Tibet’s cause

The editorial, ‘Bold monks’, on the protests by Buddhist monks in Lhasa and elsewhere, has put the Tibetan tragedy in the right...

• The editorial, ‘Bold monks’ , on the protests by Buddhist monks in Lhasa and elsewhere, has put the Tibetan tragedy in the right perspective. These political protests are an outcome of the frustration and hopelessness felt by Tibetans (both at home and in exile) over their cause making no headway. Although the Dalai Lama has offered many “political concessions” the Chinese leadership has not met even his “minimal demands”. Tibet’s predicament is a mark of Chinese intransigence and arrogance.

For the sake of Sino-Indianrelations, we cannot allow anti-China protests on Indian soil to get out of control.

However, it would be criminal to ignore the emotional attachment to the exiled Tibetans in India. The influx of millions of refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan had once forced India’s intervention. Why is it so difficult now for India and the international community to be diplomatic with China and urge it to solve the Tibetan problem on the Dalai Lama’s reasonable terms? If the Tibet issue reached a solution, thousands of Tibetan refugees would be able to return to their homeland.

— M. Ratan

New Delhi

Fiona’s grief

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• It is distressing to see the Indian media take a leaf out of the British tabloids (infamous for their sensationalism) in digging up dirt on Fiona Mackeowan. Her past life and the way she lives now should not be of any concern to anyone genuinely sensitive to the grief and trauma she is undergoing at the moment.

— Cynthia Reilly

Mumbai

Clarification

• We Christians across the country are most hurt with the story, ‘St Stephen’s acting principal Thampu’s PhD fails UGC test’. In trying to build her case against Rev Valson Thampu, your reporter has sought to belittle Christian belief to discredit the Allahabad Agricultural Institute Vice-Chancellor, Dr Rajendra B. Lal. Being baptised in the Holy Spirit and seeing visions are a cherished part of Christian belief, these being fully founded on teachings and events in the Bible. These form a part of a Christian’s communion with God. “Speaking in tongues”, while perhaps incomprehensible to people of other faiths, is also a concept founded on an actual experience as narrated in the Bible.

The Holy Spirit is one of the most revered persons of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the Christians believe the Holy Spirit is the source of power to live a life of faith. The New Testament records Jesus as saying that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. Your reporter’s contempt for a revered aspect of the Trinity Godhead has hurt all Christian believers.

To employ intrinsic Christian beliefs and practices to question the sanity of a Christian teacher and his credibility is to insult the beliefs of millions of Christians in India and across the world.

— Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan

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General Secretary, Church of North India, and Chairperson, Commission on Polity and National Governance, National Council of Churches in India

The report was about the University Grants Commission putting on record that it does not recognise the Theology PhD that Rev Valson Thampu obtained from the Allahabad Agricultural Institute. The lines referred to in Rev Pradhan’s letter were excerpted from AAI’s official website on the Vice Chancellor. There was no intention to offend any sensibilities. Those lines, therefore, have been taken off our website. We stand by the story.

— Editor