Ancient mariner

• That we have finally landed ‘On to the Gorshkov’ (IE, January 20), would at least put an end to...

• That we have finally landed ‘On to the Gorshkov’ (IE, January 20), would at least put an end to a long period of suspense. However there is something quite perplexing about our indigenous defence programmes. In spite of having mastery in space, software, pharmaceuticals as well as in niche areas of technology, imports of an advanced weapons system go on unabated.

— Raghubir Singh Pune

Zakaria’s views

• That was an insightful interview of Fareed Zakaria by Shekhar Gupta (IE, January 20). This kind of rigour and perspective is becoming rarer in contemporary journalism. Though one would agree that Zakaria has reflected at length on a variety of issues, he does not seem well-informed on the crises facing Indian Muslims. He thus ends up seeing modernity as a panacea for them from a panoptical view of New York. Factory-based modernisation has deprived thousands of Muslims from their traditional occupations. This one dimensional modernism is being increasingly question- ed in the post-modern era. There have been traditions in India which have innate progressive elements within them and are inclusive in their ethos.

— Deependra Baghel Bhopal

• Apropos of Fareed Zakaria’s interview, I cannot recall having met a Muslim who does not want to learn English or computers because he thinks he will lose his identity.

— Shoukat A Turabi On e-mail

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• Fareed Zakaria is a celebrated journalist of high calibre. He perceives the problems of Indian Muslims from the right angle. I feel that the Muslim middle class needs leadership and guidance from the Azmis, Akhtars, Kalams, Shahrukh Khans, Zakarias…to name a few. It is not enough that they show the ills in society. I hope they contribute to curing those ills too.

— Kirit Desai On e-mail

He’s not shining

• In ‘Is India Shining?’ (IE, January 20), Mani Shankar Aiyar suffers from the problem of selective blindness. Much as he seeks to trivialise the 8.3 per cent growth in GDP by going with long-term averages, perhaps he would put Manmohan Singh’s achievements in perspective over half a century of stagnant Congress rule. Maybe he would also care to explain why he still quotes statistics from the old Indian economy which was driven by agriculture and not services — not letting droughts jeopardise our economy is precisely the goal we should strive for in the long run. And, lastly, we would all be well served by learning how a trillion dollars in foreign reserves will help anyone unless the money is reinvested? The Golden Quadrilateral is an example of government money well spent, which will help boost infrastructure and bring in the very same foreign investment Aiyar talks about.

— Uday Ayyagari On e-mail

• Aiyar has put it very well: “the alliance is to bring together all those who oppose the parties whose ideological orientation and nationhood goals are indistinguishable from those who conspired to murder the Mahatma”. That is what truly what the next election is all about. To get rid of people who are trying to re-write history, as we know it, and who are trying to re-establish “Sanadhana adharma”.

— Jagannathan Kanniah On e-mail