The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 03, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

No, BBC....

I was pained to see a BBC programme the other day titled "To be an Indian". It went into details of our deep-rooted caste system and how we still treat people belonging to the Scheduled Castes as untouchables. Explicit pictures went on to show our starving and ill-clad children, poverty, squalor, and apathy of upper castes. The big divide between the haves and the have-nots was too glaring and painful to see. The programme literally took India 50 years back. It was definitely not a shining India.

Obviously the BBC is not aware of our present-day progress and social empowerment; or maybe it was all by design. Otherwise why should it depict only the ugly side of our country? Yes, we have our problems. Which country does not? Doesn't Britain have its racial problems, crime and Diana-type stories?

Let the world remember that we are the largest working democracy in the world with a free and powerful media, an economic growth of 8 per cent, a peaceful nuclear programme, the finest of armies, an IT giant, a sound foreign policy, and a society with values and warmth. Watch out, BBC -- India is on the move.

Colonel R. D. Singh,

Commandant, 213 Transit Camp,Jammu (J&K).

Testing time

The complaints lodged against the manner of conducting tests for admission to English (Hons.) by some Delhi colleges as reported in The Hindu (June 23) are valid.

Some colleges initially introduced these tests on the plea that high marks awarded by the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) and other boards do not vouch for a student's ability to write English with a flair. Over time, the exercise has become a tool to raise the stock of colleges and grab the best students during the admission process. It is surprising that a student with 75 per cent marks in aggregate and 80 per cent in English was not allowed to appear at the admission test by one of the colleges though her admission form was duly accepted. The manner of testing is wayward and devoid of transparency. While one college may ask the aspirants to write just a paragraph on a given topic, another may quiz them closely about Shakespearan plays.

It is time the Department of English introduces some method in this madness and conducts a centralised test to save students from unnecessary harassment.

J. M. Manchanda,

C/95, New Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi - 110 060.

Let NET stay

"Campus Jottings" by Mandira Nayar (June 15) stated that the University Grants Commission has exempted Ph.D. and M.Phil students from appearing for the National Entrance Test (NET) to be eligible to teach at postgraduate and undergraduate college level, respectively. In a way it seems good that after struggling for three to five consecutive years in academics one need not appear for a test to qualify to teach. It will reduce the workload of research scholars. However, abolishing a test like NET will not help in tackling a larger malaise.

There is declining interest among students in academic research and teaching which has to do with the "job-scarcity" factor. There is a certain disincentive for students to enter this domain as they find avenues of employment in various colleges to teach shut on them. We need to tackle this dearth of jobs to usher in real hopes of getting employment in academics and teaching.

Amna Mirza,

M.A. (Previous) Political Science,

Hindu College,

University of Delhi,

Delhi - 110 007.

Agarwal who ?

Those who have spent some years in Delhi would be well aware of the popular chain of sweets shops under the banner of "Agarwal Sweets". In every nook and corner of the city you come across the huge board in red announcing "Agarwal Sweets".

It makes one wonder : Is it a brand name which has several outlets, or are these sweets shops carrying on business under a common name but independent of each other? Or is there some franchise arrangement that the vendor has taken up? If it is a particular brand existing over the years, then which one is reliable in terms of originality/quality, which one is just a copy?

Also, the quality of sweets differs at every other `Agarwal' outlet. Some are big outlets with a restaurant-like set-up offering not just sweets but also a common snack menu which every Delhiite is familiar with. We, the consumers at large in Delhi, are not too clear about these "Agarwal Sweets" outlets. Does any civic authority check the hygiene conditions at these sweets shops? If yes, then what are the findings? The public has a right to know.

Manoj R. Kumar,

A3/79, Ist Floor,

Janakpuri,

New Delhi - 110 058.

Hello, DTC....

There is an urgent need to increase the frequency of buses on DTC's route 912 between Burari Gaon and Vishnu Garden and route 81 (Mukherjee Nagar to Karampura). These two routes serve thousands of university and college students in Mukherjee Nagar, Hakikat Nagar, Outram Lane, Kingsway Camp, Hudson Lane, Parmanand Colony, Gandhi Vihar, etc.

The buses on these routes are too few and the service very slow. The DTC authorities should raise the frequency, especially from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and then in the afternoon and evening.

Akhil Kumar,

House No.182,

Hakikat Nagar,

Delhi - 110 009.

(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".)