The Hindu episode (Editing News, Nov 24) has ended in an anti-climax. Amma has won the first round of battle and will probably win the last. She can rest confident that the paper tigers of the Tamil Nadu press will continue to be harmless. Before rushing to the apex court, The Hindu’s editors should have offered to be imprisoned. Tamil Nadu journalists should have carried out their threat of filling its jails. Struggle for democracy and freedom of press are far more serious business than providing entertainment on the idiot-box.
K.R. Sundar Rajan, New Delhi
Anyone found corrupt should be punished severely, irrespective of his party (Frame by Frame, Dec 1). I don’t know about the authenticity of the Express video but if true, Judeo should be punished by attaching his property and debarring him from elections. The other issue is the media’s attitude. It’s not just about an individual who got greedy. The Congress governments in Karnataka and Maharashtra are neck-deep in the stamp paper scam. It’s they who’ve corrupted the entire system involving politicians, bureaucrats and police.
Venkat, New York, US
To the defenders of democracy, champions of freedom of press, supporters of proven and verified chargesheeted criminal-politicians, the history of dirty politics is repeating itself just before the elections. We’ve seen it with the ‘onion shortage’ in Delhi, then with the Tehelka smear campaign and now these tapes. Are they just coincidences? Our full-time sycophant English media and the Congress as usual are running a parallel kangaroo court, behaving a la bloodthirsty vigilantes. Isn’t a man innocent until proven guilty?
Raj Purohit, Toronto, Canada
The Judeo story is nothing alarming. Our society is full of such Judeos and Bangaru Laxmans. It is another feather in the BJP’s corruption cap. What’s sad is that the ruling party is still supporting Judeo.
Anusha Singh Saharan, New Delhi
Judeo defends himself by saying he took money for a social cause. If that were the case, why did he have to take it like a thief and deny that he knew the man who bribed him or that he never went to a Delhi hotel on that particular day? Who is he trying to fool? And I wonder why L.K. Advani has not blamed the notorious Pak hand this time?
K.P. Rajan, Mumbai
Judeo’s explanation that the whole fiasco is part of a "Christian conspiracy" raises a few questions. The conversion drive in India by Christian missionaries is in itself a serious phenomenon. Attempts by a bribe-taker like Judeo to hijack the anti-conversion effort for his own benefit does not augur well for this movement either.
Parthasarthy B., Chennai
If l’affaire Judeo was indeed a sting operation in the mould of Tehelka, it can only mean the practice and investigative journalists are here to stay.
Rajat Ghai, Vadodara
Arun Jaitley says, "While it’s true that political parties collect funds for electioneering, no central minister should go to a hotel room to...collect cash". Does it mean those other than central ministers are eligible?
Vedula Krishna, on e-mail
It’s not the BJP that’s committing political harakiri but Sonia’s party that’s charting a calamitous course. The Telgi scam has sealed the party’s fate.
R.R. Sami, Tiruvannamalai
Just because BJP politicians have been caught on tape doesn’t mean other politicians are pious and have never taken a penny as bribe.
Abhilash Thadhani, on e-mail
The mystery tape, mysteriously, seems to have no source. Where did it come from, and who passed it on?
Atiq Khan, Bhopal
The ethnic strife in Assam and Bihar is saddening (Fire in the Belly, Dec 1). When viewed with detachment, the two blood-soaked states provide a similar picture. Both have little or no industry, governance is abysmal and from all accounts facilities for education are in tatters. Sitting in large cities of more progressive states, it’s easy to dream about India soon taking her place among the developed nations. But unless we insist on better governance and politicians with a vision, the story of India taking two steps back for every one forward will be repeated.
Malathi Nagaraj, Bangalore
It was disheartening to see the events in Assam. More agonising is the fact that it was cable news channels that ensured the smooth spread of violence. Who knows, had those clippings of Bihari mobs attacking NE passengers not been shown repeatedly on a popular Hindi channel, the repercussions wouldn’t have been of this magnitude. ‘Speednews’ ain’t always good news!
Chandan Barman, Duliajan, Dibrugarh
Small souls enquire / ‘Belongs this man, to our own sect, clan or race?’ / But larger-hearted men embrace / As members of the human race." The spate of violence and growing regional animosity is an outcome of the locals’ increasing aspirations owing to economic stagnation. But clubbing rrbs with railway divisions (in group C and D jobs) to meet the demand or issuing ‘work permits’ for daily-wage labour (as mooted by the Punjab government) are half-baked solutions. The panacea lies in nipping the evil in the bud. Rather than holding each other culpable, the government ought to strive for development in these states. Only this would reduce the need to move out and balance regional development. Though the freedom of movement is a fundamental right, it shouldn’t become an excuse for state governments to overlook their primary responsibilities.
Anil Kumar Pandit, on e-mail
States are created for administrative convenience. If they begin to see each other as different countries, the whole exercise of creating linguistic provinces will ring the death-knell of democratic India.
K.V. Raghuram, Wayanad, Kerala
People are aghast at the demand by politicians of various parties to hand over the Telgi case to cbi (Post Box No. 420, Nov 24). This too after the sit, under the direct supervision of the Bombay high court, has been doing exceedingly well. The Centre too has endorsed the demand. This is a clear case of trying to hijack investigations before politicians get caught in the net. Thankfully the courts have put a stop to it. People will overwhelmingly endorse investigations carried out under the direct supervision of the judiciary than under politicians. Remember it was just a city magistrate who set the ball rolling to demolish Sicily’s mighty mafia.
Cletus Dias, on e-mail
I was amazed at the levels the BJP think-tank can sink to when I read Balbir Punj’s diatribe against Mother Teresa (The Mother Principle, Dec 1). I’m neither a Catholic nor a practicing Christian nor do I believe in miracles but an international health worker who has sometimes worked with Catholic organisations in Catholic countries of the Third World. We seem to think the only purpose of missionaries is to convert. Why then do the Claratian fathers do missionary work among the already Catholic Quiche Indians in Guatemala or why do cmi fathers want to work in a predominantly Christian Kenya? Many Indians may be surprised to know that the cmi fathers are a congregation with headquarters in India and was started by Indian priest Kuriakose Chavara 150 years ago in Kerala. For Mr Punj, obsessed with typical north Indian nomenclature, Christian names unique to India alone would be a surprise. Christianity, Mr Punj, came to south India around the same time as Vedic Hinduism came to the region.
George Paul, Salem, Tamil Nadu
Why pollute Outlook with such sickening obsessions? In his attempt to undermine Mother Teresa, Mr Punj clumsily pulls out names from various fields. None of them, whether individually or collectively, match the Mother’s compassion for the poorest of the poor. For Mr Punj, the role model could have just as easily been Judeo, Modi or Togadia.
K.K. Nayyar, Lucknow
Punj trivialises the achievements of a great human in trying to glorify some others, notably proponents of Hinduism. At his age he should be mature enough to give credit where it’s due. Mother Teresa is better known in India than Sister Nivedita, despite India having 85 per cent Hindus and 2 per cent Christians. Doesn’t that say enough about her work? Or is this the greatest publicity stunt in the history of mankind?
Dr Rishi Thussu, on e-mail
I read with interest Dictionaryaha Iti Swaha (Sec 1). I recently read The Professor and the Madman: A tale of murder, insanity and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. I feel a perusal of this book will help the project managers of the Sanskrit Dictionary. In particular, they may like to consider the oed project director’s method of calling in volunteers wherein each volunteer was given one word and asked to work on it. I’m sure several Sanskrit scholars from various parts of India would love to be part of this team.
Meera Siddharthan, Delhi
It’s amusing how our government still has the audacity to think it’s competent and better than the iims (Chicken Coop Raids, Dec 8). Over the years, successive governments have systematically destroyed many reputed industries and institutes. Our psus, educational institutions are glaring examples of healthy edifices laid to waste by patronage, money and like instruments.
N.B. Panda, on e-mail
In a country where good fast bowlers are harder to find than honest politicians, the feverish excitement over India’s new crop of pacemen is forgivable (The Fast and the Furious, Dec 1). However, India’s cricketing wise men have an alarming tendency to throw these young turks into the deep end before properly assessing how their skills augment the team. For instance, with two established left arm seamers already in the Australia squad, what will a third left-armer (Irfan Pathan) bring to the team?
Eashan Ghosh, Noida, UP
In an article in our September 1 issue, we may have given the impression that Malcom Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, had improperly arranged the venue of a cricket match, had an affair with Madhumita Shukla, and was in some way involved in the investigation into Madhumita Shukla's tragic death.
Mr Speed has made it quite clear that he was in no way involved in any aspect of the aforesaid. We are happy to take this opportunity to confirm Mr Speed's denial and we sincerely regret the distress caused to Mr Speed and his family as a result of the publication of that article.
