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| Tehelka
opens a people’s page — a forum for opinion, analysis, cartoons,
satire and poems. Write to editor@tehelka.com |
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The
response to our site has been overwhelming. While
the sheer volume of letters makes it impossible to reply
to each one individually, we welcome
suggestions and
criticism that will help us stay the course. |
Letter's
To Tehelka |
03
July 2004 |
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| Your
tapes, our prayers |
Finally you are vindicated! The experts have given you a clean chit
on the tapes. All those years of the previous government’s lies
have come to zilch. And I am also glad that Mr Tarun Tejpal is still
creating the right noise, in the circles of the high and mighty, asking
to be compensated for hatever Tehelka went through. I hope complete
justice is done, and seen to be done. Wish you all the very best.
Suhail Ali Qazi
Bangalore |
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| Mature
audience |
Though
themes like lesbianism are perhaps controversial, one should not oppose
films like Girlfriend. It is for the Censor Board to see and decide
whether or not a particular film is fit for viewing by the audience.
If people feel that a particular film does not truly represent Indian
culture, or is objectionable, then rather than taking the law into
their own hands, they should go through the proper channels (say courts
of law) to have the film stopped from screening.
Mahesh Kapasi
maheshkp@vsnl.com |
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| Sex
and the country |
Nobody
should be embarrassed about healthy sex between couples. But let us
not quote foreign surveys and research studies which are out of context
in India. Let’s be realistic and relate to our environment and
conditions. Over 70 percent of India still lives in the villages.
Twenty percent of the people do not even get a square meal a day.
Preventing starvation deaths and caring for the old is the need of
the hour, not encouraging students to indulge in sex.
Colonel RD Singh
Ambala Cantt, Haryana |
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| CORRUPTION:
END IT? |
| he
people do not even get a square meal a day. Preventing starvation
deaths and caring for the old is the need of the hour, not encouraging
students to indulge in sex. |
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| Sex
and the country |
I
am an activist, yet I rece-ntly paid a bribe to get the ownership
of a car changed to my name. Why did I succumb? The reason is that
when I did not pay up, I lost out. I lost a health insurance claim
because I refused to grease the palm of the desk clerk. How do we
put an end to corruption in our country? Tehelka should start an all
India debate on the issue and present the recommendation to our bedaag
prime minister.
Vijay Mohan
nw@vsnl.com |
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| FOOD
IN EMPTY PLATES |
Isn’t
it a pity that nearly 400 million people in our great country live
on less than 50 rupees a day — in abject poverty? Against this
backdrop, 20 percent of ‘Shining India’ appears like icing
on a
rotten cake. Let’s get our priorities right — first the
cake, then the icing. This is only possible if the upa government
can remain focused on its cmp. Dr Manmohan Singh should assert himself
as the single point authority for achieving his government’s
task. Are two square meals a day for each Indian too much to ask for?
Madhu Singh
Ambala Cantt, Haryana |
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‘We
are the future of this country’ |
With
reference to the cover story, ‘History can
Kill’ (Tehelka, June 19), we, as school and
college students from Delhi and other parts of the
country have written a letter to Union hrd Minister
Arjun Singh on the communalisation of education.
Lakhs of Indian students over the past few years
were subjected to deliberate mischief and misrepresentation
of facts about our history. Our history textbooks
were changed to contain twisted facts, portions
of it were deleted. Facts like Nathu Ram Godse,
a Hindu fanatic who assassinated the Father of the
Nation, Mahatma Gandhi does not find a mention in
the Class IX textbook. Instead of building a scientific
temper amongst the young students, concerted efforts
were made to introduce retrogressive ideologies.
Universities were forced to start courses in astrology.
We understand that the Sangh Parivar and its political
face, bjp, was working on its fascist agenda and
communalising the whole society including education
but we fail to comprehend the blatant role of many
government servants, who are not supposed to be
a part of any political formation.
We are specially perturbed by the role played by
JS Rajput, director, ncert. Rajput openly colluded
with the bjp in enhancing its hate agenda, which
is absolutely against the principles, which are
enshrined in the Constitution. We as students demand
a systematic removal of all those who have been
appointed to educational, research and cultural
institutions run by the government during the past
five years with the specific purpose of communalising
education.
We as young people want to emphasise that we are
the future of this country and it belongs to us
and that the India of our dreams does not have any
place for violence and hate ideology.
Moyna Manku, Sahir Raza and 50 others |
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| LET
STUDENTS DECIDE |
The
rewriting of history textbooks (Tehelka, June 19) carried out by ncert
at the behest of the hrd ministry was a retrograde step aimed at influencing
the young. Beyond the religious motive, the
temptation to interpret every causative historical event in terms
of class or caste is an equally potent toxin. Unfortunately, social
scientists have been divided into camps favouring one approach or
the other, jettisoning the objectivity and fairness of inquiry in
the process. History books should then ideally present both versions
leaving the student to form his own opinions and judgement.
JM Manchanda
manchanda_jm@eth.net |
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| Reality
bytes |
You
all are doing a great job by making people aware of their rights and
educating them on the realities of democracy. This has inspired me.
I am thinking of leaving the job of a software programmer to become
a journalist. I think it is time for one more social revolution in
the country. But for a great revolution you need to call the youth
and the people to join you, and the media is the best way of doing
so.
Jayesh Dave
jayeshdave_president_hsra@yahoo.com |
| A.
Viswanathan |
| Thane |
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| A
Nation’s Shame |
The
fake “encounter killings” by the Indian army at the Siachen
glacier is the most shameful and disgraceful slur on the reputation
of our armed forces. The plan seems to have been hatched at the highest
level of the battalion, in connivance with some elements from all
ranks. I propose the entire
battalion be disbanded, and their personal bank accounts be looked
into by the authorities.
Lt Col Dalip Singh (retd)
Ludhiana |
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