toxic milk, made of an emulsion of urea and oil. Now, it’s with adulterated killer oil that they’ve sought their unsuspecting victims (In a Poison Slick, September 7). The common man is the victim of all such acts of greed committed by unscrupulous elements. The existing deterrents either prove ineffective or are ineffectively implemented. Unless the demons involved in such heinous crimes are given draconian punishment they’ll continue to kill innocent people for their own gain. There should be a public trial for people who build their empires on death. This will deter others from even contemplating such atrocities.
Vivek Khanna, Panchkula
Your article When Mountains Move (August 31) failed to acknowledge the meritorious work done by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). The vernacular press would have given you enough insights into the tragedy. The ITBP was there when it all happened and continues to work on the site trying to recover the dead. It also lost eight of its valued personnel. The survivors from the ITBP group started their relief work immediately on the night of August 17. Those who’ve returned alive owe a lot to the ITBP.
Gautam Kaul, Director General, ITBP
I wish Outlook had delved deeper into the scientific causes of landslides/debris flows in the Garhwal/Kumaun regions of the Himalayas. The barrage of landslides here is directly linked to the active glacierisation in the region, not to deforestation and development activities. The Himalayan glaciers are the summer-accumulation type—they receive accumulation or snowfall during ablation under solar radiation by the monsoonal regime. Accumulation decreases with temperature rise reflecting increase of rain portion in total precipitation, and ablation increase is intensified by lowering of surface albedo. By negative changes of accumulation and ablation and with global warming, glacier retreat is further accelerated in the Himalayas.
Dr Syed I. Hasnain, New Delhi
The cover story The Jehad Spill-over and the article An ‘Islamic’ Escape Route (September 7) amply prove, if any proof was needed, that Kashmir isn’t a problem between India and Pakistan but a symptom of the latter’s existential crisis. It’s only a step in making India Darul-Islam. Among all the countries ruled by Muslims, only India couldn’t be totally converted to Islam despite 800 years of Islamic rule.
V. Sagar, Delhi
The very thought of Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden diverting his attention and resources to ‘reclaim’ Kashmir for Pakistan sends a chill down one’s spine. If he can bombard two US embassies, India will have a tough time repelling his offensive jehad to wrest Kashmir off our hands.
If that be the case, does India have a contingency plan in mind? Afghan mercenaries are known to be the scourge among all terrorists. How will we manage a full-scale insurgency by them?
M. Shahid Abdulla, Mangalore
It’s disheartening to read about the repeated failure of the police, the army and the home ministry to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Kashmir. The irony is that in most of the incidents the intelligence had information, if not about the place of strike, at least about the movements of the militants. Despite that, steps were not taken to prevent such killings. Is our internal security being handled by such incompetent and passive people that even after dealing with the problem for almost a decade they haven’t been able to come up with concrete solutions? Indifferent politicians and an obsolete, sluggish system of government have brought things to such a pass.
Jaideep Karmakar, Sharjah, UAE
Things have gone from bad to worse in Kashmir because L.K. Advani firmly believes his responsibility is restricted to issuing pugnacious statements. He is known more for leaving a trail of death and destruction in the aftermath of his rath yatra rather than understanding problems. Doublespeak is an art he has mastered to perfection. Those indicted by the Jain Commission will be prosecuted but those indicted by the Srikrishna Commission not only continue to be in office but are also protected by Black Cat commandos. Advani told the Lok Sabha that Mulayam Singh had misused IAF planes for personal work, but the home minister didn’t tell us what was being done about it. Any progress on Bofors? Nil. Anything about the assets of Laloo Yadav? Sorry. But if you persist with questions then you’re anti-Hindu at best and a Pakistani agent at worst.
Seema Sharma, Vadodara
Terrorism is a new horror game to be tackled urgently on a global level since The Jehad Spill-over is spreading over the globe. But the policy of missile strikes on targets in the territories of sovereign countries is more dangerous, because it can miss targets and innocent lives can be lost. I can understand America’s anguish against terrorists like Osama bin Laden, but then it should also understand India’s compulsions.
A. Jacob Sahayam, Vellore
I didn’t get to watch the President’s interview to N. Ram, but Thinking Aloud (August 31) made me rea-lise that K.R. Narayanan is the best thing to have happened to India recently. He speaks for the silent majority when it is required, and it is not only the urban middle class I am referring to. (The last electoral voting pattern speaks for itself).
As for Chandra Shekhar’s idea that "so many controversial issues" should not have been brought up, will someone please ask him why? Our leaders end up representing only themselves and no one else. The very fact that such persons are also elected is a telling comment on the state of our populace: uneducated and easily moved by rhetoric. All of which suits our Mr Ex PM very well; the masses thus remain at the same level at the cost of personal enrichment of their leaders.
Chandra Shekhar makes me want to vomit. President Narayanan makes me want to start believing in my country again.
Harsh Govil, received on e-mail
Mean Screen Boyz (August 31) demonstrated how theatre has proved to be the perfect breeding ground for talented new actors who defy conventionality in acting. Witness Manoj Bajpai and Ashutosh Rana who have broken the moulds of conventional heroes and villains in Satya and Dushman. They’re loaded with the kind of talent which ace directors like Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan would love to test anyday. Let’s hope we will see more memorable performances from them.
Vikram Singh Rohella, New Delhi
I know of producers peddling soft porn as ‘sex education films’. Your article Sex, Ties and Tomahawk Strikes (August 31) with clippings from the Western media on the Clinton scandal was shocking. Where was the need of dumping western trash onto the Indian household, under the guise of "reporting what they write"? Please remember your magazine is targeted at the urban family as a whole (or so I believe) and the article on the alternative uses for a cigar (I am an educated adult now) leaves one squirming.
Raghunathan received on the e-mail
I know of producers peddling soft porn as ‘sex education films’. Your article Sex, Ties and Tomahawk Strikes (August 31) with clippings from the Western media on the Clinton scandal was shocking. Where was the need of dumping western trash onto the Indian household, under the guise of "reporting what they write"? Please remember your magazine is targeted at the urban family as a whole (or so I believe) and the article on the alternative uses for a cigar (I am an educated adult now) leaves one squirming.
Raghunathan received on the e-mail
Immune to Ethics (August 31) was shocking beyond belief. If it were a simple case of the government being forced to go back on tender terms and be unfair, it wouldn’t be as bad. In this case there is a possibility of innocent children being exposed to a dreaded disease like polio and all because of some commercial dispute. We’re grateful Outlook brought the issue to the fore.
A.K. Shah, New Delhi
The Thorny Path Home (August 31) once again showed the government’s inability to properly handle the issue of the surrendered rebel in the troubled state of Assam. In the regime of the late Hiteswar Saikia surrendered ULFA men were allowed to keep a number of arms with them. The result is before us: the fratricidal killings like the one on August 11.
Santanu Saikia, Pune
It’s indeed a pity that the largest political party today has to bow before the whims and fancies of a mindless local politician (End of the Road? August 31). Politicians of the stature of Vajpayee and Advani are spending sleepless nights because of her and our helpless defence minister has been reduced to defending his government at the Centre.
Sudhir G. Shenoy, Goa
Arundhati Roy, of the independent mobile republic, evinced a steamy reaction to our desi atomic bomb (The End of Imagination, August 3). I wonder what she thinks of the Clinton shenanigans or the US missile attack in Afghanistan. In my view, as a native (non-eunuch) of a static independent republic, the personnel department of the White House should take proper care of their President’s daily pressing needs—in the larger interest of world peace! After all, any departure from one’s normal routine can be quite upsetting—especially if one were fiddling with the nuke button.
Jayant Gaur, received on e-mail
I’m a 12th standard student and my name fortunately or unfortunately happens to be Jayalalitha. Although I was earlier grateful to my parents for giving me this name, now I hate it! Ever since Jayalalitha became the No. 1 hate figure in the country due to her actions and tantrums of keeping not only the government but even the nation on tenterhooks, I’m ashamed of my name Jayalalitha. Not only am I teased by my friends but even my own parents scold me s a y i n g : ‘Don’t behave like Jayalalitha’! I can’t change my name nor one can I change Amma in Poes Garden. Can my (in)famous namesake in Chennai help me?
Jayalalitha, Mumbai
