No namaskar• I WAS shocked to see the persistence of the Madhya Pradesh government in carrying on with its agenda to hold Surya Namaskar in all schools. The press has reported that Muslims and many Hindus have protested against this compulsory ritual being performed, both on religious and rationalist grounds. It is well-known that no Muslim has objected to getting yoga lessons — they object only to the Surya Namaskar. Notwithstanding this, the MP government’s stance is deliberately provocative. Even the Supreme Court has held that the compulsory singing of a song is a denial of constitutional rights. Secular parties cannot afford to remain passive spectators on this issue. Only protest will bring some sanity on this issue.— Rajindar Sachar, New DelhiOscar dip• FORECAST for the next few weeks: Indian in drawing rooms/bars/coffee shops, in the media, Indian netas, everyone will raise a toast to Deepa Mehta and her film, Water, for keeping the Indian flag aloft at the Oscars. India will be re-touted as ‘having arrived’, being the ‘flavour of the world’ and the ‘next economic and cultural superpower’. If her film wins an Oscar, she’ll be 2007’s Indian of the Year and may even get the Padma Shree or even the Padma Bhushan. In the bargain, we would have completely ignored the fact that Water is actually Canada’s entry to the Oscars. Also, that Ms Mehta was hounded out of Varanasi by our people when she tried to shoot a film that was finally shot in Sri Lanka. — Bharatram Gaba, MumbaiBJP Bangalored• THIS is with reference to the piece, ‘Polarised politics in hi-tech city’ (IE, January 24). The writer clearly blames the BJP for the riots and has hidden the fact that the Hindu programmes were announced months ago, while the Muslim rally in support of the hanged ex-dictator, Saddam Hussain, was announced very recently. I guess, in the secular lexicon, it is the Hindus that should meekly give way to the demands Muslim fundamentalists, irrespective of how unreasonable they are.— Ashok Chowgule, GoaA different Day• CAN we all make this Republic Day different from those in the past? Our country needs a lot of changes for the better. We know from experience that it is futile to depend on the government for everything. The politicians, the bureaucrats and the local worthies have evolved systems which are not always people-friendly. We can make quality changes in the neighbourhood if we work together as a community or interest group and discuss common issues to arrive at agreeable solutions. By doing this, we will be giving ourselves a better and more organised civil society. — A.R.K. Pillai, Mumbai
