Faulty system
The article “When less is more” by Aruna Sankaranarayanan truly throws light on the standard of our education system. It's a real pity to see children just cramming concepts not meant for their age without basic comprehension. The information regarding the other countries that was mentioned in the article was an eye-opener and portrayed the flaws in our system.
Kimmi Vaneet Kaur Sethi
Chandigarh
The article portrays brilliantly the plight of today's tiny tots who are caught in a labyrinth of over-enthusiastic parents, prestigious schools, tailor-made tuition establishments and above all their own competitors. Even at the tender age of two-and-a-half, their struggle in this planet begins. The frenzied parents see them as potential IIT rank-holders or IIM toppers. Gone are the days when children were at home playing and receiving care and affection till the age of five. Their schooling was also in a calm atmosphere. They did not carry heavy loads of books on their backs. Private tuitions were a rarity and students were not afraid of losing their ranks at 0.005 percentage points. Surely the practice of premature ripening of children's nascent faculties, which would affect them psychologically and physically at a later stage, needs rethinking by all who are concerned with wholesome child development.
S.R.S. Ayyar
Thiruvananthapuram
Silent crusaders
I fully endorse Kalpana Sharma's views about the “Invisible environmentalists” (June13). They are actually the silent crusaders doing their bit to upkeep environmental safety, totally oblivious of the health hazards they are exposing themselves to. The exposure to radioactive material in Delhi recently is a testimony to the deplorable conditions in which these waste collectors work. Headlines in all the news channels, articles in all the newspapers have brought in little or no change at all to alleviate their plight. It's a pity that after working late through the night they are forced to sleep on the pavements next to their “treasure trove” for that's the one which will earn them a square meal. Equally pathetic is the case of the people who come in open vans for door to door collection of garbage. No masks, no gloves , no gadgets for scavenging and yet they silently go on inhaling the stench for hours together. While they have become immune both to the stench and the callous attitude of the governing bodies, it's never too late to make a good beginning. An earnest appeal therefore to the policy makers to immediately provide protective gears to these silent environmentalists and also a decent shelter for the homeless.
Hemavathi A. Balikai
Bangalore
Still going strong
The Interface section on legendary cine versatile Dev Anand (No full stops for him ) made for a delightful read. As an actor, director, producer, Devdutt Pishorimal Anand alias Dev Anand has been successful in all these arenas. Handsome and debonair, the Padma Bhushan awardee remains the epitome of the suave, urban gentleman. Some of his classics like “Nau Do Gyarah, Kala Guide House No. 44 Jewel Thief under the Navketan banner possess great archival value. Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman, Tina Munim and Tabu are all Dev Anand's findings. Once tagged as a Gregory Peck look-alike, the evergreen hero has carved out his own niche in the world of films and himself has become a role model for Indian actors. The combination of Dev Anand, R.D.Burman, Kishore Kumar trio has created some melodious Bollywood numbers. A series of flops has not dampened Dev's optimism. Any other actor would have thrown his hands up but not Dev Anand. With Charge Sheet Dev Anand promises to maintain the tradition of Navketan.
Subhayu Saha
Khagra, West Bengal
A boon?
Self-help books are indeed a boon for the young generation. Youngsters today have a good knowledge of themselves and are quite sensitive to the things happening around them which makes them emotionally more receptive. These books make one emotionally stronger giving courage to face tough situations in life. Since the last decade when the financial condition of many families in India has shown an upward trend, gen-x is dissatisfied with material comforts and want to vent their feelings to someone whom they can trust. Reading books and finding answers to their problems is much safer than sharing them with unknown persons on social networking websites.
Vijayta Purohit
