E-Paper
Gandhi’s birthday is a good time to remember his message
On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary it is time to review and reflect upon whether we are truly following his message in our daily lives.
Gandhi’s birthday is a good time to remember his message
On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary it is time to review and reflect upon whether we are truly following his message in our daily lives. Apart from selectively following his ideas, are we anywhere near becoming good citizens? A few stray references to Gandhian philosophy every now and then will do nothing to bring about the radical transformation of attitudes that this country desperately needs.
J.R. Witthal, Nagpur
Not in the best of health
Abhijit Banerjee’s comparison of health services in India with the US in A doctored service (September 25) missed the fact that the price of drugs, and its chain of commissions, has fuelled irrational practices in India. Drug barons have established a stranglehold on the business and the government is still ambivalent about its stand on low-cost generic drugs. A large section of the population is simply kept out of private healthcare, given prohibitive pricing. Years of talk later, we are nowhere near adopting a better model for community health.
Arvind Sardana, Dewas
An old epic for a new era
Gurcharan Das’s depiction of the Mahabharata in The Dharma bums (September 29) was an attempt to re-construct the characters of the great epic against established opinion. The author’s presentation of the characters in the light of contemporary modernity made his analysis even more interesting. His conclusion regarding Yudhishthira’s virtues being genuinely humanitarian, and worth emulating, has been universally accepted.
Bhaskar Sen, via email
Not a real closure
The inability of the CBI to extradite Ottavio Quattrocchi and prove the charges against him, despite the long time lag, is a blot on the credibility of our prime intelligence agency, and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of answers to troubling questions.
Sravana Ramachandran, via email
