Letters to Editor

Contain the menace

The article “Trigger-Happy Nation” (TSI, Oct. 23) is informative. The writer Indrani Ghosh Nangia has rightly highlighted the increasing production of unlicensed firearms in our country. It is with the help of the political class that these guns are produced and transported all over India. Politicians protect the criminals, who possess the unlicensed firearms for their self interest. At times politicians use these criminals in anti-social activities. Thus there exist a nexus between the two. Restriction of unlicensed firearms is paramount. Help should be sought from people in power, as they can only contain the menace. The first thing  the government should do is to go for a bill so that unlicensed weapons and its misuse could be stopped.

Jayadeva Varma M

Kottayam

Electoral reforms

Activist Anna Hazare’s next move is to launch a campaign for bringing in electoral reforms. This is a tricky proposition as the current political scenario doesn’t permit this change. Politicians will be first to oppose it. The change in all ways is detrimental to them. But there is nothing wrong in getting it implemented. The following suggestions may go a long way to bring an end to corruption.

1. Put an age limit of maximum of 70 years for both MPs and MLAs for contesting elections. It should be applicable for President, Vice-President and Governors.
2. Minimum educational qualification for both MPs and MLAs should be graduation.
3. MPs and MLAs (including  mid-term polls) should not get more than two terms.
4. Those with criminal background like murder, rape, extortion and corruption be debarred from contesting.
5. Assets of elected members and their families be mortgaged to the government. This will be revoked on completion of their tenure after vacating official quarters, clearance of all arrears and no corruption charges pending against them.
6. Candidates cannot contest from more than one constituency at a time.
7. Elected members must resign immediately when caught in corrupt activities and if guilty cannot contest again.
8. Permanent official residences for Prime Minister, Vice-President only for use during their tenure.
9. Perks and other facilities to members be at a minimum and restricted only to themselves and not their entire families.
To implement all above or even some suggestions will require suitable constitutional amendments. There will be a hue and cry regarding fundamental rights but it should be noted that this right does not mean indulging in corrupt practices after getting elected and becoming ministers.

Shanmugam Mudaliar

Pune

Action required

This refers to the riveting write-up published (TSI, Oct. 30) “Is there an alternative?” Ever since nationalisation of coal mines in 1973, Coal India Ltd had enjoyed the monopoly in coal mining. Around 80 per cent of total mining is done by them. It is a virtual Goliath in this sector.

To its advantage the cost of production is low if we compare it with its Australian counterparts. But time has come to have a re-look over CIL monopoly. We have seen that privatisation in other sectors like Power and Steel has worked well with production increasing.  We need multiple coal producers which will not only benefit the customers and market but in a way benefit CIL as well, because then they can ask competitive price in the market for their output. Demand supply gap of this fuel should act as a reminder to the government to act fast without any further delay.

Bal Govind

Noida

The china threat

In the article “50 years of solitude” (TSI, Oct. 23), the writer has rightly analysed the 1962 Chinese aggression. But things have not changed much. Also, China’s dominance in the border has not only increased but is slowly eroding the Indian hold in the regions. The strategy adopted by China is manifold:

1. Develop the basic infrastructure along the border and make it more accessible so that the army could move in easily.
2. Create goodwill among India’s neighbours and slowly wean them away.
3) Support the Indian Maoists by secretly giving them training and arms.
4. De-stabilise the Indian economy by pumping cheap goods. India has to strengthen its intelligence and encourage industries to produce goods at competitive prices or ban the Chinese goods else China can win economic war without firing a bullet.

L.Savitha

Bangalore

Let peace prevail

Dear Editor, as always your issue: “50 years of solitude” (TSI, Oct. 23) was informative. But the only redeeming feature of that Himalayan blunder was the exemplary valour and patriotism displayed by a politically orphaned and ill equipped troops. All told, for the world peace it is important that China and India should bridge their mutual hostility and mistrust. Till then India has no option but to expedite its modernisation and capacity building of the armed forces. One only hopes that the Indian political class has learnt the lesson that was enforced on it on that fateful day. We owe it to our brave hearts who have been shielding us against an increasingly assertive and aggressive China. For the sake of South Asia and the world, one hopes “the Chinese dragon and the Indian tiger find a lasting solution from the 50 years of solitude.”

Manas Panda

New Delhi

End of an era

Jagjit Singh came into the scene of popular culture in the early 1980s at a time when Hindi film music was beginning to go downhill and a few believed that ghazals had any chance to be popular in the market. Without compromising on the basics and remaining true to the genre, he initiated musical improvisations and chose lyrics penned by contemporary poets. He simplified the entire form, and the results were almost instantaneous. Jagjit Singh, along with his wife Chitra, swept the audience off their feet. He established him as the most popular ghazal singer in the country. Singers like Talat Aziz and Pankaj Udhas owe their stardom to him, as do all those who wish to keep this genre alive in an era when, as Jagjit Singh once remarked, Hindi film songs have a shelf life of 15 days. But, for all his disdain for Hindi film music, he was hugely successful as a playback singer in Saath Saath and Arth. Jagjit Singh’s passing away marks the end of an era in popular culture.

J.S.Acharya

Hyderabad

Riveting write-up

An entire continent without worthwhile access to education! (TSI, Oct. 23) is worth reading. I felt really nice to find that there is at least one educationist among us who thinks even beyond boundaries about spreading education in a healthy way. It may sound a sycophantic statement to many but I don’t care because what I write I always mean it. Most of our educational institutions are being managed by egocentric people who cannot see even their next-door-school, let alone think of other countries like Africa. Our society will never improve unless we change the domain of education from ‘Profession’ to ‘Religion’.

Rajneesh Batra

New Delhi

Ghazal King no more

This refers to “Jagjit Singh: The Unforgettable” (TSI, Ocot. 23). With the death of Jagjit, the world has lost the Ghazal King and India has lost her melodious son. Gone is the voice that brought the ghazal back to the Indian heart. He is credited with the revival and popularity of ghazal by changing its complexity into a simple form through the amalgamation of ghazal with geet and making it lucid thereby casting a spell on the listeners. He was rightly awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Dr. S. K. Aggarwal

Amritsar

Real Journalism

Sutanu Guru's initiative for publishing 50 stories India forgot (TSI, Oct. 16) was impressive. This is real journalism. Such stories should be published again. It makes society aware about the real issue.

Pawan

Punjab