Letters To The Editor

Anxious India8226; K. SUBRAHMANYAM is right in advising the government to 8216;drop romantic notions8217; and instead show pragmatism in ...

Anxious India

8226; K. SUBRAHMANYAM is right in advising the government to 8216;drop romantic notions8217; and instead show pragmatism in conducting foreign policy 8216;Be Asian, think global8217;, IE, November 22. Irrespective of which party or coalition mis-rules our country, India tends to be too deferential in dealing with other nations. China is focused on economic development and hence is as eager as India to have a 8216;quiet8217; border; but India8217;s over-anxiety on the issue enables China to keep India constantly on the defensive 8212; as testified by the Chinese envoy8217;s carefully planned 8216;careless8217; statement on how Arunachal Pradesh belongs to China! We gloat ad nauseam whenever the US, China or other nations refer to India as a global power, but continue to deal with these nations as a submissive supplicant, because we ourselves do not believe that we are a global power.

8212; R.P. Subramanian, Delhi

Medieval brand

8226; THE report, 8216;Branding Children8217; November 21, is undoubtedly shocking, but what is happening is the rule, not the exception. I know of a small boy who had a minor head injury. The stitching and dressing cost Rs 2,000 taken in advance, with medicines sold separately. This was for 20 minutes of work. His parents hardly earn Rs 3,000 a month. Many patients who are taken to nursing homes are immediately put on the drip; and along with the cost of the bed, middle-class families are being squeezed dry. As a result, quacks and roadside practitioners are preferred. And instead of appropriate medicine they turn to voodoo practices. Therefore, condemning illiterate people for following this because the world has gone sophisticated is unfair. The modern medical system pampers the aristocratic child and sidelines the poor and illiterate.

8212; Mohite K. Dasgupta, Gurgaon

Listen to them!

8226; THIS refers to the report, 8216;Protests over Afzal freeze opening of Winter House8217; IE, November 24. Terrorists attack our Parliament, the patriotic security personnel lay down their lives and save the politicians, the judiciary does its job. What an irony that the very same parliamentarians do not speak in one voice, and instead are out to score points on the issue. Parliament should demand in one voice the immediate hanging of the terrorist and thereby send a signal to the people of India that there can be no compromise when the country is attacked.

8212; Kedarnath R. Aiyar, Mumbai

Blue funk

8226; INDIA8217;S dismal performance in cricket in recent times warrants concern. Young players have little opportunity to learn from their seniors any more. The process of induction and their performance make this clear, especially since many of them are already playing in the eleven. The selectors don8217;t seem to have the patience to prepare them to become full-blooded players who can withstand pressure before their induction into international cricket. By making the likes of Kumble, Laxman, or for that matter Saurav Ganguly, sit out, the selectors are exposing the young players to the extreme test of international cricket, thus undermining their confidence at an early stage of their career 8212; which has its final ill effect on the whole team.

8212; Krishna R. Patel, Narsingpur, MP