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'The brave men of India should ignore Vajpayee's orders and cross the LoC'
E-mail from readers the world over
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:35:08 -0400
Shame on rediff.com for publishing a hearsay and uncorroborated account of the Kargil dead by Mr Chindu Sreedharan, who from day one I thought was unworthy of his assignment. Get this guy out of there. How on earth do you dare to imply that a professional army of India would concoct the actual numbers of its soldiers dead? Who are we to believe? Your journalist or the brave Indian army?
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 14:36:58 PDT
I wonder what purpose does this article serve. Many of the low-level hierarchy in any set-up have the tendency to exaggerate facts. This could very well be one of those. Moreover, I don't think any jawan can have a better idea of the casualties, as they don't have access to all figures and can only guess. Recently, in a report from the battlefield on rediff.com, a jawan who was fighting at the front was reported to have asked the reporter, when the war will be over... This only shows that the jawans know only about their operations and don't know much about the overall situation. If at all the statement is true, is this the right time to publish such an unconfirmed thing when the war is still going on? Anyone who has at least some patriotism wouldn't have done this. Isn't there anyone called 'Editor' on this news magazine? This is one typical case of DESTRUCTIVE journalism. It only shows that magazines nowadays bother only about their publicity and ultimately money and nothing else. Please refrain from doing anything like this at least in future. This is not a request from just me. It would be the opinion of many Indians. Jai Hind.
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 16:54:23 -0500
I believe a report of this nature is no different than gossip. It is neither mature nor serious reporting. Rather than enhancing one's knowledge, it takes the form of a petty tabloid report. Harsh Oke
Date:
01 Jul 99 07:30:32 +0300
Earlier on there was a report by Chindu S on Real Audio. One thing that amazed me was that this guy calling from Kargil, probably to his boss was, after every couple of sentences, saying "Sir...sir", as if his promotion depended more on saying this than a normal report! What kind of feudalism does rediff.com bosses inspire in their reporters? Nikhil It was not sir, it was Sai! Chindu was speaking to Saisuresh Sivaswamy! *lol*
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 21:35:03 -0700
If the jawan's version is correct, if we lost 600 soldiers, then it makes a case to say that Vajpayee was inept at handling this issue. From the beginning had the inane PM given the armed forces a free hand which included crossing the LoC then we would not have had so many casualties. Some may ask the question what if that escalates into a war? So be it. Our armed forces are capable of defending themselves and the country. The dumb politicians should not have any say as to what the soldiers should be doing. Further, for how long are we going to have this kind of proxy war imposed on us? Believe me, war is not the thing of the future, terrorism is the one thing that the democratic society will face. The brave men of India should ignore Vajpayee's orders and do what is necessary to protect the country.
Date:
Thu, 01 Jul 1999 15:49:50 +0800
In times of war, the press should not publish articles that are demoralising and spread fear and panic. I think your article is just that. Any Pakistanis reading it must be jumping with joy. Ramesh Bhatt
Date:
Thu, 01 Jul 1999 07:47:46 -0400
I would wonder when was the last time Chindu Sreedharan read any local news. For quite a few days, the casualty figure on Indian side has been reported to be over 600 with (exactly) nine missing. So I guess there is no denial/speculation from the army about the number of casualties. Ashish
Date:
Thu, 1 Jul 1999 10:44:50 -0400
Official or other reports during a period of conflict can be expected to be inaccurate, and no reader will be surprised by what the informant has conveyed. Casualty rates are normally higher than reported at a given time, and few readers will expect that the evacuation of the wounded is without complication and tragedy. While there is great cynicism related to political and administrative life in contemporary India, it is inspiring to know of the contributions made by enlisted men and the support services, under most challenging conditions... and it is disgraceful of the media to emphasise sports coverage and that of the impending election.
M S Mills
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 16:41:30 -0400
Anil Athale has given an excellent analysis of the military and political situation in Kashmir. Like most military persons, he does not take the issue of warmongering lightly and has a realistic understanding of what war entails in terms of human suffering and economic hardship for both countries. Indeed, if there was a visionary and progressive leadership on the other side of the border, his suggestions may be worth pursuing. However, it is obvious the anti-Indian hysteria is the very foundation of the state of Pakistan and all politicians regardless of their party affiliations share this drive. A perusal of the Pakistani papers, both Urdu and English, makes it obvious that there will be no real peace on the sub-continent even if Kashmir was to be handed over on a platter. Unfortunately, the Pakistani press and political and military establishments are driven by their bizarre ambition of dismembering India. That's indeed a very unfortunate but true reflection of their thinking. As a pacifist individual who has friends and relatives in Pakistan, I am dismayed by the recent turn of events created by the Pakistani politicians and military. I wish there was an Athale in the Pakistani establishment also. Until that happens, there is no choice but to make sacrifices and not let bullies walk over you.
Date:
Thu, 01 Jul 1999 12:21:28 +0800
This is an excellent article. I fully support the way forward suggested. It is about time both the nations started working on real lasting peace for the benefit of Kashmiris, Indians and Pakistanis. If India and Pakistan could both bury the hatchet and co-operated with each other, both countries have the potential to become as rich and powerful as the USA and Canada. Furthermore the Kashmir region has the potential to become the No 1 tourist attraction of the world. The benefit should go entirely to the people of Kashmir. Actually, it would be nice if the Kashmir region could be declared to be a world heritage, its neutrality being guaranteed by India, Pakistan and the UN. I do sincerely hope that good sense will prevail on both sides.
Suresh Anand
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 16:09:53 -0700 (PDT)
I saw the report about the Bihari labourers massacred in Kashmir. I was contrasting it to the reports of violence against tribals in India or even the Staines murder. Why does the Indian media have such biased coverage? In Kashmir it's obvious that terrorists are targeting HINDUS. It's also obvious that they are Islamic fundamentalists -- literally the Taliban! Yet news reports downplay these facts. I've yet to see a single news report that clearly states that Pakistan's goals have been clearly to remove the Hindus, Buddhists and other religious groups (Sufis etc.) in Kashmir. In addition it's been spreading Islamic fundamentalism among the young (naive and out of work) throughout India. This, of course, is an attempt to destabilise India and strengthen its claim on Kashmir. Why haven't the media highlighted the purposeful "ethnic cleansing" of the Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir? Are the lives of 300,000 refugees insignificant? Imagine 300,000 people are refugees in their own country! What a shame! What of the cold-blooded murders of people in wedding parties, the countless rapes and tortures? These are religious crimes that are guided by political motives. The media should report it as such. I'm truly outraged!
Chetan Gandhi
Date:
Thu, 01 Jul 1999 10:46:48 PDT
You mentioned that in 1962 after the Chinese war, senior leaders like Govind Ballabh Pant bayed for Mr Menon's blood. It would be a great achievement on your part to know of Mr Pant 's sentiments in 1962. I believe no other rediff.com columnist can claim to have interviewed someone who has gone across to the other side. Govind Ballbh Pant, home minister of India, died in 1961, more than a year before the Chinese conflict. Pranshu B Saxena
Date:
Thu, 1 Jul 1999 13:50:46 -0400
If Kapil's interview meant stop cricket till the Kargil crisis is resolved, hats off to him. But if he meant that cricket with Pakistan should be stopped then the whole stand is pathetic. Kapil Dev in my opinion is justified in saying that India should stop all forms of sporting activities (meaning team events where people represent India) till the suffering of the jawans at the frontier is over, but he is certainly not justified otherwise. If he did mean the other, then it is like more or less calling his colleagues across the border culprits for the crisis. They are sportsmen and plenty of them are friends on and off the field. Didn't Kapil hear about the war when he was in England? Didn't he hear about Pilot Ahuja being shot down or the mutilated bodies of six Indian soldiers? Did he have to see it in India to make this statement? Being in the US, I have followed the crisis pretty closely and have known on a day-to-day basis what was happening. I had rage building up in me when I read about soldiers being killed in daily operations there. I am no less patriotic than the big "Studs" named in the article. Kapil could have called for withdrawing from the World Cup. Was it because the World Cup comes once every four years and Sahara is an annual event? Chalo yaar, is saal nahin to agle saal hee sahi? The sports ministry should have the guts to call off all sporting engagements if they feel that the money would be better spent on the army and their families. It is really sad that people are getting to see cricket as a foe and that too because it is always a fiercely contested one between India and Pakistan. Even the soldiers who told Kapil "Don't lose to them". Prove them right and win this one for the 200 soldiers killed and 400 others injured in the current operations. That effort is praiseworthy than having a fear in his mind "What if India loses to Sahara cup to Pakistan? It will hit the morale of the soldiers." I am still a great fan of the cricketing talent of Kapil Dev and once used to be for his behaviour on and off the field. But now, deep down, I get a feeling that he is nursing some ambitions and that he is using the army as a pretext. The thought of the idea is by itself sick. These people fight for your and my safety. Cricket should be left alone and not be treated any different than other sports.
Date:
Fri, 2 Jul 1999 21:22:32 EDT
That was the most terrific article I have read in recent times. I have emailed Mr Nandy's article to all my friends. I have a printed copy in my bathroom and have read it many a time and loved it more every time. I have read it aloud to my wife and children. Thank you Mr Nandy for the wonderful commentary. It was a learning experience -- especially about success and failure. I must confess, I too am guilty of viewing success and failure in that moronic mindset in the desire to succeed. Lastly, this article makes me proud to be an Indian (albeit, a naturalised US citizen). Keep up the good work. S Murthy Badiga
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