Opinion Low thoughts?
Maharashtra has produced great patriots who sacrificed their lives for the nation. Though proud of being Marathi,they were not chauvinists....
Maharashtra has produced great patriots who sacrificed their lives for the nation. Though proud of being Marathi,they were not chauvinists. Sachin Tendulkar belongs to that tradition. He is a truly national icon and he spoke like one when he said he is first an Indian. The likes of Bal Thackeray or the MNS cannot understand such noble sentiments. Most Maharashtrians feel outraged by the Shiv Sena chiefs slur on their nationalism.
V. Venkatasubramanian
Road blues
This refers to the editorial On the road,(IE,November 19). The figures are indeed dismal. The Indian Express has done a great job of engaging with the problem. There is no earthly reason why we deserve our kind of traffic or the chaos on our roads.What we lack is self-discipline. In the classic Indian urban tradition,we want to be policed. There is no driving culture,road ethics,lane compliance,etc. But who is to blame? And what can we do to rectify the situation? First,the focus of the government and the public outcry are misplaced. Stricter enforcement can only be really effective if it follows basic traffic education and revamping the licensing regime.
Second,since a licence has the most obvious and unique connection with a driver,the licence card should contain the full history of the drivers offences. This can be done by digitising the system. Repeat offenders lose their licence or see it suspended. Third,the state must have the legal mandate to standardise road lanes and signs all over the country.
Anish Dayal
Noida
His low bow
It is understandable that the American press is very critical of Barack Obamas China visit (In the dragons lair,IE,November 20). He was only too eager to please the Chinese in order to establish a strategic partnership. He stooped too low,not to conquer,but only to face ridicule back home. It is unfortunate that to appease Beijing he was even ready to upset the Asian democracies. He was clearly outmanoeuvred in discussions on substantive issues by the Chinese who saw in him a novice in international diplomacy. In comparison,Richard Nixon,even as US vice president,had shown greater audacity in his famous Kitchen Debate with Nikita Khrushchev at the height of the Cold War in 1959.
V.V.S. Mani
Barack Obama has bowed far too low before China. His approval of Chinas role in Indo-Pak ties and other imperatives of South Asia have impressed Beijing. Perhaps Obama feels that the USs superpower status is no more the only influential one. No doubt China leads the global financial recovery,but one should also note that it is still not an absolute superpower. In social stability and technology,China is still not at par with the US or West Europe. Manmohan Singhs US visit should clear some of the air,but India needs a clear stance towards China to ensure our foreign policy faces no interference.
Adarsh Ladda
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