Sorry plight
Nirupama Subramanian has lucidly brought out the sorry plight of the families of prisoners of war (POWs) in “And the search continues”(June 24). Relatives of the missing service men are hoping against hope to see their dear ones one day or the other. When the Indian government released 93,000 POWS, it is only proper for the Pakistani government to gracefully accede to the request, as keeping them confined interminably will not serve any purpose.
H.P. Murali,
Bangalore
The article was heartbreaking. Even after three decades, the relatives of the prisoners of war are still hopeful of a positive outcome,provided the Pakistan authorities co-operate. One thing is certain: the health, both physical and mental, of the prisoners would have been affected unless they have been treated well.
Inamdar Ramchandra,
Bangalore
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The robust optimism of the families of the 54 servicemen who went missing in the 1971 Indo-Pak war is praiseworthy. Their desire to know about the whereabouts of the missing army men is justifiable. The article suggests that only in few cases the searching team could get exact details with the help of some obliging Pakistani officials. The article subtly reveals that behind the seeming do-gooder image of Pakistan President Musharraf there is a lack of seriousness.
T.R.S. Rangan,
Bangalore
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Though there were some news items about the woes of the families of the missing prisoners of war, the author deserves to be praised for her painstaking efforts to give a full account of the history. It is heartening to note the family members have not lost hope and attempt to gather information about the missing members. When there were some evidence like letters and personal information from others, the Government should have taken some action to secure the release of all Indian POWs in Pakistan. Both the Governments should immediately identify the soldiers captured in the Indo-Pakistan war and release them and put an end to the anguish of the family members on both sides.
Koothappakkam R.Murali Kumar,
Srirangam
Tragedy in mid-air
I could not read through “The crash that shook the world” (June 24) without tears filling my eyes. My friend’s wife and teenage son, who were dear to me, were in that ill fated flight. I was on vacation in Chennai when the news was conveyed to me by friends from Bahrain where I was then based. My colleague had stayed back in Toronto, after seeing off his family, having planned to join them some time later. But as fate had willed he travelled all the way to the crash site only to pick their remains Needless to say he was totally devastated by this tragedy but with great fortitude gets along cherishing the memory of his loved ones. The noble gesture of the Irish in sharing the grief of the friends and relatives and erecting a memorial is touching indeed.
C.P.Srinivasan,
Chennai
Unforgettable Gandhi
Guha’s article “A philosopher, witty and wise” (June 24) brought back memories of the past. For those who had seen and heard him, Ramchandra Gandhi was unforgettable. Once when he spoke at a LSP meet of the Mumbai-based Leslie Sawhny Programme, he held the audience spell bound. Simply attired in a Khadi kurta-Pyjama with a cloth bag dangling over his shoulders, he was a common sight during his stint at Hyderabad University often unnoticed. For him, life was small living, sans ostentation.
K.E. Thomas,
By e-mail
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Ram Guha’s article was quite a revelation. Isn’t it pathetic that we know so little about the progeny of the man whom we all revere as the Father of the Nation? While an erudite person like Ramu Gandhi passed away almost unsung, scions of the ‘other’ Gandhi family, whose academic credentials are hardly worth mentioning, are deifiedall over. What a shame.
Dr. Anil K. Joshi,
Ranikhet, Uttarakhand
Lost legacy
“Marginalised from the mainstream” (June 24) highlights an important issue that people at large and most of our cultural impresarios always ignore. My first experience of Krishnanattam was during the early 1970s. It was a beautiful devotional dance repertoire with unrefined singing having the touches of Sopana Sangeetam. A few years back when I happened to see it again, I was surprised to see its “metamorphosis” as Kathakali, in terms of singing, acting and costumes! When I asked the artists about this immediately after their performance, the response was a scornful look! It’s high time the Guruvayoor Devaswom did something to recover its lost legacy.
Malini Viswanathan,
Kolkata
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