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IT was a joy to read an in-depth and revealing analysis by Ms Tavleen Singh on the Kargil conflict with Pakistan on July 3. One rarely comes across such a report in these days of personal biases, political tilts and petty self-interest, even when talking about the war which was thrust upon India.

That the mischievous designs of Pakistan have been thwarted and we have come out victorious on military as well as diplomatic fronts, is a matter which every Indian should be proud of. This has been achieved at a great human sacrifice and heavy cost amounting to over Rs 50 crore per day. The bravery and valour of our jawans and officers, fighting under most difficult and testing conditions, is acknowledged by one and all. Now that the Tricolour is flying at Tiger Hill, let us ensure that the “aakhri badla”of Pakistan is its “aakhri waqt” so that no one plays such games with India.

That the present government could handle this situation so brilliantly is another pleasant sign of our strength. This proves once again that India can perform excellently and achieve anything but only under adversity. This is the same government which could not control the price of onions when in full power, but could win the war and keep our freedom intact when it is in its caretaker status. This clearly shows that the “political baggage” which it had to carry for 13 months was too heavy to perform. And once this baggage was shed, all its skills and confidence were visible and fully used for restoring our national pride.

Is it not the right time for every Indian to think that when we elect our new government, we should ensure that it is the one with no “excess baggage” which will hamper its working? There is nothing which our country cannot achieve, in any field, if we have the political will backing the right persons and at the right moment.

Salute to the soldier

As the war clouds gather,
The warrior stirs,
He braves the weather and the enemy,
Even as fire seeks him from adjoining hill spurs.
He thinks nothing of the danger,
All that fills him is anger;
Anger at the enemy who has encroached upon his motherland.
As he fights the hostile brigand,
He thinks nothing of himself,
Nor does he fear the bullets that fly,
All he thinks of is his country,
And, perhaps, a little of his family.
As Pakistan, with its artillery, our positions pounds,
He refuses to give even a millimetre of his grounds.
He braves wind, thirst and tiredness,
As if shrouded in uncaring madness,
But this is not madness,
It is just pure, untempered patriotism.
Patriotism that we would do well to learn.
Whether the cold or the enemy is the foe, it is difficult to discern,
He knows people will forget him once he’s gone.
But he still does fight,
With all his will, all his might.
“What drives him?”one asks;
Then realises that the answer cannot be expressed,
As pure emotions often cannot be.
We salute you, O soldier, though we cannot see.

ABHISHEK SHARMA
Class XII,
Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan
New Delhi

I read the news-item“Parents demand probe”( June 25) and feel that parents have correctly demanded the fixing of responsibility and stern action against the teachers who are responsible for the poor result in the government schools in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab.

The average result is 20 per cent. The explanation of the ADEO is not convincing.

We generally say that the destiny of a nation is decided in the classroom. But it is not true. The late Sardar Partap Singh Kairon as Chief Minister of Punjab had stopped the annual increments of the teachers whose achievements — results — were below 30 per cent. Those days are gone now when the Inspector of School used to visit and inspect the schools and write ACRs of teachers. The schools were controlled and supervised by the district boards and the quality of education was of a high standard and worth praising.

Later on the schools were provincialised and the State School Education Board came into being. At present the syllabi and the conduct of examinations are the responsibilities of the board, and the state government is empowered to look after other matters. The control of the government is only in name. Vote-bank politics is the order of the day.

	M A I L B A G	Wednesday, July 7, 1999
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