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[Alisha]

Article: The man who carry 'heart'
Another well drafted nostalgic piece from Edacheri...
Have you written a letter in the near future? If not, why dont you try to pen one? definitely your Mom would cherish it ....the link to postal department site is a commendable conclusion, adding a practical touch to the past...ALL the BEST.

[alisha]

Article : Vishu - The blessing of Naturehai.
Rajesh, your vishu kani is simply nostalgic. Really beautiful memoir except the last lines... The contemporary - reality- conclusion could have been avoided!!!! dont worry, its only a personal observation.

[Jj]

Article : Marriage at 18: Easily married!

Already we are at the brink of population explosion. The present scenario is that every individual give rise to at least three/four new generations during his/her life span.

That means for every couple, if they have two children, the population goes on progressing geometrically. That means it will be like this: every 22nd year (reckoning the marriage age of men at 21 now) one couple will give way for two children. At that rate at the 66th year it will be 2->2->4->8. That means before one's expiry there will be 1:4 expansion in birth rate alone.

So every 100 crore population in India will give rise to 400 crores and become (100+100+200+400=800) in just 66 years considering one's average life span is about 65 years. If the marriage age is lowered to 18 years for men, we will attain this 800 crores in just 54 years and in 72 years it will cross 1500 crores for every 100 crores now.

Just imagine and decide whether we have to lower the marriage age or raise it? Even today the main problem of India is its population. Unemployment can be reduced only if we bring down the population. Natural resources including even drinking water will be something rare in the next ten years. At this time it was not wise for the law commission to make such recommendation.

[Chithra KarunaKaran]

The Rise of the Car Nazis: Ratan and the Tata Wannabes; Author Response.

I appreciate JJ Vellara's comment. I am wondering if Kerala's pro-public groups like Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Kerala Shastra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP)and numerous NGO's have mounted support FOR mass public transportation and organized resistance AGAINST the manufacture of this so-called People's Car and other forms of allegedly cheap private car manufacture. Cheap for the environment?

Also I am dismayed by the feeble statements of Rajendra Pachauri concerning the Nano. He described himself as having "nightmares" over the Nano. Is this an engineer and environmental policy leader talking? He sounds like a psychological basket case. Why is he so afraid to speak up? Who pays his salary? Ratan Tata? How much? We need to exercise some RTI on this point.

Pachauri is great at recommending (talk is cheap, no accountability required on his part) to entire nations what to do about climate change, but he can barely do more than cluck and squawk about the Nano. Pachauri is Director-General of TERI. TERI has many corporate sponsors and TATA is one of them, in fact TATA is a founding sponsor of TERI. On Google TERI is alternatiely listed The Energy and Resources Institute or TATA Energy and Resources Institute.

So how independent is Pachauri? This is a guy who helps maintain the Indian elite status quo while also being a competent engineer and coordinator of environmental science-based projects.

I'll never forget that the war crimes specialist, President Bush fired Pachauri's outspoken and brilliant predecessor Robert Watson, at Mobil's behest. Bush approved Pachauri because he knew Pachauri wouldn't make too much of a noise. Pachauri has a conciliatory and inclusive organizational leadership style which is of course great, he works well with people, but basically he is a patsy, a yes man. Science without ETHICS is useless, dangerous science.

Maybe some environmental activists can take a critical look at Rajendra Pachauri and TERI. Are they part of the solution? Or are they part of the problem?

Chithra KarunaKaran.

[J J Vellara]

The Rise of the Car Nazis: Ratan and the Tata Wannabes:

Smt Chithra exposes the grim picture behind the fact. The truth is that we even do not have the road infrastructure to ply the available class of vehicles now. We tend to imitate the west; but learn it that many a country has started thinking and acting upon expanding public mass rapid transit systems.

In Brazil they have paved way for light rail system to enable commuting as the roads get choked at peak hours. Not to speak of pollution the vehicles create. India though pictured as a poor country over the globe have the persons among the first ten richest in the world. Here cars are owned by rich people as well upto middle class; but under utilized thanks to the fuel prices and poor road infrastructure.

Our roads are so bad that right from hand cart to deluxe buses share the same six meter wide corridor. There are not enough road shoulders for parking; not to speak of pedestrians and no path for cyclists at all.

It is time we have to think of improving public transport facilities because we are at the brink of population explosion and it is not advisable for everyone to own a two-wheeler to reduce crowd in buses and trains.

[J J Vellara]

Kozhikode : New Hotspot for Mafia:

The article by Rajesh Kumar Edacherry tells the naked truth. It is on commercial outlook that an article was published in a leading English daily; by personification of the author, bringing such article to the lines in its supplements. The aim behind it seems only more advertisments of that sector. Save for the solid waste management recently started by the corporation, the city is as bad any other Indian cities due to lack of sincerity by the local administration in shaping it up.