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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Wed, 05 Nov 1997 07:03:03 +1000 While I accept all that Rajeev has to say vis-a-vis the Promise Keepers and how we can imbibe those values as Hindus, I have the following to say: 1. Hindus all over mostly those in India think being religious and pious (which is its essence really) is out of fashion. This must be corrected. This must not be mixed up with militant Hinduism. 2. Being Hindu is far from following the seven steps mentioned by Rajeev. One has to strive throughout his or her life and at the end of it, he may have come close to it. 3. If each citizen of India performs his or her duty as a Hindu and follows the principles of the Gita, Baghavatam, and Manusmriti then in no time can India become the supreme place on earth. 4. All Hindus must spread the message of our faith, rather our beliefs. Hinduism is a way of life as we all know. The whole world really takes to Buddhism and the Dalai Lama when in fact all these other Eastern religions have Hinduism as their base. Not many people in the Western world know about Hindu beliefs and their basis. Every single trait of a Hindu has a (possibly scientific) raison d'etre. We must find these out for ourself first and then educate the world, not with an intention to convert (we have never done that nor is it possible) but to spread the true message of spirituality as Swami Vivekananda put it. 5. We must all help the lower underprivileged classes among Hindus and not think we have got nothing to do with it. That is why hordes of people have descended on India in the past 2000 years and converted our weaker classes to their religions. We must contribute physically and monetarily to the Hindu cause as Christians and Muslims do. 6. As Jews have persisted with their faith and made the whole world know and accept their beliefs, we too must explain to the world that Hinduism is the first religion or rather there is no known origin for it. It has existed ever since time began so to speak. Narain
Date sent: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 18:54:06 -0400 I find two kinds of columnists in here. The first kind are well researched, almost scholarly in style, carry a new perspective, new facts, making a reader think about the issue. The second is the variety that explodes off the top of the writer's head. As a reader, I can almost see the writer fulminating and fuming as he/she pounds away at the keyboard, hoping to snare the reader with style than with real content. As a result some of the ideas and opinions sound so naive and simplistic that it makes me wonder if the writer is truly naive, or just thinks this is a good style that might provoke some "creative" thinking about an issue. This column by Varsha Bhosle is certainly of the second kind. Examples of naivete: "No one denies that we need our economy to grow as fast as possible and that we need foreign funds. Which is why there's no need to go gung-ho and tom tom ourselves as a nuclear power. Told you: mum's the word, but carry on building..." Nice try! Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with how a country might conceal its nuclear and missile development efforts knows it is just plain difficult to conceal. I mean there aren't millions of companies, not even hundreds, making stuff that go into developing nuclear warheads or missile components. So buying and developing on the sly isn't as easy as it's made out to be. May be Ms Bhosle is setting herself up as a public relations or media relations expert for the Government of India, helping it keep all such development under wraps. Then this gem of a naivete: "But when push comes to shove, what matters is not what the world thinks of us, but what we think of ourselves. If we have the right goals and pursue them prudently, eventually the world has to respect us. Holding hands and fluttering eyes can come later; but even if they don't, what does it matter? I mean, which country loves China...?" May be Ms Bhosle hasn't heard of the pithy saying, "It's the economy, stupid!" In this case it is the economy. Of course no one loves China, but no one is able to ignore that country's economy, because they set themselves up so no one can ignore them. Let's not go on comparing ourselves with China. The fact is China is clearly ahead of us in virtually every sphere, except democratic institutions. Whether that will prove to be their Achilles's heel is subject for an entirely different debate. But China's investment in primary education and the ruthless fashion (not necessarily to be emulated) in which they have clamped down on their population growth are not to be laughed at. Perhaps Ms Bhosle let out more than she would have cared to admit with this one: "Where I get totally lost is when people start their socio-financial babble; it throws a spanner in my attention: Like, India must concentrate on building its economy, state and society, or, India needs $ 200 billion in infrastructural investments alone to sustain a growth rate of 7%, etc, etc." "Socio-financial babble"?! It's incredulous how basic issues such as building your economy and ensuring the society has enough basic skills to grow and prosper are dismissed with a few careless strokes on a keyboard. Then the by now essential Japanese example. If the Japanese could do it, we can. Please, let us not kid ourselves by comparing our abilities with the Japanese. That does not mean we are in any way inferior to the Japanese; but may be we are better at other things than taking something from others and making it so much better that the original looks tame by comparison. I think arguments like these simply reflect an inability to accept what we are not good at, but waste the country's collective time trying to be something we are not. Some other quotable quotes: How India should humour Western nations, and how there's no unanimity about sanctions against Iran, & c... "Let us humour the Western nations" sounds dangerously like a concept that might have its roots in "we in India have superior intellect because of our five millennia existence and so can fool the others," notion. Wrong! As for why there's no unanimity about sanctions against Iran, does the word OIL spark a thought? My point is not against India becoming a nuclear power or that India should not develop capability to defend itself against attacks. But the arguments that are marshalled in favour of public spending for such huge projects, in the process taking money away from more basic, essential development projects, should be more thorough, well researched and should tell a sophisticated audience and the less sophisticated folk what they are getting out of this deal. Let us have a more purposeful debate where we are able to say, "It's important we have our strategic options, but what about our basic needs? What kind of tradeoffs do we have to make in each of these so we get closer to our goal. How long will it take for us to get there?" Comments like Ms Bhosle's in this column, calling questions about the economy and society as "socio-financial babble" seriously hurt the debate and push it into an antiseptic theatre where word with stylish pens take over and dominate the debate. Though the style is good, but without powerful content driving it, columns like these end up looking like dumb mannequins in a store window.
Date sent: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 15:15:44 -0500 (EST) What a tiresome tirade. Try a little dispassionate analysis next time since you are a journalist, that may enhance your credibility, particularly on inflammatory issues such as these. Leave the bombast and self-righteous preening to the readers if you will.
Date sent: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 11:06:14 -0500 Bravo! Another one for the jingoist. I was just up to my ears reading about how India was 'wasting' money for satellites instead of using it on 'development.' Just some more points to the mill: * If we do not spend money now (regardless of the risk involved) the cost of developing the same technology 20 years down the line when presumably all development is over will be far greater. * Besides mere satellites used for communication, we also get other advantages like water table mapping, fish catch size, mineral resource mapping, country wide educational facilities etc. So, all in all a good article. Keep it up!
Date sent: Sat, 11 Oct 97 19:30:41 UT Great stuff. Rita
Date sent: Thu, 23 Oct 97 18:01:17 -0700 What kind of politicians is our country run by. I saw the farce in the UP assembly on television in Singapore (needless to say, it made headlines). The mike throwing and all sort of nonsense. It was such a disgrace. Every non-Indian is laughing at me today. All the Indians here are perhaps facing the same thing. What kind of example are these politicians going to set for the citizens? Forget it, I am too angry to write rationally. Rajan
Date sent: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 14:37:25 -0500 This is regarding the interview with former DGP Walter Dawaram. The guy has guts and the confidence needed to capture Veerapan. Such tough people are the need of the hour, in order to show results and install confidence into the demoralised police force. It is necessary for political parties to cut across lines and do the thing what is best at the moment. Further losses will not only damage their credibility but we as a nation would be further humiliated by single person.
Date sent: Wed, 05 Nov 1997 15:32:22 -0800 Having lived in Bombay for more than 25 years, I was pleased to know that the state government is finally taking action against the unauthorised hutments sprawling all over the city. These hutments should not have been allowed in the first case. The city officials responsible for this state of affairs should be suspended and put behind bars. It was a real eyesore to see people relieving themselves on roads and on railway tracks. It is these hutments, that are the breeding grounds of criminal activity in the city. For any city to work efficiently, the rule of law has to be enforced. Anyone who wants to obstruct the government drive to clear hutments, should be dealt with firmly and put behind bars. Shabana Azmi should stick to her acting. She is herself a migrant to the city. Anybody is free to come to Bombay, and can stay wherever they please, but not illegally in unauthorised dwellings. If Shabana Azmi doesn't like the city, she should go back to wherever she came from and practise her Communist ideas. The Borivili national park is no place for hutments. Makarand Vichare Sunnyvale, California.
Date sent: Wed, 05 Nov 97 18:46:23 PST I really found the article by K P Nayar a well written commentary on the performance of a great country which was once known for its smart, well-trained and affable diplomats. The article would have been complete and thorough if Mr Nayar could have expanded the scope and content to include two more elements. Firstly, to see whether or not the officials concerned both at the South Block as well as at the Indian missions abroad are doing a good job. This is important because no minister could deliver anything by himself. From my long years of experience with Indian diplomats, it is my sincere view that since of late, except a few, a large number of them are not doing a good job. The bureaucratic arrogance, usually seen in New Delhi and among visiting officials, which is largely to blame for the frustration of foreign companies interested in investing in India, would appear to have afflicted the diplomats as well. I am sure Mr Gujaral would have counted the misleading numbers on the advise of some officials, who may have not even spoken to their counterparts from other countries. Secondly, how come the visit to India of the British Royals ended up as a PR disaster? I think it will be worth the trouble if an eminent investigative writer like Mr Nayar could have a dispassionate look at how that happened. Is there any lapse on the part of the officials? Was there any official who forgot that a guest, whatever his or her position, is a guest and no official could contribute even in a small measure to creating a diplomatic uproar tarnishing India's image as a nation well-known for its great culture and hospitality. I would be delighted if Mr Nayar could be persuaded to look into these aspects and share his findings with hundreds of students of Indian politics like me. Rediff is doing an excellent service to India by disseminating thought provoking and well-researched writings from great journalists and writers.
Date sent: Tue, 28 Oct 1997 19:42:41 -0500 Very well written! Extremely powerful. Life is all about dreams and expectations. That's why we are all here, hoping for a better tomorrow. Some how it makes life worth living. Nice job! Srinidhi
Date sent: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 12:03:53 -0400 In whatever you write, you seem to show your aversion to some people. Balasaheb: I think tomorrow if there is an earthquake you are going to blame Balasaheb because he gave a speech just few minutes before the calamity. First, talking about police encounters you have painted the Bombay police as highly communal. Has it ever happened in the Bombay police that a Hindu cop has killed a Muslim police boss? No. I think during the Ayodhya incident, it happened in Hyderabad. Did this create any divisions in the police force? No. Suppose it had happened the other way round, do you think Muslims would have kept quiet? They would have reacted just as it is their birthright to react to anything and everything. Why do you not highlight some of the good qualities of Hindus also? I think all the readers of your articles are getting tired of your Hindu baiting. I think you never understand that you are able to follow your faith only because it is a Hindu majority. Talking about killing criminals, they should be killed. Why not? If somebody is trying to kill you, what do you do? Why don't you go along with the police one day in their regular chases and you will understand their psyche during such times? You hate Balasaheb. But Maharashtrians do not. He does what he says. That is what the people want. I think you should start thinking and writing something good about the Hindus at least sometime. Subbu
Date sent: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 15:12:29 -0400 It's the poor who suffer in Orissa. Yes, this case of Pratima is not the only one. There are several others... unreported. The side business of the doctors should be banned. All the best. Nikunja.
Date sent: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 14:01:21 -0400 Well, numbers can confuse the most well read. How about we have ten times as many illiterates as US, Russia and EC combined? It's like saying India is richer than Sweden because our total GNP is much higher than theirs? What about our per capita income of $ 300 which is not even 1/10th of theirs? One should talk of percentages and other better statistics than totals. I wonder, if our educationists (who are the most enlightened people we have, they think!) are so profound in their knowledge of basic mathematics, what should one expect from an average graduate? Anshu Sharma Chapel Hill, NC
Date sent: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 17:21:35 -0500 I would like to make comments on the article 'India wins another round' by Pritish Nandy. He repeatedly pointed how we grew up with a notion that Indians were inferior emotionally, religiously, instinctively, and in foreign policies etc. I sincerely disagree. Yeah...sports is one exception, where the records support our losses to them, but sports as restricted to cricket and hockey. Since these two sports enjoy widespread zeal, hence the conviction of their superiority. However, never in any other field, there was any doubt they were even an inch ahead of us, in fact they were nowhere near us. Take anything, industry, democracy, freedom, military power. They made fools of themselves by getting manipulated by the Yanks. The world always regarded us as a major player. In fact, I always grew up with a notion that they couldn't make their own sewing needles. Sumit Gupta
Date sent: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 17:39:14 -0400 I loved the countdown of the top movies of this century. I was able to agree with most of the pictures. I have one question though: Who is the actress under the picture for Vastuhaara." It looks like Shobhana, is it? Thomas
Date sent: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 12:38:29 +0530
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