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Reader?s Forum
Alluring to convert (Organiser, 15-4-2007); After reading my friend Shri Lokpal Sethi?s report on the Sriganganagar incident, I was left wondering whether Hinduism has become so weak that India should adopt the Saudi Arabian model to protect the majority Hindus from a miniscule, four per cent Christian population. According to Shri Sethi, two evangelists were caught in the act in Sriganganagar?a border district. He says their crime was to ?lure? sections of people to Christianity. The evidence includes the fact that they travelled from Punjab to Sriganganagar, that they carried Christian literature and that they were promising better life for the innocent people and jobs if they adopted Christianity. They also had a lot of money. But when has it become anti-national for an Indian citizen alone or in groups to travel from one part of the country to another? Shri Sethi speaks as if carrying one or two mobiles and a laptop is a crime. What was there in the laptop? Caste-wise data. Is this any secret when newspapers are daily giving caste-wise data in every constituency in poll-bound UP? Shri Sethi seems to depend too much on unspecified ?intelligence agencies?. However he should be aware of how unreliable these ?agencies? are and in how many cases have innocent people been harassed by them. For instance, in the well-known case against Ram Startup, ?intelligence agencies? found ?incriminating material? against him but in the court it turned out to be nothing more than PIB press releases. The court strongly censured these ?agencies?. It is also news to me that setting up educational institutions, as the EMI has done, is a crime and that the state has unrestricted powers to take over such institutions. Rajasthan High Court has rightly invalidated the government takeover. As for offering jobs for conversion, not even a stupid pastor would do that when millions are waiting for jobs because no one can have such resources to fool them. As far as I know about the Constitution, propagating Christian or any other religious literature or even preaching of atheism is not a crime?in fact carrying on any propagation of any religion is a basic right guaranteed to every citizen. So how do the EMI pastors become criminals if their laptop has or if they carry a lot of material on Christianity? Has Government declared Christianity a dangerous movement and proscribed all Christian literature?
?RAJENDRA PRABHU,
New Delhi
Muslim fetish makes parties go berserk (Organiser, 22-4-2007); I have been reading about the CD allegedly produced by the BJP. It has been the norm of electioneering campaign in all the democracies around the world to highlight the national interests. If the problem facing the nation is not highlighted by the political ideologies, then who is going to bring it to the attention of the common citizen on the street? India is an agricultural country and majority people live in rural areas. Most of them cannot read or understand the jargon of the electronic and the print media (particularly the English media). In those circumstances their leaders have to educate them in their mother tongue about the issues that are facing the nation.
?DR. MADHUKAR AMBEKAR,
109 Ealing Village, London, W5 2EB
The Rake?s progress (Organiser, 22-4-2007); While reading the article, I was forced to think over the plight and status of Hindus in their own country. It is a harsh truth that the present disgrace and deep repugnance have been thrust on us by our own so-called secular rulers, who for the gratification of their selfish interests do not hesitate to denigrate our cultural heritage, injure Hindu psyche and adopt methods of historical distortion.
?O.P. BATRA,
C-517, Yojana Vihar, Delhi
Newspapers as ?the dinosaurs of the media? (Organiser, 22-4-2007); I am surprised to read this article and the previous one on media. However, we ought to know more than others that English print media controlled by a few greedy and shortsighted media barons is responsible for lopsided sickening pseudo secularism, developing a negative feeling about our nation, highly biased and many times irresponsible misuse of their papers and freedom of the press. In these papers, you can abuse a Hindu, their majority readers. But they don?t have the guts to call a spade a spade when it comes to Muslims and Christians.
?KRISHNA R. KUMAR,
5, Kasturi Apartments, Shiribeedu, Udupi
A new form of bondage in Tamil Nadu (Organiser, 15-4-2007); Whatever be the truth or otherwise of the study on child abuse, I am of the firm belief that the solution for this does not lie in sex education, but in imparting moral values and handing out severe punishments and social ostracisation of the perpetrators of heinous crimes involving children. Sex education is a western concept, where family and moral values are somewhat deficient. It is not necessary in our country. Perversions are practised because of moral degradation. Parents of the children should be extra careful in protecting their children. In what way will sex education help perverts, or in preventing perversion? Filmy crudity and violence should be strictly censored. What is actually needed is the revival of moral science as a compulsory subject right from class 1.
?G. VIJAYALAKSHMI,
74, Pushpanagar Main Road, Chennai
UP?s minority politics gets a rap from judiciary (Organiser, 15-4-2007); The Allahabad High Court has raised the question of defining minority. There is no doubt about Muslim and Christians being minority numerically compared to the entire population of India. Real question is who enjoys majority? Other Indians, except Muslims and Christians, express their identity in term of their caste, region, language, tribe etc. each of which is numerically limited and therefore minority. Comparatively, only Muslims and Christians, considering their global status and local politics, are powerful and enjoy majority rights.
?S.D. LAGHATE,
Sankat Mochan Ashram, Ram Krishna Puram-6, New Delhi
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The standpoint of Congress and its allies towards judiciary appears to be suspicious, fictitious and incredible. The same has been proved by their hue and cry against the order of Allahabad High Court questioning the minority status for Muslims in UP state. The court maintained that the religious community, which has 18 per cent of the state population, cannot be treated as minority. Similarly, hue and cry is being raised by these elements against unprecedented verdict of Supreme Court to put a stay on 27 per cent reservation for other backward classes in higher educational institutions.
?SRIDHAR V. KULKARNI,
Kalyan (West), Thane
Is Hindu vote bank feasible? (Organiser, 15-4-2007); This refers to Shri Deen Dayal?s letter. I am grateful to Organiser for including my article in the special issue on the above subject, especially when it went against the mainstream idea of its editorial and most articles. In the letter, the writer finds fault with my saying ?Jinnah advanced the theory of religion formed the basis of the nation?. Then he goes on to explain what Jinnah considered Muslims to be a different nation from Hindus. I am not convinced that in India, Hindus should be ?first? to enjoy the country?s products and privileges. There should not be first-class and second-class citizens in a democracy. If Muslim countries think differently, it doesn?t mean we should imitate them. According to Pakistan Constitution, its President should be a Muslim. But hardly any right-thinking Hindu regrets that Dr Kalam is our President.
?N. KUNJU,
42-B, Pocket 1, Mayur Vihar 1, Delhi
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Hindu vote bank is feasible, as it became feasible with the emerging of national issues like common civil code, Ram Mandir, etc. It could have been strengthened but as soon as the NDA government took charge at the centre, leaving aside these vital election issues, the Hindu vote felt deceived. Now again some political elements have started talking about the Hindu interests and you see the results of elections held in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Delhi. Hindus have shown in Gujarat that they are a nation and they can go to any extent for the safety of their motherland.
?SHRI RAM SHARMA,
Khachariawas, Sikar, Rajasthan
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The special issue of Organiser on feasibility of Hindu vote bank is a rich compilation of opinions for establishing a Hindu rashtra through a strong Hindu vote bank so that Hindus live with dignity and honour in Bharat. Most authors more or less are in favour of such a Hindu vote bank in order to protect Hindu dharma, culture, lifestyle, etc. It goes without saying that all Hindus will not include themselves in a Hindu vote bank many considering themselves secular, liberal or progressive but it is also possible to establish a Hindu rajya with a consolidation of 40 per cent Hindu votes, which will work in the interest of 100 per cent Hindus.
?DR (MAJ.) UMACHARAN PANIGRAHI,
Station Road, Rayagada
UPA has no policy or interest to confront Maoists (Organiser, 15-4-2007); The write up was very enlightening and causes concern, seeing UPA?s approach towards Maoists. The writer has rightly said that the Naxalite movement presents a huge challenge to India?s peace, security and overall well-being. This challenge could be successfully tackled if the measures advised in the write up are taken in conjunction with the task of reforming the state and the society and the values underpinning them.
?A. RAVI,
Bangalore
Don?t destroy our heritage (Organiser, 8-4-2007); Your editorial and other write ups made it dear that issue of Ram Sethu is similar to that of Ram temple at Ayodhya, where all types of national campaigns from all right-thinking persons/organisations is the need of the hour. The way the government is treating this issue shows that Hindu sentiments are being suppressed. In order to curb this shocking event, Hindus should come forward for their own help, only then God will help them.
?LAKSHMICHAND,
Bandh, Kasauli, Solan
UPA destroys the great CBI reputation (Organiser, 8-4-2007); The ideology, policies and programmes of UPA have only one single aim that is to remain in power at the cost of anything and everything. Day in and day out, calculated damage is being done by UPA to Indian culture, Indian economy and Indian territory, causing advantage to our enemies. To save their criminal cadres, Congress is now utilising CBI to acquit or award marginal punishment to 1984 anti-Sikh riots criminals.
?PRAMOD VALSANGKAR,
1-10-19, Road No. 8A, Dwarakapuram, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad
Globalisation, challenge of imperialism (Organiser, 25-3-2007); Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) rightly says that the loss of economic sovereignty endangers nation?s political and cultural sovereignty. White man?s burden of yore turned the golden sparrow into a sparrow of clay, which is likely to he devoured by globalisation in the garb of fast-growing market economy. While the former severed weavers? thumbs through their army of occupation, the latter is doing the same through modern Jai Chands. Fast-growing economy flows through the barrel of fair competition, which the new imperialists are curtailing on one pretext or the other.
?PRAN SALHOTRA,
574, Krishan Nagar, Gurdaspur
Moral degeneration: A few weeks ago, many newspapers published photos of an NRI, Arun Nayyar and cinema actress Elizabeth Hurley, who performed their marriage for three days in the UK and for another three days in India. Thereafter newspapers reported about the marriage of Abhishek Bachchan, a cinema actor and expensive endorser of commercial advertisements, and Ashwarya Rai. But can these beauties and cinema stars inspire young people of our country? It is cultural and moral degeneration to sensationalise this type of the marriages of entertainers and commercialisers of beauty and wealth. The expenses on these cinematic marriages are conspicuous consumption deserving to be taxed exorbitantly and punitively.
?S. KRISHNAVENI,
34, Janakpuri, Secunderabad
Medical reports of women: It refers to central government withdrawing its circular asking women bureaucrats to provide additional details of menstrual history, pregnancy and mammography result in health check-up reports required to be submitted with Annual Performance Appraisal reports of bureaucrats. Such information from woman bureaucrats should not be resisted when there is no objection against such information being furnished in female medical reports for purposes like insurance policies. Medical reports of women are incomplete without these details.
?MADHU AGRAWAL,
1775, Kucha Lattushah, Dariba, Delhi
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