M A I L B A G

Narayanan: People’s President

With the death of Mr K.R. Narayanan India has lost one of her noblest sons. He was an honest, truthful and squeaky-clean person, who was so poor that he had to stand on a bench for his inability to pay school fees during his childhood. He rose to hold the highest constitutional position in India.

His presidency will be remembered, among other things, for the two occasions when he returned recommendations of the Union Cabinet — for imposition of President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar — terming them inappropriate. I strongly feel that the Thiruvananthapuram international airport should be renamed after him.

V. KRISHNAKUMAR New Delhi

II

K R Narayanan will always be remembered as an apolitical President. He has left behind a virtuous life and no controversies. Like Dr Rajendra Prasad, his name will always evoke dignity and respect. May we have more of such true citizens of India.

MADHU R.D. SINGH Ambala Cantt

III

Apropos the editorial, “K.R. Narayanan — Nation will always be proud of him,” (Nov. 10), the nation has lost a man of great vision. By virtue of his inborn qualities, he rose from poverty and disadvantage to the top post of President and Commander-in-Chief.

He was a distinguished diplomat, politician and statesman. He never compromised with his principles, and never blindly dittoed the recommendations of the government. The void created by his death will never be filled.

D.P. JINDAL, Mandi Gobindgarh

IV

India’s electronic media has once again proved that it prefers sensational news to news of national importance. While most news channels went in for the live telecast of a flop-report about an unknown astrologer’s forecasted death on Oct 20, which of course did not take place, the same news channels did not find it newsworthy to report the cremation of Mr KR Narayanan! Since the former President did not employ media-managers or image-projection agencies, the death of a talented dalit leader was almost blacked out by Indian news-channels.

SUBHASH C. AGRAWAL, New Delhi

Congested schools Schools were once thought to be temples of learning. But now their only aim is to make money. They charge very high fees and admit as many as 60-70 students in a class. Admitting a large number of students in one class with the sole purpose of making money is a corrupt practice. It needs to be stopped immediately. No school should be allowed to admit more than 20-25 students in a class at the lower levels, where each child needs to be attended to individually. MONIKA GUPTA, Naraingarh

Delhi’s NCR plan

Apropos of “NCR holds key to Delhi’s survival” by Gopal Bhargava (Oct 30), the article has elaborated the housing crisis confronting Delhi. As such, the city of Delhi is dying. Mr Bhagava’s suggestion that offices which have no ministerial functions should be shifted away from Delhi should be implemented.

Further, the towns and rural settlements should be developed, so as to ensure decentralisation and balanced regional development. The wholesale trade should also be moved to NCR regions in the periphery. Above all, there is need to ensure comprehensive infrastructure and public utility services in the entire NCR.

B.K. BATRA, Delhi

Tainted politicians

You deserve kudos for your excellent editorial “Minister bows out, tainted politicians a blot on the system” (Nov 6). Samuel Johnson’s remark that politics is the last refuge of scoundrels has more than an element of truth about it in our times.

In the past, we had leaders who had made their mark in different professions and sacrificed their careers to join politics and serve the people. The new-generation leaders are mostly professional politicians who have chosen politics as a career because of the rich rewards it is now being made to yield. It has become a profession in which merit and ethics have largely got jettisoned.

The charlatans and Rasputins continue to strut majestically in the corridors of power to the utter dismay of the common man.

Thomas Carlyle said a nation must be ruled by its best elements or it will perish. The educated masses of India should learn to shed their apathy from participating in the political processes of our democracy. Only then can we stem the rot in the system.

AMREEN RAI, Chandigarh

II

The sight of ministers and members of Parliament running from the law and finally being arrested shows the depths to which politics has descended.

Now, the criminals still at large need to be cleansed from Parliament, the government and the polity — irrespective of party. Let the government take the initiative, or let a PIL be filed in the Supreme Court.

VINOD CHOWDHURY, Delhi