Tribute to the vulnerable
The entire Sunday Magazine was a tribute to the most vulnerable and marginalised in the society. The articles struck an emotional chord drawing one nearer to the realities of nature and life. With the world proceeding on a breathtaking speed of material aggrandisement, the issue was a wake-up call to everyone to the painful realities of life. “Indomitable spirit” and “Sanjita’s story” were rare experiences but the wisdom and virtues of those experiences linger in memory.
N. Sekar,
Salem
This has reference to “Sanjita’s Story” by Meena Menon. Pratish nursing her till the last breath showed the intensity of his love towards her. What appeals to one is the sign of a good relationship existing between the son and the mother during his upbringing which made him to make adjustments to take care of her during the evening of her life, overcoming all financial problems. In the present world, when there is lot of hue and cry over old people being left alone by their kith and kin, the story of Pratish will act as a reminder and a lesson to all those selfish young men and women to first understand the agony and pains of the elderly so that they are not left to their fate in times of need.
K.R. Srinivasan,
Secunderabad
All the write-ups on palliative care (November 23 ) reveal four vital factors. Palliative centres do not exist in most of the States. Many organisations are not interested in establishing these centres since there is no monetary gain. Doctors are reluctant to take up jobs in these centres since salary-wise it is unremunerative. Except Kerala no State Government has taken interest. Considering the need for these centres, certain steps are required to be taken. State governments should make palliative centres a part of their health system. They may subsidise the salaries of the doctors working in these centres so that doctors could be well paid. Central Health Ministry should provide annual grants to all Centres through State Governments. Just as the Government of India insists doctors serve in rural areas for a certain period, it may frame a policy that mandates post-graduate doctors with different expertise to serve in palliative centres for at least two years.
Dr. R. Thirunarayanan,
Chidambaram
Lessons from the past
The article “What Nehru owed to Tagore” has invaluable lessons today in our country when the ugly heads of sons of soil theory, language chauvinism and narrow minded thoughts of certain people and organisations are the order of the day. It is the duty of all school managements to display this article in their respective school board/library so that our younger generation will not miss reading this.
E.P. Parthasarathy,
Chennai
Ode to a maestro
The write up on Bhimsen Joshi was quite informative (November 23.) . Although much has been written about the maestro over the years , Sadanand Kanavalli has brought to light many interesting facts, hitherto unknown, regarding the formative years of the man who is undoubtedly the most accomplished, celebrated and revered Hindustani vocalist of our times.
Prof. Anil K. Joshi,
Ranikhet
Whose English?
I was surprised to see the usage “Jointless family” (November 23). This is not Queen’s English but Queer English! The antonym of Joint family (or extended family) is Nuclear family. Columnists should watch the contents and also usage when writing .
D. Natesan
Chennai
Vijay Nagaswami has clearly redefined joint family. He has rightly pointed out that the joint family is not the large umbrella unit; rather it’s a cluster of nuclear families in which each nuclear family may have its own unique processes that are to be equally respected.
Today we live in a different type of environment. The husband or wife lives abroad earning for his family, the child lives in a hostel learning to earn. In this modern world it seems difficult to have a family life, then how could we think about a joint family? This is the saddest part of this glamorous world.
J. Eugene Jacob
II MCA,
Alagappa Chettiyar College of Engineering and Technology,
Karaikudi.
Ambivalent stance
This is with reference to Sevanti Ninan’s article, “Media Matters” column (November 23). She writes: “I am not saying that media is vilifying suspects. But it is worth asking: What defines media credibility for a media consumer with a made up mind?” I am not sure what she means exactly.
Does she defend the Hindutva face of the terrorism? Or does she vouchsafe the credibility of media? If so, why didn’t she join the civil “society secular stalwarts” when they raised their voice against the embedded journalism before the Malegaon blasts cases were cracked by the ATS?
Syed Ali Hashmi
Hyderabad
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