Minorities
IT is a stark fact that after Narendra Modi assumed office as Prime Minister in 2014, an atmosphere of intolerance against the minority communities in the country is growing (Cover Story, July 6). Modi’s silence in the face of anti-minority incidents, especially when they occur in BJP-ruled States, is baffling.
Although the Emergency, which happened 43 years ago, was indeed a blot on India’s democracy, the country is now witnessing a daily emergency against certain sections of the population, who are being targeted by vigilante groups while the government at the Centre looks the other way. During the Emergency, the common man was not greatly harassed even though a few politicians were incarcerated for a brief period.
The secular-minded people of this country will never forget the 2002 Gujarat pogrom during which a few thousand Muslims perished when Modi was Chief Minister. Although Modi speaks at length about the safety and security of women, particularly those of the minority communities, a recent report of the Thomson Reuters Foundation has found that India is the most unsafe place in the world for women, ranking below Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.
N.C. Sreedharan, Kannur, Kerala
THE article “Age of unreason” (July 6) was an eye-opener as it detailed how the BJP, including the Prime Minister, and the Sangh Parivar are doing their best to make the aam aadmi believe that modern scientific development had its basis in the Indian (Hindu) mythology. It pains one that a person, especially of the stature of Prime Minister, can forget that his every remark is considered important not only in the country but also all over the world.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad, Haryana
Shujaat Bukhari
WITH the cold-blooded murder of Shujaat Bukhari, Kashmir lost an intrepid journalist whose reports, which I read in The Hindu religiously, were not a cold and unemotional recording of events but a true depiction of the situation in the violence-hit valley of Kashmir (”A votary of peace in Kashmir”, July 6). His stories reflected the boundless love he had for his fellow Kashmiris, irrespective of their religious faith. He was, in turn, loved and respected by the adherents of all religions in Kashmir. He tirelessly strove for the restoration of peace in his beloved homeland. A journalism school of international standards must be opened in the Valley to inculcate in Kashmiri youth the values and ideals that Shujaat stood for. It would be a fitting tribute to him.
Samiul Hassan Quadri, Bikaner, Rajasthan
THE killing of Shujaat, who worked tirelessly to bring peace back to the Valley, is disheartening. But this is not the first time that a journalist has been murdered for fair reporting. Reporting the truth is becoming a dangerous vocation.
Mahesh Kapasi, New Delhi
THE p re-Eid gunning down of Shujaat and his personal security officers not only shocked Kashmir but saddened the whole nation. It is sad and disturbing that terrorists are systematically silencing the moderate and saner voices in the Valley. What is the point of a ceasefire during Ramzan if Pakistani rangers and terrorists target civilians and security personnel?
K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad, Telangana
SHUJAAT w as killed for his objective analyses of life in the Valley and for the sensible solutions he had for the Kashmir imbroglio. It is difficult to imagine how he maintained his equilibrium and professional candour in the face of the volatile situation in Jammu and Kashmir and threats to his life. He was one of the stars in the firmament of Kashmiri journalism and has now become its lodestar.
To be a journalist in India is like signing one’s death warrant. Recently, a BJP legislator allegedly told scribes of the State to “draw a line” or face the consequences and warned them that they could face a “fate” similar to that of Shujaat. This reflects the grimness of the situation in the country.
B. Rajasekaran, Bengaluru
Geeta Kapoor
IT is unbelievable that despite acting in more than 100 films, the glamour of tinsel town eluded Geeta Kapoor and her life at the end was one of utter penury and near starvation (“A life in the shadows”, July 6). Ashoke Pandit and Ramesh Tauani should be appreciated for paying her hospital bills. I fail to understand why big-time producers, directors and actors do not form an association to provide monetary help to little-known and small-time character artists like Geeta Kapoor. After all, they spend lakhs, if not crores, of rupees to celebrate their birthdays and the successes of their films.
P. Nag Shankar Rao, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
Pranab Mukherjee
FORMER President Pranab Mukherjee did well to accept the invitation of the RSS to attend its annual meeting in Nagpur as he used the occasion to explain the aspirations of the people of India as a whole (“Courting controversy”, July 6).
Only when such thoughts of nationalism are brought to the notice of the group’s members in their inner circle, will it have a lasting impact on their understanding of the value and vastness of Hinduism and its culture.
S.R. Devaprakash, Tumakuru, Karnataka
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