Come on, make up

• Apropos of ‘Fissures and face-offs’, (IE, September 10), the tr...

• Apropos of ‘Fissures and face-offs’, (IE, September 10), the troubled relationship between Vajpayee and Advani reminds us about the differences between Nehru and Sardar Patel. Fortunately, the sage advice of Gandhiji was available and acceptable to both. After the death of the Mahatma a neutral but worldly-wise Mountbatten was there to patch things up. Of course, the great patriot that he was, Sardar was ready to sacrifice, as ever, in the national interest. Nehru also could be wise and understanding enough when the occasion demanded. However, their differences arose from their different approach to the national good. In case of the present rift between Atal and Advani, it is due to a loud mouth politician’s self-interest. One can only hope that in the interest of the nation, Hindutva and BJP, they will work unitedly.

— Ramakant Desai On e-mail

Loyalty won’t pay

• Appointments in the Bush regime, solely determined by loyalty to the Bush family, brought disaster to the US in Iraq and now in the total collapse of administration after Katrina. This is a wake-up call to the sleepy Congress party in India where most appointments are determined by loyalty to the Gandhi family. This will ultimately bring disaster as these appointees’ work is appraised by their continuing closeness to the Family than their performance. It looks like Sonia Gandhi will not allow any young Congressman to blaze a new trail in any field unless and until Rahul Gandhi has had the first chance to try and fail or his failure is publicised as a success. This also applies to personality-centric parties like Shiv Sena, AIADMK, DMK. Unless this trend is stopped, India’s poor will pay the price just like in the US.

— Grandhi Nookayyasetty Sydney

Write back time

• This refers to ‘American Bellyache’ (‘Us and Them’, IE, September 10). When Mumbai was flooded after the rainfall, a New York Times editorial questioned India’s ability to become a permanent member in the UN Security Council! It is time Indian newspapers write back a question about the US’s capability to be a superpower and permanent member of the UNSC after that country’s catastrophic management of the Katrina damage.

— Harish Bhatt Edison

Hold the Fire

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• Like many of her ilk, filmmaker Deepa Mehta, has a propensity for taking obscure and bizarre customs or practices and projecting them as though they were the norm. For example, in Fire, Mehta tried to project Indian culture as one which extols abstinence, driving many neglected wives to seek love and passion in lesbian relationships. In her new film, Water, Mehta has tried to link the exploitation of widows by criminals involved in the sex trade to an ancient Indian tradition relating to widows. The true picture in both cases, however, is starkly more complex.

— Venkat Nagarajan Toronto

Look beyond BJP

• Saeed Naqvi is fiercely secular in his journalistic writings (‘Hope runs through it’, IE, September 10). However, most of his articles on secularism (rather, lack of it) are directed towards the sangh parivar. I don’t understand why he avoids discussing related issues to do with other groups. Ramvilas Paswan is adamant on installing a Muslim chief minister in Bihar, Islamic groups are issuing fatwas on Sania Mirza, and RJD MP Syed Shahabuddin is thumbing his nose at the entire police force in the country.

— Pranava K. Jha On e-mail