Indira’s patriotism

Apropos of media focus on Professor Andrew’s book on the KGB, can it be anybody’s case that Indira Gandhi would ever...

Apropos of media focus on Professor Andrew’s book on the KGB, can it be anybody’s case that Indira Gandhi would ever be party to compromising on national security? It is worth recalling what Henry Kissinger wrote in White House Years “…she was relentlessly pursuing India’s national interest with single-mindedness and finesse.” With her death anniversary around the corner, it would be fair to record that she was an intense nationalist and, along with Feroze Gandhi and their compatriots, a true socialist. In 1969, she approved the creation of the external intelligence wing, not only because a country of India’s stature needed one but also because the IB, overloaded with internal matters, was unequal to the task of keeping an eye on the activism of the CIA and KGB. The success story was the creation of Bangladesh, among others which cannot be publicised, and the PNE in Pokhran in 1974, about which neither the CIA nor the KGB had a clue.

— Mukund B. Kunte Former additional secretary, RAW New Delhi

Jai Congress!

• The Indian political (read Congress) scenario has always been focused on one simple objective: to acquire and retain power by hook or by crook. Achieving this was, and is, all that matters. Given this history, its obsession with caste equations should not surprise anyone (‘Caste in stone’, IE, Sept 30).

— G.S. Kulkarni Delhi

• The Congress is a secular party in real terms. After it displays the community and caste labels of its candidates to win elections, it immediately discards defeated candidates along with their labels. Only winners can wear the badge of secularism. Jai Hind!

— Inder Nath On e-mail

Great series

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• The Indian Express, through its India Empowered series, has done great service to the country. It has highlighted many ideas. It is fascinating to read how Hero Honda-CII-Escorts Heart Institute has changed the face of a village in Haryana. Similarly, the Dr Swaminathan Foundation has empowered another village in Tamil Nadu. One thing stands out — it is not the government which is the change agent, but industries and NGOs.

— M.D. Kini Ghaziabad

Little science

• The editorial, ‘A sagging magic’ (IE, Sept 30), draws the nation’s attention to a very contemporary issue. The report published by National Science Academy and NCAER is an eye-opener. Big questions mark the selection procedure in academic institutes as well as in autonomous scientific organisations like the ICAR, ICMR, DST, ICFR, and so on. People are selected to top positions because of their personal clout or connections. Merit takes a back seat in the process.

— D.K. Mandal Nagpur

Strange move

• The news report on labeling films ‘A’ if they contain smoking scenes (IE, Sept 29) is revealing. While film makers can get away with vulgarity, nudity and prurience, they will be penalised for portraying realism. Is this yet another compulsion of coalition politics that we have to pamper every shade of political opinion, irrespective of logic? There was a time when posters publicising a film with Rehana Sultana standing with her bare legs exposed was reason enough to classify a film as “adult” fare. We have come a long way since then, it seems!

— S. Kamat On e-mail