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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 12:12:32 +0800 The BJP should know if it behaves like the Congress it is also doomed! It must realise that. Wake up! Vigyani
Date sent: Sun, 14 Jun 1998 17:10:31 -0400 It is nice to hear some first-hand opinions on this issue and the responses are encouraging. Although the number of samples are too few, they seem to reflect the general attitude of first generation Indians and Pakistanis in the US. Kamesh
Date sent: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 19:44:37 -0700 Statements like "I am not saying that ...What I am trying to do is, analyse the problem and not defend anybody." "No, what I am saying is, you have to be very careful about it." seem mainly for self-defence -- do-not-quote-me kind of statements. Thus, I don't get the clear picture of what is being analysed. Also, the impression that I gather is that "the analysis" is premature and incomplete; and would like to read a similar interview when "the analysis" is over or rather starts converging. (I very well know that this "analysis," by the nature of its loudness, is not for any convergence.) Presenting all the possibilities only gives me pieces from where I can build a picture for myself. But I do not know what is the goal of "the analysis" to build an approximate picture to appreciate the problem. I do not care about this person's views. But, personally, I feel I wasted time reading this one and further more trying to reply. I don't know why I felt that I was reading a politician's interview. With due respect to all, this is only what I felt as I read through the interview. I do not understand the depth of the problem at the analysis and that remains my state even after reading this. Either the interviewer was too aggressive or the interviewee was uncomfortable with the questions. Well, whatever...I will keep reading.
Shreenivas G Kand
Date sent: Wed, 27 May 1998 13:33:37 -0500 Among the several well written pieces featured in Rediff I am yet to come across one that is as troubling as "Tamil Nadu Walks Tall" -- not all of it, but some portions are very scary. To some extent, I wonder if this piece in itself is evidence of a warped collective thinking resulting from "walking tall" -- defined as abandoning one's own culture. Just how does having classical concerts going empty, and modes of dressing giving way to Jeans and T-shirt imply walking tall? Is your idea of "walking tall" one in which local cultures, its context, and expressions are completely obliterated to give way to the so called "global" cultures (!) which include Coke, Levi's, Benetton, Nike, and Pizza Hut! Do you consider cultural expressions based on the consumption of brand-names to be necessarily superior? I presume in your view, there will be one "globalville" which is occupied by a Pizza Hut, a Mcdonalds, a KFC outlet, a Wal-Mart, and a bunch of cars which become obsolete not on account of functionality but due to fashion, -- and heck yes, there will be some ethnic shops in which handicrafts that originate in some rural areas are available for obscene prices such that the elite can satisfy their cultural yearnings. Believe it or not, I am writing this strictly out of academic interest than from an ideological position. I would like to know the author's position on these comments -- these are meant to probe than provoke. Your comments will be very valuable because I do engage my students on various issues that connect culture to consumption.
Partha Krishnamurthy
Date sent: Wed, 27 May 1998 15:14:32 -0400 Mr Bajaj talks about India and the Budget, but where does Bajaj fits into this? Swadeshi technology like which is being used in Bajaj Scooters is responsible for poisoning the air in Indian cities. Bajaj Scooters should immediately stop the production of their lead gasoline based two and three wheelers, and instead create a new technology with unleaded fuel (which is not hard at all and will not take much effort either), but I doubt Bajaj would want to do. For them it is only the money of poor people and their ego of being a Swadeshi company that is enough. So much for Madhur Bajaj, it is because of industrialists like these that India is suffering! Can we compare them to Carnegie, Rockefeller, the recent Sam Walton and other industrialists who gave so much to the society from where they earned? Sandeep S Bajwa
Date sent: Mon, 25 May 1998 19:49:57 -0500 It was an awesome interview. His views are very objective and logical and question the very fundamentals of our non-performance. Kudos to Rediff for interviewing him. Hope to see more such interviews in the future.
Vallinayagam G Sankar
Date sent: Wed, 13 May 1998 17:40:04 -0700 This is a good report done so fast, talking to the main software companies and executives. Keep up the good work. Sundar
Date sent: Thu, 14 May 1998 00:20:54, -0500 Very timely and appropriate story. I hope a balanced view on sanctions will prevail in the West.
Date sent: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 21:04:48 EDT Thanks for the story on Yanni's orchestra. Nice job.
Date sent: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 10:52:55 -0400 Good article providing insight into an important issue. More such articles are welcome. George Kuriyan
Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 14:50:23 -0700 It is not true to say that the numbers of rasikas are dwindling. It is always increasing. It may not be commensurate with the growth in the number of sabhas. I am a regular attendee of the music festival, and I know of several occasions when I am unable to get tickets in some uptown sabhas. It is true that some newer ones are unable to attract as much attendance as some others. The oldest ones always have the bulk of the attendance ... and also the high-end rasikas or the more 'genuine' and 'erudite' ones. About NRI performers, I feel that this bracket of performers form a minuscule percentage not worth noticing.... after all they do pay a lot of money for the sabhas don't they? The sabhas should not have any problem with that so long as they get paid. And definitely, there should be no problem with finding slots for others with 'talent' but no money. There are after all a lot of sabhas. I don't buy Krishnan's statement when he says: "Those who do not have money and have only talent are just ignored. It is a sad state of affairs..." because, the very next sentence says: "Does Madras need so many sabhas, when none of them are ever full?" These two don't go one-on-one. The last paragraph I observed is very true. But you can expect a little mediocrity creeping in with the commercialisation of music or education or art or wherever talent is exhibited to the public for purposes of entertainment. However, this is a temporary phase and quality standards will begin to be enforced with time on the artists, just like market forces act on a truly liberalised economy -- weeding out weaker competition and making way for better quality artists. The sabhas will fill up with better talent and fresh blood. Mr Srinivasan would do well to retract his statement wishing that the 'sabhas vanish' with time.
Date: Thu, 01 Jan 1998 11:03:51 -0500 I appreciate all travel features -- the photos are extremely good. The places that are mentioned in your articles are presented in a way that would make anybody want to travel to see them. Dan
Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 12:04:30 +1000 Awesome feature, need more photos of what is being spoken about. How Readers responded to Pritish Nandy's last column How Readers responded to Saisuresh Sivaswamy's recent column
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