"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you," said renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s something all of us, across the world, would do well to recall and Outlook’s is a welcome reiteration in that direction (Poison Floe, Jun 16). Nature has given us so much for so long. What have we given in return? No wonder natural calamities have become more frequent in recent times. Environmental activism may be the ‘in’ thing today and saving the environment a sound enough slogan, but how serious are we, not just as nations, but also as individuals about protecting our plant and animal life, our land and rivers?
Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi, Oman
The Outlook cover story does a fine job of revealing the dross on Shining India. Once we made environmentally viable green homes, wore loose, dignified clothes as per the demands of the tropics, and ate a well-cooked, balanced diet. Then we started aping the industrial West and began raping our countryside. Countries in search of cheaper products laud us for our so-called industrial growth and are ensuring that we follow the 3-P path: Produce, Pollute and Perish.
Rana P.S. Mahal, Haryana
Whatever the misgivings about the inadequacies of middle-class efforts in protecting the environmen, I strongly feel individual and community initiatives are an important ingredient in curbing environmental degradation. Especially so in the light of inadequate, half-hearted and apathetic government measures. Until we as a nation identify our environmental priorities and evolve indigenous policies, awareness campaigns, educative and motivational programmes, we will not be able to slow down the devastating effects of environmental degradation in our country.
Vitull K. Gupta, Bhatinda
I’d like to contribute one more measure to your tips (How to Go Green). Let us resolve to carry our own cotton bags for shopping as we used to in the past. Each cotton bag, it is estimated, saves about 1,000 plastic bags. Our garbage today is mostly full of these plastic bags, choking our lakes, canals, rivers and drains, and even our oceans and seas. They flutter out of our fields, trees and parks. Replace them with cloth bags, and we’d have taken a small first step towards protecting our environment.
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bangalore
Instead of generating so much hot air, can someone like Bahar Dutt tell us what they do for the environment (Heat of the Moment)? I know some of these celebrities own a Prius but then they also own jets which they use to fly around.
Rajeev, Gurgaon
Cycling is a greener and healthier way to live, no doubt (Bicycle Diaries). But cyclists on Delhi roads are a real menace to safe driving. Most cyclists I have seen here have poor traffic sense, and ride completely oblivious to motorists/cars. Often, they change lanes suddenly, and without notice, causing the rest of the traffic to come to a screeching halt. They also drive in the right lane, which is meant for fast-moving traffic. I’m all for more cycles on Delhi roads, but not before we educate our cyclists some more.
Vikas Kumar, on e-mail
Your exclusive on non-Muslim officers serving in the Pak army made interesting reading (The First-Timers, Jun 16). It’s heartening to know that minorities in an Islamic nation, where pro-Shariah elements are gaining clout of late, still get to wear olive fatigues. The credit for that perhaps goes to Pervez Musharraf.
Manoj Parashar, Noida
I wish magazines dealing with terror and related issues took a leaf out of Outlook. It’s time we spoke of the positive facets of Islamist nations as well.
Jeny Rapheal, on e-mail
It’s not difficult to understand Vinod Mehta’s volte face (A Chance for Mr Advani, Jun 16). Every sensible punter backs a winning horse. The Outlook editor should be willing to concede that the BJP won because it projected itself as a viable alternative to the Congress. The latter is but trapped within the forbidding walls of dynasty. Is it any surprise that voters are going with playing captains like Vasundhararaje, Yeddy and even Modi rather than the non-playing trio of Sonia, Manmohan and Rahul?
C.V. Venugopalan, Palakkad, Kerala
How long does Vinod Mehta want to milk the term pseudo-secularist, why can’t he call himself a pure secularist? The BJP is still BJP and the Congress is still Congress. It is just that people want to give the BJP a chance, having become, for the moment, disillusioned with the Congress. The latter could rise again, even in Karnataka.
K.C. Sharma, Delhi
If a staunch Congress loyalist like Vinod Mehta is giving a chance to Mr Advani what can stop him from becoming the country’s next PM?
H.S. Dhanoa, Chandigarh
Vinod Mehta is not too far off the mark when he sees a chance for L.K. Advani. The political set-up in the country is heading towards a new coalition. Regional parties are going to gain more seats and they seem definitely inclined towards Advani.
Tarlochan Singh, Delhi
Muslims in India could have avoided flak all these years had their clerics come out against terror much before (Waging Peace, Jun 16). That said, it’s sad the community’s leaders still lend less importance to matters like improvement of healthcare, poverty and education.
Santosh K. Tripathi, Lucknow
The clerics’ call against terror is welcome. I sincerely wish they’d also advise mosques against the use of powerful loudspeakers, so that the azaans would sound less irksome for people in the locality.
B.G. Baliga, on e-mail
Prem Shankar Jha is right: with comrades like Karat, India doesn’t need foes (The Nuclear Winter, Jun 16). It’s sad that our Left leaders are caught in a time warp, and refuse to come out of their dark world. It’s also surprising that they should be inspired by China in everything else but not by the astonishing progress the country’s made.
R.K. Ravindra, on e-mail
Truth is, with intellectuals like Prem Shankar Jha, India does not need fools.
Sumant Sharma, Agra
The Congress has shot itself in the foot over oil prices (Drop By Drop, Jun 16). Inflation will now snowball, and the higher transport costs will raise prices of all commodities.
P.K. Kumar, Pune
The Congress deserves it. Welcome to the hellhouse, M/s Sonia & Manmohan!
A. Dutta, Los Angeles
Do political parties in India realise that their criticism of the government’s move to raise prices of petroleum products will only encourage oil exporting countries to continue to raise prices of crude?
Vijay Laghate, on e-mail
The oil price hike was inevitable and overdue (Pump Jack Pressure, Jun 16). How long could our oil companies be allowed to suffer on account of spiralling global crude prices? The move has saved India from a situation whereby it wouldn’t have had the resources to buy fuel. It’s better to pay more for it than not to have it at all.
P.P. Singh Chadha, Delhi
Would mindless resistance to an unavoidable step, without offering any practical alternatives, do the country any good? Bandhs by the Opposition only add to the hardships of the common man.
M.H. Rao, Hyderabad
The instant success of cricket’s shortened version shows that come what may, change rules. (Bat Out of Hell, Jun 16).
K.R. Srinivasan, Chennai
It’s still early days to talk of ipl eclipsing Tests. The novelty of a league involving many foreign cricketers ensured T20’s success, but Tests have weathered many such storms.
Sanjay Ranade, Pune
I feel compelled to respond to your Jun 2 cover on women and alcohol (Swiggin’ Janes) after reading letters on it in the Jun 23 issue. Drinking seems to have become another of those scandalous things that women have taken up along with increased financial independence in the last 10 years. Let’s be clear: women and drinking don’t equal either bingeing or alcoholism. First, such a trend still seems confined to a small section of urban middle- or upper-class women. Second, women who do drink don’t do so to get sloshed. Alcoholism may be on the rise among women, but it’s also on the rise among men. As a ‘formal’ drinker, I admit alcohol has more detrimental effects among women. But the discussion seems to be on whether women should be drinking at all or if they are doing it for the ‘right reasons’. Women, it appears, drink when unhappy; men drink when they are happy. I beg to differ. What we need to do is to redirect this debate to spreading awareness on the effects—social and heath-related—of heavy drinking.
Gitanjali Surendran, on e-mail
Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel came out when he was 45, and he published 12 of them. Within two years of his death in 1964, four biographies were published—by Henry A.Zelger in 1965 and John Pearson a year after (Books, Jun 9). His immortal creation lives on, and one more James Bond book is more than welcome.
Amitabh Thakur, Lucknow
The Mind section in Fine Living (Jun 16) sought to add the wrong entities to get the total. It is money spent by the three friends (Rs 30) minus what they got back (Rs 3) which equals Rs 27 on the left hand side—and money spent on chocolate (Rs 25) plus money spent on candy (Rs 2) which also equals Rs 27. Hence, the ambiguity in your question.
Anand G. Komy, on e-mail
We’d like to thank the many readers who responded to the puzzle. Correspondence on this is now closed.—Editor
