The Games

Published : Nov 05, 2010 00:00 IST

A SECTION of the media overdid the criticism of the Commonwealth Games (India's show, October 22). There is no denying the fact that corruption was prevalent and that deadlines were regularly missed. But the shabby image created by the media was nowhere near the actual situation. Going by media reports, one felt that the Games was not even possible and everything was in a shambles. All the hard work that was put in was undermined. In future, the media should show a more professional attitude.

Tejasvi Mishra LucknowAyodhya

WE must respect the judgment of the Allahabad High Court in the Ayodhya title suit and not question its basis (Cover Story, October 22). A better decision could not have been delivered in the circumstances. Though it does not fall completely within legal guidelines, the judgment has served a much bigger objective. There has not been a single case of communal violence in the whole country.

The judgment has created an atmosphere where dialogue can take place between the parties concerned, and the possibility of reaching an amicable settlement appears brighter than ever. The judgment's greatest achievement has been that no community feels rewarded or cheated. Nobody lost and everybody got something. As a result, it was the country that won.

Prathit Charan Misra Allahabad, U.P.

THE verdict has been dissected by the media and the civil citizenry; however, the vital question of the demolition of the mosque has been ignored by the court.

Resolving the Ayodhya issue should no doubt be a priority in the national interest, but equally important are social challenges such as inflation, poverty, hunger and unemployment.

Syed Khaja New Delhi

WHAT the judgment shows is that the Indian philosophy of law has to be revised radically: it should reject the faith-based-judgment and proceed to stipulate that there should be religious courts of law (just like family courts or tax tribunals) and the matter should be settled in that court without sacrificing the empirical tenor of laws. This is probably the only way to ensure that religion has no place in the decision-making process of the state.

A. Kanthamani Kozhikode, Kerala

THE verdict is in tune with the changing times. Courts have always found the right solution to every political mess. It is sad that some politicians still wish to exploit it for personal vote-bank politics at the cost of the national interest. It is now the turn of the people to vote them out of power.

Also, some fundamentalists do not see this verdict as the final solution of the dispute. The people at large must ignore their unwarranted interference and act in the larger interest of peace and unity.

Mahesh Kumar New Delhi

THE mixed response to the verdict from various quarters notwithstanding, it is a landmark judgment. Neither Hindus nor Muslims should feel cheated, but some questions about the acceptance of faith and belief as evidence by a court of law while handling such a sensitive case remain unanswered.

Janakiraman Ramalingam Madurai, Tamil Nadu

THE verdict is historic and should be welcomed because, perhaps, for the first time in the history of Independent India, religious belief along with historical/ archaeological evidence has been upheld by the rule of law. All three judges need to be thanked for delivering this path-breaking and voluminous judgment. By awarding one-third of the land to each of the three contesting parties, the court has given a go-ahead for a reconciliation process.

S. Balakrishnan Jamshedpur

THE verdict does not seem like one that has been delivered by a High Court Bench; it is more like the mediation by village elders to settle land disputes. Now it is the calm before the storm. By trying to please everybody, the judges have pleased nobody.

A Ram temple cannot be built on one-third portion of the disputed land. It would have been better if the entire land had been handed over to Hindus, and compensation, if any, in money was paid to the other parties.

S. Raghunatha Prabhu Alappuzha, KeralaPension tension

THE issue of pensions in Europe is a complex one (Pension showdown, October 22). It is therefore easy to manipulate anyone who has little command of the subject. Whilst it is true that the legal age for retirement is 65 in most European countries, in many of them, for example Germany, Spain and Italy, one has to contribute for 35 years only to be entitled to one's pension. In France, the minimum contribution is for more than 41 years, short of which one's pension is greatly curtailed.

The main risk with President Nicolas Sarkozy's overhaul of the system is that it could lead to large numbers of poor pensioners in a few years' time. This will inevitably impact negatively on an economy that is already not faring too well with an average low rate of growth.

I am a faithful reader of Frontline, my favourite source of information for in-depth news and analysis on India and the subcontinent.

Gilles Georget FranceTirupur

IT is shameful that poor agricultural workers and marginal farmers who uproot themselves from their villages and move to distant places in search of greener pastures are being exploited (Driven to despair, October 8). The Central government has failed to address the agricultural crisis, burgeoning poverty and unemployment even six decades after Independence.

Millions of poor rural people migrate to cities and towns in the fond hope of a better life end up in hovels without basic amenities. The Centre should send a team to visit this industrial area. The private garment companies seem to be flouting labour laws with impunity.

Raj Bahadur Yadav Fatehabad, Haryana

TIRUPUR, Sivakasi and Coimbatore, all in Tamil Nadu, offer many employment opportunities. A huge population depends on these places. Employers never give guarantees or assurances about the next day's job.

There are government departments, labour welfare unions and other organisations to look after the welfare of labourers, but these are ineffective. These problems have existed for a decade, but no solution has emerged to date.

B.P. Pereira Madurai, Tamil Nadu

THE article shed light on the pathetic condition of the garment workers of Tirupur. Tamil Nadu is considered one of the most industrialised States in the country. But its people, especially the working class and the poor, are not getting the benefits. Industrialists exploit the textile workers. Trade union activities are curtailed by the use of muscle and money power.

The Tamil Nadu government is not bothered about the welfare of its textile workers, so they have to be content with their lot.

P.O. Sivasankaran Ghanashyamam Palakkad, Kerala

Professor's plight

THE assault on Professor T.J. Joseph is yet another instance where hype by the media resulted in the aggravation of a crisis (Yet another blow, October 8). The media should act more sensibly when a dispute arises and give background details of the dispute and provide all the parties involved a chance to explain their side of the story.

E.A. Ibrahim Kochi, Kerala

THE professor is a victim of the devious ways of fundamentalist forces. At the same time, being an experienced member of the teaching community and a responsible citizen, he should have gauged the pulse of the society and foreseen its reactions.

It is the duty of all responsible citizens to ensure that they do not become pawns in the hands of fundamentalist forces.

K.A. Suresh Kumar DelhiLandslides

THE report on the landslides in Uttarakhand (Fault lines, October 8) is a grim reminder of what the blinkered vision of our policymakers has done to the State's fragile ecology. What has happened in Bhatwadi village is nothing but Nature's vengeance.

It is ironical that Nature seems to have reserved the worst form of retribution for Uttarkashi district where both the Ganga and the Yamuna originate. First, it was the devastating earthquake of 1991 and now this year's ravaging monsoon, which has rendered thousands homeless.

Anil Joshi Nainital, UttarakhandBihar

This is with reference to the article Battle for Bihar (October 8). Politics in Bihar underwent unfortunate changes after the defeat of the Jagannath Mishra-led Congress in the 1990 election. There was despair in the State for one and a half decades under the Lalu Yadav-Rabri Devi regime. Today, optimism is high because of the pleasant outcome in the past five years. The state of affairs is not yet ideal, but improvement from here on will be easier than it would have been five years back. The next five years are going to be make or break for Bihar.

Atul Kumar Thakur Ghaziabad, U.P.Limited land

THIS is with reference to the article Farmers' fury (October 8). It is criminal the way agricultural land is being diverted for SEZs, townships and industrial development. India is one of the most populated countries in the world and, with its limited land resources, may not be able to feed its growing population.

Its townships and housing boards occupy more land compared with other countries. This not only puts severe stress on agricultural production but on precious water resources too.

R.N. Agarwal Bikaner, RajasthanWest Asia

ONE wonders how the Barack Obama administration could have conceived the idea of Israel-Palestine peace talks without including Hamas (Talks charade, October 8). Is it not akin to staging Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark?

K. John Mammen ThiruvananthapuramANNOUNCEMENT

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