Wildlife

Published : Jan 14, 2011 00:00 IST

CONGRATULATIONS for publishing the article Vignettes of the Wild by G. Shaheed (December 31). The pictures, of exceptional quality, added lustre to the vignettes. Let us have more such articles.

I recall his article on tigers, on the well-known mahout Kuttappan, on the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh and the recent one on the great Indian hornbill. The pictures of the hornbill, a bird so difficult to study and photograph, were outstanding.

There are other magazines that publish wildlife articles on the basis of theoretical research, but we wildlife enthusiasts crave to read features based on actual visits and the real experience of jungles.

Vivek R. Sinha BangaloreWikiLeaks

THE documents released by WikiLeaks expose how seemingly well-mannered nations shatter the norms of diplomacy (Empire unmasked, Cover Story, December 31, 2010).

It is shocking to note that the United States, which has been speaking vociferously for sanctions on Iran and has tightened the blockade on Cuba, has indulged in acts as ridiculous as spying on the United Nations leadership. But its State Department spokesperson Philip J. Crowley said that American diplomats do not engage in intelligence activities. Before denouncing other nations for weak security measures and bad governance, the U.S. should do a self-introspection.

The U.S. is asking other countries, friend and foe alike, not to be misled by the expose. But the cables have shown that it is a world-class hypocrite.

India is deeply mistaken if it thinks that a permanent U.N. Security Council seat will slip out of its hands if it antagonises America. In fact, the whole world will respect India if it raises its voice against U.S. doublespeak.

Ritvik Chaturvedi New Delhi

CONGRATULATIONS Julian Assange for the disclosures on what transpired behind the diplomatic curtain. While governments have condemned the means adopted for the leaks, they have not denied the truthfulness of the cables. WikiLeaks has underlined the right of people to know. The charges against Assange gives us an idea of what it takes to take on powerful governments.

Syed Khaja New Delhi

THE Cover Story by Vijay Prashad was informative. WikiLeaks has done a commendable job in exposing the U.S.' hypocrisy and double standards. People have the right to know the truth and real intentions of governments the world over.

The list of violations of human rights, freedom and dignity by the U.S., be it in Iraq or Afghanistan, seems endless. In fact, the U.S. has killed more innocent civilians all over the world than terrorists. We must thank WikiLeaks for cautioning the world about the true intentions of the U.S.

S.P. Sharma Mumbai

THE WikiLeaks episode is one of the most embarrassing situations the U.S. has faced in the recent past. As it is not able to take action against Assange directly, it is using all possible indirect means to put him behind bars. Even the charge of sexual harassment and rape seems vindictive. Let us see how the so-called liberal democracy is going to handle this case and how freedom of expression is respected in a country that preaches it to the world.

R. Karthik Chennai

YOU have rightly exposed the diplomatic doublespeak of the U.S. Strangely, neither the champions of human rights nor the Western nations have condemned the arrest of Assange.

The citizens of the world have the right to know the role of the so-called developed countries in creating chaos and organising the contract-killing of various leaders in developing countries. The crime executed by various diplomats should be probed by the U.N. and they should be treated like war criminals.

S.A.S. Sarma Hyderabad

IN the past, the charge of sedition was used to terrorise one's opponents. Nowadays, the charge of rape or sexual harassment is used to silence whistle-blowers and human rights activists.

Assange was arrested with a view to humiliating, harassing and silencing him and also eroding credibility. It is the revenge of Uncle Sam. Even if people like Assange are silenced, the truth will come out because the era of leaks has come, thanks to the information technology and communication revolution.

S. Raghunatha Prabhu Alappuzha, Kerala

ASSANGE has exposed the U.S.' dubious methods of intelligence gathering. The reverberations of the expose have been felt across the world, with major Western countries playing along with the U.S. The U.K. has acted swiftly by arresting him. The otherwise neutral Switzerland has been solicited by the U.S. to toe its line and threatened with action if it grants asylum to Assange.

It has been the attitude of the U.S. to take refuge under national security to throttle voices that rise against its dictatorial attitude.

S. Murali Vellore, Tamil NaduAndhra Pradesh

THE headline Veteran novice (December 31) is a beautiful example of an oxymoron. It gives scope for critical thinking and analysis of leaders in political and other fields of activity. Some novices have succeeded and some veterans have failed miserably.

Andhra Pradesh itself has several examples of novices and veterans. The Chief Minister has to assert himself and fight the powerful lobbies, which had been allowed to grow by earlier regimes. Jaganmohan Reddy represents the mining lobby, which will go to any extent to retain its prime place in decision-making.

If Kiran Kumar Reddy has the support of the Congress high command, he may succeed in giving good governance.

S.S. Rajagopalan ChennaiCoimbatore

AS a daily commuter to Coimbatore since 1994 and having seen the city from close quarters during the whole of the 1990s, including its plight in the aftermath of the 1996 serial bomb blasts, I have no hesitation in rating it as the fastest growing city among the tier-2 cities of the country in the last five years (Focus: Coimbatore, December 31).

No doubt the peace-loving, accommodative, and pluralistic nature of the people of Coimbatore has once again made this beautiful city, popularly known as the Manchester of South India or Texcity, the number one destination for health care, higher education and hospitality services, and manufacturing achievements.

The improved infrastructural facilities, climate, connectivity by road, rail and air and, above all, the availability of skilled/semi-skilled human resource will no doubt make Coimbatore the centre of attraction for investors in the coming years.

Ettirankandath Krishnadas Palakkad, KeralaSexual harassment

COMPARED with other countries, India has made little progress in addressing the issue of sexual harassment at the workplace (Promise to women, December 17).

One major reason for this is lack of judicial and legislative clarity. Until the Vishaka judgment, sexual harassment was not treated as a crime (a case in point being the infamous Rupen Deol Bajaj case). The judgment opened the floodgates of litigation, thus decreasing the chances of a sexually harassed victim getting justice on time. In this regard, creating a civil law that establishes committees to handle exclusively such complaints is a welcome step.

However, the law is still insufficient. For instance, the Bill itself is titled Sexual Harassment of Women At the Workplace, which blatantly ignores the possibility of sexual harassment of males, an offence which occurs in many parts of the country.

Several incidents of harassment are unreported mainly owing to ignorance an issue that has not been addressed either by statute or policy.

Roopashi Khatri BangaloreCorruption

CORRUPTION in government could be curbed to some extent if all deals are finalised after a pre-audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and clearance from the vigilance and law departments (Tainted system, December 17). The existing system of post-audit by the CAG and obtaining prior permission for prosecuting Ministers cause delay and help the culprits find escape routes.

K. Ravindranathan Palakkad, KeralaNATO

THE decision of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to stay on in Afghanistan beyond 2014 is inappropriate (Flexible scheme, December 17). Member-countries must introspect why they have entered Afghanistan, how they have dealt with it, and what they have achieved at the cost of the taxpayer's money.

NATO must go for a change in Afghan policy, train the country's civil and military forces in combating guerilla warfare, and engage the Taliban and Al Qaeda and convince them to share power through elections. It must respect the Afghan people's culture, heritage and sentiments.

G. Govind Reddy HyderabadMyanmar

A NEW democracy (December 17) shows that the military junta in Myanmar is trying to prop up a government, ignoring true democratic parties. In spite of this, the November 7 election should be considered a victory for the democratic forces in that it has compelled the military government to respect the people's mandate.

Niloy Kumar Roy Durganagar,West BengalJinnah

THE review of A.G. Noorani's book was quite gripping and informative (March to freedom, December 17).

Prof. Anil Joshi NainitalCORRECTION

In the interview with CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on the 2G affair (December 17), the third sentence in the reply to the last question should read If one side of the 2G spectrum is Raja, on the other side are corporates who try to get favours. The error is regretted.

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