Drinking to death

Usual suspects'The man who leaked too much' (April 1) by Aditya Sinha was written in so flippant a manner and with such levity that I suspected for a minute that he is indulging in an April Fool's prank! But the subject deserves utmost seriousness considering that the nation's security is at stake! As for 'suspects' leaking information, I would not rule out P Chidambaram’s role for the reason that he is very capable of a Machivellian scheme! Moreover, he has an ambition and motive!—Shreeram Paranjpe, AndheriIIOf course, yours is an educated guess and is bound to command credence. I only wish you could have given still more convincing reasons than the mere serene smile and deferential voice as a cover for the devious mind. With the all-round debacle that is Chidambaram's party and the string of scams that are unfolding almost every alternate day, he must have been mentally prepared by now to step down any moment at a mere whiff of a hint from the party High Command. Yes, he didn't dirty his own hands by indulging in corruption, overtly or covertly, but it's a well-proven fact that he failed in his duty to raise his voice against corrupt colleagues. His silence took on a colour of collusion and, to that extent, he is certainly guilty. No amount of specious arguments could convince anyone of his innocence and blamelessness. —KK Wajge, Mulund IIIAmazing piece, Mr Aditya Sinha. It was getting too uncomfortable to be a soldier in India. I am linking the article on my Facebook Wall for all my sneering friends to read. Thank you.—Datta Tingre, via emailLosing faithThis refers to the front page report 'Another pirate in the Indian Army' (April 1). Who will join the defence forces? Children of politicians and businessmen do not seek a career in the defence forces, neither do the middle-class. The children of top defence officers become middlemen in procuring defence contracts. That means only children of poor people join the defence forces. With more such exposures of corruption, even the children of the poor people will not seek a career in the defence forces. There is already a shortage of manpower in all the three wings of the defence forces. The tentacles of corruption in this sector are deep-rooted, and the remedy should be looked at from the angle of recruitment.—Deendayal M Lulla, via email

IIWith high-ranking officers involved in petty crimes of misappropriation, fraud and cheating, it is often asked what effect it will have on the morale of the fighting forces. Perhaps nothing, considering that the soldiers from lower ranks are seeing those ugly things from close quarters every day. But what effect will these scams have on the morale of the people of the country? The series of scams has proven that the men in armed forces are no better than their counterparts in civilian life  and they are doing just another job, as good or as bad as any other professionals—VVS Mani, BangaloreCelebrity worshipThe recent incident on Thursday at Siddhivinayak temple, where hundreds of people had to wait for hours just because Uddhav Thackeray had come to pay obeisance at the temple, has brought to the fore the issue of celebrities, influential businessmen and politicians getting priority and special treatment at religious institutions across all religions in India. Not so long ago, thousands of devotees had stood outside under the scorching sun while the Bachchans went for a darshan at Tirupati. Such incidents are common in star-struck India. It is the job of the organisers, trustees and the government to look after the safety of the devotees irrespective of their economic status. The sooner we do away with this special brand of 'star worship' in India the better.— Amjad K Maruf, ThaneWho’s the enemy?Why should Arvind Kejriwal apologise to politicians? In fact, we have seen the entire political class united on two counts. Once, when they increased their salaries handsomely for doing nothing in Parliament, and a second time while pulling up Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal. But, what is wrong about Arvind's observations? Politicians have made a mockery of the Indian people and our country at every possible opportunity and step. India's greatest enemy is NOT Pakistan, NOT China but our own rotten politician.—Amol Nagarkatti, via emailDrinking to deathThis is with reference to 'Young get reckless and wrecked' (April 1). There appears to be loopholes in the rules while registering the case which is why the offenders get away remorseless. To overcome the lack of awareness among drinkers, the display of warning signs should be made mandatory in bars, pubs and hotels serving liquor. Legal experts should review existing laws to plug the shortfalls. Authorities should wake up before several lives are lost due to senseless drunken driving.—Deepak Chikramane, Mumbai

Skywalk shamIf a steel and concrete structure is in such a dilapidated condition in just four years, you can very well imagine the quality of the material used and the workmanship ('Four years on, Bandra skywalk in a shambles', April 1). It is an ominous portent for hundreds of other skywalks. The BMC had built a foot overbridge across Vir Nariman Road at Churchgate station a couple of decades ago but was eventually forced to pull it down for want of pedestrian patronage. This is going to happen to the skywalks as well looking at the poor footfall on them. What a senseless waste of taxpayers' money!—KP Rajan, Borivli