Ramdev & yoga

THE Baba Ramdev episode has dented the credibility of the self-appointed crusaders of the movement against corruption (Proxy battles, July 1). The episode will also affect the brand equity of Ramdev as he had to be admitted to the ICU of a hospital. He is supposed to be a yoga expert and ought to have been able to fast for prolonged periods.

Compare Ramdev's fast with that of Swami Nigamananda, who died after 115 days of fasting in protest against the Uttarakhand government's refusal to ban sand mining along a stretch of the Ganga river near Rishikesh.

In Chennai, and other parts of the country, Jains fast for 21 days at a stretch by just drinking lukewarm water during the padhushan festival in the month of September, and those who go on these fasts are ordinary mortals, not self-proclaimed yoga experts.

The Pune-based National Institute of Naturopathy (an institute of repute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) is a rich source of information on naturopathy, ayurveda and homeopathy, and it also sells products. One need not go to Ramdev, who charges thousands of rupees for yoga classes and sells products at high prices.

Deendayal M. Lulla MumbaiM.F. Husain

THE Cover Story Undying art (July 1) was an apt tribute to M.F. Husain, one of India's most charismatic artists. His death is a colossal loss to the world of art and culture. That the nonagenarian had to face as many as 99 cases against him is a sad commentary on the situation in the country.

All right-thinking citizens should hang their heads in shame because a man revered for his contribution to the country's culture and heritage was not able to enter it for years.

The United Progressive Alliance government, which swears by secularism, should apologise to people for its inability to do anything on this matter.

WE must preserve Husain's legacy. That will be real secularism. It is ridiculous that a man who brought new dimensions and fame to Indian art was buried in a foreign land because of threats from some fundamentalists.

THERE is no doubt that Husain was a creative genius. One must not forget that it is only the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution that enabled him to reach great heights in the creative arts. However, it is unfortunate that India, while priding itself on its secular credentials, forced him into self-imposed exile just for expressing his art form. The best tribute to him would be to open an academy to showcase his work for future generations.

N. Ram's comment in The Hindu that Husain was genuinely and deeply committed to the multi-religious and secular values of Indian civilisation was a fitting tribute to him.

INDIA has failed to protect a creative person and his fundamental right to live in his own land. A democratic government strengthened the power of religious bigots by keeping silent on Husain's exile, which raises questions about India's claim to be a liberal and tolerant culture.

IT is unfortunate that Husain is no more. He was the perfect example of a true artist, above caste and religion. He was, above all, a thorough gentleman, one who lived a simple life, walked barefoot and never compromised on principles.

He would have been an asset to any country. It is unfortunate that in his final years, he had to live abroad in self-imposed exile. He will be remembered as a true, if the most controversial, artist of India.

UNLIKE the numerous panegyrics that have been written on Husain since his death, the articles in Frontline restored the analytical distance that is needed between an artist and his critic. They brought into focus the disjunction between an artist's intentions and a viewer's interpretation. It was this disjunction that prompted religious fundamentalists to go on the rampage, destroy much of Husain's work and, eventually, make it impossible for him to stay in his own country.

Husain's victimisation by religious bigots clouded the judgment of his work by some critics and observers. Most of them ranted about the so-called controversial elements in Husain's work without subjecting it to an objective appraisal. Much of his work is, in fact, mediocre, and it abounds in cliche. However, Husain's death away from his homeland was a tragic event.

IN the Cover Story, Husain was projected as a social rebel, but in reality he was not the Salman Rushdie of the art world. Husain was too astute for that, and had he painted on a wider canvas, the Bajrang Dal would not have bothered him.

IT is true that Husain is a much praised artist. But when one analyses the growth or decay of all art forms such as Indian music, dance and paintings, say from the 1940s onwards, one only finds that there has been a decline in quality.

Homi Bhabha's 1961 sketch of Husain is far better a painting than any made by Husain himself. Husain's paintings are all playwork and not art. What you see are the artist's hands and not his mind. Most people like them, true.

Many columnists speak in glory of him though I feel he failed to show respect for other people's religion. The reaction by the Bajrang Dal in 1996 in Ahmedabad too was deplorable, but why then in 1998 did Husain paint a nude Sita? Was not this act more deplorable than the vandalism?

THE articles on Husain were effusive. However, they did not say how cunning he was. He did not dare to draw nude portraits of Muslim, Sikh or Christian religious icons because he knew that if he did, the followers of these religions would have buried him alive. He also knew that the pusillanimous Hindu would accept any type of slight and insult. I am no admirer of Hindutva, but I think its practitioners taught him a much-needed lesson.

THE Cover Story on Husain was good. As an artist he was exemplary. However, it is sad to note that he was particularly interested in hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community.

India is a secular country where all religions coexist. One should avoid touching on the sensitive areas of any religion. Freedom of expression does not mean one can do or say whatever one wants.

FRONTLINE exaggerated Husain's achievements just to clear him of controversies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that his death was a national loss, but the majority of Indians will not agree with him.

Baba Ramdev

ANNA HAZARE was fortunate in that there were elections in three States, so the government took steps to end his fast unto death (Proxy battles, July 1). But Ramdev's fast was bound to fail. A government steeped in corruption cannot be expected to take steps to end corruption. After all, the source of funds for politicians and political parties is corruption and black money.

STRANGELY, an elected government was cornered by a few intellectuals with the weapon of fasting on the pretext of raising the issues of corruption and black money. More surprising was the support extended by the main opposition party, the BJP, to the civil society groups, which exposed its weaknesses. In all this furore, the people were completely ignored

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL has rated India's Corruption Perceptions Index as low (3.3/10) compared with places such as Singapore and Japan. If India follows the policy of reform in these countries, it will be able to check corruption.

IT is shameful that the Centre used force to evict Ramdev's followers from the site of his dharna, that too after midnight when most of them were asleep. It is thanks to the electronic media that one was able to see the crackdown by the police. Ramdev, who talked of giving up his life in the fight against corruption also stood exposed when he jumped down from the platform and fled the scene in women's clothes. By fleeing, Ramdev ditched his supporters. It brought to mind the terrorist leader Maulana Abdul Aziz, who tried to escape from the Lal Masjid complex in a burqa during its siege by Pakistani forces in 2007.

Ramdev should not have entered politics. He has gained immense popularity and respect as a yoga guru and should have confined himself to his field. After all, not everyone can be an Anna Hazare.

JUNE 4 proved to be an unfortunate date for Indian democracy, when innocent people who gathered to protest against corruption faced bullets and tear gas. The police should have given people some time to vacate the Ramlila ground.

It is surprising that Ramdev has people's support. If one wants to eradicate corruption, it is important to see who is leading the masses.

If it is a person like Anna Hazare, who lives in an 8 foot by 8 ft room and whose living expenses amount to just Rs.400 a month, one can say he is fit to lead. But how can someone like Ramdev lead a campaign against corruption?

Education

THE article Judicial remedy (July 1) provided a comprehensive analysis of the issues relating to the implementation of the uniform system of school education in Tamil Nadu. It showed the sorry state of affairs of school education. Postponement of the reopening of the schools could have been avoided in the larger interests of the State.

IN her bid to undo the work of the DMK government, AIADMK Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has made a mess of school education in Tamil Nadu. Her main objection to the textbooks authorised by her predecessor was that they glorified M. Karunanidhi and his family. Half a page in one book was devoted to Sangaman, a festival promoted by Kanimozhi, Karunanidhi's daughter. A Tamil poem of Karunanidhi has also found place in one of the books.

The new government could have excised those portions instead of abandoning whole textbooks. The worst affected are the students of Class X, who have to appear for board examinations at the end of the school year. Teachers did not have a text to teach from when classes began. By the time the expert committee examines the syllabus and textbooks, the Division Bench of the High Court disposes of the writ petition challenging the government's move, and new textbooks are printed, half the year will be over.

Party leaders should refrain from tinkering with the education system and thus affecting the future of millions of young children just to settle political scores.

Headley

DAVID HEADLEY'S testimony exposes, for the umpteenth time, the keen involvement of the Inter-Services Intelligence in exporting terrorism (The Headley factor, July 1). By now, the ISI should have realised how tainted its image is in the eyes of the public of not only India but also Pakistan. The repeated denials by the ISI about its involvement with terror outfits will not have any takers.

One may say that Headley's claims are all false and were just made to get a milder sentence. But the WikiLeaks' Pakistan cables, the spotting of Osama bin Laden near a Pakistan Army training school and the recent attack on PNS Mehran cannot be false. It is time the Pakistan government and the ISI analysed their policies and stopped looking at India as their enemy.

Land

TO the detriment of the majority, a tiny minority of corporates is thriving (The great land grab, June 17). Another section, the educated middle class which is the workforce of the corporates, gets the spill-over benefits of the system. And the illusion called development is created. A great number of farmers who used to live in villages with self-respect are now slum dwellers in cities and towns.

Osama

WITHOUT sanction from the U.N. and in violation of international law, U.S. commandos entered Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden in front of his children and wives (Reviving a demon, June 3). What they did was inhuman, illegal, immoral and barbarous. Who gave the U.S. the right to intrude into a country that is a member of the U.N. and violate its laws, sovereignty and national dignity?

Have Iraqi commandos the right to enter America to kill George W. Bush, the murderer of lakhs of innocent Iraqi men, women and children, and throw his body into the Atlantic Ocean?

Has the Chinese government the right to send its commandos to Dharamshala to kill the Dalai Lama, whom it considers a traitor? America's actions have set a dangerous precedent.

Rani Baug

THE Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation's move to renovate the zoo in Rani Baug and bring it up to international standards is a welcome step as it is 150 years old and poorly maintained (Rooting for a garden, May 20). The wild animals appear emaciated, and the zoo does not get many visitors, causing heavy losses to the corporation.

However, Mumbai is a city of high-rise towers, and if the zoo is renovated at the expense of the botanical garden, that would be doing a great injustice to the environment and the people of Mumbai.

Anna Hazare

ANNA HAZARE is sincere in his efforts to weed out corruption (Hazare effect, May 6). However, he is human and, as such, is likely to err sometimes. We need to support him, not necessarily by holding demonstrations, and so on, but by being corruption-free ourselves in our daily lives and being sympathetic to those who toil to make a living and to those who suffer physical and mental handicaps.

Nepal & India

THE concluding paragraph in the article Tibetan chants (March 11) said that India's influence in Nepal was being neutralised by China through the auspices of the Maoists. This is not a correct statement for two reasons.

First, New Delhi is increasingly interfering in Nepal's domestic political process. Secondly, since Nepali Maoists were bred in India, it is absurd to depict them as Beijing's disciples in Nepal, especially in view of the fact that New Delhi overtly played a role in arranging an alliance in 2005 between the Maoists and the non-Maoist front.

India and the rest of the world know who prompted the abolition of Nepal's monarchy, which was a unifying force for 240 years.

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