KULDIP Dhiman’s write-up "Back from the land of no return" (January 12) makes very interesting and rewarding study. It not only confirms and authenticates the theory of reincarnation, but also suggests that God is kind and justified in making us all oblivious of our past lives.

We have, indeed, much to gain from such studies and researches into the mysteries of the mind, the soul, the continuation of life after death, the influence of our past-life experiences on our present behaviour and the pleasures as well as the pains arising out of it.

I.P. ANAND
Yamunanagar.

After reading the article on people who seem to remember their past lives the following questions cropped up in my mind.

— Why is it that these people were reborn only within the political boundaries of the country in which they died?

— Why are so few of these persons reborn as members of the opposite sex?

— We have read about and heard of such cases before, and some people have the opinion that it is persons who meet "unnatural", violent ends who remember their past lives. How is one to define an "unnatural" death? Human killers, I would suppose, are as natural as animal or microbial killers. And an accident need not only be a collision with an automobile. One can also accidentally come into contact with the Hepatitis B virus, for example, and die from it.

In the early years of the evolution of the human race, homo sapiens numbered no more than a few thousands. As we have now grown to more than 5 billion individuals, does that mean that each early human who died was subdivided and reborn as multiple individuals?

N.S. DHAMI
Ludhiana.

The article made interesting reading. All the three persons mentioned in the article met with violent deaths — accidents or murders — in their previous lives. According to Hindu philosophy the body dies but not the soul which live takes new form in the next birth as per one’s karma. The souls of those who meet violent ends wander and are denied peaceful transition from one form of life to another.

KARNAIL SINGH
Ranjit Sagar Dam.

This refers to Reeta Sharma’s "Should Press ignore national interest?" (January 5). It is the need of the hour that the Indian media as also the politicians learn that national interest should take precedence over individual interest.

I think it is the entry of incompetent persons in the Press which is at the root of irresponsible reporting. It is surprising that no stringent selection procedure is adopted by the Fourth Estate to ensure the entry of only competent persons as beginners. By the time the unwanted are filtered out irreparable harm is already done.

It hurts my pride for the Fourth Estate when I see a indisciplined dropout from school or college working for the media.

MEENA RAJPUT
Solan.