L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Salute to Indian women

THE ‘Year of the Indian Woman’ by Vimla Patil (Saturday Extra, Dec 19) is a salute to the Indian women who rose like phoenixes to the dizzy heights of success in a gender-biased society. President Pratibha Patil, Sonia Gandhi, Meira Kumar, Indira Nooyi and Nirupama Rao are amongst those who have proved their mettle against all odds.

Amita Malik and Homai Vuarwala excelled in a most challenging profession — journalism. Malik is known as the first Indian woman journalist, who contributed to almost all leading dailies. She started her broadcasting career in 1944 with AIR. She interviewed many dignitaries on AIR and Doordarshan. She was doing a regular weekly column ‘Televista’ for The Tribune till she breathed her last on February 20, 2009. Vuarwalla has the distinction of being the first Indian woman photo-journalist, who contributed a lot to her field. She started her career in 1938 and later established herself as a permanent Press photographer at Delhi.

Harbans Singh, Ambala Cantt

Unrealistic picture

Khushwant Singh’s description of Asa Ram Bapu is quite interesting (Saturday Extra, Jan 16). However, his views on inter-religious marriages are not realistic. His view on the same gotra marriages and the reaction of the Khap panchayats in Haryana is not correct. It is basically wrong to compare them with inter-religious marriages. All boys and girls of the same gotra are regarded as brothers and sisters in Hindu tradition, and this is strictly followed in Haryana villages among the Jats.

The death penalty by a Khap panchayat is not acceptable in a civilised society. Further, we cannot support a marriage between brother and sister. Let it not be equated with inter-caste or inter-religious marriages.

Anand Prakash, Panchkula

Humour and honours The write-up “2009 honours list” by Amar Chandel (Spectrum, Jan 3) was found to be a stunning piece of satire. All the personalities and celebrities mentioned earned despicable notoriety. Kuldeep Bishnoi, besides a Ph.D in politics, deserves another award as lover of the year-2009 for his immortal role in the Chand-Fiza episode. The Monica Lewinsky Trophy for Extracurricular Excellence to Tiger woods by Bill Clinton was simply outstanding. The witty writer touched the light note when he proposed this year’s R.K. Sharma medal for meritorious police service to be given to SPS Rathore by N.D. Tiwari. KARNAIL SINGH, Kharar II The writer beautifully brought out the hollowness and fickle nature of our leaders, administrators and custodians of law. The caricature, accompanying the write-up, was of top-notch quality, which prompted one to have a hearty laugh. The writer didn’t spare anyone, irrespective of his/her rank and reputation. From Mayawati to Barack Obama, SPS Rathore to N.D. Tiwari, all were painted with the same brush. Once in power, Indian politicians remain busy in amassing wealth at the expense of the people whose lot they are supposed to ameliorate. Leaders like Mayawati love self-glorification and squander public money on unproductive projects out of whim. Rathore and his cahoots, the protectors of law-abiding citizens, tear the law into smithereens to grind their own axe. Indeed, it was a hilarious composition. TARSEM S. BUMRAH, Batala