Does the rule of law still exist in India? Perhaps it does, but mostly in small pockets, and is manipulated without a care as we see in Tamil Nadu (Dravida Kurukshetra, May 28). The free press has been attacked and vandalised, people have been murdered, but life goes on as though there is nothing amiss. The law, and its enforcers, are used as an instrument of intimidation by those in power. Violence is accepted and condoned; collateral damage is par for the course. Growthwise, we may be heading for the stratosphere and we may be landing our own man on the moon, but as a society, we are crumbling, and that is a fact.
Capt A. Nagaraj, Bangalore
Ever since he took over the reins of the DMK by show of force, Karunanidhi has been safeguarding the party under his armpit for his progeny. All those he saw as potential rivals were shown the door. Those who remained are toothless and satisfied with the few morsels thrown their way. In such a scenario, the Maran factor came as a blow to the patriarch. Young and energetic, the Maran brothers proved savvy, aggressive and ready to take possession of the Origin itself, the Party. They are more intelligent and better educated than either Stalin or Azhagiri, who lack their father’s diligence in the art of politics. If the DMK is left to either of them, the pack of wolves waiting in the wings will maul them in no time. It’s a difficult time for Godfather. Ill-gotten gains seldom last long.
T. Sathyamurthi, Folsom, US
Dayanidhi and Kalanidhi are finished, both politically and economically, should Karunanidhi decide to turn the heat on them on the issue. They have no cadre support whatsoever and are no match for Stalin in the political sphere. They should know what is good for them and patch up anon with the rest of the family.
G. Natrajan, Hyderabad
Removing Dayanidhi from the central cabinet as telecom minister was a tactless move on the DMK’s part. It reflects the political selfishness and the bloated ego of its supremo. Dayanidhi would never have been a political threat to Stalin, as the latter will at best be a factor in state politics, if that, after Karunanidhi’s exit from the political scene. With this one act, the DMK has deprived us of a young and energetic minister.
S. Lakshmi, on e-mail
What a sorry state of affairs. Is the DMK on the verge of a split?
C.K. Subramaniam, Sanpada
Dayanidhi never once made us feel he was a minister at the Centre because his first priority was always his state. Now that his own family politics has put an end to his tenure as Union minister, we hope he’ll be the last of the lot that puts their state before the country.
K. Chidanand, Bangalore
The evil, backhanded way in which the younger Marans set out to exploit the advantages they had solely on the goodwill of the DMK is deplorable. The pseudo-modernity of affluence, IT and tech savvy can never resolve the perennial issues of kinship, infighting and treachery that are a part of the Indian family system. Dayanidhi should have known better.
Hari Kumar, Coventry, UK
I‘m no chauvinistic Hindu, yet I object to the term Kurukshetra used to describe the whole rigmarole in TN. The substandard politics being played out in the land of Rajaji, Kamaraj and Sounderayya scarcely deserves an analogy from the Mahabharata, an anthology of thoughts and acts of men who were almost superhuman. Even its bad guys, the Kauravas, had their redeeming qualities; it was just karma that led them along the road to war.
K.S.C. Nair, Indianapolis, US
I can’t believe Kanimozhi actually thinks she is no match for Jayalalitha. An immensely talented poet, Kanimozhi launched Karuthu, a forum for freedom of expression. She’ll certainly be an asset as a member of the Rajya Sabha, and her exemplary dedication towards the upliftment of women will hopefully bring results.
Srikanth Seshagiri, Chennai
Kanimozhi is a talented woman. Being a poetess, she is sure to understand the sufferings of the people and work for them. I wish her all the success.
V.R. Khaleelur Rahman, Chennai
Kanimozhi’s only qualification is that she is Karunanidhi’s daughter. What can this third-rate corrupt family offer to the people of Tamil Nadu? There are more talented men and women in the state, but who cares? Karunanidhi’s writing and oratory can still charm the sentimental Tamilians who tend to outsource the faculty of thought to their hearts. But the fact is that the Kalaignar is a coward; only the chameleon-like Veeramani of the DK supports him for his selfish ends.
Shiv Kumar, Mumbai
I thought bigamy is a criminal offence in this country. How come Muthuvel Karunanidhi has got away with it so long?
Col C.V. Venugopalan, Palakkad
Can one reasonably believe sexually explicit paintings of Jesus or Durga will have no effect on society (Totem And Taboo, May 28)? The penal law in India is very clear. Section 153A of ipc penalises any person who, amongst others, by a visible representation, promotes religious disharmony, ill-will, or a feeling of hatred. If such explicit scenes were shown in a film, would the censor board clear it? Proponents of the liberal view argue artists should have the freedom to express even if it is blasphemous or offensive; followers of religions must choose to look in the other direction. It is what always happens. India doesn’t witness the kind of outrage seen in the Danish cartoon case. Citizens don’t need to take the law into their hands, they should let its due course prevail. Also, the perverse definition of secularism as being synonymous with majority-bashing must end. It was visible in the Baroda incident. The strategy was: don’t let people see the paintings, carry on the abstract debate on artistic freedom, and criticise moral policing. Society doesn’t need moral policemen. It can also do without those who pass off blasphemy as artistic freedom.
A BJP MP and former Union Law Minister
Can anyone tell me what the controversial paintings depicted? As you did not or chose not to, maybe the storm-troopers had a point.
Sudhir Deodhar, New York
Art student Chandramohan’s controversial representations of Christ and Durga would have been deemed objectionable anywhere. Obscenity is often a subjective issue, but blasphemy is defined far more rigorously. A few years back in the UK, an artistic representation of Christ was seen as problematic and its exhibition prohibited by the government. The matter went up to the European human rights authorities. They upheld the ban.
K.S. Jayatheertha, Bangalore
It is good of Outlook to come out in full support of artistic freedom. Just because a work depicts nudity, it does not become vulgar or obscene.
Akhil, Chicago
How do you decide whether nudity serves an organic purpose or exists in a work of art just to shock? Whether the artist is merely using nudity to clothe mediocrity?
Raveesh Varma, US
Pseudo-secular writers like Gayatri Sinha should understand that the so-called erotic art was part of the scriptures. In all the books she mentions in her column The Erotic, In Situ (May 28), the authors were pure in thought; that’s the reason why they’re widely read and valued even today. It is blasphemous to compare Husain’s paintings, done more for money’s than for art’s sake, to those cultural treasures.
Ram Naraswaram, Vancouver
The race for the President of the largest, but flawed democracy is hotting up. Not even one person among the names being bandied about qualifies for the august post. Many of them are past their prime, while others are not in sound health. Dr Abdul Kalam has already proved his mettle, and is the man India’s aam aadmi wants as president again. The only problem is that he is not a pliable or easily manipulated man. Hence the political parties’ unwillingness to evolve a consensus on a second term for him.
Shanmugam Mudaliar, Pune
I believe the Sikh clergy is off tangent in reacting to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh allegedly aping Guru Gobind Singh (The Morphed Gene, May 28). If they were really serious, they’d punish every child who dressed as the guru in fancy dress competitions, or every actor who played the guru on screen. How about Hindus killing every Ramlila actor because he dared act and talk like the Lord? Clearly, political agenda more than religious sentiment is at work here. The Sikh clergy is not happy to share its mass base with a man who doesn’t even support a specific religion.
Naresh Ranvah, Chennai
Punjab must avoid violence on the Dera issue at all costs and give a wide berth to the political minefields once again being laid out for the sake of power. It must be recalled how a similar problem with the Nirankaris turned the prosperous state upside down, leading to much bloodletting. No one can even become a shadow of Guru Gobind Singh by dressing like him or enacting his initiation rites. People are going to babas because the clergy is not doing enough for the religion. The sgpc, which has enormous funds, should make people aware of Sikhism, and invest in education and welfare work. The Dera issue should be treated purely as a law and order problem.
Raghubir Singh, Pune
The Dera’s inclusive principles are indeed worthy, but I was disillusioned to read that many of its leaders are being investigated for criminal activities.
Vijay Arsh, Arlington, US
Your article Bloody Unreal in the Bollywood Special (May 21) revived some beautiful memories. Vijeta changed my life 17 years back when I saw it on Doordarshan much after it was released. Cadet Angad’s journey of self-discovery inspired me to join the National Defence Academy in 1992.
Gautam Rajrishi, on e-mail
Vinod Mehta in his column The Rahul Problem (May 28) says, "I am not hostile to the family (the Nehru-Gandhis)...." It’s a bit like Manmohan Singh saying, "I’m not hostile to the World Bank," or Musharraf saying, "I’m not hostile to the terrorists." Why would anybody even think VM is hostile towards the family when we see tons of pages in Outlook of pure PR for the family. If Vinod Mehta is a journalist, I am the President of the United States.
Abhijit Kane, Mumbai
Why does Vinod Mehta think the young in India are illiterate and will be overawed by the charisma of Gen Y MPs like Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora, Jitin Prasada and Rahul Gandhi? For all you know, they are brighter than these guys, who paid money to go abroad and study.
Bairavi, Delhi
Vinod Mehta writes, "Imagine the effect of Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora, Jitin Prasada and Rahul Gandhi on one platform". Yes, please do tell us what earth-shattering effect there would be if these rich, pampered, overhyped blighters meet on one platform. How can the editor of a national weekly be so naive?
C.P. Nair, on e-mail
There is no mystery behind the Congress’s projection of Rahul as its sole campaigner in UP. The party is afraid that if its other young faces are projected, they might outshine Rahul and pose a problem for the ‘future leader’. This would be akin to blasphemy in a party of sycophants, where careers are made solely by allegiance to the family. So what if there is more capable leadership material in the party, there can be only one prime ministerial candidate and his name is Rahul Gandhi.
Lipika Raha, Delhi
It’s really funny that Mr Mehta can’t figure out where all the other Congress youngsters are in this hour of its humiliation. Well, is it possible that they were all kept away from UP by the lone ranger himself, so that he and he alone can take all the credit? The thought of such a disaster must have never crossed the young man’s mind, assured as he might have been by "astute" Congress advisors that UP was theirs for the asking, since they unilaterally announced reservations for obcs. One such Machiavelli is someone seated in a corner of the education ministry who ought to be wearing a dunce cap and writing "It’s abcd... not obcd" at least a few hundred thousand times.
Sonja De, Mumbai
Mr Mehta knows very well the "mysterious reason" behind the Congress not parading GenNext MPs with Rahul. It’s the mortal fear that they may outshine the dynasty scion. But, hopefully, Sonia will decide enough is enough and once more sacrifice self-interest for the nation’s good. She should now give Rahul a break, allow him to marry his girlfriend and lead a normal family life. Meanwhile, she’ll give GenNext a chance to show its ability. She alone can do this. No one else can dare tell the emperor he’s wearing no clothes.
N. Kunju, Delhi
Indira Gandhi fomented trouble in Punjab and paid for it with her life. Rajiv did something similar in Sri Lanka and was bombed by the ltte. How can their deaths be termed as ‘sacrifice’? Speaking of which, how come Vinod this time did not mention Sonia Gandhi’s ‘renunciation’, that most significant contribution to ‘nation-building’ in recent times?
Vishwanath Rao, Bangalore
Mr Mehta says ". ..which other party has lost two prime ministers to the terrorist’s gun?" What he omits to mention is that both were done in by monsters they themselves created! The Bhasmasurs that devoured Indira and Rajiv were spawned, nurtured and propelled to the centrestage by the mother-son duo! They paid the price with their own blood but, unlike Gandhiji, this was not for any great cause/principles. The cynical games they played just boomeranged on them!
Gopi Maliwal, Hong Kong
Rahul and Sonia have openly blamed the lack of organisation in the state unit for the Congress fiasco in UP. Perhaps the mother-son duo can take a leaf out of Harry Truman’s book who, to accept the visible failures of his governance, had a plaque on his desk, declaring ‘the buck stops here’.
Jyotindra Khandwalla, Surat
When I read the headline, I wondered how a diehard devotee of Sonia & Son could swing the other way. Not for long. The criticism of Rahul was cosmetic, soon enough Mr Mehta poured the entire blame for the UP fiasco on the doorstep of the party. Why, he went so far as to commend his bete noire, the bjp, for the ‘genuineness’ of its introspection! Wah, Vinod, wah.
Arun Gulati, on e-mail
The bjp, good at genuine introspection? What is Vinod Mehta doing? This is a betrayal of secularism.
Shriprasad, Hyderabad
After reading endless makebelieve pieces in Outlook heralding the arrival of the Prince-in-waiting and lauding his non-existent capabilities, I can only quote Confucius: ‘Three things cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.’
Navdeep Hans, Delhi
We believe in democracy but what we see is a facade with people like Vinod Mehta trying to foist "leaders" through their publications. I wish we can sue media houses like Outlook that side with a political party. The fact that these jokers cannot see beyond their narrow political interests makes a farcical joke of the "free and fair" media.
Srinivas, Lucknow
One wonders how correctly these first-time MPs educated in elite schools like Doon and Scindia can read the pulse of rural India. They would never be able to identify themselves with the marginal people of the country. Mayawati has a better chance of doing that just as, for a time, Laloo was able to do in Bihar. The old games of playing inter-caste rivalry and communal votebanking don’t work any more. The gop needs a new way to survive and then prosper.
Gyan Ranjan Saha, Calcutta
We have been receiving a lot of mail on how we got our June 4 cover wrong. Brahmins wear the sacred thread over the left shoulder, contrary to how the cover photo depicted it. The error occurred due to a flip of the image. We regret any hurt we may have unintentionally caused our readers.
