LETTERS

Battle for U.P.

The Cover Story rightly explained the enigma called Uttar Pradesh. ("Battle for U.P.", May 21) With 80 Lok Sabha seats, the State has always been the hotbed of Indian politics and the ultimate challenge for psephologists. It is only by paying obeisance to U.P. that any party could think of capturing power at the Centre.

>Siddhartha Raj GuhaJabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Thank you for consistently highlighting the plight of Dalits and other oppressed classes ("Seeking alternatives," May 21). After 56 years of Independence the Muslim and Dalit communities live in squalor and degrading conditions with high levels of illiteracy and unemployment. There has been hardly any upward mobility among these communities in political and socio-economic terms. This miserable condition is also because of the leaders and the elite sections of the community. This is especially true of Dalits.

There are too many Dalit leaders and too little unity. Among Muslims, Urdu-speaking sections tend to dominate the top positions in organisations such as the Wakf Board.

In spite of their large population, neither community has a political organisation that tirelessly works for its upliftment. During elections, banners and posters bearing the image of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar are used by all political parties to woo Dalits.

D. KarthikeyanCoimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Education

This refers to the article "A historic ruling on schools" (May 21). The judgment of the apex court will check the ongoing commercialisation of education.

In Tamil Nadu, there are many engineering colleges without the basic infrastructure. Polytechnics that were opened in the early 1980s are on the way out. Managements are not concerned about education. Their mantra is profit.

HariVirudhunagar, Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court deserves praise for the landmark ruling regarding fee structure of unaided schools. Managements of most unaided schools treat them as business enterprises. They have no qualms in fleecing the students and their parents. Little attention is given to the needs of teachers. Basic facilities such as toilets, drinking water and canteen are not available in most schools.

As education is an essential service, some regulations are necessary to discipline unaided schools.

S. Raghunatha PrabhuAlappuzha, Kerala

Judiciary

It is distressing that judges who condemned lawyers' strikes as illegal and wholly unjustified resorted to actions such as en masse leave as a form of protest in Punjab ("An unprecedented act," May 21). Their action crippled work in the High Court. This episode underlines the need for an effective mechanism to deal with errant judges of the higher judiciary.

V. K. Sathyavan NairKottayam, Kerala

The Best Bakery case

Frontline calls a spade a spade ("Best Bakery case for retrial," May 7). The strictures passed by the Supreme Court do not constitute a clarion call for new scales of justice, but an anguished cry for restoring what the Constitution promises.

S. SoundararajanHampshire, U.K.

Heritage

The feature on the syncretic religious and philosophical traditions of the Kashmir valley (`A composite culture', May 7) by Benoy K. Behl was enlightening. The photographs were captivating.

The author has dealt with the broad contours of the philosophical traditions in the valley with clarity. Surveying the transition of ancient Hindu cultural tradition to the Buddhist one and later its transformation under the Islamic influence, he has spun a rich tapestry without losing the continuity. However, he should have devoted some space to the many Sufi saints who crossed over to the valley from Central Asia and Iran to preach the message of love and brotherhood. Sufis like Bulbul Shah, Shah-e-Hamadan, Makhdoom Sahib and Shah Walli contributed enormously to the development of Sufism in Kashmir.

The most prominent influence on Sufi traditions of Kashmir has been of Lal Ded and Sheikh Nurrudin Wali. Together, they can be called the fountainhead of Kashmiriyat. The syncretic faith that they nurtured is reflected in their poetry. It transcended the religious boundaries and touched high spirituality. No doubt then, that Sufi shrines were visited by Hindus and Muslims alike. This joint legacy saved Kashmir from burning in the communal fires that raged in the Indian subcontinent during the tumultuous years of British withdrawal.

Mohammad JunaidAnantnag

New power centres

The article "Dravidian power" (April 23) was interesting. It is stated that the demand of the Dravidian parties that Tamil be declared a classical language, which had the backing of all the national parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, was not conceded.

But the celebration in 2000 of the "year of Sanskrit" and conceding the classical status to that language are portrayed as wrong actions. Sanskrit is not only the oldest language in the world, but also a systematic and scientific one. Its grammar is perfect and it has attracted scholars worldwide. It fulfils 11 qualities prescribed for a classical language.

A.J. RangarajanChennai

The cover story on New Power Centres (April 23) had wonderfully analysed Indian politics. It is true that the Congress has realised the importance of alliances. Now that the party is in power, it remains to be seen how the coalition works. Indian democracy needs just three or four cohesive parties.

S. NarayananChennai

BJP's vision

As usual Praful Bidwai's discerning eye brings out the real face of the BJP politics ("`Vision' and vitriol," April 23). Since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya the political atmosphere is highly vitiated and in true Nazi spirit the BJP has been having a great time fishing in troubled waters.

Ravindra VadhThane

Praful Bidwai has rightly pointed out in his column that the BJP's opposition to Sonia Gandhi holding public office as any other Indian spelt a danger to freedom and democracy. India is not a nation ruled by kings and queens but a democracy governed by people who are equal under the Constitution.

R.R. SamiTiruvannamalai