Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

National anthem row

The remark by Infosys Chief Mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy that the singing of the national anthem during President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's recent visit to the company's Mysore campus would have embarrassed employees of foreign origin was truly unbecoming of a man of his stature.

As Indians, we ought to be proud of our national flag and the national anthem and should be keen on respecting them in the presence of foreigners. If Mr. Murthy becomes President, will he avoid singing the national anthem when a foreign dignitary is being welcomed? India is proud of Mr. Murthy. But is he proud to be an Indian?

P.J. Bagilthaya,
Bangalore

People like Mr. Murthy should think before saying anything to the media. No person is above the nation.

Raghavendra R. Pawar,
Bangalore

The incident is reflective of a lack of pride in our heritage, culture, and identity. This is not a Murthy-specific problem. The "embarrassment" factor is a well-known phenomenon afflicting many elite citizens of our country.

Prateek Bharadwaj,
Bangalore

Mr. Murthy's inadvertent remark is indeed very unfortunate. But he has quickly realised his mistake and come out with an apology. He is a great son of Karnataka and his contribution to Bangalore and the State cannot be ignored. Our political leaders should graciously accept his apology.

H.K. Seshadri,
Bangalore

It is unfortunate that the Infosys Technologies Chief Mentor is in the news for wrong reasons. The IT czar is taking bitter lessons in politics with the Karnataka legislators up in arms against his remark on the national anthem. There need not be a better testimony to prove Mr. Murthy's patriotic credentials than his being an entrepreneur providing employment to thousands of his countrymen and making every Indian proud of his business acumen.

S. Ramakrishnasayee,
Ranipet

That the politicians are spoiling the image of an Indian who has put all his efforts to bring name and fame to the country is unfortunate. An instrumental version of the national anthem was played in the function and people, including Mr. Murthy, sang along. All of us know how much our politicians have done for the country and the people.

Sunil Tomar,
Belfast

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