THE obituary on Kanu Sanyal (End of a revolution, April 23) was informative.
An objective account of the rise and virtual collapse of the naxalite movement is available in A.P. Mukherjees book Maoist Thunder The Naxalite Movement (1967-1972). It was Sanyal who requested Mukherjee to write the book when the latter was the Director General of Police, West Bengal. Sanyal felt that what was being dished out by the top leaders was either distorted or highly exaggerated to suit the high commands diktat. Mukherjee had a first-hand experience of the naxal movement, which first broke out when he was DSP of Darjeeling. The book is based on his personal diary and the internal documents of the State Police Department.
The most informative part of the book is the Chapter The CPI(ML) Leaders Speak for Themselves, which gives verbatim statements of eight naxal leaders. Sanyal was interrogated on March 7, 1971, after his arrest for the second time on August 19, 1970.
Interestingly, Sanyal revealed that he had never visited China as was reported in the newspapers. Charu Majumdar had spread the rumour in 1968-70 that he had sent a team to China under Kanu Sanyal and that they had met Mao Zedong.
A.K. Dasgupta HyderabadMalnutritionIT was shocking to read that around 400 million Indians go to bed hungry every day (Cover Story, April 23). That this is the reality after six decades of Independence is a matter of national shame.
Francis Kuriakose & Deepa Kylasam Iyer Puducherry
THAT India has the largest number of stunted, wasted and underweight children in the world is shocking. The government, policymakers and mainstream parties should get together to evolve an action plan to change the situation.
S. Ajish Khan Pollachi, Tamil NaduTHE Cover Story is heart-wrenching and thought-provoking.
However, I disagree with the choice of photographs for the cover and the articles.
Dr Beulah Shekhar New DelhiTHE Cover photograph and the ones inside choke ones heart. The article should serve as a wake-up call for the government. Though checking malnutrition is the first point in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, it is a pity that we have not acted upon it yet.
Sudhir Mishra Bhubaneswar, OrissaTHE country has failed to distribute its economic wealth equally among all. It is a pity that 63 years after Independence, a vast number of people in the country are unable to have two square meals a day while a small majority of rich people is getting richer.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee Faridabad, HaryanaMuzirisOWING to certain editorial changes, my interview on Muziris (April 23), culled out of a long conversation, has created the impression that I am opposed to the Muziris Heritage Project. In fact, the initial academic report of the Muziris Project was prepared by a committee of historians chaired by me. The role of the committee and the Kerala Council for Historical Research was over with the submission of the report and the later work was undertaken by the Department of Tourism and the Department of Archaeology.
In reply to the last question, I had intended to convey two ideas. First, the appropriation of legends for contemporary purposes often leads to their legitimisation as historical facts. Secondly, the interest in heritage tourism is on the increase now and it has the potential danger of cultural distortion and lumpenism, as has happened in Thailand and the Netherlands. Healthy tourism should take adequate steps to protect heritage, as is done at the Grand Canyon in the U.S. or in Pascuaro in Mexico. The Grand Canyon is protected by very strict rules of access. In Pascuaro, the medieval character of the town is preserved by disallowing modern constructions.
My concern was not about the name of the project there is nothing wrong in naming it after Muziris, as even by present knowledge it was located in the Kodungalloor region but about the possible social and cultural impact of international tourism that Muziris might attract, if adequate precaution is not taken. It is the caution of a student of history, which every tourism project would do well to take into account.
K.N. Panikkar ThiruvananthapuramDyslexiaTHE article Counted out (April 23) has brought into focus the difficulties dyslexic children face in taking mathematics as a subject. Why should they not be allowed to use calculators?
Jacob Sahayam ThiruvananthapuramChe GuevaraFRONTLINE has published many articles on Che Guevara, but this is the first time one is getting to read Ches impressions of India (Country of contrasts, April 23). His account makes one wonder how a great revolutionary like him could write on every subject in such a meticulous way.
His encomiums to Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are admirable. The photograph of Che presenting a gift from Fidel Castro to Nehru is memorable. He refers to India as an enormous and extraordinary country and has dealt with everything from the days of its colonisation to independence. He shows an avid interest in the cooperatives.
Dr B. Jambulingam Thanjavur, Tamil NaduNaxal iconTHE obituary on Kanu Sanyal was not only informative but very touching.
Sanyal, who, along with Charu Mazumdar and Jangal Santhal, spearheaded the peasant uprising in the high noon of 1967, was a courageous man.
He was an upright man who never accepted funds from the West Bengal government for his health expenses. All his life he remained committed to his cause.
While Charu Mazumdar died in Lalbazar (either due to state torture or ill health), Santhal died an abject recluse.
S. Balakrishnan Jamshedpur, JharkhandG.P. KoiralaTHE passing away of Girija Prasad Koirala marks the end of a very important chapter in Nepals as well as the subcontinents politics (Champion of change, April 23).
Just like his older brothers B.P. Koirala and M.P. Koirala, the Nepali statesman was popular in India. He was born in the Mithila region of north Bihar and spent his initial years there. His family extended relentless support to the Indian freedom movement. His demise is a loss for India as it is for Nepal.
Ashutosh Thakur Madhubani, BiharStreet singersTHE article Reality on show (April 23) brings to light a heartening trend on television, which, of late, is full of meaningless programmes and hollow news. That the people behind the show could think beyond glamour is good news. It is good to see that the show is popular among the youth. The visual media exerts a big influence on us, and this programme has the effect of making us better human beings.
Selvam K.R. Kochi, KeralaEconomyAS C.P. Chandrasekhar points out , there is definitely a need to be sceptical about the growth story outlined in the Economic Survey 2009-10 (The growth story, April 9). The exalted position given to the GDP as an indicator of growth is misleading.
The sectoral growth rates of agriculture, industry and services tell a more accurate story.
It is well known that a high GDP growth rate can persist alongside abject poverty. Hence, it is time policy documents paid more attention to the structure or content of economic growth.
Alex M. Thomas HyderabadNuclear BillIT would have been inhuman if the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, was passed by Parliament (A flawed Bill, April 9). I appreciate Praful Bidwai and Frontline for their continuous and unbiased efforts to bring harsh truths to the forefront.
Saparya Nayak Hooghly, West BengalSuhrawardyA.G. NOORANIS account has changed my negative impression about Suhrawardy (A mystery solved, April 9).
In the wake of the failure of the Cabinet Mission and its negotiations, Mohammed Ali Jinnah announced the date for Direct Action, which was an open threat of violence. And, Suhrawardy declared the intention of the Muslim League thus: The Muslim nation has been straining at the leash.
The Muslim Leagues terror on August 16, 1946, led to the Great Calcutta Massacre. Suhrawardy, who was the premier of undivided Bengal then, did not cover himself with glory by his action/inaction. Gandhi undertook a journey to Bengal to begin a satyagraha and restore peace in Bengal, but he had one condition that Suhrawardy accompany him.
This opportunity to work with Gandhi would certainly have enhanced Suhrawardys comprehension of the fragile peace that prevailed between the two great communities of the subcontinent and the political imperative to ensure and preserve it.
The Draft Declaration on Minority Rights is the manifestation of this transformation of Suhrawardy as a person.
But once again, as predicted by Gandhiji, Jinnah did not miss another opportunity to shun good counsel.
Narayanan Muthusamy Georgia, U.S.ANNOUNCEMENTLetters, whether by surface mail or e-mail, must carry the full postal address and the full name, or the name with initials.
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