The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 14, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

Inside New Delhi....

Delivering a talk on the history of New Delhi before a jam-packed auditorium at India International Centre the other day, the noted author Khushwant Singh lamented the fact that not a single road in New Delhi today is named after Sir Edwin Lutyens, Herbert Baker, Sir Sobha Singh and others responsible for the emergence of this magnificent Capital city on Raisina Hill, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, the Central Secretariat, the National Archives, India Gate and so many other historic landmarks.

Mr. Khushwant Singh's lament is fully justified and it can be taken care of by the simple expedient of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) naming some prominent roads in the area under its jurisdiction after Lutyens, Baker and Sir Sobha Singh, among others.

A plaque should also honour all those unsung Rajasthani and Punjabi workmen who built New Delhi brick by brick. And a permanent exhibition, open to the public, should be mounted at the National Archives focusing on the building of New Delhi which occurred between 1912 and 1929.

Vinod Chowdhury,

Senior Reader in Economics,

St. Stephen's College,

Delhi University,

Delhi -- 110 007.

"Oh, Bowtony!"....

It's been three decades and my life revolves round Botany. Teaching Botany has been a joyous and rewarding experience. During admission time at Delhi University some recurrent thoughts come to mind. My answer "Botany" to an oft-repeated query as to which subject I teach has invariably led to a crestfallen "Oh, Bowtony!", making me feel a less cerebral sort than the Maths masterminds or not as imaginative as the connoisseurs of English.

The print media have been following admission trends diligently. It's like studying the sensex of education. A recent report reflecting the sentiments of the bourses of education mentioned commerce to be "still bullish" and science shares to have "slid further".

Comparing the admissions in Science and Commerce streams, just 28 admissions inclusive of seats for SC/ST candidates have been finalised in B.Sc (Hons).

After the third cut-off list just one gap year admission seeker turned up. Withdrawals are inevitable, resulting in fewer students than sanctioned seats. On the other hand in B.Com (Hons), admissions at 16 colleges closed after the very first cut-off list. It is sad that the educated masses have lost interest in scientific thought and pursuits. The impact will be felt sooner than anticipated as the scientist engrossed in research with innovative ideas will be a rarity. Take the case of environment. Large-scale studies have to be undertaken to assess the faults in the environment and their mitigation to regenerate eco-systems, reclaim wastelands, conservation of water and fragile bio-diversity.

I believe and tell students that the 20th Century was the age of atomic energy and bio-technology is going to lead us in the 21st Century. The list of future prospects is endless. There are exciting possibilities in the job market like being able to pursue careers in research at world-class institutes on molecular biology, gene sequencing, use of molecular tools for curing life-threatening diseases, microbiology, genetics, environmental biology and disaster management, studies on degraded eco-systems and climate change, pharmaceuticals, dealing with genetically modified organisms and issues of intellectual property rights. Even growing test-tube plants on a large scale, formulation of herbal medicines are undertaken as Corporate Social Responsibility by many industrial houses to help villagers. Last but not the least, teaching or starting one's own NGO can be most satisfying.

Coming back to my subject, which non-life sciences students are likely to be deprived of, it is a delight to observe the perfect filigree of maze-like patterns of plant forms under the microscope, the amazing plant aesthetics which any human cannot improve upon. They will never know why a tree is called homesick, or for that matter sausage tree, maiden hair tree, a living fossil, or a certain monkey puzzle tree in a garden in California could stun passers-by by dropping 20-pound nuts on their heads.

Insights of thinkers into the metaphysical aspect revealing the divinity in nature are tangible. Aristotle believed that plants have souls but no sensation. Physicist Theodor Fechner said the "plant people" calmly living in the spots of their rooting might well be wondering why human bipeds keep rushing about. Another thinker feels plants are capable of intent; they can stretch towards or seek out what they want in ways as mysterious as the most fantastic creations of romance.

Please, let us carry on with the faith and divinity of the sciences of the universe and try to decipher the sublime and make Earth more hospitable with the three P's (population, poverty and pollution) under check.

Dr. Aarati Saxena,

Senior Reader,

Department of Botany,

Sri Venkateswara College,

Delhi University South Campus, New Delhi.

Bad times

Considering the type of language used in written/spoken word these days and the smutty photographs published in certain newspapers, it seems we are on the verge of becoming an uncouth sex-obsessed society devoid of any dignity, aesthetics and good manners.

Print media abound in "surveys" and "opinion polls" about amorous/extra-marital propensities of the people as also eye-catching visuals of scantily dressed/sensually depicted models, film stars, etc. We are made to believe that a predominantly large number of men and women entertain/indulge in overly promiscuous relationships.

In reality, however, the situation may not at all be as alarming or scandalous as is being made out to be by certain sections of the Press in order to boost their sales by pandering to prurient tastes among the people.

More and more women should come out and protest against demeaning representation of the female entity and form as an object of mere gratification at the altar of male libido.

Happily, The Hindu is among the few newspapers in the country today that do not believe in resorting to cheap unethical gimmicks for the sake of increasing their circulation for pecuniary gains.

Wing Commander

(Retd.) S. C. Kapoor,

E-145, Sector 21,

Jal Vayu Vihar,

Noida - 201 301.

Passport pangs

This is to draw attention to the working of the Passport Office in Ghaziabad. I applied for renewal of my passport (Ref B000990 Year 2006) DE 28-02-06, but the passport has not come. All efforts to get any information on its fate have failed. No reply on phone. The website has carried the same message for the past 14 weeks. The police report was clear on April 14. Will someone look into the matter?

R.K. Singhal,

38, UNI Apts,

Sector 11, Vasundhara,

Ghaziabad.

Lakhs held up

I have seven fixed deposits (FDRs) with Escorts Finance Ltd. pending redemption for over two years. Despite repeated reminders to the company and personal visits I have not been able to get any response.

I am a retired civil servant and over two lakh rupees of my pension settlement amount is invested in this company. I look forward to getting it back now.

Dr. J. M. Ovasdi,

29-30 Tirath Nagar,

New Sanganer Road,

Sodala, Jaipur - 302 019.

(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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