LETTERS

BJP

In your Cover Story ("The Laxman line," September 29) doubts have been raised about the credibility of Bharatiya Janata Party president Bangaru Laxman's new political approach towards Muslims. There is also some scepticism therein about Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee's visit to the United States. At Vajpayee's prodding the BJP is changing, and most constituents of the National Democratic Alliance believe so. Some leaders of the Muslim community also seem to be responding, though slowly, to the BJP's overt ures. These developments need to be supported by the press.

The rapport that has developed between Vajpayee and U.S. President Bill Clinton has laid the foundation for a relationship based on mutual respect between the two countries. The U.S. will most likely help India resolve the Kashmir issue.

N.A. Sarma
Hyderabad

Ordnance Factory Board

It was heartening to read the Special Feature on the Ordnance Factory Board and the interview with its Director-General D. Rajagopal (September 29). The good work done by Rajagopal and his devoted team of officers and workmen has earned recognition. This is a rare feature. In the governmental sector good work is often ignored and lapses, if any, are highlighted.

V.P. Nair
Tiruvananthapuram

Mother Teresa

Navin Chawla's tribute to Mother Teresa ("Remembering Mother Teresa," September 29) was impressive and instructive. The quote at the beginning of the article was touching and inspiring. Mother Teresa was the epitome of love and kindness and she enjoyed t he affection and goodwill of all sections of society. Her work of charity was unparalleled. By remembering a great person whose life itself was a message to millions of people around the world, the author has rekindled hopes of a better tomorrow. While o bserving her death anniversary we should take a pledge to dedicate our energy and time to the cause of suffering millions all over the world.

Roy Chacko
Kochi

The NGMA

This has reference to the article "And now the NGMA" (September 29).

Contrary to the opinion that the national emblem has been depicted "in a less than reverential manner," I would say that the painting "An actor rehearsing the interior monologue of Icarus" has drawn on the national emblem only to draw people's attention to it. Ashoka is the only Indian ruler to have publicly renounced violence and made recompense for his own acts of violence. I do not think this element of the Ashoka pillar is what is revered today.

I fail to see any element of irreverence in the painting. The rejection of the painting is an act of cultural terrorism similar to the one the Church practised against art in the 15th century. The action of the National Gallery of Modern Art is cowardly. It does not deserve to represent the great artists of the vibrant contemporary arts scene in India.

Naramani Somnath
Received on e-mail

Tibet

N. Ram has done yeoman service to the people of India through the Cover Story "Tibet: A reality check" (September 15). His exclusive, extensive and experiential travel through the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and his close observation of and intimate co ntact with the people helped him make an objective assessment of the situation. The specific discussions he had with important people have added substance to his own observations.

When the Dalai Lama and his followers fled to India and established their "government-in-exile" at Dharmasala, India permitted that with a clear understanding that he should not carry on political propaganda from its territory. But he has broken that pro mise. His campaign for the independence of Tibet is doomed to fail because more and more people are becoming aware of his sinister political games. One also wonders why the so-called enlightened Lama needs so much wealth, when one of the basic teachings of Buddhism is renunciation and peace.

It is good to hear that the "Tibetan society has become a learning society" and that "it has obtained an annual economic growth of 10 per cent." Could this achievement have ever been possible if the people of Tibet were ruled by the Dalai Lama and the Pa nchen Lama? These leaders would have maintained the entire population of Tibet like herds, forcing them to meditate and pray most of the time. The achievement of the Tibetans in the TAR has been possible only through the process of democratic centralism introduced and implemented systematically by the Chinese government.

At a time when India's policy towards China has become more confusing and less objective, N. Ram's analysis is timely and educative.

Several Indians would agree with Dr. Subramanian Swamy's conclusion ("Sino-Indian relations through the Tibet prism") that: "In my opinion, it is a futile, wasteful and harmful dream to talk of Tibet's independence. India should accept the reality of Tib et being part of China."

However, one observation by N. Ram is debatable. A decade of cultural revolution has brought some sort of all-round calamity, he says. An in-depth study of the various aspects of the Cultural Revolution and its impact on the social and economic developme nt of China will reveal that a deep-rooted, tradition-bound, superstitious and highly exploited society like China required such a shock treatment.

E.P. Menon
Bangalore

It was a thought-provoking and informative article. It is now clear that the allegations made by the Dalai Lama and his associates against China are baseless, false and far from the reality. By their anti-China propaganda carried out from Indian soil Tib etans have been successful in their attempt to spoil Sino-Indian relations.

It was wrong on the part of Jawaharlal Nehru to have received the Dalai Lama and his followers, underestimating the all-round development achieved by China at the time. Since 1960 India has shouldered the responsibility of giving free food, shelter and e ducation to the Tibetan refugees. In order to take care of their education the government has set up a separate department, the Central Tibetan Schools Administration, under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, which runs 22 schools exclusively fo r Tibetans in different parts of the country. These schools are equipped with all kinds of modern facilities. In contrast, several government-run schools in remote areas of the country do not even have classrooms. Many are without blackboards.

It is high time the government took steps to curb the political activities of the Tibetan refugees and their efforts to spoil Sino-Indian relations.

Kamal Pradhan
Darjeeling

A few myths about Tibet have been exposed by a firsthand study of the situation by N. Ram, though a mere five-day trip might not have revealed everything. If China can accept the concept of "one state, two systems" in Hong Kong, there is no reason why th e Dalai Lama cannot be persuaded to return to Tibet with his followers. New Delhi should take the initiative to persuade the Dalai Lama to come to terms with Beijing so that conditions are created for the return of the thousands of refugees, some of whom have never seen their homeland.

Except for some voices of dissent, the majority of people accept the fact that Tibet is part of China. The slogan for a "free Tibet" is mostly political propaganda.

A monastery is not only a treasure-house of objects of religious significance and scriptures but a place for meditation and learning. N. Ram's observation that the monasteries are flourishing without interference from the authorities is heartening. Econo mic development was long neglected in Tibet and it is reassuring that certain developmental activities are improving the quality of life of Tibetans. We have everything to gain by a peaceful and developed Tibet, which can lead to more border trade and ex change of scholars and visitors. The annual pilgrimage to Mount Kailas and Manasarvor can be made less hazardous by establishing a better road link with Tibet.

D.B.N. Murthy
Bangalore

I am a Tibetan student who was fortunate enough to be brought up in India. After all, why would thousands of Tibetans risk their lives every year crossing the treacherous Himalayas? Is it owing to the greener pastures in economic fields India provides (m aybe we would have been better beyond the Himalayas), or is it a simple urge to live in a free environment, to breathe free air, to believe in what you feel is right and to follow what your conscience tells you to do? If N. Ram is really serious about a reality check regarding Tibet, he must make a journey to Dharmasala.
Tenzin Lhaksam
Chandigarh

Historically Tibet was never an integral part of China, it maintained a separate cultural and political identity. It was always outside the scope and purview of the Chinese central authority. The Dalai Lama happened to be both its spiritual and political head, who was illegally ousted by China.

The annexation of Tibet by China would have a most far-reaching consequence on the security situation in the region, particularly for India. It brought an emerging superpower, ambitious to the core and having an expansionist agenda, into direct territori al contact with India. That Jawaharlal Nehru failed to see the Chinese design is another story. The consequence is there for everyone to see.

Rajeev Kumar
Delhi

One cannot but agree that India should mend fences with China, but all papers in the issue seem to hint that India was belligerent with neighbours rather than being a victim of circumstances. China is cold despite our recognising Tibet as part of China b ut which country is going to take the Dalai Lama and all the Tibetan refugees?

Om Verma
Bhopal

I had always considered Frontline a balanced and objective magazine but I was saddened by the propagandist stance it took towards Tibet and the distorted picture of the so-called reality reflected in the Cover Story. The articles were entirely pro -Chinese in content.

Jane Sahi
Bangalore

N. Ram's arguments seem to boil down to the point that China has developed Tibet and that the Dalai Lama and his supporters are reactionaries and "separatists". There is nothing inherently wrong with being a separatist; otherwise we would have to condone Yahya Khan's massacres in 1971 when he targeted people fighting for separation from Pakistan.

The notion of development itself is debatable in Tibet. The Chinese might have developed Tibet but it is no reason for them to rule it; after all, the British contributed greatly to India's industrial development.

The argument that Tibetan ruling establishment was autocratic prior to Chinese rule and hence it would return to autocracy automatically if the Chinese withdraw, sounds like the British arguments in the years preceding Independence. One wonders why N. Ra m chose not to interview a single Tibetan who opposed the Chinese?

Shankar Gopalakrishnan
Received on e-mail

It was disturbing to note that a leading magazine like Frontline has allowed itself to be misled by Subramanian Swamy, supposed to be an expert on Sino-Indian relations ("Sino-Indian relations through the Tibet prism"). The views of the Harvard sc holar are one-sided and distort Tibetan history. What he presented were the views of China, and not observations based on the ground realities in Tibet.

I see no danger from our community to Sino-Indian relations as we listen to our leader's advice to be non-violent. I wonder what will happen to Swamy if we pursue our goal of independence in a violent manner.

Jorden Norbhu
Received on e-mail

It is sad that a reputed magazine like Frontline has presented such wrong perceptions about the contemporary history of Tibet. According to Subramanian Swamy, Tibet has not done anything for India and hence India should not give refuge to Tibetans . He should remember that Tibetans have laid down their lives in defence of India, the Kargil war being the latest example.

Sherry Tenzin Bhumdon
Received on e-mail

AIDS

I was impressed with the fair reporting about the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome situation in South Africa and Uganda ("The Ugandan experience," September 15 and "AIDS and social realities," August 18). I have on my own studied the highly confusing AIDS-complex since around 1987, and after just a few years I came to much the same conclusion as an increasing number of keen observers and clear thinkers among independent, top-ranking scientists and health practitioners: that Robert Gallo's declaration in 1984, endorsed by the United States Secretary for Health and Human Services, that he had found the "probable" cause of the immune deficiency, later named AIDS, is totally void of any value as a scientific proof of causation. Gallo claimed (falsely) t hat he was the discoverer of a new retrovirus, and that he had then found it in a very small number of homosexual men with a deficient immune system. This was the only foundation for his claiming that this new retrovirus - which has never been iso lated, but only "detected" indirectly by way of antibodies - was the "probable" cause of AIDS. The word "probable" was immediately dropped from the HIV-AIDS vocabulary, and soon the media and institutions began pounding in the dogma that "AIDS is caused by the HIV," and that "HIV is the virus that causes AIDS".

The only research funded and authorised since Gallo's declaration has been single-mindedly focussing on this hypothetical retrovirus, and the promotion of highly toxic chemotherapy under the misleading name of "anti-viral" drugs, as the only possible tre atment for this admittedly "mysterious" virus. Never has coincidence, even at a 100 per cent rate, been acceptable as scientific proof of causation. And there is absolutely no other indication of causality than this scanty, partial coincidence, and yet a ll those who live by the AIDS industry aggressively assert (the Durban Declaration) "that the scientific evidence supporting the link between HIV and AIDS was clear cut, exhaustive and unambiguous." Please observe, however, that they only say "evi dence supporting the link between HIV and AIDS", which is not at all the same as saying that HIV is the cause of AIDS. Furthermore, there has never been any proof that HIV - whether it exists or not, whether it is harmless or disease-causing - can be tra nsmitted sexually to any notable degree.

It is all suppositions and assumptions, and all research points to the contrary, namely, that it is extremely difficult to transmit it sexually, or in any other way for that matter.

Finally, the picture of AIDS conjured up by U.S. medical authorities and the pharmaceutical companies is a quagmire of arbitrary or circular definitions, projected estimates without reliable facts, and wildly imaginative visions of what the assumed virus must be doing in the cells in order to satisfy the assumptions that will bring in the most money and achieve the desired political results. Statistics are routinely manipulated to achieve a desired result, and all the African scare statistics are only < I>estimated projections of very few and highly unreliable test results. There are no real facts or proof of any of these fantastic claims, many of which go against the very grain of established medical science. And yet, most physicians seem to swallo w these stories uncritically - or perhaps they dare not question them for fear of losing their jobs, grants and status. Undoubtedly, many are ignorant about viruses and especially retroviruses, which are the field of just a few specialised researchers. I t is, however, then significant that the highly respected U.S. scientist, who was considered the number one expert in the world on retrovirus, Professor Peter Duesberg, was the first high-ranking scientist to sound the alarm and expose the fallacy of Gal lo's claims.

The U.S. health authorities apparently had strong vested interest in the HIV hypothesis and so they used all their powers to disarm Duesberg and uphold Gallo's claims as the only established truth. Instead of answering Duesberg with scientific arguments - which they lack - the tactics of his powerful opponents amount to discrediting him as one gone mad. He has, however, received more and more support from thousands of other independent scientists, of which several are Nobel laureates and highly qualifie d and experienced health practitioners.

Dr. Jens Jerndal
Received on e-mail

Sri Lanka

As an avid Sri Lanka watcher for more than five decades, I agree with most of the facts presented by Prof. V. Suryanarayan ("Towards confrontational politics," September 15). However, the problem did not begin with the change of the Sri Lankan Constituti on in 1972 or 1978. It began in 1950 when Tamil political leaders demanded a 50:50 policy. That is, they wanted 50 per cent of government jobs, university seats and parliamentary seats to be allotted for Sri Lankan Tamils who formed 22 per cent of the po pulation. Tamil leaders made this demand with a view to perpetuate their monopoly on missionary education that they acquired during colonial rule. Thus the beneficiaries of the ethnic war were neither Buddhists nor Hindus but others with vested interests .

Dr. S. Reddy
Renigunta, Andhra Pradesh

Astrology in the syllabus

It is a pity that the University Grants Commission proposes to introduce courses in Vedic astrology and Karamkand at the undergraduate, post-graduate and Ph.D levels ("Update: Another saffronisation move", September 15). In that event India will be the s econd country in the world, after Sri Lanka, to include astrology in university curriculum.

Astrology has failed to stand scientific scrutiny. In astrology, calculations are made on the basis of the assumption that the earth is the centre of the universe, a theory which has been proved false in astronomy. Dr. Abraham Kovoor, a rationalist, has tested the claims made by astrology and proved them false.

Kulwinder
Kadiana, Punjab

Veerappan

Veerappan donning the role of the champion of Tamil nationalism is more dangerous than his earlier 'career' as a sandalwood smuggler and elephant poacher ("A brigand changes his colours," September 1). It is not clear who will be the real beneficiary - V eerappan or his new-found friends in the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army or the Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops. But what is clear is that the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments will have to be extra cautious in their moves to solve the hostage crisis in view o f Veerappan's new "status."

R. Ramasami
Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu

Education

In my review of Dr. Anil Sadgopal's book Shiksha mein Badlaav ka Savaal ("A vision for India's schools," August 18) there is an omission: the cardinal role that the Delhi University has been playing in the development of the Hoshangabad Science Te aching Programme. Since 1973 the contribution of its physics and chemistry teachers to this innovative school of science has been systematic and sustained, with the University Grants Commission supporting it with teacher fellowships.

This is an example of how institutions of higher education can play a constructive role in raising the level of school education. I have myself seen these pioneers in action as they trained and motivated batches after batches of teachers of government-ru n middle schools.

Vasantha Surya
Chennai