THE SWEET-SOUR FICTIONS
Refer to ‘Original Fictions 2’, January 9. Thank you so much for the 12 beautiful stories in this special issue. It’s surely a collector’s edition. However, what I didn’t like about the stories was the illustrations that accompanied them. Out of the 12, only a few had interesting visual illustrations. Most of the styles and patterns looked quite dated and old. Maybe I was expecting much more from TEHELKA. The cover page too was a big let down. I hope the visual art in TEHELKA matches its editorial art in the coming year.
Suyash Khabya, Mumbai.

The special issue on the theme of ‘ Injury’ is worth preserving. The 12 writers sit in jury over our frailties and fears.
Jacob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram

I am sorry to say that the fiction issue was not that appealing. It was neither informative and enterprising nor insightful. It was a sad case of efforts not bearing the desired fruit. It did not have the ‘TEHELKA’ aroma and standard. You could have chosen a more interesting theme. The force of impact-making journalism was certainly missing. There could have been a better impact had you highlighted the major national and international events of 2009. Please, let it be known that ‘TEHELKA’ journalism has always been outstanding but the issue in question did not touch my heart, brain, mind and eyes.
Prem K Menon, Mumbai

Fiction is always better than fantasy and sweeter than facts. The annual dose of the fiction issue was really refreshing. TEHELKA did it wonderfully. Keep it up.
Nirupam Hazra, Santiniketan

Congratulations for the exceptionally well done fiction issue. Fiction is not only found in stories but also in news–in print, web and television. It is unfortunate that some media organisations carry paid news. Commercialisation of media is the worst thing that can happen to a democracy. It is sad that the focus now has shifted to selling rather than exposing. Editors no more enjoy the liberty to publish and report and are controlled by their proprietors who only wish to reap profits.
Mahesh Kumar, on email

THE REAL CHANGERS
Refer to ‘The Naked Year’ by Tarun Tejpal, December 26. It’s the common man of India who is actually the game changer of the decade. He has survived in spite of being a victim of successive corrupt and violent attempts to pull him down.
Rajiv Chopra, Jammu

‘The Naked Year’ - wonderfully written, provocative and spot on, as usual. Hats off again.
Capt Manu Mahajan, on emailf

CENTRE OR STATE?
Refer to ‘Anyway the structure had to fall one day’, December 4. After reading Kalyan Singh’s interview and the reports about the Liberhan Commission concerning the complicity of the Central government with Narasimha Rao as the Prime Minister, I feel sick in my stomach. It is shameful for India which claims to be secular and democratic. If the Congress party has to redeem its secular credentials, the present day leadership must ask for forgiveness.
Richard Lobo, on email

OF A DIFFERENT KIND
Refer to ‘Greatness in the Balance’, December 19. Your article was a fitting tribute to Virendra Sehwag. He is the most destructive batsman in the history of Indian cricket, surpassing even Sachin Tendulkar in that respect. He executes shots in full flow, with the authority of an executioner beheading a convict. At his best even the likes of Sir Viv Richards or Gary Sobers have not been as savage or intimidating. He is undoubtedly the most destructive batsman of the modern era whose square driving is sheer genius. The notable point is that he has scored the fastest ever 300 surpassing the speed of Bradman or Hammond. Above all, he has been the greatest match-winner in Indian cricket, as the statistics reveal. Most of his great knocks have won test matches for India and oneday internationals. Sachin Tendulkar is certainly more refined and consistent, but does not possess the ferocity of this young prince.
Harsh Thakor, Mumbai

THE PHOENIX
Refer to ‘When The Rebel Met The Pause’, December 12. When I first read about Bant Singh in TEHELKA, in 2006, I was deeply moved by his plight after attackers brutally hacked off all four of his limbs. Now, three years later, I am moved even more, by the account of how this same man has brought his spirit to soar above his misfortune, using his powerful voice and lyrics to sing out in protest against the injustices that plague society. One cannot imagine a better setting for Bant Singh’s inspiring story than a dedicated page in your magazine.
Pesi Padshah, Pune

STEREOTYPE WARS
Refer to ‘The Double Life of Bobby, Baby, Blossom, Biju’, November 7. I have never read such an interesting and humorously detailed description of the Mallu man. There might be an element of reverse sexism but indeed it’s the ‘Mallu’, who is the protagonist in this story. The stereotype is operational in the article too. It has been written from the perspective of a Mallu female, who ends up on the receiving end of the phenomena. Anyway it is an interesting read. Brilliant and thought provoking’
Sabareesh Gopala Pillai, on email

WORK OF A KIND
I am a south Indian living in the US for the last 10 years. Growing up in India I had no clue we were so backward. As I sit in my office reading article after article of Neha Dixit’s work, I pray for her safety. I am also moved to tears at the state of our nation’s human rights standards. I am usually not one to be at a loss for words, and yet here I am unable to process the information she has uncovered. I thank her for the kind of work she is putting in and wish her the very best.
Solomon Francis, on email

COPENHAGEN WOES
Refer to ‘We are the greatest planners, but the poorest executors’, December 19. I wish to convey that this interview with Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is one of the best on the Copenhagen Summit. To the point questions and excellent excerpts. Well done Divya Gupta.
Ninad, on email

DESI 9/11?
26/11 has become the 9/11 of India. Like 9/11, various conspiracy theories are doing the rounds for the Mumbai attacks too. While on one hand, a section of media started questioning the veracity of the attacks, on the other hand, books like Who Killed Karkare? by former IG of Maharashtra, SM Mushrif, have only aggravated the situation. The controversial statements of top cop Hassan Gafoor and the recent revocation of the confessional statement by Ajmal Kasab points to the haphazard investigation by our investigating agencies. The ordinary citizen in this scenario wants no ‘scapegoat’ to be sacrificed to appease the angry public, but wants the truth unveiled – the truth regarding the CST and Cama attacks, about th Intelligence Bureau’s findings, about the ill-fated bulletproof jacket of Karkare. That would be more of an antidote than useless mud-slinging and vague speculation.
Khan Yasir, on email

HOW MANY STATES?
Refer to ‘State of the Matter’, December 26. Ashok Malik has rightly analysed that no state can claim to be self-sufficient and all states are interdependent. Water-sharing is already a major problem facing most states. Bifurcating Andhra Pradesh and creating Telangana will only create more tension and division. Now that the situation has gone beyond control and economic activity virtually coming to a standstill, one shudders to think about a situation in which more states will fight for limited resources.
KR Srinivasan, Secunderabad

APPRAISAL
REFER TO ‘My Daddy Dearest’, December 19. I had the great pleasure of reading Batul Mukhtiar’s review of our film Paa and I write to thank her for her most generous view on it. What was attractive to me was the unique style with which she expressed herself in assessing a film on review.

Thanks for her generosity and encouragement.
Amitabh Bachchan, on email

TEHELKA IN BEIJING
IN THE Last week of December, an international conference in Beijing discussed the changing landscape of global media. Organised by Globe newsmagazine, a part of the state-owned Xinhua news agency of China, the conference discussed 10 top news events that dominated the world’s landscape in 2009. TEHELKA, represented by its Business Editor Shantanu Guha Ray, was the only Indian publication – among a host of other emerging media networks across the world – present at the meeting, which voted H1N1’s global spread as the top news of 2009. No news from the host nation or India made the list. No one argued against the domination of western news, but all were unanimous that coverage from the world’s emerging powers – China, Brazil, India and Russia – needed to increase in the global world media.

CORRIGENDUM
In the interview with Shahid Siddiqui, editor of Urdu daily, Nai Duniya, (‘Mayawati is insecure as a woman and a Dalit’, December 26), the name of Kartar Singh Bhadana was wrongly printed as Avtar Singh Bhadana.