Sunday, November 11, 2001		Feedback

THIS refers to Taru Bahl’s "There is a silver lining after adversity" (October 28). It is not very often that girls like Molly should meet honest and dependable persons like Raghav, whose constant and reasurring presence would assuage their hurt and pain. This, once again, emphasises the need for an intellectual and social awakening of women. Unless they are allowed an equal say in the household, they will remain exploited and humiliated. While we boast of allowing our girls to go in for higher education and professional courses like medicine, engineering, marketing etc., socially we look down upon them in a medieval feudal manner. Even after having achieved her educational and professional goals, a woman is expected to toe the line of male authority at home, be it the father, brother or husband.

Naturally, such an approach has not allowed women to fully develop their personalities. It has also added to social imbalance, in which they always remain at the receiving end — to be pitied or used and discarded. In any case, they have to fend for themselves in a hostile male world.

VED GULIANI, Hisar

It is adversity that shapes character. It is suffering that gives scope for the play of hidden virtues. Adversity’s greatest service to man is the opening of his inner vision to the reality of God.

O.P. SHARMA, Faridabad

In the complex world of today the struggle for existence has become relatively more painful than before. One cannot avoid adversity in one’s life. This is because the meandering course of life takes many a turn and twist. In spite of using all the power at one’s command one cannot exclude all misfortunes and adversaries from one’s day to day life. There is no escape from it. As such, adversity is an integral part of man’s life.

It is the law of nature that after adversity, good days come. Very often, while looking back on one’s life one wonders how adverse circumstances suddenly changed in one’s favour. But it is the grit and determination of man that enhances his worth. It has a humanising effect on man.

P.L. SETHI, Patiala

This refers to the write-up "Miracles that music and fantasy can work" (October 28) by D.C. Sharma.

One should take to hearing music and learn to play an instrument, if possible. If you play for your own pleasure at home, you will appreciate the experts better.

Music was an essential part of Greek education. Every child should be taught to play some instruments as well as he or she can. Let our homes be full of music; then our hearts will also be full of sweetness.

Music expresses for us what speech cannot convey. As speech is superior to gesture, so does music transcend speech.

It can rouse or benumb us, calm or perturb us, make us laugh or weep, according to the technique employed by the composer.

AVTAR N. CHOPRA, Kurukshetra