Letters to the Editor — September 4, 2021

‘Communal content’

The observation by the Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, Supreme Court of India, that “everything in this country is shown with a communal angle by a section of media” is apt (Page 1, September 3). This is making the life of the minorities difficult by defaming almost all they do. However, the problem is just a speck as almost every aspect of life, from education, politics, administrative machinery to history of the nation is being coloured. That ‘secularism’ is a structure of the Constitution must not be forgotten.

K. Muhammed Ismayil,

Koduvally, Kozhikode, Kerala

All right-thinking people will share the concern expressed by the CJI. Television watching is a task as certain channels can be found spewing venom in every sentence. The anchors in some news channels are predisposed or conditioned to present a slanted view of events. Journalists are supposed to be politically neutral and speak the truth to power, rather than ‘bend’ and ‘crawl’ to get on the right side of the powers that be. One often wonders whether they are independent journalists or party and government staff. Some channels try to strike a balance between communalism and secularism to maximise viewership! Much of our success as a great civilisation hinges on how well we resolve the crisis of secularism.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

A diverse India

The salient feature of India is its diversity. There are many Indias within India. The India wee see in Ashapoorna Devi’s great novels is not the one we see in Mahasweta Devi’s works. And in Baby Halder’s autobiography, A Life Less Ordinary, we can see an India we have seen nowhere. Perumal Murugan depicts yet another India. It is really surprising and shocking to see the removal of diverse expressions/narratives from the syllabus of Delhi University which was approved unanimously by the teachers by an oversight committee which has nothing to do with literature or syllabus formation. We butcher democracy by removing diverse narratives here. And criticise the Taliban for their undemocratic deeds!

Sukumaran C.V.,

Kongad, Palakkad, Kerala