Tags:
Journalism of Courage
8226; I must thank you for publishing the series of reports on India8217;s heritage. There are 26 cultural and natural sites in the country listed as world heritage sites, besides many other which deserve to be included in the list. Most of these sites are in awful state of preservation. In your report on Khajuraho IE, June 15, you quote O.D. Shukla, assistant superintending archaeologist, as saying, 8220;We are using extremely diluted chemicals, constituting only five per cent of the chemical.8221; Is the conservation of a World Heritage site now being supervised by an archaeologist? Is there a trained conservationist included in the team? What are those chemicals being used to clean stone surfaces and how did he come to the conclusion that five per cent solution is safe for the stone? Have there been scientific tests to ascertain its suitability? These are some questions the authorities must answer. The public, after all, has a right to information.
8212; Satish Pandey Oxford
8212; C. Wijeyasingha New Orleans
8226; The Elephanta provides further evidence of a myopic bureaucracy and a political leadership lacking any sense of history, economics or aesthetics. A plea to Sonia Gandhi and a dharna outside Varsha would appear to be the only way to break the stony silence.
8212; Victor Memon Mumbai
Flat world
8226; I compliment Shekhar Gupta for interviewing Thomas Friedman IE, June 14. A world with a level playing field is flat only for those with skills to play globally. Relative to Pakistan, published reports say India has made progress in many different areas, yet recently published data indicate that Pakistan8217;s indices are better than India8217;s. How did this come about?
8212; Kishan Bhatia On e-mail
BJP, thank Advani
8226; If Advani withdrew his resignation after consulting his party colleagues, it is safe to presume that substantial part of BJP leadership is in a mood to challenge the VHP and Bajarang Dal 8216;Day after Sudarshan swipe, RSS slams BJP: Advani should have gone8217;, IE, June 13. This is a happy development.
8212; Tryambaklal U. Mehta Ahmedabad
8226; I believe the RSS has an important role to play in strengthening the public understanding of the Hindu value system by propagating them and emphasising their relevance to today8217;s society. The Hindu public has been raised on misconceptions and often miss the core values while chasing symbolisms. The RSS can effectively address this situation if it can modify its goals to suit a changing world. True secularism and the Hindu belief system aren8217;t mutually exclusive. Trying to make India a Hindu rashtra is counterproductive.
8212; Giri Girishankar On e-mail
