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Journalism of Courage
• I fully support Anu Aga’s views in your series on ‘India Empowered’ (IE, September 13). She hits the nail on the head by saying ‘‘We can accelerate this process (of empowering India) if each one of us examines ourselves to determine the areas in which we can make a difference, and then passionately act to achieve this… to ourselves first become accountable, and then to strive for improved accountability from Government and Society’’. Yes, we need to fulfill our duties and responsibilities towards society and demand accountability, transparency and better governance from our elected representatives. Today, an average citizen has become so self-centred, selfish and narrow-minded that he doesn’t look beyond his own self.
— G.R. Vora Mumbai
• It was only after strict orders from Delhi High Court that MCD officials had to clear a part of encroachments surrounding Delhi’s Jama Masjid. Only recently, hawkers and squatters were removed from the footpaths of Chandni Chowk on time-bound orders of the Supreme Court. Supreme Court and Delhi High Court should now give a consolidated order to all the concerned authorities including Delhi Police, MCD, NDMC, DDA and Delhi Government to clear all roads and footpaths all over the twin-city in a time-bound period for exclusive use of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
— Madhu Agrawal Delhi
Salut, Flintoff!
• A power house of gutsy batting and prudent swing bowling, Andrew Flintoff has almost singlehandedly taken away the “ashes urn” from the kangaroos. Twenty-four wickets, and a healthy batting average in the recently concluded series speaks volumes for his talent. Earlier, Ian Botham with his “banana” outswing swung our hearts, Imran Khan ruled the pitch with his “charisma”, our own Kapil Dev was an example of hard work and discipline. Today, the Indian team needs someone who can rattle the furniture and lustily belt the cherry at the same time, and for this Greg Chappel and company need to probe every zone of India, pick the raw diamond and polish it to perfection.
— Altaf H. Ladiwala Mumbai
Quiet, please
• I differ with the views of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister R.R. Patil that our festivals are only celebrated during the night and that the Centre must intervene on the issue of the SC order on controlling decibel levels of such celebrations. I don’t think our festivals require that we pollute the air with noise. There can’t be any religious sentiment attached to this. Several people from different communities are relieved by the SC order.
— C.R. Ramakrishnan On e-mail
Ominous sign
• It is a disheartening sign for higher education in West Bengal that a number of institutions are facing students-related crises. After the Jadavpur University fiasco, it is the turn of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, the West Bengal Engineering and Science University and the West Bengal University of Technology to face the problems. These three institutes are relatively new and their problems can perhaps be attributed mainly to a communication gap between the administration and the students. Now when industry is all set to receive a new lease of life in the state, the higher education scenario, which is the breeding ground for brain power, should not be neglected.
— Arjun Chaudhuri Kolkata
