“We all are fine. Our compound wall broke. Very dangerous indeed but we all are safe and sound. Nothing much happened but we have cracks in places. Thank you for your concern!” This was the message an ex-colleague of mine during my Kathmandu days sent me in reply to my frantic mails to him following the Nepal quake. It typifies the stoic and calm Nepali psyche so aptly described in the article, “ >When messengers shoot the message ” (May 7). There is no doubt that Indian television channels overdid their job. In one fell swoop, an unhealthy competitive spirit, seen in their loud proclamations that each one was the first to reach Kathmandu, has undone much of the good work of the Indian government. Invading the personal space of the hapless Nepalese was the last blow. A tragedy of such immense proportions requires composed reporting with good visuals.
V. Nagarajan,
Chennai
The article was too critical about the role played by the media and the government. One felt that many of the views of the writer were subjective and biased. Just as the writer has tried to criticise the media about its Kashmir reportage, one would like to ask the writer whether he has forgotten the stellar role played by media in covering the Kargil war.
Vikram Sundaramurthy,
Chennai
The Hindu
