LETTERS

Reaching out

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeastern regions are laudable ("A promising start", December 17). It is beyond doubt that he has taken some credible steps that could mitigate the woes of the common man and the downtrodden. He has kept politics out of development, which is a ray of hope for all.

Siddhartha Raj Guha Jabalpur* * *

India needs a good and intelligent person to lead it to prosperity. The Prime Minister should be capable of understanding the problems of the people. It is not necessary that only a "politician" can lead the nation. Such narrow definitions will discourage the emergence of intellectuals from various walks of life to lead parties and governments. What has India gained from the "traditional politician", whose words and deeds do not match? India needs politicians who will remember the common man even after the election campaign.

Arun B. Ashok Trichur, KeralaIndia and Israel

The United Progressive Alliance's decision to maintain good relations with Israel is not a breach of trust ("A breach of trust", December 17). This is a continuation of the policy of the National Democratic Alliance government, which offered the hand of friendship to Israel. This approach was then criticised by the Congress, which claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party was obsessed with Israel.

Tal Merom Haifa, IsraelSankaracharya's arrest

I was shocked to read about the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya ("The course of law", December 17 and "Behind the arrest", December 3). Jayendra Saraswathi should step down from the leadership of the mutt until he is proved innocent of the charges against him, to uphold its dignity and honour. If he is proven guilty in a court of law, then the seer must face the verdict as per the laws of the land, which says that all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law, irrespective of their social status.

Vasudev R. Khalgatgi Hubli, Karnataka* * *

Considering his religious status and the sentiments of millions of Hindus, Jayendra Saraswathi should be released unconditionally and, if found guilty, be given a presidential pardon.

S. Raghunatha Prabhu Alappuzha, Kerala* * *

The articles on the Sankaracharya's arrest are brilliant expositions of the whole event. But I cannot help feeling that the concept of secularism projected is that the government, political parties and Hindu institutions should function in favour of religions other than Hinduism. This brand of secularism can only encourage communalism.

V.V. Prabhu Kollam, Kerala* * *

It is hard to imagine that the seer could have been involved in such a crime. It would be honourable for him to abdicate his position and face the charges as an ordinary citizen.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee Faridabad* * *

The late-night arrest of the Sankaracharya reminded me of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi's arrest a few years ago. Considering that Jayalalithaa and her party had been seemingly close to the Acharya, the turn of events is quite startling.

J.S. Acharya HyderabadKerala sex scandal

Recent developments in Kerala relating to a sex scandal have affected the dignity and pride of the State ("A dented image", December 3). When the Kiliroor sex scandal came to light, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry, but in the Kozhikode ice-cream sex scandal, in which a Minister is accused, he has not taken any action.

P. Sreedharan Kannur, KeralaThe rural gloom

The story of Jayalakshmi is heart-rending. ("The rural gloom", December 3). It is the moral duty of a welfare state to protect its citizens by providing them quality education, health services and employment opportunities. But, our state has failed to discharge its constitutional duties. There is a deep crisis in the agricultural sector. The rural economy in certain States is on the verge of collapse. Farmers and landless labourers are the worst sufferers. The rate of suicides among them is alarming.

Sudesh Kumar Sharma Kapurthala, PunjabYasser Arafat

Arafat's dream of an independent Palestine did not materialise in his lifetime and his death is a setback for millions of Palestinians ("After Arafat", December 3).

Vinod Tuli New DelhiRanga Shankara

Theatre is fast losing space to the hype and gloss of the multiplexes ("A theatre of one's own", December 3). One hopes that the construction of the Ranga Shankara in Bangalore and the revival of the Star theatre in Kolkata revive this art form. Arundhati Nag deserves compliments for her initiative.

Suchetana Haldar KolkataSavarkar

This is with reference to the article "A National Hero?" (November 5). Savarkar is no doubt a freedom fighter like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who organised the freedom struggle on a religious basis in Maharashtra. But now the Sangh Parivar is trying to glorify the ideology of Savarkar, which is threatening the very basis of secularism.

According to Savarkar, Muslims have two faiths - one for Saudi Arabia and one for India. He also held the view that the problems of the minority in India is not the problem of all minorities but only of the Muslim minority. These views are not acceptable. History has evidence of Muslims in the freedom struggle.

M.A. Ghouse Mohiddin BangaloreThought-provoking

Thank you very much for the following three articles in the October 22 issue: the brilliant and highly patriotic essay by Arundhati Roy, "Public power in the age of empire", K. Satchidanandan's "A creator with social concern" and S. Viswanathan's "Land of inequalities". They were thought-provoking. They are worth translating into Tamil.

T.K. Sivasankaran Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu