Male bastion• Two women — Sushma Swaraj, BJP leader, and Girija Vyas, chairperson, National Women’s Commission — have been attacking the vice chief of army staff over his alleged statements on women and the army. I want to sincerely ask them who they would delegate for the following responsibilities if they were commanding officers of a regiment: a) lead a convoy of 200 vehicles from Udhampur to Leh and beyond, amidst natural calamities and enemy interference; b) organise an accident vehicle and casualty recovery in mountainous terrain at night; c) carry out a surprise check of guards between 1 am and 3 am, under inclement weather conditions. Let me ask them whether they would ever consider sending their daughters to the army, where tasks such these have to be undertaken?— Shri Krishan, Gurgaon• This is with reference to the suicide of 25-year-old Sushmita Chakraborty. While this may the first instance of a woman officer ending her life, there have been instances of an Indian army lieutenant committing suicide by shooting himself with his own service rifle in Rajouri district in 2005, and of a soldier killing three colleagues in J&K in 2002. All these instances were driven by depression, anxiety, frustration and job dissatisfaction. Instead of acknowledging this, senior officers like Army Vice-Chief Lieutenant General S. Pattabhiraman seem to believe that it is the presence of women in the army that is the problem. This is irresponsible, to say the least.— M. Sabir Ansari, New DelhiTreat her gently• The tragic death of Lt Sushmita Chakraborty, the first suicide by a lady officer in the Indian army, has led to a flood of shocked responses from society. But no one seemed to pay much attention to her brother’s words: “It was depression — nothing else.” Unfortunately only those who have loved ones struggling with depression would have understood him.Today millions of Indians are receiving no treatment for depression, a severe mental illness. Most do not know that depression is an illness of the mind and that it needs to be treated with medication combined with a great deal of love, support and understanding; that when it becomes severe, the patient needs to be hospitalised. Hospitalisation, timely help, support and buffer mechanisms could have prevented this suicide.— Rukmini Pillai, New DelhiRock edict• That anyone aspiring to a political career in Uma Bharati’s BJSP has to accept a code of conduct that ensures that he or she “won’t have any vice” (IE, June 20) is quite natural. After all, Uma Bharati is known to attach utmost importance to virtues like purity, honesty, integrity, and so on. But she can do even greater service to the people of this country by adopting this primary code: “If I’m in politics, I’m not a sanayasi. If I’m a sanayasi, I’m not in politics!”— Devendra Narain, GurgaonComment’s scope• This is in reference to ‘Telescope’, Shailaja Bajpai’s column (IE, June 19). I take strong exception to her uncharitable and unwarranted remarks about TV commentator Harsha Bhogle. She need not like him but she has no right to comment on ESPN’s choice of Harsha as a commentator. It is for that channel to decide whether he is fit to do the job.— Narendra M. Apte Mumbai
