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On 9/11 & Gandhi

The article "Three 9/11s — choose your own" (Sept. 11), by its masterly juxtaposition of three historical happenings on the date, has turned our attention once again to the colossal personality of Mahatma Gandhi and his everlasting message of non-violence. In the light of the contrasting incidents mentioned, it is easy to see how right the Mahatma was and how wrong present day leaders such as George Bush and Tony Blair are. The article is a masterpiece and deserves the widest possible circulation.

Shahabuddin Nadeem,
Bangalore

Reporting inspirational events is on the decline. It is nearly disappearing from newspapers. In the context of 9/11, most of the media were obsessed with the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Victims of the blasts no doubt need to be remembered. But in the process many of us forgot to pay tribute to the movement that formed the basis of our freedom struggle. The article on 9/11 that appeared in The Hindu was refreshing and drew a beautiful comparison among the three important happenings.

Jyotika Sood,
Ludhiana, Punjab

The media have been giving undue importance to the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in America. It just shows how successfully the Bush administration has wreaked havoc across the world by constantly warning that danger is just a corner away. India has been subject to terror attacks for far longer than the U.S. Yet we remember the victims of the WTC attacks more than those of the Mumbai, Delhi, Varanasi, Akshardham, and Parliament attacks.

Shashank Agnihotri,
New Delhi

We perhaps have too many 9/11s making it difficult to single out a date for such observance. Gandhiji, no doubt, advocated non-violence but took care to mention that violence need not be eschewed when one faces danger. We are up against a gang of ruthless killers who have no time for dialogue or sensitivity to human lives.

S. Rajagopalan,
Chennai

Unfortunately, the Mahatma is no longer the key figure in the Indian discourse. Much is spoken and written on him, but we fail miserably when it comes to living up to his ideals and teachings. In a world where survival of the fittest continues to be the benchmark for success and power, I wish India could become an alternative model. But alas, we ourselves are not convinced of the Mahatma's ways of peace and non-violence.

Jeevan Kuruvilla,
Vellore, T.N.

Satyagraha, or the anger of truth, worked a hundred years ago when it was still possible to force reasonable, sensitive governments to listen to the diktats of morality. In situations where governance is insensitive, corrupt and unreasonable, people resort in desperation to violence. Whether satyagraha is relevant would depend on the type of governance. Where governance is amoral, the anger of truth lapses into violence.

S. Suchindranath Aiyer,
Bangalore

I see a lot of memorials, mourning, special and exclusive media coverage and worldwide condemnation of 9/11. Why isn't the same sympathy and concern forthcoming for thousands of innocent Lebanese, Palestinians, Iraqis, and Afghans? Were they less human? Or is it that they have none to cry or care for?

Nilesh Tendulkar,
Mumbai

The war on terror, or anything for that matter, cannot lead to peace. It is only a demonstration of one-upmanship and show of strength at the expense of thousands of lives. Those who are really interested in peace should call for a convention of leaders of all nations, religious heads, and Al-Qaeda to prove that all religions have a common goal — welfare of the people.

P.U. Krishnan,
Udhagamandalam, T.N.

Five years have passed since the twin towers were brought down by Al-Qaeda. The fact that Osama bin Laden has neither been captured nor killed reflects the failure of the U.S. The reason is not far to seek. The U.S. has adopted Pakistan as an ally in its global war against terror, knowing well that Pakistan is the breeding ground of terrorism.

C.V. Krishnamoorthy,
Bangalore

The Bush-Blair combine has found no WMD in Iraq and no Al-Qaeda connection with Saddam Hussein and has brought about no effective regime change. Ironically, regime change seems to be taking place in countries that originally went into Iraq headstrong. First Spain, then Italy, and now it looks like it is certain in the U.K. Even in the U.S., it looks like there will be a regime change, first in the coming mid-term Congressional elections and then in the 2008 presidential elections.

S.P. Sundaram,
Chennai

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