Bangladesh needs to come out of the mess it is currently in (‘A tale of two revolutions’, February 8). For this, political stability and a peaceful atmosphere are crucial. Unruly elements will only hurt its long-term interests.
Bangladesh can ill-afford to strain its relationship with India; we have consistently extended support and will continue to do so, provided anti-India rhetoric is curbed, violence comes to an end, and constructive engagement is prioritised.
Roopika Grover,
On email.
Bangladesh should avoid slipping into a confrontational posture with India. It cannot afford to alienate its closest neighbour.
Also, any move from Bangladesh to seek greater support from Pakistan would only take Dhaka back by a decade or two. The responsibility lies with Dhaka to ensure it does not follow the Pakistan trajectory—one marked by chronic instability and shrinking global trust. External players engage Pakistan for their own strategic interests, not to help it recover. Bangladesh should know that well.
Piyush Tyagi,
On email.
Great minds think alike
I am an Army wife, an author and a columnist. For the past few months, I have been working on a book on humour in the services. Some days ago, while going through the final draft, I decided to add a page titled ‘glossary of military terms’.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I read ‘Powerdrive’ (February 8). Great minds think alike. I rest my case!
Ratna Manucha,
On email.
Being an Air Force veteran, I read Powerdrive with keen interest—especially the mention of MWO [Master Warrant Officer], TELST RTO [driving licence office] and ACH GD [aircraft handling general duties] as fauji lingo. For non-faujis, MWO is a senior rank, while the other two are non-technical trades in the IAF.
N. Sukumaran,
On email.
R. Prasannan’s column prompted me to reflect on my own experience—having received two Sena Medals for two entirely different operations. Before anyone sharpens their bayonets, a clarification: this is not self tom-tomming. It is simply an attempt to share the peculiar agony of living with what I call the “double dhamaka syndrome”.
On receiving my first medal, my brother confidently declared that this would fetch me a bride in no time. Sadly, in God’s Own Country, an Army officer—decorated or otherwise—sits rather low in the marriage market. Eventually, I got married to a woman who had no idea what an Army officer actually did, and for whom awards and medals meant nothing.
And, then, I got my second Sena Medal.
The least impressed was my helper (buddy). He complained to my wife: “Didn’t the government realise that saheb already has a Sena Medal? They could have at least given him a Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).” Never mind that VSM is below SM in precedence—according to him, one extra medal on the chest would have looked better. Aesthetics over hierarchy!
The next blow came from the Kerala government—from the babu in the secretariat. As per policy, I was entitled to remuneration for my second award. The reply to my query was that they had already sanctioned remuneration for the first one, and there was no provision for repeat performances!
While in service, life was simpler. I could write, “SM & Bar”, and everyone in uniform knew exactly what it meant. When I joined a new organisation, I asked for visiting cards with the suffix “SM”, as we do in the services. Despite detailed briefings, the draft card came back—minus what I had asked for. On enquiry, the designer explained, “Sir, since there was no footnote, I removed them to avoid confusion.”
On my display board, I got written “Col Shrikumar Nair SM”. One day, a gentleman with some knowledge of Army ranks came to me with a doubt: how could I be a colonel and a subedar major at the same time?
Col Shrikumar Nair,
On email.
Left far too early
In Ajit Pawar’s passing, the country has lost a formidable leader. In politics, 67 is considered a young age, and, in that sense, he left far too early (‘Dreamer and doer’, February 8)
Ajit was often labelled as corrupt; how much of that was actually true is open to debate. India has no shortage of leaders who are immensely popular despite not being entirely clean. Clearly, personal probity and mass appeal do not always move in tandem.
Even if a leader is perceived to have made money along the way, the average voter is largely indifferent, so long as they feel served. In the rough and tumble of Indian politics, performance frequently trumps purity, and results matter more than reputations.
Sukhbir Gurpreet,
On email.
Reader involvement required
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shashi Tharoor’s column (‘Last Word’, February 8). His observations on journalism are both refreshing and unsettling.
As readers, we, too, carry responsibility: to shift our questions from “what happened” to “why does this keep happening”. With active reader involvement and a demand for answers, journalism can rise above being a mere chronicler of daily tragedy.
We deserve a news cycle that not only startles our conscience but also awakens our engagement with civic authorities.
Thank you, Tharoor, for jolting us out of our lethargic reading habits.
Usha Ponnappa,
On email.
Tharoor’s column raised an important point about the way news is reported today. While it is important to keep citizens informed, an overdose of such news is neither necessary nor healthy.
Journalism should not stop at merely reporting what went wrong; it should also show what can be done right.
V. Shridhar,
On email.