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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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'After the tea party with Jayalalitha, Sonia got the unmeasurable stamp of being a trouble maker'
E-mail from readers the world over
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 10:03:51 -0700 I had been searching the Net for your review but didn't find it till today. There was a printout that Shankar gave me and with its help I found it on the net. Since Sanjoy's abduction, we have all been devastated but life has to continue one way or another. We have found no answers as to why someone like Joy, who worked for the poorest of the poor like a man possessed should have been abducted. But when you look all around you and see the nexus between politicians and contractors and other mafia you understand how inconvenient it was. We as a family wait endlessly for some information, any information but nothing is forthcoming. I empathise with what you wrote about the book about Joy but I often hear Joy saying with that infectious laugh, "Why are you so upset? I couldn't have done anything else. And you should be happy!" I had always told him not to go to Majuli or Assam but he was adamant, like someone driven by fate. Having always encouraged children to do what they want, you can't impose your will on them. In the final analysis, perhaps it had to happen this way. You and others like you, young people with vision have the potential to do so much. And you are, in your way. You have to turn this country around. We can only be bystanders. It was a good review. See that it gets read and distributed to people who need to read the book.
Viji Ghose
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 13:21:25 -0400 Sai amazes me many times. Mostly he writes as if he is on the Congress Party's pay roll. But sometimes when it becomes too much to digest even to a thick-skinned media man, he comes out with real emotions of sense. The present article reflects the revival of common sense in Saisuresh. When the UF government failed twice and the media was saying that frequent polls were not good for the nation, I thought that something good will come out of this Amrit-Manthan. Finally BJP came out as winner. BJP did not rule very well in the first year mainly (see how quickly the Vajpayee/Advani duo prevailed over RSS; the issue is now closed) due to coalition politics. But now for the past 2-3 months there is very firm evidence of good governance from this government. All policies are going in the right direction. The share market has started looking good. Economy has the lowest inflation in 10 years today. We have over 33 billion dollars reserve, the sanctions after Pokhran are very well managed by the BJP government, NRIs poured $ 4-6 billion in the SBI funds. Indian companies like Telco started standing firm on their feet (see Indica sales figures). All these signs tell us that good days are going to be back again. What we need most is political stability so that the current policies of the BJP government show good results. But by indulging with Jayalalitha in just one tea-party, Sonia Gandhi got the immeasurable stamp of being a trouble-maker. Gone are the promises of a responsible Opposition. People will not forget this. In the alternative of the Congress forming a coalition government or Congress supporting another UF government, the country will suffer the most. Neither governments will last long. It is better for the Congress to wait for 5 years, build an organisation and then test the polls and BJP. A two-party system is what both BJP and Congress should take as their long term target. Mukund Kute
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 16:27:53 -0700 Ashwin makes a very good point. I think sometimes being non-aligned also means that one remains silent on an issue. The issue in Kosovo is so complex, it is not one where sides can be clearly taken based on principles. And, as far as foreign policy is concerned, principles really do not matter. It is only a matter of "current and near-term" self-interest. It is pathetic, however, that US foreign policy is absolutely based on this "current and near-term self-interest". So, tomorrow, the Americans will be at peace with Saddam, because Saddam may provide cheaper oil. What about the 10 years of conflict after the Gulf War you say? The American secretary of external affairs will say, we have to be progressive and America's current self-interest lies in doing this will be the answer. Is it bad policy? Absolutely -- but who will tell the US that foreign policy should be based on long-term thinking, not short-term economics driven by the CEOs at Microsoft or GM? There remains no country strong enough in the world to give lessons to the Americans, lessons that they will adopt. The Democrats, and the Republicans all say it is bad policy when they are in the opposition. When they get the chance to administer, they outdo the other party in proving the application of this "short-sightedness." Bharat is the largest democracy. Over a period of time, Bharatiya citizenry will get its due credit in the world institutions. I think credit will come from inner strength (real and projected) and will come from understanding the American policy and knowing when to let the Americans do what they want and not commenting on it... Doesn't one of our scriptures say something like "Silence is Golden."
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 13:00:13 +0100 Write a meaningful article about 'How one can improve the Judicial system in India.' It's only your frustration that can be seen from your column in Rediff. Columnists are not allowed to lose their cool, they are allotted space to make people aware of facts. And above all, why go out attacking somebody at the personal level if you want to engage in a healthy debate, comment about their work, their deeds. It's cheap to go personal you see! BJP has got only one agenda, Bofors. They have been in power for the past one year. Topping the list of their manifesto was to re-build the Ayodhya temple, expose the facts on Bofors, solve the securities scam... ha! They have not been able to do anything but explode bombs and increase inflation. C'mon, Bofors is nothing compared to the securities scam (worth Rs 5,000 crores), what happened to this money? If nothing is being spoken about it, then doesn't it mean that even the BJP is involved. What happened after they came to power? The Congress is corrupt. Agreed! But then who is clean? Advani? George Fernandes? He is involved in the creating the biggest mess in India's defence system by sacking Admiral Bhagwat. M Manohar Joshi? He is involved in the power game in UP and Gujarat. Sahib Singh Verma? Let me not talk about him -- he cost BJP the state of New Delhi. Visit any government offices in Mumbai, during the reign of Congress, we had to pay only one person and only for chai-paav, now we have to pay at every table for a complete meal and still our work does not get done. To top it all, the Mafia rules the state. Previously, we had a Hindu-Muslim divide, the BJP along with the Sangh Parivar have created a divide among Hindus and Christians. If this is the kind of government the BJP provides, I think let there be a corrupt Congress at the Centre. At least petty thieves are better than dacoits. Or else let's have military rule for 10 years to bring back the lost national pride among us Indians. Mahesh
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 09:14:10 +0530 Congratulations for this excellent piece on SSP. Keep up the good work. Himanshu
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 13:01:25 -0500 Switch to Linux. It's way cooler, and it's free. Plus it comes with a lot of (free) programmes -- including free Corel Draw (for non-commercial use) and free office suites galore. It's faster, more stable, less of a memory hog and doesn't crash -- while MSWindows has a tendency of crashing just when you can't afford it. I believe there is a Linux user's group in India. It would be cool if you could do a profile on them and the (undoubtedly) growing Linux community back home. It would be timely since Linux is all ready to take over and it's only now a matter of time. Amit
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 13:49:57 -0000 So at last we got a big brother who can catch us if they can? Can they! I am very glad to hear that you guys have a deal with the FBI. Did I hear it right?
Date: Sun, 07 Feb 1999 18:48:32 -0500 It is definitely a big launch for Videocon and perhaps will be one of the most interesting goods to be launched. It is not clear whether it will be ready for the Internet or not as there are plans for spreading it through the cable network. If it is so then it will prove to be a major success. It's the pricing factor that will make the difference. Uday
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:13:15 -0700 Excellent. I absolutely love the way he replies. There is no pretence. It is like his acting. Carefree. I will wait for his book and movie. Venkat
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 14:20:59 +0000 "How do you feel about the current state of your acting career which appears to be in the dump?" What a stupid question? Why don't you ask this to your Hollywood masters, who are either killing themselves, abusing their wives, are drug addicts and do not know the true meaning of life and human nature.
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 20:20:21 EDT I loved this feature because it showed the reality in the film industry, and how there are going to be rough times everywhere.
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 08:09:25 -0600 It's a shame that you try to 'emulate' the Americans in the words such as "a'int". Why not stick to Indian English? If you live in India, work and converse with Indian people, there is absolutely no need for such words to fall into your vocabulary. On one hand, India 'hates' the success of America, while on the other, people go to great lengths to 'imitate' Americanisms, so to speak. Stop this! Do not send wrong messages to people. I heard you are 'supposed' to be a well-known writer -- at least in the Indian Internet circles. What a shame. Raghu
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 12:42:16 -0500 Well said, Harsha. I think for whatever worth it is, Rediff should send a hard copy of this article to each member of the Indian cricket team. May be at least 1 or 2 of them will get motivated from reading this article and that could make a whole lot of difference!! Sai N L
Date: Thu, 08 Apr 1999 20:50:35 -0700 Whatever was written, I truly felt was not factual. I am neither a fan of Salman Khan nor of Urmila, but I feel one should see this movie with no prejudice and develop an unbiased opinion. I felt this was totally biased. So at least from henceforth, please try to give unbiased opinion. Your opinions force one not to watch the movie even if it is good or a fair one. Now I do not believe in your review at all. Unbiased observer
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