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Sep 02, 2006 02:32 AM IST

Barkha Dutt rightly says that Vande Mataram has become a plaything in the hands of our politicians (Song Sung Blue, August 26).

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Barkha Dutt rightly says that Vande Mataram has become a plaything in the hands of our politicians (Song Sung Blue, August 26). It’s a classic example of our politicians grabbing an issue, without the slightest knowledge on why singing it should be opposed.

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Mahesh I Sharma
via e-mail

II

Barkha Dutt’s article has cleared certain confusions about Vande Mataram. As a matter of fact, some non-Muslims, too, were opposed to making it the national song since it was part of a novel that declared unqualified faith in the British rule.

Shamsul Islam
Delhi

III

Muslims worship only Allah. Vande Mataram calls for the worship of the country, and this is not allowed in Islam. This doesn’t mean we do not love our country. We have no problem singing the national anthem. To call those who don’t sing Vande Mataram anti-national is not fair.

Arshad Zaheer Hashmi
Delhi

IV

The song resonates with feelings of patriotism. Many freedom fighters sacrificed their lives chanting Vande Mataram. The community objecting to this song today has also sung it many times before. People should avoid creating religious divides.

Ajit Kumar nandy
via e-mail

Terror harvest

The editorial Terror firma (September 1) points to the root of terrorism: discontent. Poverty is the root cause of every evil, whether it’s Islamic terrorism, Naxalism, etc. It is seen that social and political unrest usually starts in places where poverty is prevalent. Its solution is proper allocation of resources and generation of employment. A man with food, clothes and shelter is not likely to prefer a gun in his hand.

Naval Langa
Ahmedabad

Anarchy rules

Apropos of Mohan Singh’s article UPward mobility (September 1), the Samajwadi Party has done irreparable damage to Uttar Pradesh. The state, once one of the more progressive in the country, is now ruled by anarchy. The government should stop spending money on expensive ads and empty promises and divert it for development.

Sanjiv Wattal
via e-mail

Craving for direction

Like most people who criticise young blood, Sagarika Ghose, too, gives no alternative to this apparent rut that the youth of India has gotten itself into (Gone to seed, September 1). The Indian youth today is an angry, but helpless lot. We protest the reservation Bill and take to the streets, but all we get are mere assurances. What is missing is some direction and guidance. But who can we look to for guidance? Our Prime Minister’s position is quite like that of the youth — an immense desire to bring change, but whose efforts are thwarted by other forces.

Shaunaq Arora
Delhi

II

What’s happening in our educational institutions is a sad reflection of a youth mindset. Poor cultural grooming has made a section of our youth wayward. Instead of instilling values in our students, youth wings of political parties have made educational institutions hotbeds of violence and the youth, their political tools.

Ved Guliani
via e-mail

III

Those responsible for the death of a professor in Ujjain deserve severe punishment. Youth wings like the ABVP, NSUI and others should be banned and their leaders apprehended. We must worry for the future if such leaders are given the freedom to do as they please.

Siddharth Chaturvedi
Jaipur

Caste your vote

Caste-based reservations are nothing but a vital component of vote bank politics. Politicians who project themselves as champions of the poor hardly care about the real backward classes. They’re only interested in furthering their prospects before the next polls.

Akshat Goel
Chennai

Political tools

Apropos of Sagarika Ghose’s article Gone to seed (September 1), the degeneration of the student community started with the infiltration of political parties in student unions. Youth power should not be misused for petty political gains and instead, put to constructive use.

PK Srivastava
via e-mail

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