M A I L B A G

Need to spot hidden talent in villages

Apropos of the editorial “Boy from Ballia”, Saurabh Singh has done proud to the nation by topping the National Aeronautical Space Agency test, a rare honour and blazing trail, after President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and the late Kalpana Chawla. Like them, Saurabh also belongs to a rural area and a poor family. Admittedly, even after 57 years of Independence, we have done little for the education of poor children, especially for those who remain invisible and ignored.

We should have proper education planning to provide quality education to even those for whom it is only a distant dream. Also, we should provide the requisite facilities and educational infrastructure and look for the total ability of the students and convince them that they can perform still better. Our educationists, especially teachers, have a greater role to play to impart knowledge-based education and enable our future generations to excel in this competitive world.

Dr. S.K. AGGARWAL, Dean, Amritsar College of Engg & Tech., Amritsar 

II

In the rural areas, the quality of education is very poor. The school buildings are old with no amenities. If facilities are there, teachers do not motivate and inspire the students. Most teachers in the villages feel that the rural students will study up to Matriculation or 10+2 and then do small business. They do not see them as future Saurabhs or Kalpana Chawlas.

CHARANJIT NOHRA, Nohra, Patiala

III

The fact that talent and hard work have their roots in the lesser known towns of India has been reaffirmed. Education must begin its journey from the villages, because the less privileged and the poor know the real importance of education. The drive is there in them. Only the opportunities are missing.

This young and determined Saurabh shall now be able to shape his future, courtesy NASA. He has set an example for others to emulate.

RAMAN KANTA SHARMA, Shahabad Markanda (Kurukshetra)

IV

Saurabh has really made India proud. Your piece of advice to spread education to spot hidden Saurabhs is timely. The edit makes an oblique reference to the advancement of China. But China is not having a democratic form of government as in India.

If we wish to make rapid progress in all fields, we should do away with this form of government where criminal-turned politicians are ruling the roost. Will it not be worthwhile to redraw a new Constitution in these changing scenarios?

Students from lower middle class families with no extra facilities for studies make the upper mark as compared to those from afferent families with all the comforts and facilities at their command. We should inspire and encourage the future Kalams and Chawlas through Saurabhs of India.

SHYAM SUNDER AIRI, Kapurthala

LIC late fee

The Life Insurance Corporation of India may be very efficient. It promptly sends demand notices of policies due for premium. However, it imposes late fee on policies if the premium payment gets delayed for reasons beyond the control of the policy holders.

The common excuse is that the postman might have misdelivered it. We know that our postman never does so and yet out of the dozen policies that we have in our household, we hardly get one demand notice in time, sometimes not at all.

Prof P.K. GUPTA, Bathinda

Regulate functions

January and February are peak months for studies. However, schools or NGOs organise functions in these months. No function is successful without the involvement of schools.

As these functions deviate the students’ attention for many days, no function is desirable in the schools during this period except Republic Day on January 26. This is one way of ensuring that the students’ studies are not disturbed.

BALDEV RAJ SALHOTRA, Khanpur (Pathankot)

Well done

I appreciate Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib, for having successfully organised the 300th martyrdom of Sahibzada Baba Zorawar Singh, Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh and Mata Gujri.

This is for the first time in three decades that there was no traffic problem even as lakhs of people visited Fatehgarh Sahib. It is also due to his efforts that no obscene songs and circus shows were allowed across the roads.

PRITPAL SINGH, Patiala

Help senior citizens The age for retirement of Central and state government employees should be 58. Most private sector employees get much less emoluments than those obtained by government employees. A man retiring at 58 has enough liabilities to meet. In view of bleak employment opportunities for young people, governments may retire their employees at 58. However, in the interest of justice, the Finance Minister should declare those who attain 58 years as senior citizens and extend all the necessary benefits to them. B.S. AGGARWAL, Panchkula