THE burning of Dalit homes in Hisar district, Haryana, was a manifestation of the intolerance towards Dalit empowerment (Reign of terror, May 21). Dalits are the most hated and discriminated against. Whenever they socially and economically uplift themselves, they are attacked by upper-caste' people. The government's welfare schemes and quotas for Dalits have not been fully utilised.
When Indian students are attacked in Australia by Australians, it is decried as racism. When Dalits are brutally discriminated against by Indians, we need to ask ourselves: Are we racist too?
S. Ajish KhanPollachi, Tamil NaduIPLCRICKET was damaged even earlier when too much money floated around the game (Cover Story, May 21). What one sees might just be the tip of the iceberg.
In a better democracy, allegations of the kind that have been made against IPL organisations would have been probed without permission from a Minister by a professionally answerable prosecution body. Such autonomous mechanisms are just not there in India. One big step in the right direction was the enactment of the Right to Information Act, which could be used to expose scandals.
Siddhartha Shankar MishraSambalpur, OrissaWHY is Lalit Modi singled out for attack when persons from industry, the film world and politics and retired cricketers and their kith and kin are also involved directly or indirectly in the goings-on? Though Modi has given cricket a bad name, one cannot overlook the fact that he conceptualised the IPL with the full backing of the BCCI. Money has corrupted players and officials and thus brought disgrace to the game, which is a tragedy.
K.R. Srinivasan SecunderabadTHE IPL has taken after the Indian Cricket League. It was a money game by the super rich. The original experiment by the late Australian businessman Kerry Packer was different and could have been better for cricket.
Shiv Shanker Almal KolkataLET us hate Lalit Modi, but give him credit for the success of the IPL. He made it a brand worth Rs.18,000 crore ($4.13 billion).
S. Raghunatha PrabhuAlappuzha, KeralaSHASHI THAROOR and Lalit Modi were painted black by the media even though they were not the only ones behind the turmoil. It is good that the media highlight corrupt practices as this can help check malpractice.
Ranu Vikram RanchiCorrupt systemTHIS is with reference to the article Corruption & state (May 21). It is true that liberalisation has given private players the chance to become more corrupt than public players. To check the corruption, the judiciary should be made more efficient.
N. Dang GuwahatiGSLV-D3INDIAN scientists did a commendable job in developing indigenous cryogenic technology (Cryogenic setback, May 21). Even the most advanced countries with vast resources at their disposal failed many times before mastering the nuances of this complex technology. The PSLV has an impeccable record of 14 consecutive flights, but it failed in its very first flight in 1993. Chandrayaan-1, despite its premature termination, was able to provide valuable information.
This shows that failure is nothing but an opportunity to learn and rectify our mistakes. We should not demoralise our scientists by harping on failure.
Francis Kuriakose & Deepa Kylasam Iyer Puducherry
NREGAIN the village in West Bengal where I live, the NREGA is a source of easy money (Wages of delay, May 21). Corruption is rampant. The work done is nothing compared with the money spent.
Niamul Hossain Mallick Baramuria, W.B.Role of PIBTHE Press Information Bureau is supposed to provide information to the press about governmental activities and collect feedback from the public for the relevant authorities (True lies, May 21). With the proliferation of electronic media and the rapid growth of the Internet, availability of information is not a problem.
It may be said that in spite of the PIB, the media gather and report on the activities of the government. The flow of information in the other direction is woefully lacking. The PIB prepares lifeless reports that arrive at Ministers' offices too late to serve any meaningful purpose. As any regular newspaper reader knows, the letters to the editor column is a fount of public opinion. PIB offices ought to have special officers who only scan letters and then prepare reports based on them for the use of particular Ministries. The wide network of field publicity offices can be used to collect information from the public. Their role is now limited to conducting insipid programmes that fall far behind the times in terms of content and presentation.
V. Mani Iyer CoimbatoreMaoistsTHE recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in his report on the performance of the State police forces look like they can be implemented (Reluctant reform, May 7). The only snag may be that the Centre and the State governments may lack the will to operate cohesively.
K. Nehru Patnaik VisakhapatnamIT is true that the benefits of development have not reached the most marginalised sections of society, but that can never be the justification for violence. While naxalites claim their ideology will liberate the so-called masses, it is their very presence that is preventing government services such as education and health care from reaching the marginalised. The tribal people are damned if the government reacts strongly; they are damned again if it does not act at all. The government and the naxalites should sit together to resolve all the issues.
Suresh NandigamHanuman Junction, A.P.INSURGENCY was always born out of exploitation, oppression and neglect on the part of the state. Only by bringing the deprived to the mainstream can the insurgents be made to see reason. Goodwill has to come from the state. As for a military option, it is ill-advised and counter-productive.
K.P. Rajan MumbaiIT appears that the Maoists have won the hearts and minds of the rural poor and Adivasis because of the deep apathy of the elected State governments and the callous attitude of local administrators towards the suffering of the common people. In the absence of any means to get their genuine grievances redressed, they give space to Maoists. In some areas, the Maoists are running parallel governments. The concept of clear, hold and build will not work so long as the government does not win the confidence of the local people.
Raj Bahadur YadavFatehabad, HaryanaTHIS is with reference to the well-argued article on the Maoist issue Ruinous civil war (May 7). The best way forward is for the Centre to talk directly to the Maoists about development of the affected areas. A high-level delegation should meet the Maoist leadership at a place chosen by the latter the delegation should not take any personal security staff with it and work out a development plan for the affected people. Taking a leaf out of the conflict resolution doctrine advocated by Stockholm's reputed Peace Research Institute, the delegation should empower the Maoists to take care of their own development with the Centre's help in terms of funds.
Jayanta Kumar Dutt KolkataFree softwareKNOWLEDGE is for sharing and should be used to enhance services and amenities for the welfare of people (Freedom movement, May 7). It is quite unfortunate that NASSCOM and MAIT hold views that differ from those of the Free Software Movement of India. Being nodal agencies in the IT sector, they should be leading this movement. IT companies ought to include this initiative in their corporate social responsibility programmes.
B. Rajasekaran BangaloreKanu SanyalWHATEVER Kanu Sanyal's ideology might have been, I have no hesitation in stating that his honesty and integrity was comparable to leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi (End of a revolution, April 23). He never sought power or amassed wealth the way many present-day political leaders do.
K. Ravindranathan Palakkad, KeralaStreet singersREALITY has never been so real and a reality show has never been so genuine and down to earth as the Indiavision programme as it honours those for whom life has been a struggle (Reality on show, April 23). Thanks to VKC Street Light, the participating street singers have been given a platform to exhibit their talents and have an appreciative audience.
It is high time we took a break from shows where judges fight one another and participants indulge in verbal scuffles to boost show ratings.
Divyanshu Ojha LucknowMuzirisTHE report on Muziris and an expert's view on the Berenike excavations were crisp (Muziris, at last?, April 23). It may be pertinent to note that early Christian traditions allude to missionary expeditions, presumably following trade routes, from Palestine or Egypt to the Malabar coast.
No less a person than the Greek historian Eusebius reported that Pantaenus, the head of the Catechetical School in Alexandria, visited India late in the 2nd century A.D. This is when he saw, it is believed, a copy of the original Gospel According to St Matthew in Aramaic, which was with the Christian community. The Kerala Syrian Christian community has sustained these contacts.
Rev. Philip K. Mulley Coonoor, Tamil NaduANNOUNCEMENTLetters, 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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