:: Letters to Editor

A THOUGHT FOR CHILD WORKERS

Oct.07 :Sir, Recently a television actress was arrested for torturing her 10-year-old domestic help. The child was beaten for eating food without permission. A similar situation occurred many years ago when a 12-year-old domestic help, Maria Santana, was beaten to death by her employer for eating biscuits without permission. Such incidents highlight the sad plight of domestic child workers, who are at the mercy of their employers. Many times these busy little hands are left hungry and are deprived of the basic needs like free education, health and nutrition. Though the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act prohibits the use of children as workers, there are more than 12.6

million children working in the country. They are employed as domestic workers, carpet weavers and employees in several hazardous industries.

Cajetan Peter DeSouza

Ghatkopar (East), Mumbai

Our bowlers let the team down

Sir, With reference to the editorial A dissection of champions (October 2), it is true that the absence of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan was a setback to the Indian cricket team. However, we had the best openers in Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambir. What we really lacked were good bowlers. Our captain’s failure with the bat, and strategy, added to our woes. With the return of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and possibly Zaheer Khan, we could still climb to the No.1 spot by the year end.

N. Viswanathan

Via email

Imbibe Gandhi’s way of living

Sir, Barack Obama’s homage to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhiji’s birth anniversary is heartening. Unfortunately, in India, the situation is different. In Gandhi’s birthplace, the politicians are abetting mass murder, and have ruined everything that Gandhi stood for. It is quite heartening that even Nobel Prize committee has realised its mistake of not awarding Mahatma Gandhi the Nobel prize. This statement is more important than the Nobel prize itself. Our politicians should realise the value of Mahatma’s way of life. His preaching is the only weapon with the help of which the Osamas and the Musharrafs can be reformed and made humane. We need to imbibe Gandhian philosophy.

Maheshwar Nayak

Via email

 

Sir, The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was a national holiday. This is a day to uphold Gandhiji’s principles, not to have enjoy and go for picnics and attend parties. One billion people wasting a day — can India afford the loss of one billion mandays?

C.K. Sharma

DLF Phase 1, Gurgaon

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Jinnah ghost haunts india

Sir, Mohammad Ali Jinnah has suddenly become an issue in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray called his estranged nephew Raj Thackeray a "modern day Jinnah" as he is trying to divide the Marathi manoos. Accused of causing a vertical rift in the BJP, Jinnah is now supposed to "cause" the same rift in Shiv Sena. The ghost of Jinnah is out to divide parties that have been accused of playing his type of politics for decades. The way things are, who knows if Jinnah won’t become an electoral issue in panchayat elections as well before long.

Abdul Monim

Sector 9A, Vashi