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Cakes and bread IT looks like the French revolution revisited (“Spectre of hunger”, May 23). Blaming the changing food habits of the people of India and China for the current food crisis has an ominous similarity with the infamous Marie-Antoinette statement asking people to eat cakes if they do not have bread. And as in the case of French during the revolution, when the difference between the extravagant lives of the nobles and the poverty of the commoners became all too apparent and disgusting, today the contrast between the huge and wasteful consumption of the West and the acute hunger and starvation in many Afro-Asian countries is too stark to be ignored. The enormity of the situation could be understood from the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s report that says that around 852 million men, women and children globally are chronically hungry because of extreme poverty, and up to 2 billion people lack food security intermittently because of varying degrees of poverty. The situation is likely to worsen with unchecked population growth, environmental degradation and climatic changes, loss of agricultural land, income and technological disparities, and so on. Already food riots are taking place in many countries across the world. The casual response of many leaders does not augur well for the world.
Amitabh Thakur
The thought-provoking and insightful Cover Story made it clear that Tibet was a question that China should deal with without external interference (“Question of Tibet”, May 23). The article was an eye-opener as far as the development of the Tibet Autonomous Region is concerned. It cited facts to prove that the steps taken by the Chinese government to develop this region are impressive and are far more substantial than any other government’s efforts to facilitate the growth of its regions. Moreover, the Olympic games should not be used to settle political scores as it goes against the very spirit of the games.
Dr. Shivani Goel Panchkula, The Cover Story was good and timely. The anti-China propaganda by Tibetans in exile and non-governmental organisations is unjust and they will never succeed. Tibet is inalienable part of China and there is no room for bargain. It is time the perpetrators of imperialism realised this and amended their ways. China is open for discussion but it will be a great mistake if anyone demands division of its territory.
Dr. Prakash C. Rao I read with great interest the Cover Story which highlighted the Western media’s distortion of facts regarding Tibet. It is clear all-round development has taken place in Tibet under the guidance of the Chinese government. Thanks to the government’s policy, 1,50, 000 Tibetans live in India. India is already host to refugees from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It has to settle the border issues with its neighbours and work towards creating conditions for the return of the refugees.
K.V.S. Krishna When India does not stand to benefit even a bit from sympathising with the Tibetans in their current agitation, antagonising China by expressing our solidarity with their cause will be counterproductive.
K.P. Rajan Freedom is the birth right of Tibetans. Their struggle cannot be criticised on the ground that Tibet is blooming in every sphere of under the Communist government of China.
Prashant Singh Not many Indians who are well-informed and intelligent would agree with the views of N. Ram on Tibet. It was a sovereign, peaceful country until it was forcibly occupied by the Red Army in 1949, when the world looked the other way, preoccupied as it was with the problems that arose in the wake of the Second World War. And India was coping with the trauma of Partition then. China has no claim over Tibet, as Bush has no claim over Iraq. Both countries are under foreign occupation. At least Iraq has a self-government and the Americans are likely to vacate it sooner than later. This is not the case with Tibet.
M.M. Kotian
The skyrocketing prices of basic food items have led to riots in Egypt and other parts of the world (“Spectre of hunger”, May 23). Food scarcity and soaring fuel prices would compound the damaging effects of global warming. The number of disasters has doubled in the last two decades owing to climate change. The agricultural sector needs to double food production, using less water than it uses today. Increasing food prices lead to hunger and malnutrition, which in turn stunts the physical and intellectual growth of the poor. While many worry about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs.
T.V. Jayaprakash Satellites
By putting ten satellites into orbits at one go on April 28, G. Madhavan Nair and his team at ISRO have conquered the space frontier technology for India (“A perfect 10”, May 23) . The ISRO Chairman deserves praise for putting the organisation on a par with the best space research centres across the world. In the midst of stories of starvation deaths and farmers’ suicides, our scientists have given us a reason to celebrate.
S. Balakrishnan The article was informative and interesting . The launch of 10 satellites using a single rocket will go down as a proud and memorable moment in the history of space research in India.
Ankur Paliwal
The historic launch is yet another feather in ISRO’s cap. It has has amply demonstrated to the whole world that our scientists are second to none. The success should serve as a morale booster for our youth who are disillusioned with corrupt politicians.
B. Suresh Kumar
There was no exaggeration when Madhavan Nair described the fantastic launch as a “memorable moment”. Given ISRO’s track record and the capabilities of its scientists and technologists, there is no reason to doubt that Chandrayan-1 will soon become a reality. What makes this achievement all the more admirable is that the technology is indigenous and the scientists and technologists who have made it possible are Indians. A. MeghanaHyderabad Kudos to ISRO Chairman Shri. G. Madhavan Nair and his team for this remarkable multi-satellite launch, which even NASA couldn’t achieve. It is a historic moment for India.
Vinoj Matthew Philip
This has reference to the article “Musical conquest” (May 23). It is good that steps are taken to improve India-Pakistan relations and Pakistan has lifted its ban on Indian movies. Filmmakers should now choose subjects that could contribute to improving bilateral relations. The print and electronic media should also highlight positive happenings on both sides of the border to improve relations. I recollect many film-lovers from Pakistan visiting India to watch the premier show of Mughal-e-Azam in New Delhi’s Odeon cinema in August 1960. It was a historic moment for Indian cinema world.
Mahesh Kapasi
Child rapists does deserve capital punishment (“Death for rape?”, May 23). Child rape should treated like a crime as serious as a murder. It is the most barbarous act a man can ever do. As rightly pointed out by R.K. Raghavan, victims of such extreme cruelity hardly recover from its impact.
P.M. Sachin
The man who said during an interview in 2003 that Mussolini “had been a benign dictator who did not murder opponents but sent them on holiday” is back at the helm in Italy (“Back in business”, May 23). Berlusconi is at once a politician, an entrepreneur, a media proprietor, and a sports administrator often accused of juggling these roles and mixing them at will. According to Forbes, he is Italy’s third richest person, with personal assets worth $9.4 billion in 2008. Many people in and outside openly say that he entered politics to save his companies from bankruptcy and himself from convictions. At the same time, his supporters hail him as the "new man" who has brought efficiency to the bureaucracy and reformed the state from top to bottom.
Dr. Nutan Thakur BJP
The resignation tactics of Gopinath Munde, a powerful OBC leader in the BJP, has apparently worked (“Brief revolt”, May 23). After witnessing the groundswell of support to Munde from the party rank and file in Maharashtra, the national leadership of the party finally relented and cajoled him to take back his resignation. Evidently, many powerful backward caste leaders – Shankarsingh Waghela, Uma Bharati, Kalyan Singh and now Munde _ have suffered in the BJP at different points of time owing to the domination of the upper caste leaders. This is no surprise in a party that has opposed tooth and nail the implementation of the Mandal Commission report in support of reservation for OBCs in government service.
Ravikiran Shinde ANNOUNCEMENT Letters, whether by surface mail or e-mail, must carry the full postal address and the full name, or the name with initials.
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