The winners of Rs 3,000 are...

Imran's new innings

It refers to 'Enter, the night watchman' (TSI, Dec 25). Pakistan is a volatile state and Imran Khan drawing huge crowds at his rally is not very shocking because he has a charismatic personality. But whether he would be able to get them converted into votes is a big question. It is easier for him to get the claps and slogans in his favour at rallies by criticising America, but how would he bring back the state on the path of recovery without some external support and how would he deal with the Army, which is parallel to the government in that nation? It is easier said than done. Some people might be on his side as they see him as a fighter and with certain hope as a person with difference, but he needs to cash on these and emerge as a candidate to reckon with when he is taking on Zardaris and Sharifs.
Bal Govind
Noida

Save the nation

Arindam Chaudhuri's edit "The 7 winning virtues of political leadership!" was thought provoking. While no one can argue about the necessity of avoiding the seven sins and incorporating the seven virtues, in our political class the moot question is: why are we not getting good political leaders? Why is Indian polity facing a moral bankruptcy today? Is it due to the apathy of citizens or is it symptomatic of larger moral degradation of Indian society? The more I see of the younger generation, the more I get convinced that this generation is as idealistic as the previous one and is living in much more complex and turbulent times. However, for some reason, these idealistic people have not been able to make any headway into Indian politics. Similarly, our business leaders lament over lack of principled political leadership and talk of governance deficit, but they also seem to be reluctant to jump into the political foray! We need to realise that the only and perhaps the best way to change the system is by becoming a part of it and not by shouting from rooftops!
Amit Kathpalia
Panchkula, Haryana

The timeless titan

Apropos 'Timeless Titans' (TSI, Dec 18). The millions of fans legendary actor Dev Anand had across generations and national boundaries would vouch for the universal element in his artistic persona, for the power of the heart to defeat the trauma of loss, for memory to erase forgetting and for hope to triumph over despair. Dev Anand was the archetypal romantic hero who created his niche in the emerging Bollywood in the 1950s and 1960s and no one has taken his place ever since. As one of the titan trinity of those times, along with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, he shaped the sensibilities of a film viewing public decisively. Dev Anand became a legend early in his career and continued to be an icon for decades since his first film in 1946. Dev Anand had recently said he was as sprightly as a 20-year-old. It was perhaps this unstoppable love of life that was at the root of his lasting affair with the public.
J. Akshay
Secunderabad