Art for heart’s sake

It is sad to know that Taslima Nasreen will not be allowed to go to Kolkata. A Bengali writer has every right to stay in Kolkata.

Have a green plan

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The editorial Planning the work, working the Plan (December 22) points in the direction of uplifting the rural economy. Agriculture being the backbone of growth, no government can afford to sideline this sector. Wasteful expenditure in non-productive areas need to be curtailed and savings on this account be diverted to the agriculture. Urgent action of all concerned agencies is required to do this.
P Gopalakrishnan, Delhi

Art for heart’s sake
It is sad to know that Taslima Nasreen will not be allowed to go to Kolkata. A Bengali writer has every right to stay in Kolkata. I do not understand why the media categorise her book Dwikhandita as a novel, because it is actually a part of her autobiography and not a piece of creative writing. Can an autobiography be labelled as art?
Surajit Dasgupta, Kolkata

Hawala over the border
Apropos of the report Pakistan used US billions to fight India, not Qaeda (December 25), the US now realises that the funds that were given to Pakistan to fight terrorists were diverted to strengthen the Pakistan army against India. The Bush administration should immediately take action against Pakistan and stop supporting Islamabad.
Bal Govind, Bareilly

II
Narendra Modi’s victory is a resounding slap for the pseudo-secular media in India, which never gauged what the people wanted, and misled the readers and viewers till the end. A repeat performance of 2002 when the press wrote that Modi spent the night before the counting of votes by signing many orders and contracts. Modi should thank Sonia Gandhi for calling him ‘Maut ka saudagar’. It was a turning point in this election.
KB Kale, Jakarta