M A I L B A G

VC can’t treat teachers as slaves

APROPOS of Dr. B.L.Chakoo’s letter “Suspension for minor lapse objectionable” (Nov 28), the writer, as a teacher, has appreciated that the mind of a teacher is not to be “enslaved”, which the bureaucrats think. The bureaucrat Vice-Chancellor does not understand the language of academic freedom guaranteed to us by the Constitution.

With a view to suppressing his freedom first, the VC suspended Dr. K.S. Sidhu on legally untenable ground. Now he has instituted a probe committee of his courtiers to get him indicted for issuing a certificate to his student and junior colleague concerning his academic excellence.

It is the prerogative of the teacher alone who knows academic growth and grooming of his student. It does not come within the purview of the administration. The non-academic VC does not have correct vision of this academic perspective. This perspective is acquired after a long continuous training and orientation as a student, researcher and teacher. He lives and grows with the problems of education on reciprocal basis which the present VC is devoid of.

Dr R. BALASUBRAMANIUM, President, Indian Political Science Association, New Delhi

Fast track for senior citizens THIS has reference to Er. S.K. Sharma’s letter (Nov 25). In May 1999, the Supreme Court directed the High Courts for giving priority to the cases connected with senior citizens. However, fast track for seniors is not effective. If one judge, on merit, tags a case for fast track, with the change of the roaster of judges, it gets assigned to another Judge but no longer remains on fast track. The case gets merged with routine ones and loses its priority. Before being filed in the High Courts as a Regular Second Appeal (RSA), a property suit takes about five to eight years in the trial courts for decision where evidence and record is completed. The next (first) Appeal in the District Court takes about two years for decision. With papers complete in all respects, the RSAs in the High Court are pending since 1980. As there is a time-limit for filing of RSAs, why should not there be a time-limit for taking decision on them? In the computer age, there is no scope for delay and even when a daily case list from the Punjab and Haryana High Court appears on the Internet, why are the files kept waiting for disposal for decades? Maj-Gen J.S.BHULLAR (retd), Chandigarh

Exploitation of PSUs

Reference Mr Inder Malhotra’s article “Milch cows and white elephants” (Nov 27). Much of the history of most PSUs is replete with the ruthless exploitation of their resources by the bureaucrats and the politicians controlling their fate. On the one hand, they have been treated like storehouses for accommodating their own kith and kin, irrespective of the requirement and suitability of the candidates and, on the other, PSUs have been deprived of autonomy.

Many of the non-performing assets, now sitting like a virulent python on the profitability and viability of PSUs, are more a creation of the irresponsible manner in which the loans were forced out by extraneous factors, rather of their own judgement on the credibility of the promoters or viability of the proposals. On top of it, now the same “holy cows” which have been brutally milched are sought to be closed. Even now, most PSUs, if granted true autonomy and allowed to shape their own destiny, are capable of turning into self-supporting institutions, of course, with a little support. Is it asking for too much?

KANWAR PAL SINGH CHAUHAN, Chandigarh

Speech therapy

Apropos of the report on the gesture of our Pakistani guest (Dec 2), in our country, every ENT consultant and speech therapist knows how to cure men with a feminine voice. Barring a few people, who need hormonal injections or tablets, most are given voice therapy. The person with feminine voice is asked to speak, in a very low pitch, basic words like Aah or Uhh. He is trained to use in other words initially and then in his day-to-day speech.

Whereas Dr Ranifa, the speech therapist, has offered to cure such persons in a week, most of our specialists or speech therapists take a day to cure this faulty way of speaking which is not a disease. This is to set the record straight and guide The Tribune’s readers who may need help.

Dr A.L. ADLAKHA, Amritsar

Big B’s ‘Baghbaan’

Amitabh Bachchan’s latest milestone “Baghbaan” vividly picturises today’s era. The present generation must see this movie and should learn to respect their parents and their feelings. One error which I have found in the film is that when Amitabh Bachchan went to his son and separated from his wife, he alone with Paresh Rawal celebrated ‘Valentine’s Day’ which falls on February 14.

Amitabh was supposed to stay over there for six months, but he observed fast for Karwa Chauth for his wife, which falls near Diwali. This implies that Amitabh stayed in his son’s house for more than eight months, not for six months or so. As he himself tells his wife, the six-month period was very sad for them.

SURAJ KAPOOR, Solan

Preventing AIDS

“Abstinence from sex” is the message for prevention of AIDS given by the Punjab State AIDS Control Society in its advertisement on the eve of World AIDS Day. (The Tribune, December 1).

The suggestion is similar to advising “not to drink water and eat” for preventing typhoid or gastroenteritis and “not to travel” for preventing road or rail accidents. AIDS can very well be prevented by avoiding unprotected sex rather than advising total abstinence from it.

Dr R.S. BEDI, Patiala