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August 19, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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How Readers reacted to Pritish Nandy's last column
Date sent: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 06:24:12 +0530 Pritish Nandy, You need to get out of your air-conditioned apt/home a little more. Are you saying that having stray (often diseased, abused, uncared for) dogs on the streets is a sign of being sensitive? It is in fact the other way around. You have got so "desensitised" to these appalling civic atrocities that you are actually fighting to have them around! And you make ridiculous arguments about how this may lead to killing stray children. In fact, it would be very nice if there were funded programmes for rehabilitating stray children. You don't even know what civic sense is all about. Your civic sense probably ends at your doorstep. People like you are just so out dated... Unfortunately there are a lot of people like you out there. A sad, defeated fellow Indian
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 10:35:12 -0700
Wow! Like I said, I tried to make sense of this article. I failed. Vivek
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 22:58:06 +0530
As a dog and animal lover, I've been distressed many a time when I witnessed the cruel method the Pune Municipal Corporation used to put strays to death. This included injecting the poor creatures with potassium permangnate (because cyanide is too expensive). Today, the PMC catches the dogs which are handed over to the Blue Cross, a voluntary organisation, which sterilises the animals. The dogs are then released to their respective areas. I was very distressed to read on your Web site that the episodes of killing stray dogs is making a slow return to Bombay. I do not condone the BMC's plan to start killing dogs because of a few voices who flaunt doctored statistics to prove the effectiveness of elimination versus sterilisation. The BMC is nothing but a gang of vicious killers picking on poor defenceless animals. Down with them. I fully support the author's idea of refusing to take such things lying down. These municipal corporations should learn that they're there because we pay taxes and, as such, they're accountable to the public not only in areas like control of stray animals but also roads, health, clean water etc. We are the people and it is the BMC's duty to honour the will of the citizens. Vivek
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 10:17:41 -0700
The author's prejudice is clearly seen in the article. For the information of the author, I am attaching the report of the PASTEUR INSTITUTE of Paris. I do hope the author has heard of Louise Pasteur.
Rabies in Asia
The main vector of rabies in Asia is the dog. The Asian continent
accounts for the majority of the human rabies cases reported. There is
a general consensus that the approximate number of deaths is 40,000, with India accounting for the greatest majority of these cases. Because
of the high mortality rate due to rabies, several countries have
established national plans for rabies prevention and prophylaxis,
thereby, significantly reducing the number of human cases noticed in
China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Nevertheless, precarious
situations persist in other countries such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Sri-Lanka, Myanamar, and Laos. As a small boy I have witnessed people dying from rabies and also people taking the most painful antidote injection for rabies. I can never forget them as long as I live. The Bombay Municipal Corporation may be the devil's incarnate. I am no devil worshipper. However I believe in "Give the devil its due share". If Mr Nandy believes so strongly in animal rights he could request the Bombay Muncipal Corporation to hand over all stray dogs to him and he can keep them in his apartment. I am sure the BMC will only be too glad to oblige. I suggest that Mr Nandy, before shooting of articles, do his homework. Further, remember that every coin has two sides. Jai Hind Sankar
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 12:51:20 -0400 (EDT)
I have always appreciated Mr Nandy's viewpoint on several aspects that he has written about over the years -- and here's another one. This is a perfect example of "the systematic degeneration of the human race, it's warped values and beliefs " And it's a pity that we have such an obvious example in our own country and "mega city". I have always believed that animals are more grateful than men...and no better examples of this are the dogs..!! I hope the BMC wakes up to this before it's too late -- it's just a question of time before man's greed and cruelty will come back on him... when forces beyond one's comprehension will make him realise the correct way. I hope we don't come to that stage, although we seem to be approaching it fast. I wish activists all success in this noble struggle. Govind Balasubramaniam
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 23:32:17 +0800
STOP KILLING! Vigyani
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 10:14:41 -0500 If you have cockroaches in your kitchen, do you sterilise them or spray Hexit to eradicate them? If you get mosquitoes in your bedroom, do you sterilise them or plug a mosquito mat to kill them? Now by saying this I am not supporting the brutal killings that are going to take place on the streets of Bombay, but my question is why are you creating a hue and cry about all this? Why are you provoking the citizens of Bombay to take up a violent fight against BMC workers? Is it because BMC did not offer you some chunk of the money they are making out of it or someone at the BMC refused to do you a personal favour? Believe me, if the BMC goes for a strike for a couple of days, you will be the first person to leave Bombay. Please let the agency do their work. Don't interfere with your rotten and baseless columns. They know their job better than you know yours.
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 14:50:54 AST I agree with you on the method to be adopted. Sterilisation is the best method available, I agree with you on that. But your argument that this might lead to wanton killing of street urchins is entirely specious and designed only to sensationalise. You drive around in a car I suppose, live in some complex where there is a boundary wall to prevent these strays from entering, where each apartment is air-conditioned and sanitised, so you don't understand what trouble these stray dogs cause on the streets, in the slums, in the lower middle-class localities. By the same token, I am firmly in support of the removal of stray cats, pigs, and even cows, even though I am a Hindu. I only wish, you had tried to evoke such a frenzy for more pressing issues like health, education and sanitation. Also, I have never seen any of my criticisms appearing on this site. Is that because they are against your opinions? It is my opinion that your high moral grounds, neo pinko-ism, is another example of the breed of yellow journalism that we have in India. Uncaring, unmindful of people's concerns, and blabbering on for animal-rights!!! Gimme a break. Get out of your castles and look on the streets, try to organise people for the basics of decent human living, not for diseased, sickly street dogs for God's sake! Vivek
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 08:43:42 -0500 Somebody please stop this man from writing. He doesn't know why he is writing. He doesn't know what he is writing. Mr Nandy, why don't you read the letters in response to your articles? Keshav
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 09:38:54 -0400 I think this article has a mild religious bias, showing favouritism to Hindus. To think only Hindus feel hurt if animals are killed, and all the others do not and they don't care is a wrong assumption. Killing animals does not mean desensitising the society. Sometimes it may mean protecting the society in which you live and the ones you love. The dogs are getting into our lives and killing the ones we love. Don't kill these dogs de-fertilise them. My family lives in a typical middle income area in Hyderabad, with Hindus, Muslims, Christians etc. The streets are narrow and crowded. The number of stray dogs in our area have been increasing faster than the human population in India. I have a kid brother who plays with other children on the streets, amidst the stray dogs. Sometimes they are bitten by them, sometimes they are chased by them. We tried complaining to the local municipal corporators, and the dog squad. By the time they arrive, there is a another bunch of new pups ready to grow up. Local animal rights groups do not do anything, but just protest if the municipal authorities take the dogs away and kill them. No one can understand the danger the kids are facing. Not only kids adults too. People like Pritish Nandy live in big mansions and beautiful neighborhoods have no clue of what life is like living amongst stray dogs. Recently, a hungry pack of stray dogs carried away and killed a four-year-old kid in Hyderabad. What if this happens to your kids? You do not understand what kind of a life a simple Indian goes through. William Suppogu
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 16:47:14 +0530 Oh, yeah! Yet another prize-winning article by yet another thinker. The article definitely does deserve the first place in an essay- writing or "creative writing" competition. One small point to ponder though -- does Mr Nandy ever have to walk through small by-lanes with one or two stray dogs or does he go places in a car. Personally, I don't give a damn to what happens to a stray, barking dog. You kill it, adopt it, worship it, put it in a zoo -- do whatever you want to. But I just haven't learnt how to appreciate the barking of an offensive and uncontrolled dog without feeling threatened. I do agree that these dogs (or any animal) have the right to live. I would very much appreciate any pointers on how to achieve this goal of getting rid of unwanted elements from everywhere in the society without overriding the fundamental rights and keeping an eye on the very restricted budget available to complete the task. Corruption is something more easily said than proven and more often than not it provides shelter to such accusers who otherwise don't have a way to establish their opinion. Instead of flatly accusing the BMC officials by saying "The money was pocketed by them" -- I would want to see more specific instances of how much money pocketed by whom. I hope this column is more about journalism than making a speech. May be, Mr Nandy can suspend writing such *thoughtful* articles, take over the responsibility from the BMC and show us what to do and how. Mr Nandy agrees that sterilisation did not do the trick -- so we would want to know from him about the alternatives. We are sick and tired of such articles which seem to have been written just for the heck of it.
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 11:14:49 EDT I am not too sure what Pritish says is completely true. I have seen a story item on television (in the USA) which talked about how some pets are Killed. Of course, they do the killing after a specific waiting period. My search in Altavista for "stray animal killing" did bring in lot of hits. In case you decide to publish my letter, please publish my email as ucriax@uab.campus.mci.net Nandu Vaid
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 10:06:51 PDT NANDY IS PARANOID. When humans can kill to eat, why can't they kill to live? The stray dogs are worse than the chicken and pigs and many other animals which humans REAR to eat. And you know the worst life is called a dog's life so I think there is nothing wrong in killing them.
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 09:28:51 PDT Mr Nandy, I do not understand how you can take the example of killing stray dogs with that of cattle and human beings. Sitting in a/c chambers and moving around in MNC cars you might not be knowing the menace and deaths caused by the stray dogs. Till now I was neutral about your articles, but this pushed me to say that you and your articles exhibit nothing but stupidity. I felt sorry for you when your show was stopped after your interview with Mr Hansraj Bharadwaj. Now I feel DD did a good thing. Going back, I still remember how you embarrassed the "God's gift to India" Lata Mangeshkar with your nasty questions. I just do not understand what you people feel after reaching a certain level. If there is any Indian blood left in you, for India's sake quit television and news articles. Just walk on the roads in villages and slums and see how many grave mistakes you committed till now. Hope India does not develop people of your tribe. With many harsh & hard feelings, Dr Diwakar Lingam |
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