Tamil Nadu   

A fitting tribute

The unveiling of N. Ramasamy Udayar’s statue at Salem is a fitting tribute by the city’s elite to the great Congress leader of Tamil Nadu as well as a fan of the immortal Tamil classic Kambaramayanam. I had a rare opportunity to invite him and talk to him on the eve of the inauguration of Silamboli Muthamil Mandram at Prakasam Nagar in 2004. He was easily accessible to all and his humanity was superb. Like his great leader and mentor Kamraj, he used to mingle with common people with love and affection. Some two decades ago, I saw him presiding over the marriage function of one of my friends at Erode with no worthwhile social status. Whenever a Tamil scholar faced a tragedy in life, he would be the first person to call and console him not caring the distance and his old age.

T.N. Arthanari,

Salem.

American culture seems to be spreading in India. A 14-year-old student Abhishek Tyagi was killed by two of his classmates who pumped five bullets into him at an ‘elite’ school in Gurgaon. It is not uncommon to see students fighting with each other, at times resulting in fatal injuries. But this is probably the first time a cold-blooded murder was committed by school children. What has become common in the US has now taken roots in India. ‘Elite’ schools teach children to be competitive and successful without infusing human values into them. It is time our educationists gave a serious thought to the increasing violence among school students.

They should be taught the dictum of Albert Einstein: “Do not aim to be a person of success, but aim to be a person of values.”

V.S. Venkatavaradan,

Salem.

Sona College of Technology has of late become a venue for mega events, both indoor and outdoor. Hats off to the Sona management for their broadmindedness in providing their broad campus for the events. However, the narrow lanes which lead to the playground, hostel and college cause a lot of inconvenience to students, staff, visitors, the public etc. The management in cooperation with the Corporation authorities should come forward to widen the roads.

R. Nagarajan,

Salem.

This refers to the alarming report (Dec. 15) of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) and extensively-drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) in India which poses a major challenge to the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).

One of us (Dr. T. Rama Prasad) had written in these columns more than 30 years ago (April 28, 1977) that “development of drug resistance, which is a result of inadequate and irregular treatment mostly, has far-reaching implications and if unchecked would make tuberculosis totally unmanageable by the present methods in course of time, whatever be the means. Inadequate treatment keeps the patient often alive, suffering and ineffective to disseminate drug-resistant organisms into the environment”.

The results of a study in Mumbai announced in May 2007 at an international conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Francisco indicated that 32 per cent of the 1,274 samples from TB patients were of MDR-TB of which eight per cent were of XDR-TB and that 42 per cent of them died despite treatment. XDR-TB is virtually incurable. At every annual conference on TB and on the annual ‘World TB Day’ we give eloquent speeches on strategies to contain this seemingly invincible scourge. The dreaded bacillus is mocking at our failures despite having a national TB control programme for more than 35 years. The TB control programme rests on the tripod of funds, dedicated workers (including doctors) and public awareness. Unfortunately, all the three legs are weak and rickety in our set-up.

The future of TB control seems to be gloomy notwithstanding the DOTS ‘mantra’ of the RNTCP which has set in a degree of complacency.

Dr. T. Rama Prasad, Dr. T.R. Rajeev and Dr. G. Geeth Raj,

Perundurai.

Recently a panther killed a small girl near her residence in Valparai Hills in the night. The animal was later trapped, tranquilised and released in the forest area at Top Slip.

Once a panther tastes human blood, it will definitely try to attack human beings again for food.

Since many tourists visit the Top Slip area, it would have been better if the panther was lodged in a zoo.

The animal should not have been released in the open forest.

I suggest that it be identified, caught and sent to a zoo before it lays its teeth on an innocent human being again.

M. Subramaniam,

Pollachi.

I travelled from Valparai to Pollachi (it is a three-hour journey) on December 17 and 19 to make reservation for December 22 from Pollachi to Tuticorin in route bus No. 632 (Bus TN01 N6569). The reservation counter clerk asked me to come on December 20. I sent a person on that day to have the reservation done. The clerk told him told him that all seats were full.

Then he demanded Rs. 25 instead of Rs.10 for a seat and collected Rs. 75 for three seats.

I spent more than Rs. 150 only for reservation.

Can State Express Transport Corporation Tamil Nadu Ltd. explain why the extra amount was taken for the reservation?

J.S. Priscilla,

Valparai.

All above 65 years and below the poverty line in Tamil Nadu will be entitled for pension.

It will indeed be a social revolution if the scheme is implemented in letter and spirit.

Pensioners have requested the Chief Minister to remove all legal hurdles raised by the government in the government order 371 of April 30, 1986 and refix the pension for all who retired on or after October 1, 1987.

K.K. Lakshmanan,

Coimbatore.

Temples are places of love and compassion.

It is heart-breaking to see there the cruelty of thousands of goats and lakhs of chickens being killed.

This should be banned and those who are involved in it should be dealt with properly.

N. Ramachundhran,

Coimbatore.

Readers can mail to cbereaders@thehindu.co.in with address and telephone number.

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