Kashmir: scrap Article 370

MORE than 400 Indian jawans have laid down their lives defending Kashmir against the Pak aggression during the last two and a half months, and an equal number have been disabled or seriously injured. These jawans hailed from the various states of India — from Assam in the east to Rajasthan in west, from Punjab and Haryana in the north to Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the South. As patriotic citizens of this vast country, they deemed the defence of Kashmir their bounden duty and died for that cause, a glorious end.

But their tragedy is that whereas they have a duty to die for Kashmir, they or their parents have no right to live and settle in that state which we repeatedly call an integral part of India. Where else in the world do we find such a funny phenomenon?

It is time political parties in India stopped playing petty politics, and came together to demand the immediate scrapping of Article 370 so that Kashmir could be completely integrated with the rest of India. The initiative should come from the National Conference headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah. If he is afraid of the secessionists' guns, he should know that the guns will continue to boom even if he promises them the moon.

R.L. SINGAL
Chandigarh

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Use of helmets

It is in the interest of public safety and the law that we have to understand the use of helmets. I think it is a right step to introduce the use of helmets for women. Specially when the two-wheeler traffic’s volume is rising, and chances of accidents increase. Chandigarh has been known as a city with a clean environment, and we should respect its image.

JASMIT NAGI
Oxford

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Issue of war casualties

The war in Kargil is over. The Indian government and the Ministry of Defence have stated that the Indian casualty figure in this two-month war is around 400-500 lives lost. I wonder whether this is the truth. All patriotic Indians also must wonder whether the figure is accurate after reading other accounts of the conflict.

Read Time magazine and its account of the war. Especially its interview with a Pakistani soldier. I quote, “The skirmishes with the Indians started in May. In the early days we mowed down many of them. Those Indians were crazy. They came like ants. First you see four, and you kill them. Then there are 10, then 50, then 100 and then 400. Our fingers got tired of shooting at them. We felt sorry for them....”

Thank God we have won this round. The MoD should come out with the correct figure. I agree Time magazine may be polishing the account to enhance readership. The Time-CNN fiasco on the report of the USA using nerve gas in Vietnam has not been forgotten, but every magazine cannot be lying.

The Opposition, especially the Congress, should force the government and the MoD to come out with the truth.

NARAYAN KRISHNAMURTHY (A.K)
Member, Technical Staff,
Ariel Corporation (Cranbury (NJ)

(Received in response to the Internet edition).

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Changing cities' names

This refers to the change of the name of West Bengal's capital and the metropolitan city of Calcutta to Kolkata. Earlier the names of Bombay and Madras were changed to Mumbai and Chennai respectively. I think now comes the turn of Delhi. It may be changed to Dehli as we pronounce in Hindi, our national language, or Dilli as most of the residents of Delhi speak.

I feel if Calcutta could have been changed to Kolkati, then it would have been a unique symmetry — Mumbai, Chennai and Dehli or Dilli. But, perhaps, the priorities of India are different — not changing the names of cities.

Changing names in all the official and unofficial documents involves a heavy expenditure. The actual expenditure incurred by the state in the change of the name of a city should be made public. This topic should be debated at some appropriate level.

One thing more may be added here. In many countries they have local names as well as international names. Rome, Milan and Florence are internationally known as such whereas Italians call them Roma, Milano and Firenze respectively. So let the local people or the state people call it by their new names, but outside they may be known by the same names.

G.M. Singh
Visiting Scientist, Department of Energetics, University of Ancona
Ancona (Italy)

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Helping disabled soldiers

With the victory at the battlefield, the mood of the nation is upbeat. Seeing the immense courage and supreme sacrifice made by our brave soldiers, every Indian is trying to contribute to the various Army welfare funds. Everyone is in a mood to do something useful and beneficial for the soldiers and their families.

But the important point here is to sustain the current mood till the welfare of those affected by the war is ensured. The stories of the soldiers disabled in the 1965 and 71 wars having a hand-to-mouth existence, are an example of our nation’s short-lived memory and lack of will on the part of the government.

It is, therefore, not only the responsibility of the government alone but also of the people of the country and the media to keep the issue of rehabilitation alive till the war-hit soldiers and their families get their due.

That will be the real tribute to all those who have laid down their lives for their motherland.

Shama Bindra
Chandigarh