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Magazine
Golden sheen
With reference to Sevanti Ninan’s “Fifty golden years?” (Magazine, October 25), the answer is, certainly, yes, forgetting the defects but enjoying it when no other channel was available freely. And news readers were heroes and heroines. Besides those who have shared their thoughts, I remember Sunit Tandon and Minu, who introduced the smile culture.
A. Jacob Sahayam
Thiruvananthapuram
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A stimulus package, both generous and substantial in content, must be rushed to bolster up the drooping image of AIR and DD. By filling up thousands of posts which are lying vacant for the past two decades, valuable and knowledgeable young blood could be infused in order to ignite the creative and combative spirit that once prevailed abundantly in these two prestigious arms of the government. World class broadcasting professionals, who languish in these two organisations for want of genuine encouragement, must be given adequate financial and functional freedom so that they can irrefutably prove that they are second to none.
B.R. Kumar,
Former Deputy Director-General, AIR and DD, Prasar Bharati, South Zone, Chennai
Fighting stereotypes
This is with reference to the article ‘To be A Muslim in India today’ by Harsh Mander (Magazine, October 25). The Muslim identity needs to be understood and discussed both in the Indian and international level. Ever since the idea of ‘clash of civilisations’ proposed by Samuel P. Huntington got strengthened and the US declaration of ‘crusade’ against Islam after the 9/11 attack, Muslims in India and the world were brought under closer scrutiny and live in constant fear. I believe that a good percentage of the people of India today are somehow victims of the religious identity and forced to live with the tarnished images generated by the actions of a few individuals and groups within their religion. Muslims, because they are all being equated with a few religious fundamentalists who are misinterpreting their faith for violent ends, are in a serious identity crisis globally. There is a great need to fight against negative stereotypical depiction of not only Islam, but also of all the religions in the world.
Santhosh Abraham
Faculty in Integrated Masters Programme University of Hyderabad Hyderabad
The article depicts the shocking incidents that are happening to the Muslim community. The innocent are victimised in the name of terrorism. Why link terrorism to Muslims only? From which community do the Maoists come from? To which community do the assailants of Kandammal incident belong? The dominant community in India is so prejudiced against the Muslim community that even innocent Muslims are made to suffer. India is known for its great spiritual heritage, if our spirituality, initiated by our sages and rishis don’t enlighten us about reverence for human life, then belonging to the religious community holds no meaning.
Lourdes Braganza
New Delhi
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The article is one-sided. The Haj subsidy, which not even Muslim countries give, and scholarships for Muslim students are just two examples of special treatment given to Muslims in India. Society at large is only reacting to the goings on in the country today. The tendency of the Muslim organisations and parties to remain silent on issues like Islamic terrorism, the goings on in Kashmir, the policies of OIC etc. clearly exposes their communal mindset. By and large Muslims in India are better off than most Hindus belonging to the backward communities . But unfortunately no one writes on the plight of such Hindus. Muslims in India should spare a thought for the Hindus who live in pathetic conditions in our neighbouring countries. From 24 per cent of the population pre-independence, Hindus in Pakistan have been reduced to less than one per cent today.
B. Devadas
Palakkad
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