The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 20, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

Austrian games

I travelled to Delhi from Vienna by Austrian Airlines economy class on the 14th of March this year. Much before my departure I had tried to book a seat next to the emergency exits, as these have plenty of leg space. These seats are most sought after and Austrian Air has an innovative way of fobbing off requests for these. They say that for security reasons they cannot allot these seats in advance. Yet these seats are not available for passengers who do not know the tricks.

I had tried to book an emergency exit seat from Yerevan on the 14th but was given the same reason. Then when I arrived in Vienna four hours before the departure of the flight to Delhi I was told that these seats would be released before security was announced.

I was first in the queue but when I asked for an emergency exit seat I was told that they had already been allotted! I got angry and Austrian Air's airport staff tried to give me other alternatives. None was good enough. But by their nervousness I could see that they had something to hide.

On my return to Delhi I sent complaints by fax, e-mail and registered post on the 17th of March but they have not even been acknowledged.

Romesh Bhattacharji,

D 1008, New Friends Colony,

New Delhi - 110 065.

Calling NCERT

On an invitation from the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, I contributed a paper titled "Commerce Education in India" for inclusion in their Encyclopaedia of Education which was brought out by them last year. I had to put in hard work and spend a long time gathering the relevant data and writing the piece.

As the author of an important piece of their encyclopaedia, priced at Rs. 2,700 per set of two volumes, I am entitled to a suitable honorarium (Rs. 5,000) or a part of the royalty payable to NCERT, and a complimentary copy of the publication along with a few off-prints of my piece. But NCERT has neither paid me the honorarium nor supplied to me a copy of the encyclopaedia or off-prints of the paper. Consequently, I have yet to see my paper in print, which is the basic and legitimate right of any author.

I have made repeated requests to the NCERT authorities to send me the honorarium and a complimentary copy of the encyclopaedia with a dozen off-prints, but in vain. Even an appeal to the Union Minister for Human Resource Development has borne no fruit.

I expect NCERT to see reason now.

Prof. D. P. S. Verma,

QU-285 B, Chitrakoot,

Uttari Pitampura,

Delhi - 110 088.

Well done, Gargi

With reference to Lakshmi B. Ghosh's "Campus Jottings" (June 9), it is heartening to read that Gargi College has decided to take only Delhi University's ICR admission application forms and sell only its prospectus. Its Principal, Meera Ramachandran, is quoted as saying: "We believe in the concept that the University has introduced and so have decided to respect it. In any case, what is the point of making students and parents run from college to college when they can simply submit just one form?"

One can only hope all Delhi University colleges will adopt this approach next year. The ICR forms can be redesigned to incorporate questions which some colleges ask in their admission application forms but which are at present absent in the ICR forms. This will make life easier all round for Delhi University admission seekers.

Vinod Chowdhury,

Reader in Economics,

St. Stephen's College,

Delhi - 110 007.

Ray of hope?

This is with reference to Lakshmi B. Ghosh's Campus Jottings, "Migration as a solace for hard-working students" (June 9). After inability to perform well in Class XII examinations and missing a seat in a good college of Delhi University, migration certainly appears to be a "ray of hope" to make good the loss by performing well in the first year of college.

But we need to understand the larger implications of this exercise for the "other college". It deprives this original college of the good student who leaves it for the supposedly better college. Parents and students should understand that the so-called ranking of different colleges as No. 1 or 2 is bunkum as all these colleges function under Delhi University. Whichever college it is, if it is under Delhi University, we Delhi students should take pride in it!

Amna Mirza,

Final Year-B.A.,

St. Stephen's College,

Delhi University,

Delhi - 110 007.

Calling NDPL

I and other students of Christian Colony near Delhi University appeal to the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and North Delhi Power Ltd to pay attention to the frequent power cuts in our colony. Ours is a small but important colony for students who are preparing for the Civil Services, MBA and other competitive examinations. Many of us study in the different colleges and faculties of DU. Our studies are disturbed all too frequently because of the erratic power cuts. We are hapless students who have come from different states to make our future and serve our nation. A regular power supply is essential for us to clear our examinations and achieve our goals.

I hope the NDPL authorities will heed our request and plug the technical problems to provide us uninterrupted power supply.

Akhil Kumar,

A-24, Christian Colony,

Patel Chest,

Delhi - 110 007.

BITS Pilani

BITS Pilani is one of the premier engineering institutes of India and each year lakhs of students aspire to make the cut here. However, its decision to restrict admission to only the current Class XII batch is clearly unfair to all those students who made the bold decision to drop a valuable year to study and qualify for the college of their choice and then make their mark. It is tough to digest that a student getting a much lower rank would be given preference over my friend who has secured a rank in the 600-650 bracket, just for having passed out a year later than us.

The institute surely needs to re-assess its policy and be more considerate towards hard-working and sincere students.

Maaz bin Bilal,

B.A. (English) Honours I Year,

Zakir Husain College,

Delhi University.

Delhi - 110 002.

Dutt Saheb

With the demise of Sunil Dutt, the country has lost an outstanding individual who rose from small beginnings to great heights by sheer determination, hard work and sincerity of purpose. The vast range of public service performed by him has left an indelible mark on the minds of the younger generation. Our salutations to Dutt Saheb's dedication and undaunted spirit.

G. S. Paliwal,

216, Vaishali, Pitampura,

New Delhi - 110 088.

(Letters for this column may be sent by e-mail to wsins@thehindu.co.in. They must carry the full postal address of the writer and should be marked "Reader's Mail.)

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