|
|
|
|
|
| HOME | NEWS | DEAR REDIFF | |||
|
COLUMNISTS
|
|
|
E-mail from readers the world over
'Come out of this false opinion that everything is bad in India and things are rosy all over the world'
Date:
Fri, 19 Nov 1999 12:51:25 -0500 During the Latur earthquake, several thousands of volunteers from nearby Pune and Nagar areas worked hard and quick enough to help the people. The Maharashtra government also worked fast. But never, did I hear any news of any banners being propped up to congratulate the volunteer organisations or the Maharashtra government. The point I am making is, one must appreciate the quick help given by the AP Chief Minister to Orissa victims but one must also understand that some people there are playing a political game to honour only the AP CM. I do not see any praise for the thousands of volunteers who are still working in remote areas and doing a great job. I must say that what Naidu did was timely help but it could not be more than 10 per cent of what is needed. While praising this 10 per cent help, please do not neglect the organisations and the Indian army who are doing the remaining 90 per cent of the work. When much needs to be done to help the victims to build homes, roads, water supply, seeds, farming tools etc, I think these congratulations are a bit premature and will divert our focus. Apart from politics, I feel every government has something to learn from the Andhra CM. He has shown great leadership qualities indeed. Mukund M Kute
Date:
Mon, 22 Nov 1999 18:01:19 MYT I am glad you have reported this in Rediff. No other international news agency have published anything regarding this matter. India and Russia should join hands and give a fitting reply to the terrorists and the countries that support, finance and aid terrorist organisations.
Date:
Mon, 22 Nov 1999 10:19:02 -0500 I suggest you refrain from using derogatory (implied or real) language for the RSS, VHP etc if you want to maintain any semblance of fairness in your reporting. This may come back to hit you hard. This farce cannot go on forever. Sunil Karnik
Date:
Mon, 22 Nov 1999 23:30:16 +0300 I read the interview with interest. While I agree what is said regarding democracy in Pakistan, I do, however, feel that whatever is expressed has a certain hidden bias and is not fair. When the United States was in need it used Pakistan, say against the Russians in Afghanistan. Now that that need is over, the friendship is finished. Is that the sort of credibility Mr Ackerman is preaching for the US? Who is going to rely on the US if it is going to dump its allies in a manner like this. It may happen to UK, France or even to India in future. The main point that would like to raise is about the facts regarding Kashmir. Mr Ackerman should know that in 1948, there was a war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. The United Nations Security Council brokered a ceasefire and passed a resolution for a plebiscite in Kashmir. That has never happened up to now. Why? The situation is just like East Timor. I feel the word 'Terrorist' should be redefined universally to understand what acts differentiate between terrorism and fighting for freedom. Those great leaders who fought wars against occupation or for their rights like George Washington were not terrorists, they won freedom for the US.
Date:
Fri, 19 Nov 1999 09:31:26 -0500 Hi Krishna, I happened to read your article named 'Treason of the Intellectuals' in Rediff. It was interesting reading. However, I beg to differ with you on your statement 'If diesel prices were raised to match international prices, shouldn't petrol prices, which have plummeted since the end of the Gulf War, also be lowered to match international prices?' Gasoline prices which were at 93 cents for a gallon of 'unleaded plus' quality here in the US during April 1999 has gone up to $ 1.3 as of today and the trend shows that there will be a further increase. A 37 cent increase on 93 cents is like a 40 per cent hike. Has it happened in India in the past months? The 'unleaded premium' quality has shot up even further. People accept it here in the US as a part of life and move on. However, it has become fashionable in India both for the common man to grumble and the journalists to harp on things like this and project a false image about our nation. Come out of this false opinion that everything is bad in India or in corollary that everything is rosy all over the world. RVR
Date:
Fri, 19 Nov 1999 10:24:35 -0500 We can endlessly debate 'intellectual corruption'... Before that, I would love point you to Arun Shourie's Worshipping False Identities.
Date:
Fri, 19 Nov 1999 17:01:39 -0800 Just wondering what would have happened if the priest (the culprit) was a Hindu?
Date:
Sat, 20 Nov 1999 01:00:07 GMT It is totally disgusting that such a thing should happen in a state with maximum literacy. Instead of preaching, the priest is making a mockery of the meaning of love as preached by Christ. Even the minor should not be excused for her intentional involvement. Now every young girl will feel frightened about going to church. The whole thing is very messy. How were the girl and her parents silent till the baby was delivered? Now the only solution is that they should get married on moral grounds. The priest, parents and the girl should be imprisoned for six months. The church authorities should be impartial in their judgement and prevent God's place from becoming a lovers paradise.
Date:
Sat, 20 Nov 1999 09:25:16 +0530 While it is very painful to learn about such behaviour by a person in the garb of a Christian priest, held in very high esteem by both people and the government, it is very essential that it should be tried in a suitable court of law of the country. It is doubly painful to see the totally unbecoming stand of the higher authorities of the church in taking a technical view that it is for the accused to approach the police. How shameful! Is this what Lord Jesus Christ preached? Morality, ethics and values are alarmingly diminishing in the society due to the enormous impact of cinema, unscrupulous politicians and other selfish people. It is for the religious heads of all religions to counteract these evil influences and lead the society to live a good and moral life. If the higher authorities of the church behave in this manner which is unjust and very partisan, it is obvious the establishment of the church is nothing but another corporate business group which minds its earthly benefits more than spiritual benefits. In that case a thorough investigation in the functioning of the church should be ordered by a commission headed by a prominent and undisputed personality like a Supreme Court judge. Real welfare of the society is much more important than the earthly welfare of the church. I appreciate Rediff for giving me an opportunity to convey my views. R S Raju
Date:
Sat, 20 Nov 1999 01:11:13 -0600 This is utterly shocking news! I am a Catholic and I believe this is a terrible act. A priest, irrespective of the religion, is called upon to provide the masses with the spiritual touch that "lifts" a person to new heights. If a priest starts misusing the trust that one puts in them, I believe that one would stop trusting them. The cover-up act adds to the shock. At a time where religion is an issue in the country, it is a MUST for the Christian community to prove that we live by the Bible. A priest does what he has to do...a Christian must do what he has to do... as per the Bible. Once all religions start thinking in the same wavelength, only then can we hope that we can climb out of the dark shadows of religion and caste and move up the value-chain and transition ourselves into the list of developing countries. If we continue as we are doing -- religion and caste dominating our lives -- we will be finished internationally. Countries like China and Japan will take a very big lead on us...and we will never be able to catch up. It is thus an agenda for everybody -- starting from you and me -- to be Indian and prove to the world that we belong to the greatest democracy of all time. Titus
Date:
Sat, 20 Nov 1999 20:58:00 It is rather an unsettling feeling to know that the church can let a man like Cyriac off so easily. The issue is more than a priest disgracing his faith, it is statutory rape, punishable under law. Then again, the issue is not merely that of sex or letting a faith down, it is of a system and civilisation that we need to talk about. Why must there exist any condition that forces men to break the very rules that their forefathers make. Why must a man, his sexual urges stifled by his profession defile and violate a norm set in concrete by a society and civilisation that says "SEX IS SIN"? Never undermine the force of darkness, For it reaches where light cannot...
Date:
Sun, 21 Nov 1999 09:45:02 +0530 This is a superb interview that every Indian (perhaps every human) who understands (not believes) our Vedic heritage, should read. As you rightly said, Aryabhatta, Panini, Patanjali, YajnaValkya must be introduced in our school texts with relevance to the meaningful contribution to humanity by these great scholars from time immemorial. This helps every Indian child become aware of our great culture, heritage and knowledge. History is not just a past occurrence of incidents, accidents. It is part of a natural process ('guru-sishya parampara') by which knowledge transcends. It is the duty of every generation to understand this knowledge, be a part of the present (which becomes history) and impart this knowledge to the next generation. Dr Kak is an example. As he rightly says, it is the duty of the state and every individual to benefit from this knowledge and be responsible to preserve, build this knowledge for posterity. Ramesh
Date:
Sun, 21 Nov 1999 13:19:10 +0530 This is no doubt a good concept but relevant only for the select few who have access to the Internet. The situation just described a person getting a heart attack in a remote area. The doctor may not have Internet access. What then? Secondly, as we know for some no information on the web is safe in terms of privacy! Any determined person can access the data base of health record/can manipulate/change etc. People may have given their most valuable personal data. How do you ensure that?
Date:
Mon, 22 Nov 1999 09:35:13 +0530 I appreciate this info. It will certainly give an excellent response. Meenaxi
Date:
Mon, 22 Nov 1999 18:14:25 -0600 I'm very happy to hear that recently Mizoram has become the most literate state in the country. But before I do accept it at face value, I would like to know that when you talk about reading 50 words per minute, does it have to be in English necessarily or is it any language? To be precise, when these kinds of surveys are made, is a person considered literate only when he knows to spell, read or write in English or is it any Indian language (or maybe the local language of the state). I believe that for the common man, to be literate, s/he need not know English but some language with which he can communicate through reading or writing. If we don't consider this into the notion of literacy, then I feel most developed countries in the world are much more illiterate than India. Jai Hind. Satheesh
Date:
Tue, 23 Nov 1999 13:45:19 -0500 I am really happy to know that Mizoram overtook Kerala in literacy. Thanks for the news and we really appreciate it. When this kind of news is published, we would like to see the comparing statistics which would make others feel competition and that could bring some welcoming changes to the people of India. Ram
|
||
|
HOME |
NEWS |
BUSINESS |
SPORTS |
MOVIES |
CHAT |
INFOTECH |
TRAVEL |
SINGLES BOOK SHOP | MUSIC SHOP | GIFT SHOP | HOTEL RESERVATIONS | WORLD CUP 99 EDUCATION | PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL | FEEDBACK |
||