This is to express my shock and dismay at the brutal murder of Irfan Hussain, senior cartoonist in your magazine. I remember him as a very nice, soft- spoken person from the time I first met him at The Hindustan Times cartoon contest awards in Delhi way back in ’86 where his caricature of V. P. Singh had won the first prize. I kept following his work through The Pioneer . We have lost a great talent at a time when it’s becoming scarcer with each passing year.
Keshav, The Hindu, Chennai
It’s shocking to know that Irfan is no more with us. I knew him from his days with The Pioneer . It’s hard to understand who would kill such a nice person in such a dastardly manner.
Md. Omer Farooq, The Pioneer, Hyderabad
I never met him. I didn’t even know what he looked like. Neither did thousands of other Outlook readers. Yet, he spoke to us every week— through his fluid, deft ink strokes; his stylised shading; above all, through his gentle yet biting wit. At times, his lines spoke more eloquently than the articles which carried them. I especially loved the tiny, bewildered and bemused Asterixian characters watching the political circus from the margins of life.
I join all admirers of Irfan’s art in expression of my deepest sense of grief and almost personal loss. Can Outlook promise us that it’ll put everything at its disposal, as a courageous and upright journal, to track the dastards who did this?
Deepak G. Shrivastav, Bombay
Irfan was fond of drawing cartoons of those of his colleagues who left the organisation he worked for. At one such farewell, he had said jokingly: "I’ve been making cartoons for each one of them but no one will draw one for me the day I leave." True to his words, the cartoonists of Delhi newspapers on Saturday decided to withdraw their cartoons and leave a blank space as a tribute to the young cartoonist Irfan Hussain.
Shekhar Gurera, The Pioneer, Delhi
I’ve been following Irfan’s work since his Pioneer days. I think his lines matured and his caricatures became more colourful and witty after he joined Outlook . May I request newspaper establishments and associations to do something to keep the memory of this young cartoonist alive.
Priya Raj, Mumbai
It has been a most unfortunate event in the history of political cartooning in India that a young cartoonist has been axed in the prime of his career. Irfan shall be remembered for ages to come for his inimitable style of cartooning. With this, I on behalf of Greater Kashmir extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved and we commiserate with friends and family of the deceased.
S. Naqshbandi, Greater Kashmir, Srinagar
It was probably his depiction of the recent political and communal upheavals in our country that cost Irfan his life. Outlook readers will surely miss the weekly humour Irfan injected into your magazine and through it into our lives. It still remains to be seen whether his murderers will be brought to book or not; considering the recent attacks on mediapersons which have not only gone unpunished but also out of public memory.
Sudhakar Barua, Pune
The cowards who murdered Irfan should be brought to book immediately. Irfan’s death has come as a shock to people like us who were ardent admirers of his work. We’ll certainly miss his caricatures.
Niraj Sinha, on e- mail
I was sad to know about the unfortunate murder of a person who every week lent some happy moments to our tense lives. I think Irfan died for a cause. His caricatures obviously gave some people sleepless nights. I sincerely wish Outlook upholds the freedom of the press and gives the culprits a lesson of their lives to impart a meaning to Irfan’s death.
Navin Rustagi, on e- mail
We express our heartfelt condolences on the mishap of Irfan Hussain. We’ll be thankful if you send Irfan’s career profile and details about him, including photographs.
P. Assain, Madhyamam, Kerala
We know how economical our politicians are with the truth ( Eight Goats... , March 15). It won’t be enough if their assets are brought to the public domain, the Income Tax department should post data available with it on these netas. If they’re non - assessees, the fact should be brought to public notice. Such exposure to the public gaze will make the roaches scurry for safety and our body politic may be cleansed.
R. Narayanaswamy, Madras
In Oscar Wild Cards (March 15), you mention Salaam Bombay as the only Indian production ever to have been nominated for a foreign film Oscar. Firstly, this film was nominated in ’88, not ’89 in the 61st Academy Awards; secondly, Mother India was the first Indian film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the 30th Academy Awards in ’57.
Seema Sathyu, Bangalore
I’d like to clarify a few things that appeared in Editing Aurobindo (March 15). As president of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Beneficiaries Association, I had been airing grievances in public for which the ashram trust formed an enquiry committee and issued a showcause notice wherein I was "charged for not abiding by a certain basic code of conduct evolved by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother". Among other things, that code enjoined that "nothing should be sent out for publication without having been first submitted to Sri Aurobindo for approval" and that "nothing should be spoken to outsiders about what passes in the Ashram without the special permission from the Mother".
The case is now sub judice in the IIIrd Additional District Munsif’s court which I’ve approached. However, I’d like to point out that by speaking to the press, trustee Dilip Dutta and the Americans in charge of the archives have violated this code of conduct. Transparency is essential in our electronic age, but trustees who try to quote a code of conduct next to impossible to apply in life must set an example by observing it themselves. Otherwise they can only be like Satan quoting the scriptures.
D. Kamal Dora, Pondicherry
I was rather surprised to read hackers being described as those who "use illegal methods of accessing a computer resource" ( Spiders on the Web, March 15). Not only is the "definition" wrong; it’s context is also wrong. Hackers are legitimate, ethical individuals who explore computer systems, networks and resources looking for loop-holes and backdoors, chinks in the armour exploited by the real cybercrooks— crackers.
Crackers are hackers who’ve no interest apart from wrecking a computer system. They’re interested only in using computers for destructive or personal purposes. Of course, they’ll often share their information with brother crackers, but only to increase the damage. Hackers work hand- in- hand with computer security firms to help plug the holes crackers find. Want to now more about hacking? Just visit http:// 2600. com .
Kaushal Desai, on e- mail
Prem Shankar Jha’s was an excellent exposé ( Coup Against the Forces , March 8) on the nasty way Adml Bhagwat was dismissed. It only takes one crooked politician (George Fernandes), one scheming bureaucrat (Ajit Kumar) and one spineless, self- serving naval officer (Adml Sushil Kumar) to subvert the armed forces that had more or less escaped the moral morass that’s overtaken this country. There are other even more sor-did aspects of this episode. I wonder how many know that the "honourable" defence minister had secretly met with Adml Sushil Kumar at Mangalore on board a naval ship in the first week of December ’98, a meeting which was kept secret even from the Naval Headquarters. That such things should happen during the tenure of the BJP which loses no time in shouting from rooftops about their love for the armed forces comes as a double whammy!
Joe Parambil, Kochi
I think your article on the budget ( The Twice Born, March 8) was excellent. It just shows that the common man isn’t really interested in shares, essential commodities and taxes. I think the budget wasn’t a populist one, it was more a balancing act between swadeshi and reforms.
Anup Sreedharan, Bombay
I think it’ll be best first to stop the goons in the English media ( Mob Rule, February 8). These secularists are hellbent on linking anything and everything bad in India with the BJP and the RSS .
Your secularists are doing much more damage than is being done by external enemies. Studying in a missionary school doesn’t mean accept ing and tolerating whatever these missionaries are doing. Don’t you think third- rate people— those who fail to make a career in other professions— are finding a place in journalism? They’re working as licensed prostitutes who instead of selling their flesh are selling their ability to manufacture news and publish it. You can’t abuse the freedom of expression to confuse the masses through concocted and motivated reports. Today, ‘selective quotes’ and ‘deliberate omissions’ are becoming a hallmark of journalism. The English media seems to be degrading itself and becoming bonded labour in the hands of those who pay it to read the kind of reports they want published.
Vinay Kumar, on e- mail
In a Wounded Idyll (March 1) deftly highlighted the issues that have led to the upheaval of life in Assam today. People from the rest of the country fail to recognise the alienation Northeastern people feel; instead they are blamed for being anti- national. It’s New Delhi’s constant neglect that has led to the stalemate there. When Nehru finally withdrew the army in ’62, it was the inhabitants of the region who boldly and collectively fought the invaders by sending their own family members into the battlefield.
Radhika Bhuyan, Baroda
If a real breakthrough in Indo-Pak relations has to be achieved, it’s important to address the Kashmir issue first ( The Peace Ride , March 1). When it suited us, we went ahead with a plebiscite before taking over Sikkim. It’s time we showed our magnanimity to Kashmiris by declaring a plebiscite under UN observers. Let’s right the wrong our rulers committed in 1949.
K. Raghavan, Kannur, Kerala
I fully concur with Mahesh Dattani’s choice of Speaking of Shiva as the best book of the century (March 1). Though a Kannadiga, I enjoy every line of Dr Ramanujan’s superb "transcreation". It’s a must- read for those on a spiritual quest. Incidentally the last-named poet is Akka Mahadevi (Akka for elder sister in Kannada), not Akkam Ahadevi.
Lt Col P. M. Gopinath, 56 APO
Despite your publishing details of defence minister George Fernandes possibly abetting insurgency in the Northeast ( Route to Suicide , February 1), it’s surprising how no opposition member took up the issue in Parliament and questioned the ruling party. Either our MPs don’t read Outlook or if they do, they don’t believe what it says.
D. K. Sharma, Agra
The article His Wicket Ways (March 22) implied that K. N. Prabhu worked for Mid- Day . He was only quoted in the newspaper.
