When Congress was in the treasury benches they conferred the Bharat Ratna upon Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Now, when BJP sits in the ruling, they confer it upon their leader A B Vajpayee. A quick glance at the list of all awardees till date shows more of politicos only. It is becoming a trend that a party in power confers the civilian awards on their leaders or persons loyal to them. Malaviya, who died in 1946, seems to have been conferred upon the award posthumously since his grandson was among those nominating Modi by signing his nomination papers for Varanasi Lok Sabha polls.
Riya Samsons, Margao
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Thoughts over Bharat Ratnas
It is sad to note that politicians are always preferred for the Bharat Ratna. Since the Nehru, Indira and Rajiv were conferred with it, the BJP tended to have their ‘share’ of the award by conferring it upon Atal. The decision to confer the award upon Pandit Malaviya is also unwise totally. What merit lies in awarding the highest civilian award to a person who passed away in 1956? If to Malaviya, why not confer it upon Tagore, Vivekananda, Akbar, Shivaji, Buddha, Gandhi, Naoroji, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and others?
Or is Modi awarding it to late Malaviya in ‘return’ for Malaviya’s grandson signing Modi’s election nomination from Varanasi?
Bharat Ratna should be an exception, and not a rule. Politicians and the President of India need to ponder upon why a Kailash Satayarthi doesn’t even get a Padma Sri in India.
Brinda Singh, Indore
Why no Bharat Ratna for Kailash Satyarthi
BJP’s senior leader L K Adwani recently demanded that former prime minister A B Vajpayee should be awarded India’s highest civilian award. Vajpayee steered his office well and no doubt that he was an excellent orator and poet too. But for many, Vajpayee is well above the awards. But does that make him naturally entitled to be awarded the Bharat Ratna?
Many among our previous prime ministers have been awarded with the highest civilian award. But why should politicians always be preferred in such manners? Isn’t it a shame that a Kailash Satyarthi wins the Nobel but was never even awarded the Padmashri?
K B Dessai, Fatorda
Change in mindset needed
Let us begin at the beginning. Our social traditions of more than a thousand years have imbibed in us that we could create garbage galore and that there would always be people who would take care of it. People like children of inter-caste marriages, that is, outcastes and untouchables. Times have changed, but not our outlook of our social set-up. Hence garbage will keep piling up palimpsest style in the streets and open fields.
The swach or whatever may keep our land momentarily clean; but then more garbage will be dumped in cleaned up places. It is hoped that this venture will educate our people to be more careful when they dispose of their garbage.
The solution to this vexed problem would appear to be a government initiative in a long term propaganda blitz on radio, TV and newspapers advising citizens not to litter streets and open places but to place the garbage at designated places. The government, however, has to find places where this garbage will be finally disposed off.
A C Menezes, Chinchinim
Change Indian currency symbol
Before the symbol of our Indian currency was like this: Re 1 for one rupee and Rs 2 for two rupees or more. Will it not be better for new Indian currency symbol to be like these? (INR) 1 with one single cut line on the top for (Re 1) and for (INR) 2 with two small cut lines on top for (Rs 2) and more which matches in comparison with other foreign countries currencies symbols.
Will this change not be a good suggestion and as a request to our government to consider this small minor change in our Indian currency as it is mentioned above and also urge all our computerized establishments as well as all commercial users to make the good use of these currency symbols wherever required as it is noted that some of the government establishments and the commercial users do not make use of this symbols as they do not have this facility in their computer systems as people demand for these currency symbols. Let us hope that the government will consider and make this small change in our Indian currency symbols.
Luis Carlos Roncon, St Cruz
An ignorant leadership
I am appalled by the ignorance of our so called leaders today. I did my research at Banaras Hindu University; researched how the rishis who gave us the Upanishads researched into the meaningless ‘pujas’ people offered ‘veda na veda’, ignorantly. And went to find the real meaning! Tribals in India were never Hindus, just as the Bhuddists and Jains. Who then are really guilty of forcing conversions?
Antonio Rodrigues, Alto Porvorim
