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September 23, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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How Readers reacted to Dilip D'Souza's recent columns
Date sent: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 13:40:49 -0400
I see nothing wrong with the reaction of the Indian PM to the statements made by Mandela. India has often behaved in sportsman-like fashion. In real politics, it has been shown that this doesn't work. People tend to take us for granted. I am sure the Chinese would have reacted much more strongly if a reference was made about Tibet or about their human rights record. Ven Hari
Date sent: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 12:46:22 -0400
It was interesting to see how a lot of readers reacted to Dilip's article on Mandela & Kashmir. If I had to sum it up, I would quote Jack Nicholson: "...you can't handle the truth!". This is the bane of India's foreign policy that rests on blind righteousness and blind expectations. Wake up guys, and welcome to the real world! Navin
Date sent: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 13:54:03 -0400
That was an excellent article. I read the readers' comments about it before I actually read the article. Mr D'Souza did not deserve the brickbats he got for the article. It only illustrates the immaturity and insecurity of the readers. Mr D'Souza's articles are lucid, thought provoking and very interesting. Keep them coming! Sanjay
Date sent: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 13:46:31 +0500 You have nothing good to say about any government. Why don't you suggest alternatives -- to begin with, people like you and Medha Patkar should live on trees, and refrain from using "luxuries" such as treated water, electricity etc. The rest of us will, in the meanwhile, do our best to take advantage of new facilities and contribute our little bit to nation building. All your patently stupid articles do is crib, without giving any solutions. Medha Patkar can feel proud of her "achievement" of being a "social activist". Why can't you provide a computerised list of people "affected" by the project -- what was the earning capacity earlier and how this has been affected now - support it with proven figures - instead of droning on platitudes. Sundar Subramanyam
Date sent: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 12:49:21 -0700 I don't know how much Dilip and Medha earn by writing about this. None of them are from that place like I am. They talk about the preservation of culture, nature, environment. Now let's look at: Culture: Is a great situation when a person cannot afford clothing, food, education, health care etc. If yes, then go and live like that over there for three to six months. Nature: Due to the dam and water a greater area will be green rather than just the banks of the Narmada. It will be the life line for at least two million people. I know what it is, I have experienced it, I lived it. Dilip you can make money and name/fame but please do not try to stop the project.
Date sent: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 18:00:48 -0400 Excellent, many should read this article. It concludes with the reality: "Fine, we may deceive ourselves pleasantly by thinking that Hazare's jail term proves nobody is above the law. But one day we will know: that is precisely why politicians remain above the law."
Date sent: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 13:19:20 -0700 We as individuals, come across few people who have very different opinions when majority of the people agree on one thing. I congratulate you for selecting the best among them (Dilip) and have giving him a chance to write in Rediff. In a way, Rediff serves the views of minorities (not religious or linguistic, just on thoughts). I couldn't think of anything other than this after going through few columns of Mr Dilip D'Souza. But Dilip, in that process don't hurt the feelings of the majority (again.., it's just majority by view points). You are going little too much into that. Arun
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 21:20:27 -0400 I have been a regular reader of your articles, and I must say that your articles are quite amusing. Like the "Ganne ka Raswalla" case, the constant harping of the Srikrishna Report, th condemnation of the nuclear tests and now Mr Mandela's comment on Kashmir at the NAM summit. I sympathise at your efforts on tearing apart the statement made by Mandela at the NAM summit, but, I would like to point out that the statement is not faulty and neither is Mr Mandela at fault for having expressed his concern on the Kashmir issue. What is wrong is basically bringing the Kashmir issue into an international meeting, and advertising it as one of the key issues responsible for violence in the world. Moreover, this issue is a bilateral issue and expressing it in a multilateral meeting is against the protocol. I agree with you that a lot of violence is being committed in Kashmir, but, I seriously disagree with your comment in associating India's hand in this violence. It does not take a detective to figure out that the violence committed in Kashmir is the modus operandi of Pakistani ISI and other like minded Islamic terrorist groups. The motivation for this terrorism is quite clear. Ethnic cleansing of Hindus is a full scale operation by the militants and ISI mercenaries. Where does India send its soldiers to do this kind of work, that you associate as well as hold India equally responsible for the violence being committed in Kashmir? Whatever India and its government agencies have done is only defensive in nature and is seriously called for. Let us deal with the issue of being against the internationalising of the Kashmir issue. First, we need to understand the core of the problem. Kashmir was one of the states that acceded to the reunited India after Independence. Once this process was over, I don't think any nation especially Pakistan has any right to cry "foul." Pakistan was created on religious grounds and after parting from India it was declared an Islamic country. India on the other hand did not call itself a Hindu country. It was and remains to be founded on democratic grounds irrespective of the religions of its masses. So even if Kashmir was/is a Muslim majority state, no other country has the right to claim that it does not belong to India, since India is a multi-religious country, a secular state where Hindus and Muslims are treated with equality. Pakistan does not have any moral or even rational stand on this issue. What it seems to call a moral support to the secessionist, is clearly terrorism in disguise, or "Proxy War" in common terms. I would like to call this 'terrorism' since it is not limited to Kashmir alone but it is in play throughout India. Second, now that Pakistan is actively involved in creating trouble in India using its various extremist groups, we have to deal with them reasonably. Pakistan has fought two wars with India over the Kashmir issue. Having lost miserably in the war, it started its proxy war efforts to destroy the lives and property of the people of Kashmir and at the same time it started playing victim in the international media. Now this is what we call "Shikari apne appko shikar kahlaye." Till today we have seized various amounts of arms, explosive devices and material from Muslims who work for ISI and its sister organisations, and this is happening even now, every single day. It is clear that India has remained and is a victim of Islamic Jehad for the past 10 years. Moreover, the very same terrorist organisations of Pakistan have the full support of the Pakistani government. All this calls for diplomacy with the Pakistani government who support these terrorist groups and also give them a safe haven in Pakistan. Hence, this issue needs to be resolved bilaterally. Regarding resolving this issue using international intervention, I would like to say that it would be a naive, unwise and clearly a foolish decision, similar to Nehru's decision to take this issue to the UN. Why? Well, first there was a huge chunk of Hindus living in the valley who have been killed or have been driven out of Kashmir. Approximately, 300,000 Hindu families have been driven away, leave alone the count for innumerable lives that were killed. Do you know that this year alone 204 Hindus have been killed in the Jammu and Kashmir region, in the past four months. One more example of Pakistani terrorism and its corollary is that this terrorism is not limited to the Kashmir region alone. Even by using all the means, it is clearly impossible to mobilise so many people especially Hindus -- who have been driven away -- to come forward for a referendum in Kashmir. Moreover, submitting to this referendum would be like playing directly into the hands of Pakistan, hence, it would be rational for India to use its discretion and remain clear of this particular scenario. All of us are quite aware of the underlying principle that has led to this issue in the first place as well as its likely outcome. That's exactly the reason why we do not want any international intervention on India's stand on Kashmir. Is it clear Dilip? Coming back to you Dilip, it seems that you have clearly given up the thought of being and thinking like a true Indian. Most of your articles seem to be some kind of a crusade against the BJP government, secondly anything that has to do with Hinduism is clearly labeled as fundamentalism in your articles. On the other hand any form of fundamentalism against the Hindus clearly calls for sympathy in your articles. Dilip, I have been waiting for an opportunity to tell you this, don't try to use this particular issue or any other to forward your opinions and prejudices. In the end I would like to tell you that you are nothing but one of those "leftist fanatics" who have an agenda of spreading misinformation in the name of communalism, minority-rights and yes, secularism. Give it up Dilip, for all this is surely working against you as well as other leftist/communist fanatics. This is no more the 70's and 80's audience, who can be fooled and cajoled into believing your lies. One more thing, no other Indian is insecure about India, in fact, the very claim that we want to resolve the Kashmir issue without any international intervention bolsters the fact that we have full confidence in India and its people. Sanjay
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 22:10:12 -0700 (PDT) Articles like this remind us of the greatness of our nation that India is a democracy. We always get to hear the other side of the story. It is left to us to decide for ourselves. It does not mean I agree with Dilip (though it looks like we made a big fuss, Mandela offering help as the South African president is different from mentioning it in the NAM summit), but still his articles prevent us from completely carried away by articles like Kanchan Gupta's. Keep up the good work, Dilip. Jeydev
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 17:16:44 -0500 Mr D'Souza, I really pity you because you are getting more and more frustrated lately. All your articles show a sense of frustration. Earlier you used to criticise only politicians and India, but now you have started criticising your fellow writers also. In fact, I had named you Mr Criticism D'Souza in my last response, but I think Rediff did not like that comment so they did not publish that. Rediff is anti-Hindu and anti-India, so they promote frustrated writers like yourself and Pritish Nandy. Now about this article of yours, yes I am deeply sad for the remarks of Mandela and I am sure there will be millions feeling the same way. I am a Kashmiri and I can feel it more than you can. If you have a view, keep it to yourself, don't express it to public thinking that you are the only one right. Dear Rediff, if you do not change your attitude, I am going to delete you from my list of Bookmarks on my browser, and I am sure there will be millions already doing that. Shashi Mr Bhat: Rediff On The NeT does not cater to any one segment of public opinion, but to cover the spectrum. Thus, it provides a platform not only for a Dilip D'Souza or a Pritish Nandy, but also for Varsha Bhosle, T V R Shenoy, Kanchan Gupta and Ashok Mitra. A news site is meant to uphold the tenets of democracy, of free speech -- and that is what Rediff attempts to do.
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 16:56:02 -0400 Mr D'Souza, this is the very same Mr Mandela who came to India in 1990 when Kashmir was burning and India was a battleground over the ghost of Mandal. He did not utter a single word on the Kashmir issue. Instead, he chose to say that the people in South Africa have been heartened by the movement for social change that was taking place in India (read Mandalisation). He later confessed that he was not aware of the sensitive nature of the issue and apologised. But the government gave him 10 million bucks. In fact, it was a Rajiv Gandhi who was at the forefront to lay bare our coffers at the disposal of this crusader against apartheid. You may not remember, but I do. I was there when Delhi burned. I was there when Chauhan's bullet ridden body was removed from the INA Market bus stop and dragged by policemen. I was there when Newstrack got this all on tape. Have you seen the tapes Mr D'Souza? I have and I can tell you, there is no damn ambiguity about the sensitivity of the Mandal issue. Mandela obviously didn't carry any idiots on his entourage. So stop telling us what is touchy and what is not. We are not looking for people who make a sorry excuse for the freedom of speech and suffer from a definitive lack of recognition. Ashish Chandra
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 16:10:01 -0400 Thanks a lot Dilip for being brave enough to bring out the sick vanity of us as a nation on Kashmir. We do have a nearly self-destructive and paranoid ego, and let's face it!
Navin Khadiya
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 14:23:26 -0500 Why don't you write on other things than politics? You don't seem to understand any of it. You yourself agreed to that in your column. I sometimes think, you do it just for the sake of inviting criticism and becoming (un)popular. Why don't you take up issues which are within your grasp? Please understand that good journalism does not have to be sensational. Your vile articles have almost become cliche..
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 14:14:26 -0500 (CDT) Dilip continues to be in his mould of artificial "human values." As someone put it in the right way, there are always some people who will tend to find fault with something they do not like. Dilip has every right to hate the BJP and curse them but as a country India is above any party, religion and individual. He should have taken a more "rational" and "logical" approach on the Mandela issue. Human values are important but they cannot be taken in "isolation." One has to play the game according to the rules of the game. Where is Dilip when Kashmiris are killed and thrown out of their home? Where are his "human values" at that time? He should realise that at the "international level" of politics, there are big hypocrites like the US and Pakistan with whom India has to deal with. Has anyone tried to teach "human values" to them? I do not want to comment on Dilip quoting I K Gujral. The former PM is a learned diplomat but he is more emotional in foreign affairs and has never been a leader at the grass root level which could make him aware of the "hard realities" of domestic India. Needless to say, foreign policy cannot be isolated from domestic conditions of the country. I hope the Rediff editor would take some more time to read such articles before allowing them on the net or in print. Arvind
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 14:09:36 -0500 I have read couple of his articles. He definitely has a hidden agenda. He cannot see anything positive about anything. Well, I for one, am not going to read his regurgitations again.
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 11:31:03 -0500 I read the article "Sticks And Stones Are OK; Words Are Not" and was pained to see that there are people in India who have some doubt about "does Kashmir belongs to India?" Pakistan has cleverly made the other countries believe that Kashmir is not part of India and it is a disputed area, while India kept on insisting that it is a part of India. But when a third country refers to it as a disputed site [that too from a close friend of India] what else will our reaction be? Prabhakar Babu
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 12:53:50 PDT Dilip is always against the BJP. Hatred is not journalism. He did not present India's point of view. Kashmir is an internal problem. It is none of Mandela's business. No country in the world would like another country to interfere in its internal affairs. There is loss of life in Kashmir because of terrorism. We should fight terrorism first. Dilip tells us that Mandela is a man of integrity. And we should listen to him. This is a stupid reasoning. Mandela has no right to dictate India. He has no right to interfere in our internal affairs. Yes, there is loss of life in Kashmir. There is loss of life every where in the world. The main problem here is terrorism. If Mandela is really worried about the loss of life in Kashmir, then he should declare Pakistan as a terrorist state. That will solve the problem.
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 08:12:12 +0000 Excellent column. Soaked in sanity and wisdom which the GOI seems to lack. What exactly is the alternative to finding a peaceful solution to Kashmir? This false bravado on both sides will only lead to further horrors. Nelson Mandela is COMPLETELY right. His words need to be taken very seriously by the leaders of India and Pakistan.
Ras H Siddiqui |
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