Advani’s repartee about Modi being "the most popular leader" shows the class of this man (2009: The Iron Man Cometh, Mar 23). Who have we got as PM aspirants in 2009? Manmohan Singh, who’s not even fit now to dance to Sonia’s tunes; Mayawati, whose vision is limited to dotting the Indian landscape with her statues; Sharad Pawar, whose India ends with the Marathi manoos. We have no choice but to choose the Iron Man.
Col C.V. Venugopalan (Retd), Palakkad
It was surreal to see ‘Third Front’ leaders proclaim progressive, Left values from under Mother Teresa’s gaze (The Other Way..., Mar 23). Mother Teresa was a lifelong opponent of the socialist block/communism and a virulent anti-abortionist. As far as I am aware, the Left parties have always championed a woman’s right to choose. Mother Teresa was but a Catholic fundamentalist—but to the Indian Left that’s acceptable, although Hinduism in any shape or form would be ‘classed’ as communal.
Aroup Chatterjee, London
Naveen Patnaik’s decision to sever BJD’s ties with the BJP has definitely hurt Advani. After all, Naveen was his third ‘N’ after Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar.
Sudhir Mishra, Bhubaneshwar
More bad news for Advani. Uma Bharati has agreed to campaign for him. My heartiest condolences.
Ganesan, New Jersey
Advani’s defence of Sadhvi Pragya, his non-cooperation at the time of 26/11 as well as the snide campaign the BJP ran after it are not things that will be forgotten in a hurry.
Milind Kher, on e-mail
All the advancements in medical science notwithstanding, there is definite deterioration in our mental faculties as we approach our 70th birthday and beyond—even if we are in reasonably good health physically. It is therefore an enigma why our electorate would crown geriatric politicians, some of whom are in their doddering 80s.
Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai
Advani’s behaviour during the N-deal spat was a classic case of political opportunism at the cost of India’s interests. He even indirectly sided with the Karat group to topple the government. But after the UPA won the confidence vote, he shut up. There were no strikes, no bandhs, nothing to energise the public against the bill.
Sohan Aggarwal, on e-mail
Advani is a terrorist, an anti-national. India will be divided again, thanks to him, if he is elected as PM.
Surya Sharma, Calcutta
One wonders at the impudence of the BJP when even its legitimacy should be in question! One recalls Lal Bahadur Shastri’s jocular observation on RSS chief Rajendra Singh: "Rajju Bhaiyya can join me in my car anytime, but I cannot do the same. If I give him a lift, those in the RSS will think he is trying to get me into the RSS. If I sit in his car, Congressmen will allege I’ve become an RSS man!" He of course passed before any such talk. He was lucky. So Gobbelsian are they that if given a chance they will prove the sun rises in the west!
K. Sethumadhavan, Gurgaon
Coalitions are based not on ideology or principles but on personal considerations. The non-Congress and non-BJP Third Front is at best a coming together of odd people and odd principles in their quest for power. And with the number of prime ministerial aspirants around....
K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad
I don’t have much respect for a man who broke away on Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin issue (The Search for the Best Price) but returned to the UPA (lorded over by the same ‘foreigner’) just so that he could enjoy power. Sharad Pawar’s games have always been on this level.
S.S. Nagaraj, Bangalore
The Maharashtra fox knows the clock is ticking. Yet, his desire to be PM will most likely remain a dream despite all the political batting and fielding the former bcci president does.
Aires Rodrigues, Goa
The BJP and Congress should come together, make a front to give a stable government. Their policies are anyway almost the same. The problem is only of ego and of reconciling with the false image of secularism vs communalism. I have no doubt that if Sonia and Advani take the initiative, our dream of stable rule will come true.
Danendra Jain, Agartala
A large number of the Tibetans who crossed into India in the early ’60s settled in Himachal Pradesh (Free Tibet Inc, Mar 23). But at the request of Pt Nehru, the then Karnataka CM, S. Nijalingappa, allotted land at Bylakuppe, close to the Coorg border, and in Hunsur, both on the highway to Mysore. Initially, the Bylakuppe natives were not happy with the government giving land free to outsiders, and refused to cooperate. But when they saw the refugees cultivate the land through hard work and become prosperous, they too followed their example. Their womenfolk, meanwhile, took to, among other professions, carpet-weaving. The designs were exquisite and the colours eye-catching. The Chinese dragon was a popular design. The pigments for the carpet were imported from Switzerland, where too a significant number of Tibetan refugees had taken shelter. Through their help began the export of carpets to European countries. The Tibetans have now blended very well with the locals, their second and third generation have even acquired a college education. A trip here is incomplete without a visit to the Golden Temple. The Dalai Lama is a frequent visitor here.
Titto Biddapa, on e-mail
It’s relieving to learn that many Tibetan refugees have been doing better than selling sweaters on the slopes of hills. They’ve been a peace-loving people, who have integrated with the locals wherever they were forced to live. Sadly, no political party, despite democratic pretensions and concern for human rights, has ever espoused their cause heartily. A section of the media wrote long editorials and reproduced biased reports in support of China when Tibetan youth vehemently protested on the streets on the eve of Olympics. The world’s surely let the Tibetans down at the altar of business ties with China. India should at least offer citizenship to those refugees who are willing to stay here permanently.
J.M. Manchanda, New Delhi
Ghalib once said, "Kasid ke aate aate khat ek aur likhun, mein jaanta hoon ki wo kya likhenge jawab mein (let me write another letter by the time the postman comes, for I know what reply I will get). It is the same with Jha. You read the headline and you know what the rest is about (Our Accursed Cassandras, Mar 23).
Sunil Kohli, Chandigarh
Whatever the issue, how does Jha always manage to bring in Kashmir? He did it again.
Anil Kotwal, Adelaide
The article The News, In Slogans (Mar 23), while listing out the regional TV channels promoted by political parties, left out national Hindi and English news channels entirely. Around the regions, people are not fools; they know which channel is the mouthpiece of which party. So they take their propaganda with a suitable pinch of salt. The greater devil is in the national channels, Hindi or English. Having greater sophistication and reach, they can afford politicians greater exposure and are hence courted by them. But viewers are not fools. Discerning ones can easily make out the subtle tilts in favour of particular political parties.
Manish Banerjee, Calcutta
How conveniently the Indian navy brands as "anti-national" any attempt by people to exert their rights (A Little Naval Battle on Land, Mar 23)!
Koman Vijay, Stillwater, US
Thank you, Outlook, for highlighting the plight of Indians in Israel (Stranded Mid-Aviv, Mar 23). So much for the trumpet Israel blows the world over, criticising others for their behaviour and promoting the values of Judaism. They have no regard for humanity or for human rights, as is evident from this brilliant piece of journalism.
Arif Jameel, Dubai
It is very clear that the problem is not with the Israel government but with fraud agencies which dupe people and fleece large sums of money from them by promising them employment. How right is it to compare Israel with Arab nations where the official temperature always hovers around 45 degrees as it is illegal to make people work above it?
Anshul Gupta, Bangalore
Maharashtra labour minister Nawab Malik’s suggestion that we spend more on infrastructure is worth considering (Spotlight, Mar 16). Linking rivers should be undertaken as a joint public-private cooperative project to generate nationwide investment and employment. Water in the everflowing northern rivers, if diverted to southern rivers through canals, would benefit the agrarian economy on which major industrial and commercial sectors depend. We need to harness our own technological, financial and indigenous human resources to commence and complete this project. Inter-state disputes on sharing river water should be solved in the spirit of national interest. Party politics needs to be kept aside in the timely completion of development projects.
Shreekrishna Phadnis, Nashik
Veteran PWP leader N.D. Patil continues with his campaign of opposing every major industrial project in Maharashtra. With elections round the corner, he has intensified his campaign against SEZs. What he does not tell the public, however, is what his stand on SEZs and other industrial projects will have on Maharashtra’s development. With paddy cultivation in Raigad district turning more and more unremunerative, Patil’s anti-development drive will ensure that the youth will be deprived of some 56 lakh jobs the SEZs are likely to create in Maharashtra. Do Patil and those supporting him have an alternative?
Nayan Patel, Mumbai
Apropos Parag Parikh’s opinion piece, The Bull is a Lonely, Contrary Beast (Mar 23), humans are basically gullible by nature and easily succumb to greed. And stockmarkets of today are places where this frailty manifests itself in its most primitive and bestial form. I remember a poster in the London underground running between Waterloo and The City which reminded the daily morning commuters that they are entering the 1 sq mile area where a dog eats dog.
Vijay Agarwal, on e-mail
Your article Striped Mirages talks of a wildlife conservationist having collared 35 tigers in Panna in the past decade when there have never been more than four to five. Studies by the Wildlife Institute of India can’t be taken as gospel. It would be healthier if they were submitted to critical peer review and the method and training of field researchers periodically examined.
Priya, Erode
Reading Bedi’s piece (Bindra’s Bogus Patriotism, Mar 23), I was left with mixed emotions. One still can’t forgive him for actively seeking out teams touring the subcontinent and advising them on how to play against India. It was unpatriotic behaviour in the context of the only one thing he does well: play cricket. And while one empathises with Bedi’s predicament during the ’84 riots, he’d do well to learn to finish the squabble where it started (with Bindra) and not be a ‘cry Bedi’ at the slightest pretext. Having said that, though one must not confuse the message with the messenger. Mr Bedi’s apprehensions about ipl security (and not the merit of the franchise) did deserve to be taken heed of.
Nikhil Joshi, on e-mail
Bedi has contributed more to India’s ‘national pride’ than many of the pompous jokers sitting in the BCCI, who are no more than pocket-lining banias. Besides, anyone with half a brain will agree that this was no time to stage a high-profile event like the ipl. Terror may not be an exclusive subcontinental fish, but the Mumbai attacks have demonstrated how much of a joke our security agencies are. One can only imagine how secure we will be even this security apparatus (or the lack of it) is kept busy during elections. The ipl would have had to go on without any security whatsoever, offering an excellent opportunity for more armed street-urchins from a certain neighbouring country to come here and create havoc. God forbid if something happened, India would have joined the ranks of pariah countries like our next-door neighbour, where nobody will want to play cricket again. Will the BCCI never learn, other than the hard way?
G. Natrajan, Hyderabad
If Bedi himself broached the idea of ‘leaving the country’ in his discussion with Bindra, why complain if he said yes.
Mohan Awara, New Delhi
The Charlie Chaplin statue controversy in Udupi, Karnataka, is not a Muslim or Christian issue as it is being made out to be. The small-town people of Udupi do not know much about Chaplin nor can in any way relate to him. So why allow a filmmaker to erect a 62-ft version, that too for use as a backdrop for a dance routine! Don’t we have enough icons of our own?
Venkatesh, Udupi
Your article on backlogs in our courts (Verdict: To Hang, Mar 9) embraces the tragedy, farce and surrealism of our judicial system using elementary math. Allotting a more realistic half a day for clearing a case, as against the five minutes you’ve given, the Delhi High Court would take 750 years to clear its backlog and the Allahabad High Court 1,800 years! The law minister proposes to set up 5,000 courts for the rural population, but it isn’t clear how this will affect the backlog in the high courts. He then approves 150 posts for high court judges, but even if we allot half a day to conclude a case, I reckon they’d take 60 years to clear just the backlog. Let’s not even mention the new cases being filed.
Anonymous
Aatish Taseer’s literary journey to discover his roots was one twisted tale of ‘emosanal atyachar’ (Indus Potsherd of Our Times, Mar 23), reminding me of Tehmina Durrani’s My Feudal Lord. It’s okay to reach out for one’s moorings, especially when they’re such dramatic ones. What I found astonishing was that almost every line of the article was on dad, there was nothing on mom, who’s a celebrity in her own right. Not that I want to fish in one’s emotional predicament, but if you’re tracing your roots, how can you miss such an important one?
Rajesh Kumar, Patna
Of course there are liberals and secularists in Pakistan. You just need a microscope to find them.
Dip, Dhaka
Indian journalists and writers would do well to emulate Nadine Gordimer’s integrity (than castigate her for forsaking a women-only event as Bibliofile did in Outlook’s Dec 1, ’08, issue). I had the honour to have an essay of mine included in an American college textbook in which Nadine Gordimer was also included, and it made me proud. I think of sex-specific organisations as divisive, conflict-generating, and ultimately self-defeating. I still find it outrageous that in the US, where women far outnumber men enrolled in universities, and men are increasingly illiterate or undereducated, there still exist women-only colleges.
Richard Crasta, New York
Outlook is becoming thinner and thinner with more and more full-page ads and less and less of well-balanced, insightful content. The 80-page issue of March 16 had 30 full-page ads, two smaller ones and one Outlook business reply card. The subsequent 72-page number is no better. Just because we subscribed to your magazine for five years doesn’t mean we must suffer this.
Byasadev Naik, Delhi
