Towards healing
Nirupama Subramaniam in “Wounds of war” (January 9) has brought to public domain the unknown horrors of war affecting the civilian population in Kashmir. The rapid increase in the number of mental patients, especially women who have been witness to the cruelty of war have been vividly described, invoking the empathy of the nation. Unfortunately the facilities for their treatment and rehabilitation is absent in the state due to its disturbed condition. The centre should act in tandem with the state government to give succour to these unfortunate victims and enlist the cooperation of NGOs engaged in welfare work to extend their operation to Kashmir
M.K.B. Nambiar
Mahe
For a better future
This has reference to the article “Saving India's Children” by Kalpana Sharma (January 9). Population growth will no longer be a disadvantage to India, it will on the other hand be a growth facilitating factor if we take care of today's children by providing wholesome and nutritious food, good education and adequate healthcare, thereby creating a new generation for tomorrow that is healthy, well-educated, talented,enterprising and productive. Human capital is vital for the growth of the economy. In this decade and forthcoming decades India will have an advantage over many other countries in terms of a young population. This has to be taken advantage of and utilised for taking the growth process forward. The article is timely and is relevant today. The government must give utmost priority to child development programmes and also education and healthcare.
Dr. K.K. Ammannaya
Udupi
Ensuring India's future greatness may depend more on “Saving India's children” from malnutrition than from achieving growth rate numbers. Food security, schemes like Integrated child development, woman's education, employment and empowerment are to be given top priority. The nutritious mid-day meal scheme successfully implemented in Tamil Nadu should be extended to the entire country. Save the children and save India
Jacob Sahayam
Thiruvananthapuram
Kalpana Sharma is quite right in saying that ecomomic poverty alone doesn't determine childhood undernourishment. From my experience as a general practitioner, I have found that knowledge about proper food weaning habits is low in many parts of India, especially among less educated mothers. Supplementation of breatfeeding is often started late. The infant's weaning food is often cow's miilk or expensive commercial preparations or ‘energy giving' formulas in inadequate amounts. Weaning food should ideally include energy rich, nutritious, cheap foods in semisolid form. Hope the government takes up the responsibility of mass educational propaganda regarding this issue.
Elizabeth Varghese
Kochi
Dignity in death
In his article “Funerals or roadshows?” (January 9), K. Kunhikrishnan raises a pertinent question. The dead may turn in their grave at the way their body is dealt with. The bereaved or the mourners conduct themselves in ways repugnant to any civilised society. In certain States, they take out a procession to the burial ground and engage hirelings who shout and dance in full inebriation on the road to the beats of drums. They hold up, in the process, the traffic. We must try and give a more dignified farewell to the dead. One feels an awareness campaign is imperative in this aspect.
N. Sadasivan Pillai
Guntakal
