Undue credit"Diana's charisma notwithstanding, it is a sad reflection of our times that Mother Teresa had to share the cover with her."P.N.N. Iyer,DelhiPoor ComparisonThe princess of wales undoubtedly ruled the hearts of people across the world, but placing her on the same pedestal as Mother Teresa was very unfair to the "Saint of the Gutters" ("Legends of our Time", September 15). Diana did whatever she did under the glare of the arc lights and was the personality most pampered by the international media. Mother, on the other hand, was a true, selfless champion of the poor and the wretched. She spent her whole life providing comfort and succour to these people without the high drama and glamour that the worldly Diana so revelled in.D.G. Kamat,MumbaiDeath claimed the lives of two women who were unique and had uncommon charisma. Undoubtedly, Diana's death was the most poignant event of the millennium. Almost the entire world mourned her death. The tears people shed, the flowers they offered and the tributes they paid were perhaps unprecedented. If Mother's death did not cause an emotional outburst on a similar scale, it was not because she was any less charismatic but because hers was a natural death at the age of 87. Farewell princess, farewell Mother. Humanity will remember you both forever.V.S. Dharma Kumar,DelhiMother Teresa stood for all that was beautiful, kind and life-giving in today's unfeeling world. The many sick and destitute who found a decent end at Nirmal Hriday were testimony enough to her compassion. Despite her illness and poor heart condition, she travelled throughout the world, expending all her energy to touch the lives of the shattered, always giving them hope.Suren Abreu,MumbaiWithin the span of a week, the world has lost two of its most gracious and lovable souls. Diana, a member of the royalty, had a rare charisma and acceptance among commoners. Mother was the very embodiment of compassion, love and charity. Though she was honoured with many awards, the greatest tribute to her services was the fact that she was referred to as 'Mother' by one and all.S.R. Raja,DelhiDespite their widely different lifestyles, Mother Teresa and Princess Diana - like Mahatma Gandhi - were rebels against the system. All three had the grit and determination to take up causes dear to their hearts and fight for them. Their presence mitigated the horrors of the innumerable conflicts which have torn the world apart.Lt-Colonel (Retd) M.M. Walia,MumbaiDouble TroubleThe foreign policy of a country reflects its economic power and defence preparedness ("Quicksand Diplomacy", September 15). Merely issuing whimsical statements and making unilateral concessions to its neighbours leads the country nowhere. If the so-called Gujral doctrine cannot stand the test of time for even a few months, especially when the prime minister is also the foreign minister, it is no doctrine. The fact that he is "preoccupied" because of the inner contradictions of the United Front is certainly no excuse. If Gujral cannot do justice to either office, he must give up one of them.V. Sagar,DelhiWorth a LaughThe cartoon on Sitaram Kesri aptly reflected the catastrophic state of political parties in our country ("Centrestage", September 15). Kesri took up the party post with much fanfare. For some time, it seemed that he would be able to revive the party and rebuild its lost mass base. Now, the irony is that the Congress - itself suffering internal haemorrhage and hardly in a position to stand without crutches - is providing life-support systems to others.Md Mojib-Ur-Rahman,RanchiFishy FactsAs a fish-loving bengali, I am surprised at the naivety of the article ( "A Fish Called Hilsa", September 15). For one, hilsa prices have not crashed to an all-time low. I've been buying fish for the past two decades, and all through this season I purchased my hilsa at Rs 80 a kg. Surely, this is not an all-time low? Moreover, there has never been any dearth of the fish in the market. This year's been no different.Subrata Nandy,Calcutta"There may be a card for every occasion and an occasion for every card but there is a certain thrill in receiving or writing a letter which no card can provide."Deepak Sapra, ChennaiExpensive ExperimentAt a time when an attack from across the border is so imminent, we can ill-afford to put up with the political games that Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav seems to be playing ("Patriot Games", September 15). Defence is not a portfolio which can be handled on a trial basis. The sooner the Government realises this the better.Dhruva Sharma, GuwahatiPeople's TributeWhile the central government is yet to deem it fit to raise a national memorial for our war heroes, the citizens of Pune have taken a remarkable initiative in this regard ("Honour our Heroes", September 8). They are erecting a memorial which will have a 50 ft-high pillar in the Pune cantonment area. The wall surrounding the pillar will be inscribed with the names of nearly 1,200 war heroes from Maharashtra.Air Marshal (Retd) S.S. Ramdas,PuneWhite-collar BluesAdding to the cases you have mentioned are those of the technocrats of the several "polluting" Delhi units whose closure has been ordered by the Supreme Court ("Snip, Snip, Snip", September 8). While awarding benefits like bonus and compensation to the workers of the affected industries, the court has specified that these are applicable only to those covered under the Industrial Disputes Act. What about the executives and technocrats who are not covered under the Act but are equally affected by the closures?Rajesh Gupta, S.R. Sinha, Delhi"The BCCI is to be squarely blamed for Javagal Srinath's plight. He has been used-rather abused-as a stock bowler instead of a strike bowler."Sreenivas Gudavalli, Denver, USAMarxists ExposedThe report on the dubious allotment of plots in Salt Lake is an expose of the venality of the Marxists ("Loot at Salt Lake", September 8). The contamination of the Indian political system is now complete and Jyoti Basu can no longer boast of being above board. The fact that some Calcutta High Court judges also figure in the list of beneficiaries is another reminder that the judiciary is playing into the hands of the politicians.Aalok Vidyarthi,JabalpurBollywood BlossomTabu is unquestionably an actress par excellence ("Innocent Temptress", September 8). Though her initial filmsPehla Pehla PyarandPremfailed to make a mark at the box-office, her performance did not go unnoticed. She has blossomed into a complete actress with films likeSaza-e-KalapaniandMaachis.One can confidently predict a very bright future for her.Roy George,KohimaFalse ImplicationIn our February 15,1997, issue, Charu Lata Joshi reported on the alleged involvement of three Indian-American couples in the Rs 133 crore urea scam. We have now learned that Ramesh Nuthi and his wife Dr Ramalakshmi K. Nuthi of Columbus, Ohio, Krishna M. Nuthi and his wife Indira Nuthi of Alabama and Dr Purna Chandra Prasad Atluri, MD, and Subha Atluri of Staten Island, New York, were not involved in perpetuating the scam and did not receive the funds mentioned in the article. We apologise for any implication that Ramesh Nuthi, Ramalakshmi Nuthi, Krishna M. Nuthi, Indira Nuthi, Purna Chandra Prasad Atluri and Subha Atluri were responsible for the urea scam. -EditorPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Sep 29, 1997--- ENDS ---
