Personality matters

This refers to 8216;Few turn up for Pratibha speech at Senate8217; and First Brazil now Mexico8217;. It is ridiculous to blame Brazil...

8226;This refers to 8216;Few turn up for Pratibha speech at Senate8217; and 8216;First Brazil now Mexico8217;. It is ridiculous to blame Brazil or Mexico for not showing the

Indian president the respect due to her. To be honest, how big an audience would Pratibha Patil command in her own country? It has always been clear that the UPA placed an insignificant person in Rashtrapati Bhavan on purely political considerations. That this president is a mere rubber-stamp is obvious even to foreigners. Respect is to be earned and not demanded, and Pratibha Patil comes off poorly in that regard.

8212; B.R. Malhotra

New Delhi

Way old friends do it

8226;THE foreign minister8217;s visit to Saudi Arabia is welcome 8216;Bridging the Gulf8217;. India8217;s foreign policy has been too focused on Pakistan, China, Russia and the erstwhile Soviet Union and the United States. During India8217;s early years as a republic, we built contacts with the rest of the 8220;third world8221; through the Non-Aligned Movement. After the Cold War, it was belatedly realised that we needed to diversify our diplomatic efforts. The 8220;Look East8221; policy and establishing relations with Israel were part of the new framework. However, it was being felt in certain quarters that post-Cold War India was neglecting its old ties.

Thus the importance of the recent Africa Summit in Delhi. And, as your editorial points out, it is time now for the prime minister to visit the Gulf states. The Saudi king, during his 2006 visit, had hinted at assisting India get observer status at the Organisation of Islamic Countries. Such an achievement would be a big leap in India8217;s international profile as a 8220;bridge power8221;. Therefore, we should open our eyes to the world out there.

8212; Pranav Sachdeva

New Delhi

Cash courses

8226;SANDIPAN Deb8217;s article 8216;Target B-school Blind to The World8217; was appropriate at a time when there are educational fairs in the city. At these fairs, everyone inquires about MBA programmes and little else. Students too ask for these programmes only since they see these as the ticket to a lucrative job. Given the fact there is more enthusiasm about placements, very few are interested in the job structure or the knowledge to be acquired from the courses themselves.

One hopes that parents and wards would read the article which could change people8217;s perspective on education as a whole. It is time children became aware of their surroundings and not just about what is in the textbook.

8212; Rahul Mudholkar

Pune

His place in the sun

8226;ARJUN Singh8217;s rhetoric about Rahul Gandhi was the pinnacle of sycophancy. It was a blatantly shameless attempt to secure his own place with regard to the Gandhi family and the Congress. Of course, there is a long history of Congress veterans praising the Nehru-Gandhis publicly. This not only helps them demonstrate their loyalty but also limits the chances of their rivals.

8212; Prabhakar Kandpal

Delhi