A committed ruler
The country will be observing the 25th anniversary of Indira Gandhi’s assassination today. She ruled this country with an iron fist when it was passing through a difficult period. Even her detractors would agree that whatever she did, the country’s interests were paramount in her thoughts. She was totally committed to the integrity of the nation. When asked what she considered the greatest achievement in the post-Independence era she is reported to have replied “To have survived as a single nation”.
—VVS Mani, Bengaluru
Goodbye Shepherd
Being a hardcore cricket lover, who spent his youth in England, I was sad to read that David Shepherd is no more (‘A tribute to David Shepherd’, DNA, October 29). Cricket has seen umpires like the legendary Sir Frank Chester and Shepherd’s colleague Dickie Bird, but coming across a jovial umpire is a rarity. “Umpires are like stern judges, who don’t love to smile, let alone laugh,” observed West Indian cricket scribe Sir CLR James, but Shepherd was an exception. Always smiling and cracking jokes, Shepherd belied the general perceptions about the umpires. Despite his friendliness, he was a professional, who never let his off the ground closeness influence his decisions. It is said that he had a fondness for those who played for Gloucestershire county, but he didn’t hesitate to adjudge Zaheer Abbas LBW out in a match between Gloucestershire and Kent.We don’t get to see people like Shepherd anymore.
—Sumit S Paul, Pune
Address the real issues
The government strategy on Maoists will generate more Naxals than it kills (‘Naxals kill three brothers in Chhattisgarh district’, DNA, October 30). The Maoists original success was due to the state’s failure to provide proper governance in around 30 per cent of the country. Unless the government stops treating this as law and order problem and address real development concerns, it will find it absolutely
impossible to whitewash the red.
—Shekhar Suvarna, Navi Mumbai
Change for better
R Jagannathan amply brought out the changes India has undergone during the past five years, with Manmohan Singh at the helm of affairs (‘Brand Manmohan rising’, DNA, October 29). And it was a good augury that the paradigm shift in the style of functioning was changed for better!
—PM Gopalan, via e-mail
BJP’s travails
BJP once called itself a factionless party. The hollowness of this claim lies exposed. What is happening in Karnataka is the latest example (‘Yeddyurappa has upper hand in game of cat and mouse for CM’s seat’, DNA, October 30). BS Yeddyurappa was not a natural or popular leader when he initially took over. Though he carried BJP to a majority, with the help of a few independents, in the last assembly elections there was something amiss in his leadership which has come to the fore again. As compared to Yeddyurappa, Ananthkumar, the national general secretary, had more charisma and followers. But caste equations tilted the balance in favour of Yeddyurappa. Those in the thick of Karnataka politics wish Yeddyurappa continues but with a more refined and matured approach.
—Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Just desserts
What is happening in Pakistan is not totally unexpected with the way its military was supporting and training extremist groups. The saying ‘as you sow, so you reap’ aptly applies to Pakistan. The current scenario in Pakistan is definitely a matter of concern for the US. It is pity that they are paying dearly for the destruction caused by these terrorists. But even America cannot be freed from the guilt. The US faces a peculiar situation; on the one hand itssoldiers are dying in Afghanistan fighting the terrorists and on the other hand, it is reimbursing Pakistan’s losses. Either way Pakistan is benefiting.
—MH Nayak, Mumbai
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