Letters

Indian Premier League

Kolkata: Mumbai Indians players jubilate with the trophy after winning the IPL 6 final match against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Garden in Kolkata on Sunday. PTI Photo (PTI5_27_2013_000078B)

CRICKET, which was once played for the love of the game, is today played for the love of money (Interview with Ashis Nandy, Cover Story, June 28). Even though so many Indian Premier League matches have been played, they have not added a single invention to batsmanship such as the Ranji’s leg glance. C.K. Nayudu did not hit sixes to win prize cheques. M.A.K. Pataudi's dynamism gave new meaning to Indian cricket. Now cricket is an entertainment industry just like cinema. In the guise of popularising the game, the apex body of cricket has amassed wealth and fumbled in delivering the niceties of the game to fans.

K.R. Deshpande

Bangalore

Prime Minister

THROUGH his article “No, Prime Minister” (June 28), Era Sezhiyan has clarified that the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy require the Prime Minister to be a person elected to the Lok Sabha. Tracing India’s parliamentary history since the 1940s, he clearly explained the conventions established. It is wonderful that he recalled the Congress Parliamentary Meeting of January 15, 1966, and the announcement at the end of the counting that it was a “girl” (that is, Indira Gandhi had been chosen to be the next Prime Minister).

B. Jambulingam

Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

RAJYA SABHA members who are elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies are also by implication “elected by the people”. As the principle of “equality” is one of the pillars of the Constitution, any MP can become Prime Minister. Further, the second chamber of Parliament underlines the federal nature of the polity and reflects a broad spectrum of political opinion in the country.

M. Shairaj

Kochi, Kerala

T.M. Soundararajan

For File:T.M.Soundarrajan payback singer at Chennai convention Centre on Friday 25th August. Photo: R_Shivaji Rao(26-08-2006)

THE songs sung by T.M. Soundararajan lifted the quality of the film or the scene (“Voice of Tamil”, June 28). His enunciation of Tamil, genuine accent and exactness of intonation enhanced the value of the lyrics. His versatility has to be admired. All his songs became hits.

B.P. Pereira

Madurai, Tamil Nadu

GENERALLY, music has always had a special audience. TMS’ philosophical songs, which were excellently rendered, captured many young minds across Tamil Nadu. As many of his songs in films were well written and based on Carnatic music, they have survived and will continue to enthral us. His voice will continue to linger in Tamil Nadu.

A.J. Rangarajan

Chennai

Extremism

THE Maoists pose a great danger to the internal security of India (“The war in Bastar” & “Flawed vision”, June 28). The Union government had ruled out military action against them. We need not wait until the situation gets completely out of control and military action becomes absolutely necessary. Those who believe in armed struggle will not change their ways because of talks. V. Prabhakaran, who led the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka, is an example. The Union and State governments, instead of blaming one another, should crush the Maoists before they grow into a large terrorist organisation.

S. Raghunatha Prabhu

Alappuzha, Kerala

Rituparno Ghosh

New Delhi: **FILE PHOTO** Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, 49, during the '60th National Film Awards Function held recently. Ghosh, who made films like "Chokher Bali", "Unishe April" and "Raincoat", died of cardiac arrest. PTI Photo (PTI5_30_2013_000063B)

THE death of Rituparno Ghosh has robbed India of a film personality who was destined for fame in the world of cinema with his rich creativity and powerful strokes (“Different and daring”, June 28). He inherited and developed a deep taste for art and culture from his parents, and he later utilised this fully and experimented successfully with cinema in his short life. Many of his films were hits. They had rich themes based on good novels penned by West Bengal’s noted writers, including Rabindranath Tagore.

As a director, he studied women characters more intensely and brilliantly portrayed their pain, suffering and emotions. He also dwelt on sexuality and same-sex relationships in a way that broke taboos.

Jayant Mukherjee

Kolkata

Khirsara

THE article titled “Discovering Khirsara’s Harappan Glory” (dated June 28, 2013) was worth reading. As a maritime professor and researcher, I was struck the most by the marine fossils that were discovered.

The concept of warehouse is a vital element in modern times too. Research on this topic has shown how well-structured the warehouses of long ago were. This is the true contribution of the Harappan civilisation to the world. It was the pioneer of the warehousing system during its days of the maritime trade.

It is really praiseworthy that the entire village is involved in one or other aspect of the entire excavation. The photographs accompanying the article were dazzling.

Jayan P.A.

Chennai

Manual scavenging

IT is a pity that Indian society continues to tolerate manual scavenging in this modern age of technology (“Death in the gutter”, May 31). Negligence on the part of the authorities, including the police, has led to the deaths of people by suffocation inside manholes.

Most manual scavengers are Dalits and around 98 per cent of them are women. It is ironical and shameful that on the one hand India is striving for women’s empowerment and on the other that women are involved in manual scavenging. Thanks to Safai Karamchari Andolan for taking up this issue and working for the betterment of manual scavengers since the 1980s.

When the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012, becomes law, manual scavengers will be liberated but the present technology of sanitation will force them to continue what they are doing.

There can be two results if the Bill is passed: either there will be overflowing drains since no one will be available to clean them or manual scavengers will continue to do their work, but illegally and maybe claim more wages. For the proper implementation of the law, first, India should implement modern technology that prevents manual scavenging. Secondly, all the manual scavengers should be given alternative jobs that fetch them more income than they are getting. Third, there should be a complete conversion of open toilets in trains to bio-toilets. Fourth, State and Central monitoring panels should work without bias and corruption.

V. Ashwin

Thiruvananthapuram

Afzal Guru

THE two essays on Afzal Guru by A.G. Noorani (May 17 and May 31) should be eye-openers to every citizen of India. They raised questions about policing, the working of different agencies in the system, and the credibility of the Supreme Court.

Wani Ishtiaq

Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir

Rotavirus

I am writing this to congratulate you and R. Ramachandran, who wrote the article "A step ahead" (June 28). I find the research behind the article remarkable.

A young Indian baby suffering from diarrhoea lies on a bed at a Government children's hospital in Allahabad on May 20, 2013. There has been in increase of children suffering from diarrhoea and other illnesses as temperatures reach 48 Celsius (118 Fahrenheit). AFP PHOTO/ SANJAY KANOJIA

As a public health physician at Christian Medical College who has been working on issues to do with child survival, I have been encouraged by the number of editorials and reports in The Hindu and Frontline that deal with critical social and public health issues. On many occasions, this has served to galvanise the medical community to take up issues that were otherwise neglected. Most medical practitioners and those influencing public health policy, contrary to public perception, get insights into and form opinions primarily on the basis of articles in the press rather than from peer-reviewed journals. Hence, the role of well- researched documentation of public health issues cannot be overstated. In a world increasingly coloured by opinions and prejudice, it is refreshing to see balanced articles that are substantive in addition to being readable.

This is a topic that is complex enough to warrant a day’s focus in our master of public health programme. It was so elegantly dealt with by the writer that I have decided to use it as part of the reading material for the class in health policy this year.

Dr Jacob John

Associate Professor

Department of Community Health,

Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu