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E-mail from readers the world over
Date: Tuesday, September 08, 1998 9:51 PM While I agree that the stand taken by SA on Kashmir is regrettable and uncalled for. I am not entirely surprised, the name of the game is self-interest, as it should be. There is not need to get emotional about it. True, India and SA were friends during the apartheid days, today we have to find other mutually beneficial reasons to be friends. Apparently there aren't any now. When it comes to countries one cannot expect old favours to be remembered and/or returned. There is no such thing as a permanent friend in international politics. The sooner we accept this reality, the better off we will be.
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 21:18:28 -0700 Can Justice Ahmadi clarify as to how P V Narasimha Rao, who was chargesheeted escaped punishment? Vinay Deshmukh
Date sent: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 17:16:39 -0500 Please note the following sentence at the end of this report: "If Shah is unable to pay the fine, he would be imprisoned for an additional month, the judge ruled. " It is a funny thing and makes me laugh at the judicial laws that our country has. If a person has already been sentenced for 111 years, how does addition of a month affect him. It is like adding a drop of water to the ocean. However he will die even before he completes 111 years, forget about the additional month, so Shah will prefer not to pay the fine, because it does not really affect him if he has to undergo this long imprisonment. Please ask the jurors to make some sensible laws for the country. Shashi
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 22:50:46 +0530 I'm happy to find such a nice report over the net. The narration is too good. But what I found through out is that the report puts the man as a villain. Why do you want to put everything on the man's head? Is there no fault on the women's side? It is the women who offer themselves to landlords/officials for obvious benefits, maybe for food or for something else. Under such circumstances why should a man agree? He just cares for his entertainment for which he pays. I think action should be taken against those men who betray the poor women. Ramgopal
Date sent: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 14:18:14 -0500 I agree with him 100%. This is the right time for us to abandon this move for a Presidential system. Currently, we have so much corruption, selfishness and no clear and specific political agenda. If we continue like this we are definitely going to shoot ourselves in the foot. Change is good. Sankar K
Date sent: Fri, 15 May 1998 22:42:17 -0500 Your article makes the argument that nuclear testing (a national achievement) has boosted national pride. It also alludes to security, and further laments the fact that India has little international recognition and implies that a national achievement (nuclear testing) will provide national pride, international recognition and security.
The only response I have would be that:
For example, I am selectively quoting three aspects of your article...
The national achievements you mentioned in (3) also cause exactly the same national pride mentioned in (2). In fact the significant achievements (3) cause pride without incurring international condemnation/sanctions; testing may cause national pride but no international praise. As for recognition, it is apparent that India's economic liberalisation is already attracting investment and genuine international interest in India. India was already being recognised and foreign capital was already flowing in--nuclear testing is hardly going to attract any greater foreign investment (and in the short-term it will only result in less investor confidence and less investment). Finally you suggest that the temporary economic loss may be overcome by security benefits -- yet both India and Pakistan were de facto nuclear states for at least the past decade if not longer. This did not allow Indian governments to negotiate from any position of strength. In fact nuclear weapons allow Pakistan to equalise its status with India (in a nuclear world, quantitative superiority does not count for much -- even a few nuclear weapons on one side can adequately counter superior numbers on the other). Conversely, in a nuclear-free region, India would be superior to Pakistan because of its superior economy and conventional military strengths. This superiority in a nuclear-free region is from a security standpoint far better than equality in a nuclear-armed region that is now the case. Indian governments are from now on hardly in a "position of strength," but only in a position of "equality."
Date sent: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 16:16:36 -0700 Apropos of your article on "The Chennai Challenger", I have some points to add. I worked in Bangalore for about seven years before moving to the USA. While working in Bangalore, I learned some aspects about the city and the IT industry. I have some points to add that the article seems to have missed. The employee angle. We went for recruitment to different cities and what allowed us to pick up the best was that "we were from Bangalore." The HR department even went on record saying, " If you like a candidate, tell him we are from Bangalore and ask him to join. Say that if you do not like us you can use us for a stepping stone to Bangalore. Retaining an employee is my problem, getting him over to join us is yours." Believe me, I know about people taking a 15 to 20% salary cut because they were moving to Bangalore from Delhi and Madras. Note that not only Bangalore is costlier than Madras (and maybe Delhi) but also an IT person in Bangalore earns less than his counterpart elsewhere in the country. Yet it attracts professionals. Madras companies even crib saying that we steal away the cream. What was that attracts professionals to Bangalore? Is it climate, lifestyle or the greenery? The readers may be able to comment better !!
Siddhartha Sen
Date sent: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 14:03:42 -0400 A very good article and timely that too. Further, I appreciate the solution given whereby knowledge of computers and information systems is provided to a lot more of the student community by introducing it at the higher secondary and college levels. This surely is not a solution like the reservation policy our government adopted to provide education to all people. A similar solution could have been drawn to increase the literacy percentage in India. The government could have employed innumerable unemployed graduates and opened new schools to cover the whole length and breadth of the country. This way the government could have done away with unemployment to a certain extent, achieved a decent education level among the public and hence inculcated better sense towards social issues like population control, make people understand who and what their political leaders are etc. Several sponsors and world bodies would have been more forthcoming for such a positive solution than a negative idea like the reservation policy which in a way has lead to communal clashes and has bred hatred among the people. I sincerely hope that such good articles like this one by Vittal and several others reach the common man as they are very good eye openers. This emphasises the fact that communication must extend its long arm to reach every nook and corner of the country. And this is possible nowadays because various media and Internet combined with multimedia is an extremely important and a viable solution. I hope TRAI and other such organisations do not kill the thrust towards opening the era of information age in our country. The minute I start writing such things, I seem to rant like a old crone and it is all because of the seething anger within me looking at things falling apart in various social, political, economic, educational and industrial issues in India. I wish all success to the efforts by people like Vittal in trying to put our country on a platform of progress and prosperity. Bala
Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 20:25:21 +0530 Wonderful news for lovers of Urdu all over India and the world. Thanks for running the story. I A Siddiqui
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 08:30:55 -0500 Former minister Ibrahim's explanation seems to be very clear and correct. It is amazing how the Tatas, with their decades of experience in business and technology could not come up with their indigenous project, involving their own technical and marketing skills for domestic airline services. Assuming they needed technical or marketing expertise from Singapore Airlines, how on earth would other private companies in India compete domestically with its success. This creates strong suspicion about the Tatas approach. Mr Ibrahim has very clearly stated that if it were the Tatas alone without Singapore Airlines, his ministry would have approved the project. How is it, the Tatas came forward to give up plans of equity participation of SIA on objection? Is it not their duty to come forward with a clean proposal from the very beginning. This makes one assume that Tatas deliberately or inadvertently included equity participation of SIA, neither of which should have happened. Finally, when the Tatas say they need only technical expertise from SIA, one can't believe how other private companies possess technical expertise that Tata's don't and need from SIA. All said and done, let the Tatas come up with the same proposal for business in international flight services. The fact that they needed technical expertise from SIA, only undermines their image and would bring down the confidence people have in Tata products. Most of all, had the Tatas attempted to indigenously enter the domestic airline services, and had they been successful or needed SIA's expertise or participation after the attempt, that would have been a really gentlemanly attitude by them. On the contrary, starting with participation of a foreign company even for domestic airline services, when other companies can do without foreign help, reflects the lack of confidence the Tatas seem to have on their capabilities. Raja Ismail
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 19:04:19 -0700 Your article on the Orchid Chemical Company's version of Viagra, was the best I have read so far. It was informative, clear and concise. I think this drug will help many more marriages than break them. Congratulations on a job well done. Ed McLaughlin
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 09:37:09 -0700 It is just great! Manoj B Welinkar
Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 17:27:18 -0700 A lovely viewing and, as a South Indian who has seen Matunga change from maamis in zari saris to NRIs in minis, it's a pleasure to see again some of what my own memories are made of. Jewella has captured much of the spirit of a community that has made the area typically its own. I have one suggestion: Why not present thumbnails that can then be blown up, so that the browser gets an overall idea of what the photo feature is all about, before taking a closer look! Thanks for the experience! Ramya Sarma
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 22:44:03 -0400 In general I love the movie coverage on your site (although not yet on par with your coverage of news). But these days I am wondering on why most of the billboard stuff seems to be concentrating on Tamil films only. I am mainly interested in Hindi and Telugu films. So I request you to kindly include more billboard type (gossip) articles on Hindi and Telugu films. Jagadish
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 98 15:46:17 -0500 I completely agree with the writer of this article. Especially when he compares it with Schindler's List and Godfather. I watched the movie in the US and I was very angry when the movie ended. I felt I was cheated. Mani Ratnam was completely confused whether to make a romantic movie or a movie address to our country's problems. Roja was good as the romance ended after the abduction. Watching a movie like Dil Se from Mani Ratnam was a big disappointment. Raj
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