Follow true path

As the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak is approaching, everyone is trying to add to the celebrations in one’s own way. It’s good to see the excitement, but one thing that strikes the mind is that daily a number of photographs of Guru Nanak are printed in various newspapers and advertisements, and even hoardings are installed at public places in the name of ‘respect/honour’. Unintentionally, we are made to show disrespect, as newspapers are used by us for various odd jobs like cleaning and packing stuff. Printing photographs of Guru Nanak should be strictly checked, as by these acts we are just wasting money. It has nothing to do with respect, which we can show truly by following the path shown by Guru Sahib — i.e.  ‘kirat karo, naam japo te wand chhako’.

Rabab, Bathinda

Allow women ragis 

Apropos ‘Allow women ragis at Golden Temple’ (November 7), it is high time that the SGPC takes the decision to allow women to perform kirtan inside the sanctum santorum of the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras. Nowhere in Gurbani or Rehat Maryada, is it mentioned that only men can perform kirtan at gurdwaras. Allowing women to do so will be the best tribute to Guru Nanak. Throughout his life, he preached about gender equality and women’s rights. It was he who said, ‘So kyun manda aakhiye, jit jameh rajan’. 

Balbir Singh Kakkar, Jalandhar

Stay clear of trap 

The ISI is funding and promoting anti-India activities in Canada, the US, the UK and elsewhere. No surprise if the ISI has its eyes on the Kartarpur corridor to push forward its evil agenda. Our security and intelligence agencies should be capable enough to take preemptive care. If on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, we all renew our pledge to follow Guru’s teachings of oneness of God, mankind and wellbeing of all without any discrimination, no forces of separatism/terrorism can raise their head here. That the need for the corridor arose because the forces of separatism succeeded in partitioning the country on communal lines in 1947 should deter us from falling into any such trap.        

HL Sharma, Amritsar

Move not academic 

Reference to ‘Admission dates for law, B.Ed extended till Nov 15’ (November 7); the decision lacks logic. With barely less than a week in the dispersal of classes before the commencement of examinations of the first semester, how will students complete academic activities, course syllabus and the mandatory university conditions to be eligible to appear in examinations? Apparently, it is a last-ditch effort to fill vacant seats of these courses. It has overweighed all other academic concerns. The decision is not an academic exercise, as the dates of admission have already been extended by universities many times during this academic session. Such decisions taken at the level of the Higher Education Department put a question mark on the academic autonomy of the universities. 

NK Gosain, Bathinda

Missing RCEP bus 

It was in the 1990s, at the nudge of the IMF, that the Indian economy was opened up. Now again, by not joining the RCEP, we are — in the name of protecting our indigenous products — letting go off a huge market and capital inflow. We need to strengthen our industry, dairy sector, etc., rather than work towards ‘protecting it’. Reforms need to be made, so as to make Indian goods capable of competing in foreign market. Healthy competition is sine qua non for growth. Not being a part of the bloc is not an end in itself, but should be the beginning of a journey of improving ourselves. 

Kirti Sharma, Mohali

FIR no solution

Reference to the news report   ‘Farmers protest FIRs over straw burning’ (November 7); registering criminal cases against farmers for burning stubble is not enough for stubble management. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute has prepared a capsule for the decomposition of stubble, which will take some days to get implemented. How can the government take action against farmers who are not provided with enough facilities or measures to prevent stubble burning? They might not be educated or aware enough to know about scientific methods to manage stubble. The government has also imposed a penalty of Rs 8.5 lakh on them. The government should first provide proper measures to the farmers for stubble management, and if they keep burning it even after that, the government should take action against them.

Archana Santhosh, Kerala

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