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A dream gone sour

This refers to “The Lost State” (TSI, June 7-13). On November 15, 2000: The state of Jharkhand was carved out of troublesome Bihar and came into existence on the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the revered tribal icon and freedom fighter, amidst much fanfare and positive public sentiment. Endowed with enviable bountiful reserves of natural resources, the state was expected to ride the wave of steady development. The mood was optimistic. Jharkhand was standing on the cusp of writing its own story. In June, 2010: A little less than a decade after it came into being, the beleaguered, battered state of Jharkhand now lies in disrepair, ferment and stagnation. The scourges of widespread and deep seated poverty,, unemployment, illiteracy, rampant corruption and a general air of lawlessness have collectively crippled the state. The tribal minorities for whom the state was initially created have been marginalised. This is definitely not what the Jharkhand observers had envisioned. Jharkhand is certainly writing its own story – one of abject and dismal failure.

Pradyut Hande

Mumbai Thank you, professor

After reading your write-up “Are we fit to be parents” (TSI, May 31-June 6), the first word that came to my mind was “thank you”. Each line was like an eye-opener for me and my wife. Today's urban parents are career-oriented and have very little time for their progeny. They overlook the needs of the child and cover up their guilt by pampering them with gifts and chocolates and end up fulfilling his every demand and think that they are bringing him up very well. In this course, we just forget the most important virtue of life – love! The love should be imparted and inculcated in the child from the very beginning. But we, as parents, ourselves start replacing the true and pure love with material things. After reading Prof Chaudhuri's way of dealing with child's tantrums, I started following it. And it works! The road to better parenting begins with the process of self-discovery. So, with deeper understanding of ourself, we can handle it well.

Arpit Singhal

Via e-mail Let the child grow

Professor Arindam Chaudhuri's editorial (TSI, May 31-June 6) is quite right in saying that every way to help a child is wrong. The very idea of helping is not right. The child needs our love and support, not our help. We cannot help when the goal is unknown; all that we can do is not interfere. And it is one of the most difficult things, not to interfere. Of course, the child is so small, so dependent on us that he cannot object. And the people around are just like us, their parents have also helped them, the way we have been helped. Neither they have attained their natural potential, nor have we. The whole world is missing out in spite of all the help from the parents, from the family, from the relatives, from the neighbours, from the teachers. In fact, everybody is so burdened with "help" that under its weight one cannot even attain unnatural potential!

Mahendra Mehta

New Delhi