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'The rich and influential can get away with anything'
E-mail from readers the world over
Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 11:33:11 -0500 It was a great profile -- Simple, straight and informative. Would like to see more on other eminent Indians doing extraordinary work. Keep up the good work! Navneeth
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 18:28:06 EDT The article by Apoorva Mandavilli is well written and interesting to read and re-read! The entire article, from beginning to end, keeps up an even flow of information and makes the reader curious and wanting to read even more. Perhaps the writer could contribute an article for the commemorative publication of the World Millennium Kannada Conference -2000, to be held at Houston, on September 2, 3, Year 2000. Please keep up such good work.
Subby Subramanyam
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 16:05:15 -0400 Thank you very much for the excellent insight into India's foremost representation in the myriad world of quantum mechanics. A student of engineering and having interest in quantum physics myself, I was ashamed to have read about the professor for the first time in your article.You have helped me broaden my horizons tremendously and I am very appreciative of this. I wish the author the very best in your graduate program and look forward to many more insightful articles. Ashmit Bhattacharya
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 22:43:26 -0500 Excellent profile.
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 08:28:45 -0500 It is nice for you to put these type of articles. I am glad to know how Mr Satish Kumar is accepted in this world. I will be more happy if you people come up with more of similar articles. May I have a suggestion, whenever in these articles, if there are books published, can we have a link directly to purchase the book either in India or anywhere in the world (I live in the US)? Madhu
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 07:06:52 +0530 The Sikhs cannot forget 1984 and the Muslims 1992 as per the author's view. Why does he not assume that the Hindus cannot forget Mumbai in 1993 since most of the people killed in the bomb blasts were Hindus? And what about the lakhs of Hindus who have been driven out of Kashmir? What about the Coimbatore blasts? The BJP is gaining in strength only due to the views expressed by such authors. Rama Krishnan
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 17:04:28 +0000 Quite possibly the most crappiest article I've read till date! I can't imagine why there'd be a separate edition for the US, with junk like this that insults your reader's intelligence. Thanks for the rest though.
Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 20:03:02 EDT It is a good report on the first segment of the event. But I feel it is incomplete as there is no mention of the second and third segments. Also, it may be useful to mention a little more about the Network of Indian Professionals - NY who put the event together -- why we did such an event, etc.
Suresh Kumar
Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 11:59:59 +0530 Referring to the curious trend, observed in English-language reportage in recent times, referring to Shri Sharad Pawar as "the Maratha", I wish to draw your attention to two possible consequences this might have. If unfortunately the intention is to associate with him, or another politician hailing from Maharashtra, with those lofty ideals embodied in Samarth Ramdas Swami's concept of Maharashtradharma, which inspired and initiated a whole philosophy of self-determination exemplified in the unparalleled achievements of Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj in the 17th century, culminating in the final transfer of political power on August 14/15 1947, our media needs to be circumspect. Few politicians in this day and age can keep themselves above the lure of power and pelf, not to speak of acting in conformity with a philosophy of wilful self-abnegation. Thus, the consequence of persisting with the hackneyed nomenclature might be viewed with just indignation by innumerable people who are aware of the pristine intent and content of that socio-political philosophy of liberation. Secondly, if the intention is to identify him with that community in Maharashtra which must regard him, by an accident of birth, as its own, it is patently against the tenets adopted by our egalitarian polity, for the Constitution makes unlawful any reference to a person on the basis of his social denomination. Our media, thus, runs the risk of being charged with exceeding the limits of legal conduct. It must be conceded that those in charge of the English-language media are not entirely conversant with matters "native". Consequently, one would be well-advised not to expect them to really comprehend what was once meant by that Maharashtradharma followed by the "Marathas". One can nevertheless hope this note of caution will be sufficiently convincing to prevent the pursuit of a fetish that is a potential source of consternation to the refined mind. Thus will we be enabled at once, first, to maintain the high respect all of us have, or ought to have, for the peerless philosophy that humbled the might of several alien empires and, secondly, to keep ourselves within due bounds of constitutional propriety. Bhalchandrarao C Patwardhan
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 08:47:00 EDT I liked the article. It was candid and written in a witty manner. It does not surprise me that these things happen in India. Cos' when our friends have these discussions in the US, invariably at a party (!!), everyone concurs that if you are disgustingly rich, the best place is to be in India. Cos, as the joke goes, "You can get away with murder" and apparently, it is a reality. When I am in India, I have been told about drug infested parties and if I wanted to go along. Even in dry states where alcohol is supposedly not available, there have been parties flowing with booze. The rich, middle class and the poor in India always know that the rich and the influential can get away with anything. When an article/incident appears in the media, I am sure some people snigger that it is not new, these things happen and that is reality! It is sad, but true. and very scary... When a family visited India recently they were almost run over by a sports car driving at 90 miles or so at midnight. They were shaken and told a cop nearby and the cop didn't do anything. When the family reiterated the incident, the cop said, "I empathise with you, but that car was driven by a politician's son and there is nothing much I can do".
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 8:57:00 -0400 Simply brilliant! So long we have people of this depth and calibre India will survive in spite of all our evils. It's important to have our conscience shaken up from time to time. It does a world of good. What a piece!! Arindam Gupta
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 02:46:58 -0700 I liked your article immensely. You have articulated a number of thoughts that keep coming to mind. What kind of fun do these people have ? How can they keep turning a blind eye to everything that happens around them? Even if they have no belief in god and a final judgement (which I don't either) do they not believe in some sort of reprieve for themselves? (and I do) A personal judgement about themselves? The life they live? Of course, this is a malaise that pervades humanity as a whole be it in Delhi or any other place. But this riddle of apathy, of the rich frolicking with no apparent burden on their conscience, is especially bewildering for India where you see the face of anguish and poverty anywhere you roam and everywhere you turn. It doesn't make one wonder. Just promotes disdain and disillusion. Well written !
Pathikrit SenGupta
Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 15:28:04 PDT Hi Chindu, Your Kerala Diary is 100% true!! Yes, like you, I am a Malayalee too. I have flown out and in from Delhi, Bombay, Madras and, of course, Trivandrum. I flew into Trivandrum from London via Kuwait. The London-Kuwait flight was nice, uneventful. I still remember (2 years later) the nightmare waiting for the Kuwait-Trivandrum flight. They had just announced the flight and there begins the stampede to board the flight. Everything you described I saw happen there. The four transit passengers, including me, were the last ones to board the plane. Once you board, you have the feeling of some fish market in Trivandrum. They don't even give you way to make it to your allotted seat. Finally after jumping over a few piece of baggage (the air hostess was trying to store them in all possible places) I reached my seat to find it occupied by somebody else and he would not budge from his place. The hostess was real good, she found a place to store my baggage (as the the overhead cabin for my seat number was packed to the brim) and apologise for the inconvenience. She also asked this guy to move and he wouldn't. I pity her! Finally I had to shout at him in Malayalam saying " I have been flying for the past 12 hours, had 2 sleepless night, and so don't mess with me or I call security." I never knew I had such a loud voice... but it helped!. Another thing, these guys open the overhead cabins the moment they sight the shore of Kerala. The crew was repeatedly announcing, in Malayalam (as you mentioned), not to open the overhead cabins... but to no use. One of the smaller bags (thank goodness!) fell on me when the guy sitting next to me opened the overhead cabin. I had to (again!) threaten him to close it (I have never done all these in my travel through India on rail!!). I associated this behaviour to the fact that these were Gulf returnees. Unfortunately, I had the same experience when I flew into Trivandrum from Madras, though to a lesser degree. Now, I would prefer to fly into Madras and then take a train to Trivandrum. This not just my experience but many others. In fact, your article was forwarded to me by one of my other friends who had a similar experience. The friend doesn't mind an eight-to-ten hour wait at Madras after a 20 hour flight, but will not fly to Trivandrum via a Gulf country or Bombay. Hope something will change the attitude of these people from the lush green state of India, called Kerala! It would make life for frequent travellers a lot easier. Sara
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