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'The bus to Pak should be stopped'

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 23:42:04 -0400
From: Wesley James <WJames@compuserve.com>
Subject: Bidis

This is an excellent thing that is being done by the Californian kids. It is high time the truth about tobacco hits the common man too. I hope Indians, especially the youth, will learn from what is happening in California regarding the use of tobacco and follow their example. Get rid of the tobacco habit!

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 14:47:44 EDT
From: <Meshmen@aol.com>
Subject: California Teenagers Target Bidis, Get Backing Of Influential Congressman

"Kiski chhati, kaun mara! Eh rehabhare mulko kaun bata, ye kiski chhati, kaun mara." An Indian surgeon's general warning on the "bidi" package sold in USA!

Ramesh Kapoor

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 13:26:40 -0700
From: "Siddappa, Nat" <Nat.Siddappa@nrtinc.com>
Subject: Person of Indian Origin card

This Person of Indian Origin card seems like another scheme to get money from the so-called rich NRIs. This money will be going to the personal assets of a few politicians and as usual, there will be problems associated with the card. Instead of the card, dual citizenship would be the best way to attract NRI investment in India, in addition to commitment from the Indian government to do business with Indian nationals abroad. Since there is no way a stable government could be formed in India, this commitment has no meaning. Therefore, the PIO card would not be successful in addition to the money the government wants to charge for the card.

I would rather get a visa for 20 years than shell down 1000 bucks for a stupid orange card, and so would a lot of people. However if dual citizenship is offered, I would like to take it over the Orange card.

Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 20:31:48 -0400
From: "Navin Khadiya" <khadita@jove.rutgers.edu>
Subject: Satish Kumar

I thought such spiritually charged individuals existed in India only 3000 years ago, and that the present day Indian is only identifiable by his greed...but I am happy to be wrong.

Navin Khadiya

Date: Sat, 22 May 1999 22:37:58 -0700
From: Tanuja Bemra <tbemra@pacbell.net>
Subject: Anil Sivakumaran

Anil Sivakumaran continues the fine tradition of yet-another-Hindu apologist. He accuses Hindutva folks of not knowing their own History. He is either ignorant or purposely ignores that more people died at Ayodhya in 1991 at the hands of Mulayam Singh's murderous police force than the number of Muslims in Mumbai in 1992. But that does not seem to matter.

. If he has an iota of Hindu thought left in him, he would not be mourning what happened in Ayodhya. He would be rejoicing it.

Date: Sat, 22 May 1999 08:11:08 -0700
From: Asha Sharma <P-R-Sharma@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: The Raj Through Photographers' lenses

Enjoyed reading the text and looking at the photographs. Keep up the good work.

Purushottam Sharma
Torrance, California

6:28:12 -0700
From: Srikanth Holikatti <sholikatti@nce.reno.nv.us>
Subject:Siddarth Dube

Siddarth Dube is right. After nine years I visited my ancestral village in 1995. Compared to my last visit in 1986 the poverty in the village was more widespread and visible inspite of the much touted economic development. Upon cursory inquiry the general refrain was:

a. Growth in income is not in keeping with inflation, so much for the economic experts!

b. Most development projects never reach the needy, an example is the mid-day meal plan for children in rural schools. From the accounts I have been told, more than half of food supplies find their way into the local grocery store, making a few teachers and the grocer real beneficiaries of the scheme.

Srikanth

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 10:07:50 -0500
From: "Mallik, Tapas" <Tapas.Mallik@SW.Boeing.com>
Subject: Bus Again?? Wrong time

At a time when border clashes have escalated, and there is so much shelling and damage to life and property, when hundreds of militants have crossed the border into Kashmir, this kind of 'SHOW' is uncalled for. In fact the bus to Pak should be stopped. All bilateral discussions should be suspended till the shelling and killing is stopped.

The behaviour of Jethmalani and his busload only shows how little they care for the life of ordinary citizens. They would rather waste their time on gimmicks of this kind.

Tapas

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 20:35:26 -0700
From: Sanjeev Chakravarty <schakrav@hotmail.com>
Subject: Comments in Kuldip Nayar's article on Assam's perennial problem

Dear Kuldip,

I personally admire your writings especially the ones about my state. Over the years of my intermittent stay in Assam, I felt precisely the feelings of the common people as mentioned in the article. It's hard for people to trust anyone these days but the rural people are still ingenuous and naive when it comes to giving shelter to strangers. Assamese is indeed a very purist society which should also take some blame for its downfall. People ignored to change with the times and most people don't have aspirations or don't know how to accomplish them perhaps in a legal manner. Politics was never understood well by the masses and nepotism and corruption though highly deplored by the elders is seemingly an accepted way of life for our generation.

Being a software engineer I have a vision of changing the society through computerisation. Of course it is a behemoth task but maybe the 38 per cent ethnic Assamese will have a stronger role to play than the rest.

Sanjeev Chakravarty

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