Apropos Junket Before Judgement Day (May 9), at a time when the judiciary is assuming a more activist role in making the legislature accountable (with its interpretation of the Constitution), such bare-faced bias is worrying. It’s disgraceful that Justice Phukan, head of a commission handling an inquiry into the MoD, should have accepted hospitality from the same. The worst part is he hardly seems affected about the implications of this. If this becomes the norm, then these people, by association, will only harm the image of the judiciary.
Priyanjali Malik, Oxford, UK
Had some government employee acted in this way, he would have been suspended if not removed from service long back. The money spent on the junket should be recovered from Justice Phukan and the probe restarted. We can only imagine the fairness of judgements delivered by him in his term as a regular judge.
Sachdi Nanda, New Delhi
If Outlook, for its own credibility, had at least done a pro forma story on the hushing up of the Nanavati Commission report by the upa or at least commented on Laloo’s cases—to take the spotlight away from which the Congress launched into George Fernandes—it would have been par for the course to have taken this story at face value. As of now, it smacks of sucking up to the upa—is Mr Mehta angling for an ambassadorship to Pakistan?
Ajit Tendulkar, Seattle, US
George has been playing his faux socialist games for long, but now it’s amply clear to everyone that his crumpled kurtas hide many Kargil crores in their pockets. His attempts to evade the consequences of his misdemeanors—as the most "in-defensible minister" of the Vajpayee government— simply won’t succeed.
Pramod K. Kureel, New Delhi
Outlook is obviously oblivious to the way our armed forces work. As an ordinary citizen, I’ve enjoyed ‘bribes’ like staying in an mes bungalow, dinner etc while visiting relations in the army. These are basic niceties followed by one of the few institutions who still do so. But to expect Outlook to understand would need a giant leap of imagination, a bit too much to expect.
Prashant Lele, Pune
Mr Mehta is excelling in his job, that of non-designated Congress pro. The Vajpayee witch-hunt a few issues back fizzled out badly, we must await the results of this new one now. One can fault Mr Mehta for many indiscretions but not with disloyalty. We can only hope that loyal Congress lackeys get their due, an RS ticket, or better still, an ambassador post.
Sarathi, Mumbai
If I were you, I would ask one basic question. What did the judge gain by it all? A jolly ride in an iaf plane meant only for vvips? Sure, that must have done wonders to his ego. And that too to ‘exotic places’ like Mumbai, Shirdi et al. Not to mention the sumptuous food at defence establishments. Can’t he have had the same at any five-star in Delhi? And with a lot less risk? You wouldn’t have dug out kitchen order tickets to write this ridiculous story then, would you?
Sanjeev Manoj, Bangalore
Conceding that one should not only be right but appear to be right, to suggest that the unfortunate Justice Phukan would have gone soft on George Fernandes, courtesy a holiday trip with his spouse, is but the prevailing perversity of our thought process. It’s not like Fernandes sent Phukan on a pleasure jaunt to Paris and Las Vegas. Coming to Mrs Phukan, fine, she would have cost the exchequer an extra meal or two. Well, do we want to see our women confined to the kitchens and not share the space that life affords their men?
B.S. Murthy, on e-mail
It’s obvious what Phukan did is unethical. But it could not have swung his judgement for it is a small ‘bribe’, if that is what Outlook is implying. I can vouch that there are other ministries much more corrupt than defence.
Maj Gen (retd) S.C.N. Jatar, Pune
A double whammy for the Indian taxpayer. First a goof-up on costly defence deals and then another costly drama as investigation—both at their expense.
Parthasarathy, Chennai
Would you put your career on the line for a trip to Shirdi/Pune? As (hopefully rational) journalists, does it make any sense? I am no nda supporter, but methinks you doth nitpick too much.
Venkat R. Subramaniam, State College, US
George, George...George of the Jungle. You should have known better than to swing from the wrong tree.
Rajan N. Panchal, Mumbai
Apropos The Law’s a Beast (May 9), the only tangible difference between Mumbai and Delhi now is that a rape still sparks off massive outrage in the former. The last nail on the coffin of our cosmopolis has been struck, and instead of expressing concern, all our moral guardians like Pramod Navalkar et al can do is blame it on the women. No wonder it’s hard to take our ‘right-wing’ seriously. Bar girls were already persona non grata, are working women and students who travel from Chembur to south Mumbai also not kosher in their view?
Arpan Srivastava, Bangalore
What are Narayan Rane and his Sena brethren planning next? Maybe have all suburban women wear burqas and sit at home uneducated? Or encourage the dowry system since that’s always been part of our culture? The Congress-ncp has never been a favourite but I was never gladder that the Shiv Sena isn’t in power anymore. If not the rapists, at least the women in Maharashtra are safe from them.
Anusheel Bhan, on e-mail
It’s always the ‘provocative dress’ for our fundamentalist brothers. Simone de Beauvoir once wrote that "humanity is male" and that "woman is simply what man decrees"—essentially a sexual being. The Sena guys seem to have taken such ideas too much to heart.
Sharad Rajimwale, Jodhpur
For all their Muslim-baiting, it’s just degrees of separation which distinguish the Sena and outfits like the Taliban. I’m sure if they had their way, some bright mind in Saamna would have wanted Indian women in a burqa.
Ranjana Manchanda, on e-mail
Everyone’s too busy grabbing a seat on the gravy train to grieve for a poor BSF asst commandant brutally murdered by the Bangladeshi BDR (Newsbag, May 2). No one cares, not the common man, not the neta and not the otherwise hyperactive Indian media. Brings back to mind the Walter Scott lines, ‘Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land’.
Lt Col Sushil Chilimbi (retd), Mumbai
Apropos In the Line of God’s Periscope (May 9), the Western/ Christian concept of religious freedom—which influences modern legal positions as well as international rights discourse—stacks the deck in favour of proselytising religions. Benjamin Marsh might consider conversion to be a "respected activity" but from the perspective of the Indic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism), Christian-style "conversion" leads to a negation of one’s spiritual heritage and is a most abominable act. No accident that Gandhiji was very critical of proselytisation.
Ramesh Murthy, on e-mail
Besides the conversion zealots, one has to look to the mischief of the secularists in India. Who are these worthies zealously working to make India irreligious in the name of secularism? Secularism in India will prevail if the Hindu ethos prevails, because a Hindu by definition is secular. Leave him alone to follow his path; and follow your path to your heart’s content. If, however, conversion is your creed, strife and bloodshed are inevitable legacies. The Hindu reaction—the rise of the so-called Hindutva brigade—is in a major part due to the perception that Hinduism is in danger in India.
V.B. Lal, New Delhi
Restoration of a failed democracy (When it Reigns, it Pours, May 9) is no longer the issue. How to curb the Maoist insurgency in Nepal is. By denying military assistance, India will indirectly be helping the Maoists. Surely, we don’t want them to form parallel governments in the remaining two-thirds of rural Nepal. Nor do we want insurgency to spill into the "red corridor" of Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and AP. Direct military intervention is a last option. But it will turn Nepal into another Vietnam. A really piquant situation for India!
K.K. Joshi, Lucknow
Rajinder Puri has indeed hit the Bullseye (May 9). Vajpayee and his ilk in the bjp should leave the Sangh and its poisonous progeny, form a new moderate outfit which can fully take on the mantle of a pan-national opposition. The core constituency and the organisational muscle of the rss which Advani raves about are myths. Vajpayee was responsible for giving the bjp the status of a mainstream political party. It was Vajpayee who raised their Muslim voteshare from 3 per cent in 1991 to 14 per cent in ’99. The need of the hour for Vajpayee is to shift loyalties from the Sangh to the nation. In the process, if he has to split the BJP, so be it.
Dr Amir Ali Mookhi, Mumbai
There seems to be a conflation of two ideas here (The Exit of Formula, Apr 25). The author assumes that the end of formula is automatically the beginning of good cinema. However, very few good films are emerging from this trend. Page 3 is good cinema only when compared to the likes of Musafir or Karam. But isn’t that setting the bar really low? The problem is, Bollywood sets Hollywood as the standard to match; it needs to look elsewhere for inspiration. China, Japan, Iran, France, Mexico etc make a lot fewer films than us but of far greater quality. Of course, there’s the issue of Bollywood as "social phenomenon" to consider. But the industry as such can’t be developed as a market for ‘escapism’.
Namboodiripad, on e-mail
Apropos The Big Fight (May 9), the headline truly did justice to the piece. For long, the Mumbai market has been ruthlessly skimmed by The Times of India for lack of a true competitor with the same financial muscle and marketing acumen. HT and DNA will spur on the bloodbath for marketshare here but spare a prayer for fringe players like Free Press Journal and Afternoon Despatch and Courier. They’ll be the first and worst hit. How many will throw in the towel and sell out to bigger players remains to be seen. On the bright side, the readers stand to gain the most. For it’ll be a relief to get some diverse opinion (at lower cost?) instead of being fed the same one-sided views as has been happening in the recent past.
Sabyasachi Dutta, Mumbai
Saeed Naqvi in Istanbul Diary (May 9) makes an interesting point on how over 3,600 words are common to Hindi-Urdu and Turki. An interesting fact I learned recently is that turkey (the bird) is called "Hindi" in Turkey (the country). In Portuguese, the word for turkey (the bird) is "Peru". This is because people thought the bird came from that particular country. In America, the bird is called turkey because it was believed it came from Turkey!
Anurag Chatrath, New Delhi
