Letters to the editor

DRDO and don8217;t8226; THE editorial, 8216;Guns, not butter8217; IE, September 4, is a continuation of the tirade that you had launc...

DRDO and don8217;t

8226; THE editorial, 8216;Guns, not butter8217; IE, September 4, is a continuation of the tirade that you had launched against the DRDO in a series of articles last year. Why is there is so much outrage about the NCAER finding useful spin-offs accruing from the DRDO8217;s efforts? All said and done, the DRDO has acquired its poor image mostly because of its lacklustre public relations. Apart from not highlighting its achievements, it has very rarely countered criticism even when its reputation is directly involved. It may be recalled how there was no protest when its fuze FBRN was indicted immediately after a fatal aircraft accident, even before a cursory inquiry was conducted. The DRDO can emulate some other government departments, which do not hesitate to publicise even their failures as great success stories and stay in the limelight. The least DRDO can do is invite journalists to its labs and show them the successes that have emerged from its efforts.

8212; Raghubir Singh, Pune

Left nationalism

8226; PLEASE allow me to contradict the 8216;historical evidence8217; cited in the letter 8216;Left patriots8217;, which won the 8216;Letter of the Week8217; award IE, August 30. History demonstrates that communism was never about waging a freedom struggle but about creating a parsimonious society where achievers are exploited by the non-achievers, in keeping with the maxim 8216;From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs8217;. Can the politburo of this proletarian society, or the writer of the letter, give one plausible excuse why communists did not support the Quit India Movement? How could connoting Gandhi8217;s and Nehru8217;s conviction that Hitler was a greater threat to India than the British absolve the communists of not supporting the Quit India Movement? Their stance on the November 1962 Chinese aggression and their insinuation that India could well have been the aggressor is not only preposterous but anti-national. If the RSS did not participate in the freedom struggle, as the writer defensively points out, neither did they side with the British like these comrades. Your admiration for this letter is, to say the least, bewildering.

8212; A.G. Brace, Baroda

US since 9/11

8226; ON the sixth anniversary of the tragic 9/11 episode, the people of United States have to think about what President Bush and his government have really achieved for them so far. This is the time Americans must analyse their country8217;s relationship with the rest of the world. Have they more friends or enemies now? They must assess for themselves how successful President Bush and his government have been in keeping terrorism at bay. In fact, the incessant blunders made by the Bush administration on strategic and policy issues have not only damaged America8217;s reputation badly but also created more enemies for it than friends since the 9/11.

8212; K. Padmavalli, Hyderabad

Useful recall

8226; THE Indian Express8217;s series, 8216;Express Freedom, 1947-20078217;, was very interesting and provided a glimpse into the history of the period preceding Partition. It also reminded us of those who did not participate in the freedom movement and never went to jails, yet successfully carved out a separate country for themselves by partitioning India.

8212; R.K. Bhanti, Bhavnagar