:: Letters to Editor

The politics of victory, defeat

Oct.28 : Sir, With reference to Jayanthi Natarajan's article No ifs and buts in Congress victory (October 26), it is no secret that the Congress owes its success to disunity and inertia in the Opposition camp. The Congress harvested the Raj Thackeray factor in Maharashtra, rather than its governance. If Ms Natarajan's tall claim has any truth, why did the voting percentage of the Congress decline considerably? If the Congress' euphoria over its pan-Indian presence has a basis, will Congress Party venture to contest alone in future elections? Why is it playing second fiddle to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu? Political victories and losses are never permanent.

Sai Soundararajan

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Aussies show their mettle

Sir, This refers to the news report India go down swinging (October 26). As captain of the Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, losing four wickets at a crucial time in the power play segment cost India the match. It is creditable that Australia survived the last-minute onslaught of Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar. The experience of the Champions League T20 cricket tournament experience obviously helped Australia. Adam Gilchrist had rightly noted before the start of the series that Australia had not lost a One-Day series in India in last 15 years. The remaining games too will prove to be exciting and challenging.

Ramamurthy

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Sir, India's four-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the first One-Day International at Vadodara was really disappointing. Had Harbhajan Singh, who played superbly and scored 49 runs, known the knack of finishing things off, India wouldn't have lost the match. But Australians deserve congratulations for holding their nerve. Indeed, they showed they were professionals from the word go.

S. Ramakrishnasayee

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Bjp has lost its direction

Sir, Brave words and drumming up expectations have failed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Simply put, the BJP has failed to enthuse voters. This is more a comment on the party's leadership than its agenda of governance which, tragically, appears to be increasingly immaterial. The party badly needs a leadership change if it is to make an honest bid to win back public trust. Its failure suggests that the loss of direction at the top is affecting the less coherent state units.

P. Arihanth

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Schools run a business

Sir, This is with reference to the Sunday Special story Nursery Crimes (October 25). As rightly pointed out, schools not only have illogical rules, but they also extract money in various ways and charge a high capitation fee by adding a few frills. Many schools also demand that parents purchase only specific "branded" pencils, bags and shoes for their children to maintain the school's "standard". Many schools also have cranky and abusive principals. Sometimes they not only deny parents basic information such as selection criteria, but also behave improperly with parents, especially those who may not be well-educated. Schools ought to realise that parents not only pay a lot of money, but also take a risk in trusting a school to shape the lives of their children.

Syed Maqsood

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