Raj relics
* This refers to PIL urges SC to do away with my lord,your lordship (IE,November 12 ). The PIL,filed by Shiv Sagar Tiwari in the Supreme Court,pleading that the archaic forms of address used for judges in courts of law be done away with,is most welcome and in tune with the times. Some appropriate words that could be considered as replacements for my lord and your lordship are sir and mahodaya. It must be noted that the currently used forms of address are relics of the Raj and are not fit to be used in independent India.
R.P. Shahi
Into the future
* Apropos Pratap Bhanu Mehtas article The old familiar (IE,November 15),the political class in India continues to look at society through the prism of caste,creed and religion. Even young politicians who have the benefit of a modern education have the same old jaded vision. A true leader needs to be able to transcend the moment and work towards achieving the India of tomorrow. For this they must have foresight. This may mean they will suffer temporary losses for taking up issues that seem out of sync with the present moment. Unfortunately,our current crop of politicians operate on a strict cost-benefit basis. None of them have ideas which
will propel us into the future. The more things change,the more they stay the same.
Kiran Yadav
Etah
Boycott the ban
* This refers to the editorial Count us in (IE,November 13) about the first phase of polling for the Chhattisgarh assembly elections. The massive number of voters who came out to exercise their franchise was a befitting reply to the Maoists call to boycott the elections. The conscientious citizens of Chhattisgarh have shown their faith in Indian democracy. The large-scale deployment of security forces further boosted peoples courage to defy the Maoist diktat. The enthusiastic youth,especially from the less privileged sections of society,are examples for the rest of us to cast our vote fearlessly.
Tarun Kumar
Bokaro Steel City
Tread with caution
* This refers to Respected pradhan mantriji by Jaithirth Rao (IE,November 14 ). The government is right to be cautious in granting its approval to GM crops. There are troubling questions on their safety and environmental impact. Europe,Japan and other nations have also refrained from granting blanket approval to GM crops. Critics assert these crops need more agrochemicals for their cultivation.
H.N. Ramakrishna
