It was ridiculous to read Khushwant Singh’s review of David Davidar’s book The House of Blue Mangoes (David’s Sling Shot, January 21), knowing that the two had worked in the past, if not as colleagues, then at least with Khushwant as an advisor of some sort to Penguin India. Prejudiced at the best of times, insufferably so at the worst, Khushwant can’t be expected to review the book as an uninvolved observer, and neither can any author whose work Davidar has published so far. It’s sad, and especially bad for Outlook’s reputation that it couldn’t find anyone who wasn’t part of that charmed circle to review the book—Khushwant’s fawning praise is nauseating and the reader is left with publicity material (to wit, "With his first novel, he joins the charmed circle of Indian authors’ millionaires club" before the book’s even started to sell!) instead of a review. Please spare us such drivel!
Mehul Kamdar, Chennai
Love’s Favours Lost (January 21) is a clear case of the "Gandhi family" pride going to Robert Vadra’s head. In terms of family, he now stands nowhere, having dissociated himself from his blood relatives. I think he went too far, even if we were to believe the story.
K.V. Raghuram, Wyanad
With self-defeating cretins like Anita Pratap batting for India, we don’t need external enemies (Smarter than Bombs, January 21). The lady seems to think that "effective action" excludes taking war to the doorstep of those causing much misery to India. Maybe self-absorbed journos like her believe that if India keeps doing what it has been in the past decade, the Pakistan problem will sort itself out. But she should know that the only way to put an end to Pakistani terrorism is to pull it out from its roots in Islamabad.
Sri Kanth, on e-mail
Once again with his speech, Gen Musharraf has proved that he is a master strategist (Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk, January 21). His military training has kept him in good stead and helped him to convince Messrs Powell, Bush and Blair. Indians on the other hand are reactive in their approach—Advani and George Fernandes had to travel all the way to the US to convince the international community of the gravity of our complaints with regard to Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism.
G.S. Rao, Bangalore
In his recent address to his country, President Musharraf said: "Kashmir runs in our blood." This is paradoxical because for the past 12 years, Pakistan has been bleeding Kashmir with its so-called jehad, and we Indians are the ones who’ve sacrificed our blood for Kashmir.
Abhishek Kaul, on e-mail
While one appreciates the need to get both sides of the story, it’s time you did a bit of soul-searching as to how far you are willing to go (The Importance of Being Earnest). Terms like freedom-fighters in Kashmir and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir are not acceptable to the majority of your readers who I am sure comprise Indian nationals and not Pakistani.
Amit Roy Choudhury, on e-mail
Both Shireen Mazari and Nasim Zehra are known for their Kashmir-obsessed, over-exaggerated, one-sided, biased and anti-Indian opinions. They aren’t open-minded, liberal or secular thinkers. Their conclusions can’t go beyond the UN Security Council resolution for a plebiscite. They just cannot view the Kashmir situation in the current geopolitical scenario but remain mired in the past.
Mufahida Younus, United Arab Emirates
Of Gods and Men (January 21) was excellent. But being a diehard cricket enthusiast, I can tell you that Clive Lloyd’s Carib bunch towers far above the Aussies under Bradman or Waugh in terms of sheer brilliance, skill and class. How Warne would’ve bowled to the likes of Greenidge, Haynes, Lloyd and Viv Richards is strictly in the realm of hypothesis.
T.S. Pattabhi Raman, Coimbatore
In the table listing the winning record of Aussies under Steve Waugh (The Riddle of 33), the statistics regarding Test matches that Australia lost under Waugh’s captaincy are incorrect. Australia lost two Tests against the West Indies in April 1999 just before the 1999 World Cup in which the series was drawn level at 2-2. Then they lost to Sri Lanka 1-0 just after the same World Cup. Again, they lost two Tests in India in 2001. That makes a loss of five (and not four as you mention) Tests.
Anupam Kishore, on e-mail
You seem to have taken a great liking for the Australian team and have spared no effort to lavish praise on the Aussies, at the expense of the joyful bunch of Caribbeans who breathed life into cricket at a stage when England had managed to bring it down to a sorry state of draws.
Sathya, on e-mail
Many a senior citizen is wondering whether the saving habit he had cultivated so assiduously for his post-retirement was really worth the effort (Wrong Time, Wrong Age, January 21). The trend now is not to save but to live on borrowed money.
D.B.N. Murthy, Bangalor
Where did Arundhati Roy read about molten lead being poured into the ears of a Sudra were he to listen to a sloka (...Shall We Leave It to the Experts?, January 14)? Certainly not the Manusmriti. What is mentioned in Chapter 8, verse 272 is: "If anyone arrogantly teaches Brahmanas their duty, the king shall cause hot oil to be poured into his mouth and ears." It only reinforces the perception that the English media in India is viciously anti-Hindu. I am a Hindu, though not of the Sanghi variety. You’re catching me and others like me by the scruff of our necks and pushing us into the waiting arms of the Sangh parivar.
J. Anantharaman, on e-mail
Thank you for focusing on a very important aspect of human sexuality (Sex-Agenarians, December 31). Our experience at the sex and marriage counselling clinic at aiims fully bears out the observations in your feature. With increasing longevity in Indians and perceptions about sex in old age changing, more and more people remain sexually active than was the case earlier. The oldest patient I’ve had complaining about erectile dysfunction was 78, going for a fourth marriage!
Dr Bir Singh, New Delhi
Well, if the learned Amartya says "India was never a Hindu rashtra" (January 21), let’s make it one so that it does not disintegrate. It has been proven that whenever a region turns non-Hindu, it begins a demand for secession. The Partition happened because the majority of the people in the west and east became non-Hindu by headcount. There is a demand for secession in the Northeast and in the south Dravidian parties secretly nurse the ambition for a separate Tamil Nadu. It’s no different in Kashmir. Only an iron will can help overcome these secessionist tendencies.
M. Mannan, Bangalore
Prof Sen seems to be leading the band of saffron-allergic pseudo-secularists. Hindu-bashing is now a fashion and attracts a lot of media attention. Prof Sen doesn’t look at Indian history beyond the past 10 or 15 centuries. But he has to understand that Indian culture is not just millennia but billennia old.
K.B. Balmurali, on e-mail
Just when I’d decided to give up on Outlook and consign it to the wastebin, it gives us a splendid, hard-hitting article like Cauvery in a Puddle (January 21). Not only have Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam been seen historically, but also how they’ve been appropriated by the Brahmins. A Tam Brahm myself, I can see very easily how these forms are being used by "Reborn Hindus" to establish Hinduism in its most conservative avatar beyond India. Call it transnational Hindu-dom!
Shashikala Srinivasan, Bangalore
S. Anand’s grouse against Brahmins monopolising Carnatic arts reeks of a prejudice I’d equate with anti-Semitism. For art and culture to thrive, not only do you need dedicated artistes but also patronage. The very fact that Brahmins were willing to take up what Anand calls taboo subjects shows their broad-mindedness. It’s time we in India commended the contributions of different sections of the society, instead of blaming all ill-effects on certain Brahminical practices which have been put an end to long back.
Rajesh Rajamani, Palakkad
Recap to another music/caste piece by Anand. I’ve spent over 20 years by one of Chennai’s largest slums (with a crematorium nearby) and know for sure that Gaana rappers don’t congregate here. Also, contrary to what Anand says, Gaana practitioners aren’t Dalit. In fact, no one in Chennai slums—unless he’s interested in running for the elections—calls himself a Dalit! And women in the slums detest Gaana and all that it stands for. Much of the Gaana "counter-culture" is misogynist and destructive.
Shiva Pennathur, on e-mail
Though his intent seems noble, Anand’s output comes across as a tirade against the community, of which I am a part. Brahminism seems a favourite punching bag for any ailment facing the country, be it the decay of social fabric, art or literature. If Anand’s seriously worried about the resolution of the travails of the art form, he has to rise beyond the prejudices he has built.
V.G. Prakash, on e-mail
Now that you’ve done this, hope you’ll do something to stem the onslaught and not end up playing second fiddle to the powerful lobby.
P. Surendra, Chennai
If what Anand says is right, how come we have a Vennai Dhanammal or a Balasaraswati? There was state patronage in the form of rajas and zamindars promoting the arts. What has the democratic state done to promote the arts except a few sample cultural shows? They could easily have Mandalised the arts too with all the government-funded schools and colleges.
M.C. Vaijayanthi, Mumbai
Excellent article and a much-needed hard look at what’s happening to "classical" art forms in India. Elitism and conservatism, far from preserving art, can only ultimately throttle it.
Rupa Viswanath, on e-mail
It’s good to see Amartya Sen standing up for the truth rather than a form of history that may not "injure impressionable minds" ("India’s two great emperors were both non-Hindu", January 21). No other religion (if it can be called that) has manipulated historic facts to suit its survival in power as upper-caste Hinduism. In denying the truth about the glorious periods India had under the great Muslim and Buddhist rulers, they are just following a pattern they have been following throughout time. I hope that however hard anybody tries to distort the truth, the children of today will realise it one day and then will our nation rise to glory.
Pradeep M. Sankar, on e-mail
I’d call Amartya Sen an idiot were he not a Nobel laureate. He is no expert on history to comment on Hindutva. It’s only the Bengali Communist blood that’s running in his veins. He only wants to suck up to the Communist lobby and act a rationalist and intellectual as many Bengalis like to do. Nothing that’s Hindu is good according to them. They lack the guts to confront Muslim hypocrisy and extremism lest they be targeted by them. These self-proclaimed intellectuals are nothing but a blemish on India. It could be the fish they eat but surely they can have more brains. I pity these idiotic fools.
Jay Luvvmann, on e-mail
