---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vijay
To: letters@thehindu.co.in
The Editor,
The Hindu,
Dear Mr. Ram,
Re: S.Varadajan's opinion piece 'Absence of dialogue is hurting India' (The Hindu, Jan.2,2010).
I commented immediately with a few lines but since my comments so far have not appeared in The Hindu, I shall present them here in an extended version:
Mr. Varadarajan presents the question as if India is actually being hurt in not resuming dialogue with Pakistan. I quote him from his piece :
" Most of all,the decision betrays such a poor understanding of the geographies of market development, brand building and soft power that its net effect will be to undermine India's interests in the widest possible sense."
He is mistaken.In reality India has nothing to gain by the dialogue, and economically speaking nothing very much. Which is why the FICC (Federation of Indian chambers of Commerce and Industry) took such a firm position.
India's trade with Pakistan is about $2 billion. Unlike the one with China, $15 billion and growing.
It might be useful for Mr.V. to brush up on his economics and India's trade policy. Otherwise he comes close to the type of statements that Bollywood film actor Shah Rukh Khan has made:
Pakistan is a great neighbour. Let us love them !
SRK has a sentimental tie to Pakistan. His father hails from there.What tie does Mr. Varadarajan have ? Mr. Khan may have some excuse.
'Great neighbour ' ? The one whose leaders have openly said and acted on the dictum that they would inflict a thousand cuts on India !
SRK used his star power to influence young people. So did Amir Khan (who has relatives in Pakistan) who made the claim that the two countries share a common culture and tradition.
Do they ? The founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah said loudly and clearly : Hindus and Muslims are two separate cultures that have nothing in common.
It is on this basis that he proclaimed the horrific Direct Action day in 1946 which no Hindu can ever forget (and should not forget !). Thousands of Hindus were slaughtered in Calcutta and Bengal and the carnage followed in other states.
There was retaliation also from the Hindu side and the tragic migration of populations.
Forgiving is one thing, forgetting is quite another.
In a bizarre way Jinnah was right. Hindus have the Vedic tradition which clearly states:
Sarve sukinah bhavantu ! (May all beings be happy).
But that is not going to happen because of vapid entities like Aman ki Asha or Mr.Varadarajan's misleading articles.
Government of India is quite right in being cautious about the resumption of a composite dialogue with this dangerous and unreliable neighbour. And the Punjabi elite who have seen the writing on the wall and want a comfortable berth in India, leaving the every day Muslim to face the music when the Taliban arrive at their door, will simply have to defend their country, without India's help.
It might be useful for the Indian public to read articles which are well researched. Even in the space of an opinion piece a good journalist can communicate effectively provided she/he has done the intitial leg work. Mr. Varadarajan goes all over the place, talking about soft power, dialogue, trade and the Indian business class etc. without a clear focus on what it is he actually wants to say.
Thanking you,
Sincerely,
Dr. Vijaya
From: Vijay
To: letters@thehindu.co.in
The Editor,
The Hindu,
Dear Mr. Ram,
Re: S.Varadajan's opinion piece 'Absence of dialogue is hurting India' (The Hindu, Jan.2,2010).
I commented immediately with a few lines but since my comments so far have not appeared in The Hindu, I shall present them here in an extended version:
Mr. Varadarajan presents the question as if India is actually being hurt in not resuming dialogue with Pakistan. I quote him from his piece :
" Most of all,the decision betrays such a poor understanding of the geographies of market development, brand building and soft power that its net effect will be to undermine India's interests in the widest possible sense."
He is mistaken.In reality India has nothing to gain by the dialogue, and economically speaking nothing very much. Which is why the FICC (Federation of Indian chambers of Commerce and Industry) took such a firm position.
India's trade with Pakistan is about $2 billion. Unlike the one with China, $15 billion and growing.
It might be useful for Mr.V. to brush up on his economics and India's trade policy. Otherwise he comes close to the type of statements that Bollywood film actor Shah Rukh Khan has made:
Pakistan is a great neighbour. Let us love them !
SRK has a sentimental tie to Pakistan. His father hails from there.What tie does Mr. Varadarajan have ? Mr. Khan may have some excuse.
'Great neighbour ' ? The one whose leaders have openly said and acted on the dictum that they would inflict a thousand cuts on India !
SRK used his star power to influence young people. So did Amir Khan (who has relatives in Pakistan) who made the claim that the two countries share a common culture and tradition.
Do they ? The founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah said loudly and clearly : Hindus and Muslims are two separate cultures that have nothing in common.
It is on this basis that he proclaimed the horrific Direct Action day in 1946 which no Hindu can ever forget (and should not forget !). Thousands of Hindus were slaughtered in Calcutta and Bengal and the carnage followed in other states.
There was retaliation also from the Hindu side and the tragic migration of populations.
Forgiving is one thing, forgetting is quite another.
In a bizarre way Jinnah was right. Hindus have the Vedic tradition which clearly states:
Sarve sukinah bhavantu ! (May all beings be happy).
But that is not going to happen because of vapid entities like Aman ki Asha or Mr.Varadarajan's misleading articles.
Government of India is quite right in being cautious about the resumption of a composite dialogue with this dangerous and unreliable neighbour. And the Punjabi elite who have seen the writing on the wall and want a comfortable berth in India, leaving the every day Muslim to face the music when the Taliban arrive at their door, will simply have to defend their country, without India's help.
It might be useful for the Indian public to read articles which are well researched. Even in the space of an opinion piece a good journalist can communicate effectively provided she/he has done the intitial leg work. Mr. Varadarajan goes all over the place, talking about soft power, dialogue, trade and the Indian business class etc. without a clear focus on what it is he actually wants to say.
Thanking you,
Sincerely,
Dr. Vijaya
4 comments:
Oh. This is nothing compared to other writings of Mr V. He is s true sickular.
Why do people read Hindu?
Hit them where it hurts the most, stop subscribing.
His brother is Tunku. The family strategy is to have one guy write for the left in the West and the other guy write for the right. Both of them are big time Gungadins.
I think the only response to this sick guy should be "What if they go Muslim?" He cannot even call it as hate speech since the term was invented by his brother.
His brother is Tunku. The family strategy is to have one guy write for the left in the West and the other guy write for the right. Both of them are big time Gungadins.
I think the only response to this sick guy should be "What if they go Muslim?" He cannot even call it as hate speech since the term was invented by his brother.
Post a Comment