Remember?

8226; Remember Andhra Pradesh 27 years ago? 8220;Advance warning systems will ...

8226; Remember Andhra Pradesh 27 years ago? 8220;Advance warning systems will be put in place.8221; Remember Orissa not so long back? 8220;Advance warning systems will be put in place.8221; The fine things just keep on being put in place: and there they stick.

8212; Mukul Dube Delhi

Remembering MS

8226; I read Saeed Naqvi8217;s 8216;That voice of silk and flame8217; IE, December 17. I am reminded of a concert I attended. It was around 1954. The Ramakrishna Mission headquarters at Punchkuian Road, New Delhi, held the concert at the South Indian School Building near the Birla Temple to raise funds for the Library Block in their premises. Jawahar Lal Nehru was present in the gathering that consisted mostly of South Indians. I could not understand Tamil, but was enthralled by MS8217;s songs and bhajans. Her voice and rendition of the songs was so unique. I was uplifted by her songs to spiritual sublimation. An unusual experience of joy and peace. Only at the end of the concert did I realise where I was. Everyone was moved. Even the prime minister remarked 8216;8216;What am I, a mere prime minister. You are the queen of music8217;8217;.

8212; M.G. Sharma Delhi

Two together

8226; This refers to Jasjit Singh8217;s 8216;Can we bridge this Gulf?8217; IE, December 31. It8217;s high time India and Pakistan get their act sorted out. They must realise that both will be treated with disdain by the western powers if they don8217;t. They must now declare that the Gulf and the Indian Ocean is their sphere of influence. Together they have both the economic and military might to impose their writ.

8212; Jaseem Siddiqui Dublin

Only sympathy

8226; I read your editorial 8216;Framing the Tsunami8217; IE, December 31 about the perceived insensitivity of the western media in covering the Asian disaster compared to 9/11. As a westerner who loves India and the Indian people, I understand those sentiments. But I believe that what the media coverage has achieved by taking a more emotive stance is the tremendous support of the British public. Here in the UK, the reaction to the BBC and the British networks has been one of sympathy alone. I recognise that there is no value of a purely commercial reaction to enormous suffering, but believe that a sympathetic reaction to a natural disaster which has left the world aghast has been achieved in the West by delivering the devastating reality to the television viewer.

8212; Lisa Baitp On e-mail

8226; Let8217;s direct our righteous anger to useful ends. You say yourself that in the chaotic moments after 9/11, TV footage showed people jumping from buildings. Early coverage of the tsunami havoc could be considered in this vein. That apart, coverage is a double-edged sword. The heightened media coverage is what has caused the tremendous worldwide response in humanitarian aid. In its absence, this region of the world would have been forgotten, as are many places in Africa. Do we want that?

8212; Shekar Sarma Bangalore

8226; The writer of the piece, 8216;Zero as hero8217; IE, December 31 was M.K.D. Prasada Rao and not K. Durga Prasad. The error is regretted.

8212; Editor