The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

No, Professor

Sir, -- The victory of the left-centre and anti-communal forces in the recent Lok Sabha elections is a watershed event for the country's education sphere also. The new Government should take a long, hard look at all the regressive policies of the erstwhile Union Human Resources Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, and the favours bestowed by him on certain hand-picked individuals. Prof. Joshi's cherished programme of punishing scholars who dissented against his agenda and exposed his and his Ministry's connivance with corrupt and incompetent academic administrators needs an urgent review.

For instance, large-scale scams at the country's apex distance teaching university, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), have affected the lives and careers of many employees and students throughout India. The present IGNOU Administration, openly propped up and protected by the former Minister, must be shown the door, and a Commission of Inquiry by a high-power Joint Parliamentary Committee, the Central Vigilance Commission or the Central Bureau of Investigation should be set up on a priority basis.

It is common knowledge that the nation's resources are being squandered on unnecessary matters such as instituting illegal inquiries against whistle-blowers of IGNOU on concocted charges. This must stop.

Next, the distasteful affairs at the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) that culminated in a contest between the blue-eyed boy of the then HRD Minister, who is the present Member-Secretary of ICHR, Prof. Kapil Kumar of IGNOU, and the ousted ICHR Chair, Prof. MGS Narayanan, who was protesting against the hidden agenda of Prof. Joshi and his pro-Sangh Parivar MHRD officials, need a through probe.

Preservation of autonomy in educational institutions is a sound principle, but if the new Government hesitates to intervene and check corruption and high-handedness in the institutions, public confidence will be shaken.

The history and sociology books written by nominees of the old regime must be scrapped because of their proven limitations in academic terms and their role in falsifying events and motivated propaganda.

All the Vice-Chancellors and Directors who were political favourites of the past regime should be asked to step down. Last but not least, the new Minister must pursue policies that create permanent employment opportunities for people who have long been in temporary contractual positions in educational institutions and reward those members of the permanent faculty and non-faculty who exhibit brilliance and unconventionality in their approach, because it is this micro-segment that will invest India with innovations and ideas that will move and shake the world.

Bhimji Kalla,

42, Hiran Magri,

Udaipur (Rajasthan).

* * *

No postcards?

Sir, -- I believe there is no ceiling on the number of postcards one can buy from the post office. Writing postcards is my hobby and I buy in dozens. On May 21 I asked for 100 postcards at the JNU campus post office in New Delhi. They refused, citing "scarcity". However, I saw that they had at least 50.

I then went to the old JNU post office and asked for 200 postcards. The lady at the counter made me wait for 25 minutes. When my power of endurance gave in, I met the Post Master, who directed the lady to give me 200 postcards. However, I got only 100.

This is ridiculous. The Postal Department should come clean on this. What is worse, they seem to smell a rat as if I'm to engage in some sort of hoarding or blackmarketing. The Post Office is not a bania shop. It must ensure that no customer is turned away.

Vikas,

41 Kaveri,

Jawaharlal Nehru University,

New Delhi -- 110 067.

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Cola wars

Sir, -- The latest Pepsi advertisement being aired on most of the TV channels these days is quite simply shocking.

It shows Shah Rukh Khan as a soldier who takes a can of Pepsi into the battlefield. While other soldiers are busy firing at the enemy, Shah Rukh seems worried only about his Pepsi, displaying a lackadaisical attitude towards the entire war operation.

He is depicted as an indifferent soldier for whom the nation does not matter; what matters to him is his Pepsi. He runs to catch the can when others are moving ahead to fight the enemy.

Is it not a disgrace to our soldiers? If they actually start acting in this fashion, what will happen to the security of our country?

Shah Rukh Khan is considered a role model for the youth of this country. Instead of asking the youth to come forward and protect their country, he seems to be sending a lopsided message: take care of your Pepsi, the nation can wait!

Shadaan Alam,

Aligarh Muslim University,

Aligarh.

* * *

Held to ransom

Sir, -- I own 50 equity shares of the State Bank of India. Due to my negligence my Share Certificate got torn, though the material parts are intact and the entire certificate is fully legible. To set matters right, I wrote to Datamatics Financial Software & Services Ltd., Mumbai, the "Transfer Agents" for State Bank of India Bonds and Equities, describing to them my case in my letter dated 17/10/2003.

For some strange reason, Datamatics chose to treat my case as that of a "lost certificate" and sent me instructions for replacement of the said certificate (Ref. No:DFSSL\ SBI-1006037\ LOSS-02288228\ 03 dated November 14, 2003). They also sent me some forms that need to be signed by a "surety" who has to declare his assets and all. Also, affidavits need to be made and so on.

Now this is a cumbersome process which I would have gone through anyway had my case really been that of a "lost certificate". I have come to understand that replacing a "mutilated certificate" doesn't involve such long and cumbersome procedure. However, I am not clear about the exact procedure and need the advice of Datamatics.

So I wrote to them again describing my case in my letter dated 16/02/2004 sent by registered A/D post.

I did get back the acknowledgment duly signed and stamped by the company, but no reply.

Now I am a small-time investor and can't go on writing to them forever in the hope that I would get some reply some day. It seems the company has been deliberately ignoring my case. All it needs to do is send me proper instructions, and it has failed to do precisely that.

Even as I await positive action now, I would like fellow-readers of this newspaper to know how such companies hold us to ransom.

Mrs. Babli Chanda,

House 55, Lhomithi Colony,

Sitla Bari, Dimapur-797 112,Nagaland.

* * *

Calling MCD

Sir, -- It is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to provide sanitation and ensure prevention of any epidemic due to negligence in cleaning and coverage of drains in all parts of the city. There is a huge workforce to attend to these jobs for the benefit of the citizens who are paying high taxes for the purpose to the MCD, but there are many islands of neglect across the city.

The back side of F Block in Naraina Vihar is one such totally neglected area which has never been cleaned nor its drainage network covered despite repeated reminders to the authorities concerned. MCD officials do visit the area from time to time for the consolation of the residents but to no effect.

The problem has been brought to the notice of the local Councillor, Usha Aggarwal, and the MLA, Puran Chand Yogi, on a regular basis but they have not paid any heed. Things are going from bad to worse now. The MCD must instruct the officials concerned to set things right at once.

P. K. Bhatia,

F-35, Naraina Vihar,

New Delhi - 110 028.

* * *

Yes, Minister

Sir, -- The NDA parties are making such a hue and cry over "tainted ministers" in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet.

They should spare a thought also for that highly talented minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, who bent down to touch the feet of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee immediately after taking the oath as a member of the Lok Sabha on June 2.

Hats off to this perfect parliamentarian. Democracy is alive and well in Delhi.

Manmohan Sethi,

A-777, Avantika,

Sector-2, Rohini,

Delhi -- 110 085

be sent by e-mail to wsins@thehindu.co.in. They must carry the full postal address and should be marked "Readers' Mail".)

(Letters for this column may be sent by e-mail to wsins@theh

42, Hiran Magri,

Udaipur (Rajasthan).

* * *

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