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Septmeber 8, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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How Readers reacted to Dilip D'Souza's recent columns
Date sent: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 11:36:23 -0400
I think you people will be wise if you don't publish the garbage that Dilip writes. He is just a disgruntled man. He is far more communal in his articles than the BJP. Who is he to say that Indians in the USA should not vote on the 'Net? He who seems to campaign for freedom (especially of religion) -- how can he try to muffle the voices of Indians abroad? In any case, the world knows how much NRIs contribute to the economy. I would like to know what he has done for the country other than writing vituperative articles which does not even deserve a mention. If there is a poll about newspapers on the 'Net I WILL VOTE. And Rediff, you may lose your vote if the likes of Dilip continues. Srisunder
Date sent: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 09:21:35 -0400
We get the government(s) we deserve. I hope the 'intellectuals' who were for the BJP's version of Hinduism are happy now. We can look forward to the continued degradation of our economy as well as our religion. For all the people who are going to ask whether I've read any of the reports mentioned in the article, I'd like to say it doesn't matter. The state of the nation is there for all Indians to see. S Arora
Date sent: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 19:09:31 -0700
While the article on the dam appears to be a fine-tuned intellectual presentation, I think it is not easy to counter his allegation of pro-Hindu bias of neglecting tribal people's resettlement. A more serious look is needed into the problem. Should India develop its energy infrastructure fast, or should it be dependant on oil supply from the Middle East -- D'Souza seems to avoid these issues. He is partly right in pointing out the shortcomings of certain Indian politicians, but his campaign against corruption or backwardness seems to smack of a certain communal line. India is a great country and it has sufficient moral base to redress its own problems. It will take a while to clear the mess created over the past 50 years based on crony and defective socialism. Garibi-hatao went hand in hand, creating an inefficient bureaucracy, which fact, quite surprisingly and concientiously, D'Souza has ignored. K Krishna
Date sent: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 19:26:45 -0500
Frankly speaking, this is the first article by D'Souza that I have read. I read it three times; but still couldn't get any meaning out of it. I don't know what Mr D'Souza wanted to convey through this article... The only thing that he has raised is the similarity between the Maharastra and Gujarat governments in rejecting independent review reports (biased? unbiased? -- I don't know), using religious sticks. Big deal. Looks like Mr D'Souza has reinvented the wheel. I guess this "Article of Faith" type articles can be written about every political party or every state government in India, including the one in my home state West Bengal. Nabendu Pal
Date sent: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 15:57:51 -0400
Dilip, beware of the wrath of the majority. A guy with a last name like yours live and prosper in India only because the majority allows you to do so. There will be no minority left in India, the moment majority decides so. Over generations, you (minority) guys have caused enough troubles to the (peace loving) Hindus. In any other country, you would have been extinct by now. Hindus worship Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer) and also Shiva (the destroyer). Please don't force Shiva to open his third eye. We Hindus love you, want you. Please don't force us to destroy you.
Date sent: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 13:34:37 -0400
I am an avid reader of Rediff and browse through your site at least twice a day. Will you please take care to see that trash flinging people like Dilip are not allowed to write on this site? It doesn't make sense. All this man can do is criticise our nation. He does not have any respect for our nation. He criticises people for taking nationalist actions, for being patriotic. I don't understand. I feel frustrated, helpless and scared. If you read some of his articles there is a pattern. I do not want to be explicit in saying but read a few of his articles:
What memories are made of
Why does he want to make a mockery of people's feelings? Is he ashamed of being an Indian? Rediff, please do something about this. Jai Hind! Vande Mataram! Jai K
Date sent: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 11:56:41 -0500
Simply superb. This is something I always felt but could not put in words somehow. Keep up the good work.
Date sent: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 13:13:20 PDT
In spite of several requests from hundreds of people, you still continue to publish articles written by Mr Dilip D'Souza. Mr D'Souza has a single point agenda: ridiculing the Indian pride. No person in his right frame of mind will ever consider Mr D'Souza as an unbiased writer. It would simply be a waste of my time and also of yours if I start explaining how this man has a very seriously dangerous hidden agenda. There has already been a lot written about this man and his articles in Rediff itself. If Rediff wants to carry forward all the readership it is now enjoying, you should stop publishing his articles immediately. Not a single article more. I understand that Rediff might not consider the loss of a few readers like myself seriously, but I want to make it clear that I would implore people at every conceivable forum of Indians abroad and at home to simply not click once more on Rediff. Regards, Gopal
Date sent: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 10:26:24 PDT
I am writing this response after seeing a few readers' reactions to Mr D'Souza's articles. It seems some people are pretending to be deliberately obtuse about the whole matter (or has it become a habit by now?!). Mr D'Souza's point was clear -- if Indians really thought that they don't care what the US does or thinks about India's actions, then why go to great lengths to vote in large numbers in a poll whose audience is almost entirely American? Secondly, the view that the American public would be influenced by the results of these polls is actually an insult to their intelligence. The poll was anything but scientific and therefore, its results are absolutely worthless. Also, it may be true that by hearing Vande Mataram on our phones, we do not lose anything, but unless we take meaningful steps to improve the quality of the telephone service, we gain nothing either! This seems to be a textbook case of the triumph of symbolism over substance. The danger is that such "feel good" actions are little more than an opiate and delude us that we have achieved something, when in reality, we have achieved nothing. Regards, SG
Date sent: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 21:23:27 IST
Your column comes at an appropriate time when jingoism and 'plastic patriotism' are at an all-time high, much to the disgust of people (most) who are genuinely patriotic but will not indulge in such ugly displays. I believe that there are far more important issues than the 'Nuclear Option' facing our country (and the whole world) at the moment. I'm proud to say that I had received such a mail that urged me to 'support my motherland' but I promptly deleted it. If I had voted 10 times and thus ensured India did surge ahead, I would have been just as despicable as the Chinese 'robot voters'. Such a situation is not an altogether unfamiliar sight on the Net, where moral considerations are quite often given the go by the so-called free thinking people. It's quite unfortunate that so many Indians seemed to be in this category. I strongly denounce such action and would like to tell these people that patriotism is beyond such silly antics. What about paying taxes regularly, not indulging in or not being party to any act of corruption, or involving oneself in social work, donating money toward charity? Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Baba Amte and numerous others did more for India and its people than any other self-declared patriot shouting from the rooftop. Also, in today's (and tomorrow's) world, there's no room for narrow, parochial considerations. Working towards a better world in which peace and harmony and not warmongering abound is the thing to do. Robot voters will have no place.
Nanda Kishore Y V
Date sent: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 21:01:37 PDT
Dear Mr D'Souza, Apparently you have spent a good deal of time creating a well written article about the "Time poll" (the nuclear balance between India and China). Is it such an important issue to write so much about, that too portraying NRIs so negatively? In today's age, expressing patriotism may really be reduced to mouse clicking. Still in today's lethargic state of our country, if a few clicks are all Mother India is going to get, so be it. Lastly, wouldn't you have been the first to vilify the NRIs had the poll gone the other way? Maybe, saying something like "NRIs can't even 'spare' a few clicks for Mother India etc etc... Agreed that NRIs should do a lot more than clicking mouse to serve India better, and quite a few ARE DOING IT -- but it is VERY SURPRISING indeed that you feel the whole poll issue reflected negatively on Indians and NRIs. If you wrote on this issue for want of a better idea, many NRIs will be more than willing to help you out with ideas. Regards, Abhijit Joshi
Date sent: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 15:18:49 -0400
Dear Dilip, Your questioning of the NRIs love for the homeland has been well answered by the $ 4.16 billion raised by the RIBs. We could be more patriotic and so could be the real Indians living in India, who are stealing their own mother blindly, with both hands. That too, without any shame or remorse. Why does a guy like Hiten Dalal steal so much? Does he lack bread on his table? There are others who are even bigger criminals. Do write a column about the loyalty of these gentlemen. Vijay Mathur
Date sent: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 14:28:54 +0800
You are a genius with selective memory. I can understand if you blame the BJP lunatics for the illegal demolition of Babri Masjid, but the Time poll? Selective memory because you forgot that Rediff canvassed for ballot stuffing so that Gandhi's greatness increases! Yeah, he is now considered great thanks to Rediff's advertisement and subsequent ballot stuffing by "patriotic" Indians. It tickled me to death, Rediff's immaturity on the Gandhi issue. Of course, now you act "holier than thou." With such a wonderful media, we are safe! Finally, a note to the anti-nuke lobby. The BJP may be hate mongers, but surely you can base your views on the actions rather than who does it. Where was the anti-nuke lobby in 1996? Rediff was up by then and not a word of protest was heard for the French tests. Is this some kind of inferiority complex? Also, the majority seems to support it. No point whining just because your view is a minority view. In a democracy, it will happen that some of my own views are minority views but I do not whine. The anti-nuke lobby also makes a laughing stock of itself by describing its views using phrases such as "the voice of reason amidst the cacophony," implying that they alone are intelligent while the generals, policy makers, scientists etc are fools! Arvind
Date sent: Sat, 29 Aug 1998 00:54:27 +0400
I don't quite agree with what Dilip says. Yes, the click of a mouse or saying Vande Mataram on the phone is tokenism. But what is he trying to say? When it is the world forum, you got to do what you got to do. So if it is clicking the mouse to swell the numbers, so be it. What else can the poor NRIs do? All of them are anyway painted to be some sort of materialistic zombies running after elusive dollars. Whereas all one tries to do is to brave all sorts of odds including racism, discrimination, international competition etc and earn a honest living. Dilip talks very sceptically of the NRIs and clicking the mouse. But what else can be done when you are so far away? So if it's clicking the mouse or the US $ 100 movement or the Resurgent India Bonds, one participates. Give us a better outlet for our patriotism and then judge us. I resent this -- anything we do is sarcastically labelled as 'NRI patriotism'! And yes,Vande Mataram. Ajay Pande |
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