Surely there is no denying contamination in any food we eat, but is the pesticides issue as grave as it is being projected (Watch Your Plate, Sep 4)? Such stories make heavy political statements, give sedentary middle-class women something to talk about in their idle hours and give illusions of victory for the small people fighting big mncs like Coke and Pepsi. The human body is so resistant to most contaminants that ingestion of a bit of bad food can’t reduce your life span. Else, we’d all have been dead by now.
Akhil Rahul, Chicago
Basically, if you want to live as long as your gradma, follow her ways of eating. And if you want to kick the bucket as soon as your hip, modern aunt, eat junk food. It’s time we skip the supermart and get back to the good ol’ flour mills.
Chidanand Kumar, Bangalore
When our entire food chain is contaminated, why create a scene about mncs? Is it to get some money out of them? It is is quite clear that some ngos are making a noise about bottled drinks just for publicity. Instead of banning colas, we should probe the credentials of self-proclaimed do-gooders.
Dinesh Kumar, Chandigarh
Agreed, there are pesticides, but please don’t blame the poor farmer for it. Agriculture, anyway, is not a profitable venture. For one who has invested in it, there is no way other than pesticides to check loss of crops.
Resmi A., Kollam
I wonder why you failed to trace ddt in coconut.
K. Yenikapati, Rachapudi, AP
Forget pesticides, anyone living in my city knows how greens are grown.
S. Mala, Mumbai
Funny you mull So What Does One Eat? More than 30 crore Indians don’t have that choice.
Jaleel Khan, Lucknow
In today’s world, organic food has the potential to detox the human body (How Nature Meant It). Devoid of use of conventional pesticide or growth hormones, it is produced at all levels sans the use of genetically modified organisms. There’s evidence that organic foods are more sustainable and environmentally sound. What’s more, they contain more vitamins and minerals.
Ashish Jha, Pune
While the floods in Gujarat and Rajasthan (In Deep Water, Aug 28) have grabbed media attention, a tragedy in reverse is happening in traditionally flood-cursed Assam. A spectre of drought haunts its districts, many of which have had less than 40 per cent rainfall. Even if it rains now, it’ll be too little too late. Thousands of acres of standing crop have already wilted, lakhs of farmers have been unable to cultivate. The response of the government to the drought-"like" situation would be laughable if it wasn’t so tragic. The entire state has got Rs 78 lakh for drought relief from the Centre. When divided, our district of Chirang got Rs 5 lakh. Even going by government records (anyway grossly underrated), there are at present 22,000 affected farmers in Chirang, of which only 1,600 will get helped (no prizes for guessing who’ll benefit from the 8 litres of diesel and the 150 ml of mobil the government will "help" them with). Marginal farmers will be left to their own devices and get further debt-ridden. No cultivation means zero daily-wage labour for the thousands of landless. With a weak pds system, no mid-day meals in school, a farce of an icds programme in villages, hunger is lurking for lakhs in Assam. Who cares?
Jennifer Liang, Chirang
Why is it that acts of violence by ulfa or others in east India are always referred to as insurgency and the people involved as "rebels" (Truce Tactic, Aug 28)? An act of violence in Kashmir is terrorism, it is insurgency in Assam and when in Ayodhya, it’s "kar seva"!
Salman Ghazi, Mumbai
One adulator once compared the reigning PM as Durga, no less. Your ode to the PM, He’s Got the Antidote (Sep 4), went down the same path. Why does India love adjectives? Why are we so eager to put our leaders—especially in the ruling league—into the Hall of Fame that is History? What has Manmohan Singh done by signing the Indo-US N-deal? Such pacts are part of the routine act of governance. Can we say he’s addressed the reservation issue by sidelining the anxieties of the country’s ‘higher’ castes? Placating Laloo and Paswan is no great political feat, it’s just some deft mutual accommodation.
G.R. Saha, Calcutta
Good to read a story about Pakistan that sees the nation beyond Kashmir and terrorism (Karachi Jalwa, Sep 4). While we’ve always said that peace between us depends on a whole lot of bilateral issues and not just Kashmir, we’ve always held peace talks hostage to our limited worldview. Who knows, better cross-border economic ties may force the people to bring governments to the discussion tables. There is no greater motivation for man than money.
Ameet Bhuvan, Bhubaneswar
Having been associated with Reliance Industries for close to 20 years now, I was disappointed to read your story On Ground Zero (Sep 4). I’ve come across all the three Ambanis—even the company patriarch Dhirubhai’s wife Kokilaben. Both Mukesh and Anil have different personalities. Unlike Mukesh, Anil is aggressive, flamboyant and media-savvy. That is not to say he’s not a good businessman (as you seem to hint). Both Anil and Mukesh have inherited some superb qualities from Dhirubhai—entrepreneurship, eye for detail, capability to implement large-scale projects, generating shareholder value and caring for employees. Stumbling blocks are but part of the journey to success. Anil’s decision to join SP may not have been in the best interests of his business, but it doesn’t detract from his business acumen. If one consumer goes to the grocer to buy 20 commodities but finds just 14, is he on ‘ground zero’? It’s too premature to count Anil off. I think he’ll be as good a businessman as Dhirubhai.
Jayram Desai, Ahmedabad
It’s All About Airs (Sep 4), you say. Fat chance! Some of the most demanding ‘VIPs’ who are—specifically—excluded from even going through the security screening gate, besides the President of India, are the judges of the Supreme Court and all the high courts! Don’t fool yourselves thinking judges want to give up their privileges. Do file a pil and see how you will be made to feel a discarded human being.
Viveka P., San Francisco, US
In his review of Tapti Roy’s book on the Rani of Jhansi (Sept 4), Mahmood Farooqi claims that Rani Laxmibai’s elevation to the status of a popular heroine and a freedom fighter had much to do with her being a "Hindu queen, devoted and loyal to her husband and son, a renowned patron of Brahmins...the ideal Hindu woman...paragon of virtue and bravery", perfect for the ‘Hindu-nationalist’ projection of Indian history. He also says there were other ‘important’ women rebels who have been ignored, lacking as they were in impeccable ‘Hindu nationalist’ credentials. Can Farooqi name these other women who played a role as crucial as the Rani? The only one I know of is Begum Zeenat Mahal, wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar. But she did not lead an army like the Rani, nor did she have absolute command of the situation in Delhi, her theatre of the war. Second, could Farooqi also tell us if historical subterfuge in India is limited to any one political perspective? Some of Maulana Azad’s regressive and fundamentalist views are never discussed. Nor is Fazlul Haq’s rather secular and progressive movement in Bengal the Congress failed to reconcile and work with?
Pritam Banerjee, on e-mail
Speaking Of Urdu (Books, Aug 28), I’m a Hindu, a UP Kayastha to be precise, and grew up hearing Urdu in the family. In fact, my grandfather sat me down when I was 9 or 10, taught me the Alif-Bes, then opened his Quran and taught me how to read using the first Surah—the Al-Fatiha. I thank him for the gift of Urdu and if the Indian census did not automatically deem Hindi as my mother tongue just because I’m a North Indian Hindu, I’d give that place to Urdu. This is the only Indian language I understand fluently...the Hindi of the TV news makes no sense to me. It saddens me then that in India we associate this beautiful language with just Muslims, or "terrorists". It belongs to us all (Hindus and Muslims of this country). Thank God at least Bollywood preserves this language in its lyrics and dialogues. For most of you out there, Bollywood isn’t Hindi, but Urdu cinema!
Pratik Bhatnagar, Geneva
With a boarding pass on a Northwest Airlines flight, Prem Shankar Jha took a hopping flight from "Monsterdam" to Israel, from there to Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, alighting finally in bin Laden country, Afghanistan (A Boarding Pass to Chaos, Sep 4). Phew, it was a chaotic cocktail of racial profiling, conflicts in West Asia and the "remnants of Taliban".
K.P. Rajan, Mumbai
Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn whether Salman Rushdie divorces Padma or not (The Last Sigh, Sep 4). But I love his Satanic Verses.
S. Michael, on e-mail
I’ve been a regular reader of Outlook since 1995. In recent times, I’ve noted that the page numbers in your table of contents are wrong. Any reason?
Raj Mohan, Bangalore
Editor’s note: This happens due to last-minute changes. We regret the inconvenience.
Apropos your interview with Rahul Dravid (Aug 28), why does he win praise for some mediocre performances at home? He hasn’t done well on overseas series as captain. A captain has to imbibe many qualities—have the nerve of a gambler, the mind of a psychiatrist and the patience of a saint. Dravid still has to learn the tricks of the trade.
C.K. Subramaniam, Sanpada
In our cover story, Hip, Hyper, Hollow (April 20, 1998), some derogatory remarks were made against Jatin Kochhar. Any misunderstanding, inconvenience or loss of reputation is deeply regretted. We hold Mr Kochhar in high esteem.
