It’s no surprise that the Indian farmer has come to this pass (Harvest of Misery, July 4). Politicians treat him only as a votebank, he is out of their reckoning when it comes to formulating policy. The media too has neither the time nor the space to spare for the plight of the Indian agriculturist. It is too busy recording the travails of the rich and famous or bracketing politicians and parties into secularists and communalists to concentrate on a people who seem to have slipped out of national priority. Couple this with old foes—the fickle monsoon and the greedy moneylender—and the farmer’s universe does seem a web of woe.
R. Ramachandran, Secunderabad
It’s sad that those who work to give us our food themselves go hungry. The crisis in Indian agriculture goes back to the time when Nehru as the steward of independent India rejected Gandhi’s model of village India and concentrated more on building our industrial muscle and modern machinery. This tradition of neglecting agriculture persists to this day. And what little the farmers had left in the absence of land reforms, proper implementation of agricultural policies and reduced resources was robbed from them in the era of globalisation. We and our governments have forgotten that the farmers are the backbone of our country and we cannot hope to become a global power by depriving farmers of their lot. It’s time for balanced progress.
Dhirendra Mishra, Allahabad
I’ve been involved with agriculture for the past four years. The main problem plaguing the farmers is of rising cost of cultivation and decreasing yields each year. And extending agricultural credit or increasing irrigation facilities is no answer to this problem. Decreasing yields are a factor of soil fertility; the soil, like any other living being, needs constant nourishment to maximise its productivity. Under conventional practices, nothing is being done. Dosage of chemicals is being increased each year. Not for the soil, but for the plant. The crop residue is burnt, nothing or negligible compost is added by farmers, there’s no organic material for compost. The animals have been traded for tractors, there’s no practice of permaculture to grow biomass. Then there’s the slow destruction of natural resources. Groundwater is depleting at an alarming rate. Agriculture consumes more than 50 per cent of it and there’s talk of increasing this consumption through better irrigation!
Sanjay Aggarwal, on e-mail
Karnataka in general has vast tracts of drought-prone areas. What’s surprising is that even in a district like Chikmagalur where coffee plantations are making profits, the farmers suffering from crop failure are not getting even the minimum support price.
Mahesh Babu T.R., Tumkur, Karnataka
Indian farmers have never had an agriculture-centric development plan. All that’s been doled out to them are unimaginative rozgar yojanas and food for work programmes. It helps them survive for a while but soon enough they are back to eating roots in Kalahandi and Koraput.
G.S. Raj, Chicago
Perhaps the government should re-read the correctives in the Planning Commission’s mid-term appraisal.
K.S. Thampi, Chennai
I am no supporter of sati. But it does rile me when present standards of gender equality are applied to older societies (A Burning Desire, July 4). I haven’t read the state tourism brochures but you cannot talk of Rajasthan’s cultural heritage without mentioning its sati temples. To condemn them and expect them to be eraducated is downright unreasonable.
Arti Godara, Mumbai
How many Sudheendra Kulkarnis do you have among Muslims (Our Man in the BJP, July 4)? Why do we have only Hindus trying to understand Muslims or Christians and not vice versa? Have Teesta Setalvad and her likes ever tried to understand the Hindu psyche?
Vaibhav Vashistha, New Delhi
Ayesha Jalal’s Mr Ravana: Slay the Myth (July 4) was one of the best analyses of Partition I’ve ever read. One question, however, remains: why did Jinnah choose to join and lead the Muslim League after having worked as and lived the ideology of a Congressman for over 25 years? In fact, for some reason (the political ambitions of the Congress perhaps), it’s little known that Jinnah did propose a ‘federation’ of states instead of Partition. But Nehru & Co opposed it vehemently. Some light on this may be shed if and when Maulana Azad’s papers are declassified. They were opened 50 years after Independence, as Azad had instructed, by his grand-daughter Najma Heptullah (who joined the bjp after having been a Congress member all along). But, unfortunately, the facts have been denied to the public at large.
Anil Butani, Mumbai
I commend Jalal for her bold views, especially as a scholar who is Muslim and a woman. She’s right to suggest that Advani perhaps pulled off a Machiavellian stunt by calling Jinnah secular. The Qaid-e-Azam of a militant Islamic state secular? What contradiction! What sacrilege! Could anyone think of a better zinger for the delusional rulers of Pakistan who, since its creation in 1947, have never tired of rationalising its existence on Muslim communality?
Amit Sinha, Pittsboro, US
The issue of Jinnah’s secularism is an old one. It has gained a new lease of life because it was uttered by an unlikely person. True, the Nehru-Patel-Azad trio had cornered much of Gandhi’s mind and hence Congress initiative and opinion. This did push an otherwise secular Jinnah towards the Muslim League. Who was to blame? The trio, for being power-hungry and Jinnah for ditching his principles for power. What is naive is to suggest that Partition was not because of a religious divide but for other reasons. Jalal seems to suggest it could have been avoided had there been more political structures to give more power to minorities. But not only would that have been against the very grain of a secular state, it would also have anyway pushed the nation towards Partition, if not in 1947 then later.
Subir Nag, Mumbai
Rather than get so exercised about Advani’s comments, we should perhaps spare a thought for that poor soul in UP who has fallen prey to the Deoband ulema’s inhuman fatwa. Imrana’s case needs intervention from the media and enlightened members of both communities. Else, the archaic Muslim clergy will have claimed another hapless victim.
Sarvajna Sathya, Bangalore
It now stands confirmed that the "puppets of history" were so excited and steeped in idealism or perhaps locked in power politics that they lost sight of the ground reality.
M.N. Khan, London
Ram Guha has his history pat when he says that "by the end of the second world war...it (Partition) had become inescapable" (1947: Degrees of Blame, June 27). As such, the unsavoury debate over Jinnah’s role is redundant. But whether or not one approves of Advani’s brand of politics, he was accurate when he said Jinnah single-handedly managed to create Pakistan.
Anil K. Joshi, Ranikhet
The article East Bank Settlers (June 27) estimates that some 25,000 Israelis travel to India each year and seems to suggest that almost all of them head to Kulu-Manali and smoke illicit substances there. In fact, the volume of Israeli visitors comprises considerably of businessmen. Among the tourists, the majority come here to explore India’s culture and heritage, visiting a wide range of tourist destinations across the subcontinent. Only a tiny fraction makes its way to the locations you mention. The Israeli government is making efforts, along with the Indian authorities, to tackle the issue.
Michal Gur-Ayeh, Spokesperson, Israel Embassy
Konkani can be learnt and taught in more than one script (Tongue in a Twist, June 27). In Karnataka, however, the Kannada script has been used for Konkani for over a century now. Students in Karnataka are familiar with the Kannada script by Class 5. So it makes sense for them to learn Konkani in that script rather than learn another script afresh. As would be the case if Devanagari were adopted. Ultimately it’s language, not the script that needs to be taught.
Dr Edward Nazareth, on e-mail
Prem Shankar Jha is spot on (Beyond CO2 at Kyoto, July 4). Hold developing nations—especially China and India—equally accountable and include the deforestation issue, then perhaps you have a diplomatic start for a truly global treaty. I’ve lived in the West for decades and travelled extensively in the US and Europe. Those continents have by and large taken care of their wilderness and forests while we in India have raped them unlike perhaps any other civilisation in the history of our planet!
Sanjay Dani, San Francisco, US
The Ambani siblings deserve to be given time (What the Break-Up Means, June 27). It’s premature to pass judgements rightaway. The split may have cascading impact on our economy, so nothing should be done or said which could jeopardise restoration of normality on this corporate war front.
Satish S. Rao, Mumbai
One thing great about Outlook is that no other magazine publishes letters throwing more brickbats than bouquets. This makes its letters pages the spiciest in the country. The credit goes to the editor entirely, who is eccentric enough to name his dog Editor. I only hope the reverse is not true, for then addressing Mrs Editor would become most embarrassing.
Ralph Rodrigues, Bangalore
Indivar Kamtekar’s Aizawl Diary (June 27) reminded me of the first time I landed in the city. I had hired a cab from the airport and it left me at a hotel. When I checked in, I found my wallet gone. Having given up on it, I was pleasantly surprised to see the cabbie return with it an hour later. I had apparently dropped it in his taxi. Local dailies often carry words of appreciation from people who’ve recovered lost items. And ads which ask owners to claim money, bags, wallets, gold ornaments and even pets that might have been found by someone!
Robert J. Baite, Imphal
It was a pleasant surprise to read about my home town Aizawl. Kamtekar hits home on most counts. But "reluctant Indians"? Nah. Maybe he should come here during an Indo-Pak match. Then he’d see how high patriotic feelings run here as elsewhere in India!
Mina Zote, Aizawl, Mizoram
In his diary, Kamtekar says he was woken up at 4 am by a crowing cock and he woke up planning revenge—chicken curry for dinner. But the accompanying illustration shows a crow instead of a cock. Did Kamtekar end up eating the wrong stew?
Paul Mathew, on e-mail