LETTERS
Education
IT appearsthatthe governmentset out
the policyfor the mergerof schools
keepingin mindonlythe aspirationsof
studentsfromurbanareas(“Merger
muddle”,July 19). One wonderswhether
the benefits of mergingschoolswereex-
plainedto the parentsof schoolgoing
childrenin interiorvillages.Did the gov-
ernmentdeputea teamto thesevillages
to checkthe distancebetweenold and
mergedschoolsandwhetherparents
werewillingto let theirchildrentravel
that distance,and whethertheseschools
haveproperinfrastructure?The merger
movehasapparentlydeprivedchildrenof
theirrightto free and compulsoryeduca-
tion as guaranteedin the Constitution.
ASHOKK.NIHALANI
PUNE,MAHARASHTRA
Watercrisis
SEVERALStates,includingTamilNadu,
are reelingundera severewatershort-
agedueto successivefailuresof the
monsoonor lessthannormalrainfall
(“Chennai’sthirst”,July 19). The worthof
wateris realisedonlywhenit is in short
supply.Thegovernmentandthe civic
bodiesshouldmanagethe supply of
available water better by preventing
leakage,pilferageand waste.
Chennaishouldgo in for enhancedde-
salinationin viewof uncertainmon-
soons. Groundwater should be
rechargedthroughsuitablerainwater
harvestingdevices.Everyhousein urban
areasshouldhaverainwaterharvesting
arrangements.Consumers shouldbe
awareof the worthof waterand use it
carefully.
D.B.N.MURTHY
BENGALURU
SriLanka
IT is strangethatin a momentof crisis
the politicalleadersin Sri Lankaare
workingat crosspurposestofish in
troubledwaters(CoverStory,July5).
Whateverbe the goalof the perpetrators
of the EasterSundayblasts,theyhave
causedenormous injustice to main-
streamSri LankanMuslims.Terrorism
has onlyhelpedin givingaddedmuscle
powerto the hardlinersin the Sinhala
community.
One positiveaspectof the situationis
that Christians,the directvictimsof the
bloodymayhem,haveshownremarkable
restraintandcomposure.We in India
cannotaffordto remainimperviousto
the cascadingimpactof the viciously
hardening social identities in our
backyard.
AYYASSERIRAVEENDRANATH
ARANMULA,KERALA
EVMs
IT is not surprisingthatthe opposition
criedfoul afterthe BJP’soverwhelming
victory(“In EVMsdo we trust?”,July5).
Unableto digestit, the oppositionques-
tionselectronicvotingmachines.It has
forgottenthat thesesameEVMsbrought
victoryto the Congressin the Assembly
electionsin threeStatesin the Hindi
heartlandand gaveRahulGandhia re-
soundingvictoryin Wayanad.The decline
intheelectoralfortunesoftheCPI(M),for
instance,is certainlynot due to manipu-
lationof EVMs.
If the oppositionsuspectsa deepcon-
spiracybetweenModiand the Election
Commission(E.C.),it mustat leastput its
faithin the SupremeCourt,whichrejec-
ted the pleafor 100 per centVVPATveri-
ficationon the groundsthat it couldnot
comein the way of peopleelectingtheir
government.
KANGAYAMR.NARASIMHAN
CHENNAIJammu & Kashmir
IF the BJP triesto makepoliticalcapital
out of the Amarnathyatra,it will befish-
ing in troubledwaters(”OperationKash-
mir”,June21). The BJPusesthe yatra
episodeas a politicaltoolto engender
furtherpolarisationin the State.
Any ideaof repealingArticles370 and
35A shouldbe nippedin the bud as thesituation in the Kashmir Valley is
alreadyvolatileand mayworsen.The
PDP,the NationalConferenceand the
Congresshaveprotestedagainstthe
delimitationexercisein the Stateand
termedit a violationof basicdemocratic
norms.The BJPhas squarelyblamed
the Congress’“appeasementpolitics”
for the plightof the KashmirPandits.
Thisis far fromtruth.
Neverbeforehavethe Armyand the
E.C. beenso misused,with the E.C. dan-
cingto the tuneof the rulingdispensa-
tion.Ultimately,the sole aim of the BJP
in Jammuand Kashmiris to capture
powerat any cost.
S.MURALI
VELLORE,TAMILNADU
Congressparty
THECongresspartyis nowa divided
house andits electoral defeat has
erodedits credibility(“Timeto intro-
spect”,June21). It is sad thatRahul
Gandhi’sinability to rejuvenate the
partyand win electionshas createda
possiblevacuumin nationalpolitics.His
decisionto quit as the partychiefhas
onlyaggravatedthe crisisin the State
unitswherethe Congressis in power.
In the givensituation,a newleader
maynot be ableto changethe fortunes
of the partyovernight.The partyshould
understandthe reasonsfor its failure
and rectifyits mistakesbeforeits stock
fallsfurther.
K.R. SRINIVASAN
SECUNDERABAD, TELANGANA
TamilNadu
IT is sad thatinter-casteor inter-reli-
giousmarriagesevokenegativereac-
tionsin society(“A closedchapter?”,
June21). Thereshouldbe an end to the
stigmathat has unfortunatelyattached
to suchmarriages.
P.SENTHILSARAVANADURAI
MUMBAIANNOUNCEMENT
Letters,whetherby surfacemailor e-mail,
mustcarrythe full postaladdress and the full
name,or the namewithinitials.CORRECTION
On the last last pageof the article“Stagingour
times” (July19), thereare two referencesto
the assassinatedjournalistGauriLankesh.
These are actuallyreferencesto her father,P.
Lankesh,whowasalsoa veteranjournalist.
The error,committedat the editingstage,is
regretted.