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E-mail from readers the world over

'Wake up Mr Shukla, Hindus do not have any friends in Saudi Arabia or even in USA'

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000, 14:40:44EST -0500
Subject: Can a tiger regain its lost stripes?

As a non-Mumbaikar, it seems to me that the issue is not about x versus y and who is going to be in power or who is really in power. The issue is about a man who despises democracy and who has had his reputation as a communalist enhanced by the publicity associated with his writings. Even if he wins his little war and preserves his fiefdom, other strongmen or women in India should take note of the fact that most of them are cowards at heart.

Paul Mathew

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000, 11:19:51EST -0400
Subject: Request for an article on corruption in Indian postal services

Would it be possible for Rediff to highlight the corruption and apathy of the Indian postal services, especially when it comes to parcels sent from abroad?

I had sent a parcel containing crucial medicines and some other things to my father to Lucknow, India, from New York on April 17, 2000, by express mail. Express mail of the US is equivalent to speed post in India. Till date the package has not been delivered. A week after the package was sent, I called up the US postal services to find out the status and they informed me that it has been received by the Indian postal services after which they (the US postal service) are not responsible for the parcels. Another week passed and the package was still not delivered. I called up the US postal services again and they told me that they had no information but would send a query to their Indian counterparts.

The Indian postal service answered the query three weeks after it was made saying that the package has been delivered. Which of course was not the case. I complained again to US postal services and they sent another query to India to which the Indian postal services has chosen not to respond at all.

This was a speed post package which is tagged and should be easily traceable. This incident underscores the rampant corruption prevailing in the Indian postal services. Could you please publish an article on this highlighting the problems faced by NRI as well as resident Indians? If necessary, I could furnish all the details regarding the parcel I had sent.

Jalaj

Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000, 23:16:36EST -0700
Subject: Hindus are cowards

Congratulations! It needs courage to print an article like this in India, but some day someone must bring out the truth. It shames me to find that a Frenchman had to do this for us.

Ravindra Parasnis

Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000, 10:25:10EST
Subject: Hindus are cowards

The article by Francois Gautier was simple, well-written and conveyed a message which should be drilled into every Inidan's head. I am sure that coming as it does from a Frenchman it will be better received among us gullible Indians. I regret the remark but that is how the world perceives us. Having travelled extensively the world over, I have experienced Indians being treated with contempt. I am sure Mr. Gautier is more Indian and Hindu than many Indians themselves. I can understand and relate to his expressions.

My only request to the editorial team at rediff.com is that as Indians we have a moral responsibility to highlight the need of the hour for a country and its people which desperately needs good guidance to better themselves in the eyes of the world. With this in mind it would be ideal if you could position articles such as Mr Gautier's to the top of the news page instead of at the bottom. Most of the leading news forums do the same mistake of consigning great write ups to a corner.

Arvindh Rajaraman

Date: Sun, 19 Jul 2000, 03:47:10EST -0400
Subject: Opportunity knocks

Rajiv Shukla seems to be a thorough secularist. He talks about equal rights for Christians and Muslims. These religions were implanted and supported in India by foreign rulers to subjugate the continent. And what is funny is that after hundreds of years in India they still have to be supported from outside with money and manpower. Why doesn't Mr Shukla write a column about this fact?

Wake up Mr Shukla. Hindus in India do not have any friends in Saudi Arabia or even in USA. We should stop all foreign assistance in the form of money and clergy to religions in India and then everyone can have equal opportunities to propagate their religion with Indian money and Indian manpower.

Vijay Mathur

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