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Letters to the Editor
TSI TEAM | Issue Dated: April 13, 2012, New Delhi
Tags : letters to the editor | TSI |
Tags : letters to the editor | TSI |
While rahul might take notes
This refers to the editorial, “Unfair to pull Akilesh down that soon” (TSI, Apr 15). Prof Arindam Chaudhuri has rightly pointed out that a young smiling Akhilesh may be the right choice for the people of UP who were vexed with sluggish CMs for a long time. It also appears that the major factor for his run away success is not making any rhetorical promises. Rahul Gandhi may learn some of the lessons from the UP debacle.
Satya Murty,
Kakinada
A steady start
The story “The city of new temples” by Dhrutikam Mohanty (TSI, April 15) was a revelation. It was a pleasant surprise to note that the temple town has steadily transformed into the education hub of eastern India. It is worth noting that Bhubaneswar today nests over 58 engineering colleges, 45 management institutes and 28 information technology centres. Several higher education institutes of national repute have made Bhubaneswar the favoured education destination for a large number of young aspirants not only from of the home state of Orissa but also from neighbouring states of Bihar, West Bengal and even the North Eastern states. Apart from top notch educational facilities, the student inflow has been facilitated by comparatively low cost of living and education. But there is no room from complacency in the highly competitive education sector. A steady start has been made. Now the need is to sustain it.
Sudip Das
Kolkata
Broken laws
The cover story “Ground moving beneath your feet” (TSI, Apr 1) was a thought provoking piece and essentially relevant in the present day context of ever increasing need of houses, especially. Man has broken nature's laws by exploiting resources irrationally and disproportionately to their regeneration. He has broken the laws foolishly, putting pressure on the earth it cannot bear. He has broken the laws by disturbing and decimating the vast pool of flora and fauna of the earth. It is high time we chalk out such a model of development for our economy and such a standard of life style that boosts the ecological balance, remembering the lines, “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers: we have borrowed it from our children”.
Shreeprakash Sharma
Samastipur
A crippled system
The story on the poor state of the higher education system in India "Who will teach the teachers" (TSI, Apr 15) made for an interesting read. It is no secret that pursuing professional studies in India has become a cruel joke these days, thanks to the unplanned academic strategy and disobliging administration. The University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) hardly bother to scrutinise the quality of education delivered. Our inability has become a major investment option for the other countries and they have started converting our weakness into their strength, exploiting Indian talent. Brain drain has become so common that it is a huge international issue now. India cannot face its challenges unless and until we stop treating higher education as a serious business.
Ippili Santhosh Kumar
Hyderabad
Total revamp needed
This refers to the article “The higher education dilemma” (TSI, Apr 15), it is a matter of concern that although India aspires to be a knowledge economy, there is no Indian university ranked among the top 200 universities of the world. One of the main causes is the poor faculties. In our institutions, all the focus seems to be on theory rather than the most crucial practical aspects of the subjects. Most of the teachers simply have no idea about the industry. There is a quantum jump in the number of graduates produced every year, but the quality remains abysmal. The swelling number of the educated unemployed who rely on degrees that rarely fetch them jobs shows that the education system in India has failed to cater to the changing needs of the students. It is an urgent need to upgrade the system in consonance with the current requirement of industries and market. And for this the education system has to be totally revamped.
Dr S K Aggarwal
Amritsar
Keep the politics away
With reference to “Kill them but...” (TSI Apr 1), I would like to state that almost all the shortcomings of the Railway budget have been highlighted in the editorial. The basic problem the Indian Railways suffers is utter negligence of the successive ministers for more than a decade. These ministers, in order to maintain their popularity among the electorates, just do not hike the fares. As a result, the income reduces whereas the expenditure has increased, especially after the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission. Thus, a conclusion can be drawn that since the Railways is a government managed commercial organisation, it requires to be managed that way – without any political interests.
Lt Col Ranjit Sinha (Retd)
Kolkata
The railway budget drama
I am writing with reference to Arindam Chaudhuri's editorial “Kill them but...” (TSI, Apr 1). Within an hour after Dinesh Trivedi presented his first ever railway budget, an unprecedented scene took place. Coalition partner TMC issued a simple diktat – rollback or get lost. The Railway Minister made his stand very clear, that the Railways needs modernisation and modernisation needs resources which can only be got by hiking prices. But this is India, where the party high command's decision is what matters and hence he lost his job at the crossroads of economic prudence and political self- preservation. Eventually, the hike was rolled back as the PMO chose not to interfere in the matter. It's a shameful thing indeed.
Suyash Karn
Samastipur, Bihar
An apt analysis
Highlighting the malpractices adopted by Indian builders – be it delay in construction, use of substandard materials, deviation from sanctioned plans or failure to obtain the occupation certificate Prasoon S Majumdar in Musings "Cash for flat" (TSI, Aprl 15) has made an apt analysis. The poor flat purchasers are always at the receiving end due to the apathy shown by the builders who are experts in flouting the rules set by the government. Prasoon has rightly suggested that a new, comprehensive and holistic law covering aspects starting from acquisition to development should be introduced with an automated system sans human intervention. This in long term will ensure transparency and clean records.
Dilbag Rai
Chandigarh
Diplomatic blunder?
This is in reference to the write up “Splendid isolation” (TSI, Apr 15). When all other neighbouring countries chose to stand by Sri Lanka, it is sad that India stands isolated by caving in to the pressure of coalition politics. However, having voted, the onus is now on India to remain engaged with the Lankan authorities in the interest of the Sri Lankan Tamils. At a time when China has built strong ties with all the nations surrounding us, India needs to brace itself for diplomatic challenges. Therefore, it should continue to voice its concerns by telling President Mahinda Rajapakse in clear terms to take concrete action by rehabilitating war victims soon so that the ethnic issue is amicably settled.
R Srinivasan,
Secundrabad
A fresh image
The editorial "Unfair to pull Akhilesh down that soon!" (TSI, Apr 15) by Arindam Chaudhuri was full of praise for the Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, a young politician who could read the minds and hearts of the UP electorate. Supported by a young, educated team he steered his party to a sensational victory in the Assembly polls. His party's manifesto, unlike other manifestos, covered all dimensions of development and appealed to the voters. Now that Akhilesh Yadav has taken over as the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he has tough tasks to accomplish. To his credit, he has transformed the image of the SP. Since his party’s appeal has gone beyond any particular caste or community, it is hoped that he will fulfil the aspirations of all sections of the society. Let’s hope Akhilesh’s promises and character finally overshadow his initial political compulsions.
Suman Kukal
Ambala
Learning by rote does not work
The write-up “Who will teach the teachers?” by Anil Pandey (TSI, Apr 15) brings to the fore the ills hounding the higher education system in India. The quality of education to a great extent depends on the quality of teachers. Poor faculty support has been one of the major impediments in building up the country’s knowledge capital. One of the key drawbacks has been the over emphasis on examination oriented theory and text book coaching rather than on the practical aspect with necessary industry interface. Most of the existing teachers themselves have learnt in a similar theoretical based format and are imparting similar training themselves. The urge to constantly update and upgrade their knowledge and teaching methodologies is sadly absent even in the rapidly changing professional environment. As a result the very purpose of education, to inculcate a passion for knowledge with a pursuit of research, suffers. It is high time to make amends.
Rama Guha
Kolkata
Issue Dated: Feb 5, 2017
