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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Tue, 01 Sep 1998 08:36:10
I have been following the Tata group's torturous efforts to set up an alternative private domestic airline. Their withdrawal proves the age-old adage: "There is many a slip between the cup and the lip". The Indian government can mouth all they can about creating a climate that is conducive to economic growth and private investment. Here is an Indian company that is planning to provide some competition to that pathetic government behemoth called Indian Airlines, which pretty much runs in the red most of the time and is funded by taxpayers. And without any credible reasoning, the ministry of civil aviation quashes potential competition, thereby sustaining a mediocre and inefficient monopoly that lacks any incentive to excel in providing the best service at the best rates. The decision drew adverse comments from even Industries Minister Bakht. Way to go, Indian economic juggernaut -- or should I say juggernought?
Srinivas Peeta
Date sent: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 12:59:47 -0400
Praful Patel did speak very clearly. Hope he spoke with a clear mind. What does he mean by "natural choice"? Sonia, who was not even in the party till now, cannot be the "natural choice " at all. Sharad Pawar definitely has more credentials than her. This is today's Congress -- no one has any self-respect. All are trying to ride to power on an illusion called Sonia. This will be disastrous.
Date sent: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 10:43:46 -0400
I liked your interview with Vaiko. His view about the review of the Constitution is very welcome. But I think the Presidential form of government is not good for India, a country with 50 different parties and 50 different ideologies. This is the strongest point in our plural democracy, which gives life to the crucial representation of the identity of pluralism. It has to be cherished and nurtured. On the other hand, the Presidential form of governance is an ideal choice for homogeneous countries like America, where only one kind of nationalism is protected. I would like to suggest a fragmented electoral process in India, which runs every alternative year for one fifth of the constituencies. All the elected members will serve out their whole term. And a prime minister has to be elected within that forum. This way, we would not have to suffer the dissolution of Parliament and elections every alternative year. Already, India has vast experience of cobbling together coalition governments. This will help in future governance.
Date sent: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 18:43:42 -0700
Let me start with a disclaimer: I am a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi. I have been one for a long time. I treasure the rights I enjoy as an Indian citizen and I admire Gandhi because the rights that I have were made possible, in part, by his sacrifices. That is why it is extremely painful for me to read this article written by his grandson. It seems to say that everything his grandfather fought for is worthless. He says you can have freedom so long as you behave "responsibly". My only response to that is to ask who determines what "responsible" behaviour is. Galileo's behaviour was deemed "irresponsible" by the Catholic Church; Charles Darwin's behaviour was considered "irresponsible" by many of the religious and scientific authorities of his time; and that of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was considered irresponsible by the then rulers of India. Today we hold all three to be great men -- so why were they persecuted in their time? The easy (and in my opinion incorrect) answer would be that the people who opposed these three men were evil people who wanted to crush all opposition. I would beg to differ. While it is certainly possible that *some* of the opposition came from such people, I think some of it also came from people who genuinely believed that what they were doing was right. A lot of people in the Catholic Church probably believed that Galileo's theories were satanic, a lot of people in the 19th century Europe probably believed that Darwin's theories were scientifically wrong *and* satanic. And a lot of the British probably genuinely believed that India was better off under British rule. Were they right? I am not for one moment equating Pradeep Dalvi with a Galileo, Darwin or Gandhi. What I am saying is that the moment you create a Morality Police, a lot of good people are going to get vilified and persecuted. If we want to give our Galileos and Darwins and Gandhis freedom, we will also have to give it to the Pradeep Dalvis in our midst. So does that mean we should give everybody unrestricted freedom? Should criminals have unrestricted freedom to do what they like? The answer is that total unrestricted freedom is not possible. But it is definitely possible to give people all the freedom they like so long as they do not violate the freedom of another individual. Let us not go about imposing arbitrary bans on things that we do not like -- there are other ways of countering them. We have as much freedom of expression as Pradeep Dalvi has -- let us use that freedom to counter his allegations. Raghu Mani
Date sent: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 16:13:17 PDT
Thanks to Rediff, I had the opportunity of reading Mi Nathuram Godse Boltoy. India calls herself a democracy. As far as I know, a democracy allows for the freedom of thought and speech. I find it absolutely ridiculous that the government of Maharashtra has banned this play and that the dispute has found itself in court. This happens to be a literary piece. The views generated are solely that of the playwright. Pradeep Dalvi is well within his rights to air his opinions like any other citizen of India. Gitanjali Shah
Date sent: Sat, 29 Aug 1998 13:08:05 -0300
Does he have anything to say about the mass murder of Christians in Pakistan?
Date sent: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 19:46:57 -0500
I appreciate the points raised in the discussion and fully agree with Professor Ghosal's conclusions that economic progress can be created only by entrepreneurs. I would just like to add that the government should play an active role in promoting entrepreneurship (remove red tape etc.) in India and interfere with the functioning of the people minimally. Once this attitude has been activated among the general public, phenomenal growth will follow. Karthik
Date sent: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 00:02:53 -0700
Really enjoyed the profile. It's a shame that Ms Khambatta didn't receive more attention or praise for her achievements. I feel as if I got to know Persis more as a person. Thanks for spotlighting her.
Daryl Curtis
Date sent: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:57:00 +0500
How come you have missed out all together about A R Rahman's music in the review? And no reactions from you about his first meeting between the legendary Gulzar and Lata? Well, my advice is that your expectations are very high and you are informing an audience who will not dare to get into the rush at the cinema halls and see the movie. If they do, they will not bother about some points raised by you like cause for the bomb, North-Eastern territory not being named etc. And please remember it is a simultaneous release in Tamil, Telugu, too, where Mani has die-hard fans. He is bound to be confusing because he has too many people to please -- like the government at the Centre! You should treat it as a movie made by intelligent people for the masses. Not vice versa. Nandu
Date sent: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 16:48:07 -0700
I think your review is quite informative and gives us a good reason not to see the movie. As it is I am so sick of Shah Rukh Khan's antics that I can bear him no more. But even Mani Ratnam gave in and allowed Shah Rukh Khan to carry on monkeying... quite surprising.If ever I see this movie it will be for Malaika Arora's traintop dance and Sivan's cinematography. Jayesh
Date sent: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 09:22:12 -0400
The coverage provided is great and so is the brief history about the great singer and down-to-earth personality Gurdas Mann. Well edited, with good pictures and matter. I wish all the best to the team that makes these articles reach the viewers. Keep up the good work. Chetanpal Singh How Readers responded to Dilip D'Souza's recent columns
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