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

A food for thought for all

I congratulate The Tribune Editor-in-Chief, Mr Raj Chengappa, for having brought out two special supplements, “The Year of Reckoning” (Jan 9) and “The Year of Disquiet” (Dec 26). Both have come out very well and provide enough food for thought for one and all.

I endorse Mr Chengappa’s earnest appeal for “taking the big leap”. All contributors to the supplements have aptly diagnosed the maladies afflicting Indian polity today and suggested remedial measures.

However, the New Year Supplement missed the perils of the population explosion and the ways and means to tackle the problem. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru aptly said five decades back: “Democracy and socialism are means to an end, not the end itself”.

LALIT BHARADWAJ, Panchkula

II

Mr Raj Chengappa’s article, “Taking the big leap”, was wonderful. The Special Supplement “Year of Reckoning” was worth reading. It shows how much painstaking exercise your team had done to prepare a 16-page pullout.

GUR RATTAN PAL SINGH, Chandigarh

III

I heartily thank The Tribune for bringing out the New Year Special comprising articles written by a galaxy of eminent personalities. Covering various issues, the articles are deeply incisive and thoroughly readable. Let us “ring in” the “year of reckoning” with hope and optimism and “ring at” the “year of disquiet” gracefully!

TARA CHAND, Ambota (Una)

Patriotic poems

The book review “Songs of Freedom” by M. Rajivlochan (Spectrum, Dec 12) was interesting and informative. There is no denying the fact that songs and poems played an important role in arousing the spirit of the people against the British. Urdu poems in particular, contributed immensely in this regard. Who can forget the following famous couplet:

Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.
Dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-quaatil mein hai.

This was written by Bismil Azeemabadi but commonly it is attributed to Ram Parsad Bismil.

BILAL AHMAD SHAMIM,, Qadian

New-found interest in Jinnah There is a new-found interest in Mohammad Ali Jinnah among the Indian writers, specially the BJP chief L.K.Advani, Jaswant Singh and Gandhian B.R. Nanda (Architect of Partition by Parshotam Mehra, Spectrum, Jan 2) who go on showering praises on the Father of Pakistan. How could the people of India, particularly those uprooted from their hearths and homes in Pakistan, forget the role of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who as protege of the British put all possible obstacles in getting the independence and even advocated that British rule was preferable to Hindu (Congress) domination? Although Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Mahatama Gandhi are honoured as Fathers of their respective nations, it is hard to trace in them any common trait by way of political ideology, personal lifestyle, moral values and beliefs, cultural affiliations and their on impact on public life. It appears, there is a motivated attempt to revive the image of Jinnah among the Indian masses. But that should be left to the people to judge according to their own perceptions and rank him accordingly in the annals of Indian history. V.K.RANGRA, Delhi