This is truly a moment to cherish. Women cadets graduating alongside men is a proud milestone for our nation. The National Defence Academy’s first batch of women cadets has embarked on a path that holds immense promise. I have no doubt that they will rise to the highest ranks in their respective services, and become an inspiration to countless women across the country (‘17 stride to the future’, June 8).
Balakeshavan Pratapan,
On email.
I shared your cover story with my 13-year-old granddaughter who had deep admiration for the brave young women.
The nation is proud of these cadets who have shown the courage and determination to join the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. May they have a blessed and fulfilling career in their chosen fields.
Surinder Pal,
On email.
Congratulations to Pooja Biraia for the cover story on young Indian women joining the armed forces. From here on, many women will see the armed forces as a serious career option, and who knows, in the future, women may even outnumber men in certain wings of the services. Countries like Israel, and even China, already have large numbers of women in uniform.
Let me wish these trailblazers the very best. May they be treated with respect during training and beyond. And let’s hope that the system remains fair and inclusive, even when women outshine their male counterparts in performance and promotions.
R.B. Dass,
On email.
Compassion transcends nationalism
The article ‘Hold your fire, jingo’ (June 8) is both timely and pertinent in the current context of the subcontinent. Overzealous nationalists often clamour for the annihilation of the enemy, obvious to the fact that such a conflagration could engulf them as well.
Peace remains not only the best but also the most essential path for any nation to thrive, proposer and progress. The ceasefire was rightly welcomed by the sane and wise.
Captain C.R. Gopinath is absolutely right in stating that compassion transcends nationalism, which so often divides us. On both sides of the border, a vast majority of people long for peace, harmony, cordiality, and mutual coexistence.
Extremism and terrorism have to be rooted out tactically, surgically and diplomatically. War may be a solution, but it is not the only solution.
Bilal Ahmad Shamim,
On email.
Kudos to CRPF
Kudos to the CRPF for successfully neutralising several Maoists who posed a grave threat to the nation (‘Red storm receding’, June 8). The well-planned operation led to the elimination of key leaders.
Like the military demonstrated its strength to Pakistan, the CRPF has shown equal courage and resolve in countering internal threats.
Raghavan Rajagopal,
On email.
Books and space constraints
I immensely enjoyed reading K.C. Verma’s ‘A precious problem’ (June 8).
Thanks to transfers every three years during my three-decade-long career with a nationalised bank, I, too, have accumulated a vast collection of books—including the complete Encyclopaedia (23 volumes), along with several hardbound editions from Reader’s Digest and National Geographic.
At the end of my service, I found myself confused about the books to retain and those to part with.
All said, THE WEEK continues to uphold its reputation as a premier news magazine with its thoughtful coverage of a wide range of topics.
Anand Krishnan,
On email.
The Milne I knew
As argued in ‘Looking for church, finding Buddha’ (June 1), Kochi certainly had Buddhist links. My professor N.R. Kunhikuttan, at the Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, often said a vihara had existed at Kumbalangi, near Fort Kochi. Prof P.K. Peethambaran, an authority on Kochi’s Jews, says Buddhist influence is seen in Perumbavoor, near Kochi.
The mention of Cochin Harbour engineer A.G. Milne, who took away a Buddha statue to the UK, reminded me of an Evelyn Milne who came looking for my father, K. Gopalan. A native of Fort Kochi, he was a wireless operator in the Royal Air Force at Akyab in Burma during World War II. Evelyn was the daughter of his British superior. I have seen a photograph of them with my father in uniform.
Years later, Evelyn tracked him down to the Kochi head post office and met him after visiting a close relative of hers in Fort Kochi. She returned to Richmond Terrace, Aberdeen, Scotland, after a month. This was the address to which I sent her Xmas cards as a schoolboy.
On a visit to Akyab, Lord Mountbatten summoned my father to send a wireless message and was impressed by his handwriting. ‘It is like printing; where are you from?’ he asked. ‘I am from British Cochin,’ my father replied. Mountbatten sprang up and gave him a firm handshake and said he had been to British Cochin twice.
My father said the Santa Cruz School in Fort Kochi had taught him excellent English; the headmaster Daniel Kurisinkal was known for his flawless diction. After three months, Mountbatten promoted him as warrant officer and awarded him the Burma Star.
Thank you for rekindling my memories.
G. Shaheed,
On email.