The miracle of India
Apropos of ‘A miracle’, the amazing diversity of India, both physical and cultural, with myriad languages, religions, castes and customs, and joined by a thread is nothing less than a miracle. The British were unduly pessimistic about the future of India. In spite of the many problems and obstacles, the nation is doing well on most fronts. But it is disquieting that in some quarters, the contribution of Nehru and Gandhi is being devalued. We are a noisy and chaotic people. Trying to change the basic strands of our DNA is bound to fail. Let us celebrate what we are.
ANTHONY HENRIQUES, MUMBAI
Politicians have failed us
Refer to ‘A miracle’; an idealist is one who helps other people to be prosperous. There is no dearth of such idealists in India, but ‘sponsored’ violence and fanaticism have retarded their mission. The bane of democracy is that the voters don’t decide on issues, but elect those who will decide on those issues. This allows unfettered power to politicians at the cost of the common man and vital institutions. Leaving politics to politicians alone is our undoing.
Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula
Much has to be done
Apropos of ‘Building a strong India’, much has been done for the welfare of the people and the State after Independence, but much more needs to be done, especially for the BPL multitudes who are still reeling under abject poverty and illiteracy. The government should draw a contingency plan to mitigate the sufferings of the have-nots, and meticulously execute schemes. All politicians from the PM to sarpanch should take questions and listen to people’s problems and find solutions. Politicians must at least be graduates, and those with dubious credentials should be tried in fast-track courts. The police force needs drastic improvement for better handling of the law and order situation. All government institutions must work independently without any political interference. The Election Commission and judiciary should look ‘nishpaksh’ in the public eye.
SUDERSHAN WALIA, AMRITSAR
Partition horror
Refer to ‘PM Modi pays tribute to victims of Partition’, I was 11 years old at the time of the Partition, but remember the agony we went through. The Partition wasn’t the brainchild of the British Empire alone, our leaders too wanted the division of India for their selfish gains. Both Nehru and Jinnah wanted to occupy the PM’s chair. Gandhi initially opposed the idea of Partition, but eventually went along with them. Did they have no vision to foresee the horrors that would unfold? We hold are past leaders in high esteem, but one wonders if they deserve it.
WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), JALANDHAR
Makes us patriotic?
All Indians celebrated the Independence Day by hoisting the Tricolour, updating statuses on social media or by participating in parades and other such patriotic events. But is this enough to imbibe the feeling of patriotism? Merely uploading a DP with the Tricolour won’t stop our youth from migrating abroad. It is not just brain drain, but the country’s essential youth resource is diminishing. Most people want to leave the country for a better future or life. How are we going to stop it?
Mangla Sahni, Kapurthala
All talk, no action
PM Modi did not spare opponents even while addressing the nation from the Red Fort. If we talk about parivaarvad, there are many leaders in the BJP, too, whose family members are in politics or at important posts. Modi talked about the ‘loot’ by previous governments. His party has been in power at the Centre and most states for the last nine years, why no single Congress leader has been held responsible for any wrongdoing? Who stops the Prime Minister from taking action? Simply raising such issues here and there serve no purpose. Similarly, the corruption issue should have been resolved by the BJP, now that it has been in power for long.
Bhupinder Kochhar, Panchkula
More western than Indian
It is good that the present dispensation is thinking of including valour of soldiers in school curriculum. There should be an exclusive chapter on the heroes of our freedom struggle who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The present-day English-oriented education system is bereft of our ancient culture and is making the new generation more westernised than Indian. The curriculum should be revisited and some stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, including the Gita, should be made a part of it. This will go a long way in inculcating in students moral and spiritual values rather than getting them mired in materialistic pursuits.
Maheshwer Sharma, by mail
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