Hathras case
It is clear that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is in a terrible state. First, we have the Hathras case. Then the State government looks the other way when a large upper caste gathering in support of the accused takes place, even when Section 144 is in force. Finally, some leaders from the Opposition are manhandled during their attempt to offer solace to the family of the victim. The government and the law and order machinery seem to be working in tandem to suppress the truth.
K.R. Srinivasan,
Secunderabad
Insolvency resolution
Nowhere in the article, “Transforming business and the insolvency system” (Editorial page, October 5), have the writers mentioned even a line about the huge haircuts (sacrifices) lenders have had to endure in the process of insolvency resolution in India.
For example, in a prominent case involving a leading steel manufacturer, the promoters came back with a bag full of funds that was equal to the loans plus interest.
Generally, the misdeeds of the original directors are forgotten. Special courts should be established and banks given the freedom to value the assets of the borrower company and sell them.
Sasthamani V.,
Coimbatore
Language in India
It is a travesty of truth to say that English is an Indian language (OpEd, “English is an Indian language”, October 5), and the writer, as a parliamentarian, may be saying this more out of his eagerness to please certain political constituents. English is only a link language. Take for example, those from Kerala; they are able to find jobs anywhere in India due to the three-language formula. I would like to point out that the Food Corporation of India was set up in Chennai in the early 1960s by then Food Minister C. Subramanian and the line is that it was to provide more jobs especially for those from Tamil Nadu to work anywhere in India. But in reality, those from Kerala reaped the benefit due to their command over Hindi. Had Tamil Nadu adopted the three-language system, it would have led the State elsewhere.
K. Chellappan,
Chennai
The issue of teaching Hindi in non-Hindi speaking States needs a relook. We are a Bengali-speaking family living in Karnataka and I help my granddaughter with her eighth grade Hindi lessons. Her classmates and playmates do not speak Hindi; nor is it at home. Not having any exposure to the spoken language and at the same time being required to study a highly stylised literary language from the textbook, I find the girl and her classmates struggling to find the relevance of what is being taught. Having lived and worked for three decades in Uttar Pradesh, I know Hindi well and I wonder what the prescribed texts seek to achieve. It helps to learn Hindi, but what needs to be taught is a practical version of the language which is close to what is spoken on the street. It should not be made mandatory for the Board examinations.
Udaya Bose,
Bengaluru
One should read George Orwell’s essay ‘A Hanging’ at least once in a lifetime for two reasons. One, the candid and chilling manner in which Orwell describes the plight of a poor man put to death by hanging during the British Raj. Second, the flow of the English language which makes a reader feel it is live. In the beauty of the language, it is clear that English binds people across the nation.
Sanath Kumar T.S.,
Thrissur, Kerala