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June 11, 1998
SPECIALS
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How Readers responded to Varsha Bhosle's last few columns
Date sent: Tue, 09 Jun 1998 11:00:43 -0700 Varshaji, you sounded down and out in Kathmandu. Let me assure you that your readership recognises that you actually are a gifted and truth loving columnist, unlike most of the fake 'unworthies' in your profession. Until you came along, it was downright unfashionable to give vent to just grievances of Hindus or Indians. The big name journalists in India are often catering to the higher nature of Hindus and pandering to the lowest found in other religions. Their words have been like sickening syrups, bereft of the medicinal qualities of your writings. These low quality gents have found their métier in aping third rate journalists of The New York Times. You are an original, not perfect, but under the circumstances you are perfect. Hey, don't worry, be happy. Everything is gonna be alright. East or West you are the best.
Date sent: Tue, 09 Jun 1998 09:52:11 -0500 Stop this varsha of nonsense.
Date sent: Tue, 09 Jun 1998 11:28:40 -0700 Stop writing nonsense for the sake of publicity.
Date sent: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 15:34:52 -0400 Ms Bhosle continues to wield a wicked pen. More force to her. The lazy roundhouse aimed at liberal "seekers of truths" was delightful and I might add, most timely. That said, I am a little disappointed at the lady's silence on the non-event of the month. Mr Sinha's dampest of squibs. A portfolio of unfounded beliefs that testify to the triumph of wishful thinking over the principles of economics. Mr Sinha's Ricardan vice has been passed over.
Ravi Aron
Date sent: Mon, 11 May 1998 15:08:56 -0400 The column is a straight talk, calling a 'spade a spade.' If we are to be understood by our adversaries and enemies properly, we must speak out. But when you want only to sit on the 'gaddi,' philanthropy at someone else's cost comes easy for these selfish creatures. That is how Nehru readily agreed to squander 1/3rd of the country, that is how the various Indian governments after him have told the Chinese that "Tibet belongs to you" when poor Tibetans are languishing in exile in India, etc. Only a Muslim must say that s/he is an Indian, whereas everyone takes it that Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, etc. are Indians. Very well done! Prem Mittal
Date sent: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 13:06:25 -0600 This is one of the first articles by Varsha that I have read. I am greatly impressed by this piece. As the writer points out, why is it the duty of the alone to Hindus bear the burden of Nationalism? Why are Hindus being treated as a minority in their own country? The very birth of the country was on the lines of a Hindu-Muslim divide, so why India can't be declared as a Hindu country as Pakistan is a Muslim country? The Congress has stooped soooooo low that in order to get votes they are not supporting the decision of the present government on a very reasonable issue of giving identity cards to the LEGAL citizens of the country. Why, in all the western countries and in North America, all the legal denizens of the land are identified by a SIN number... Ask Sonia Gandhi, in Italy too, they must be issuing some kind of number to identity each citizen. Why does she not go there and oppose it? WE DEFINITELY NEED SOME KIND OF IDENTIFICATION FOR THE LEGAL RESIDENTS IN INDIA TOO!! The Congress by all its ill-virtues and corruption has lost the vote bank of educated Indians so they are 'importing illegal residents' from neighbouring countries to warm up the vote bank. This IS illegal. L K Advani faces a tough job with so many parties raising the caste issue in this regard. Nobody does that here in the US or Canada. If you want to live in these countries, you have to obey the rules of the land. Unlike India, where we have different rules for different castes... The attitude of the Congress is sick. I think we need more than just writing or expressing our views like this. Something more concrete has be done for such issues. S M
Date sent: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 10:13:44 -0700 Another enjoyable blockbuster from Varsha.
Date sent: 23 Apr 98 18:28:58 EDT So the Rithambara of Rediff is at it again. Perhaps we need to remind her that for every "ISI-supported Muslim immigrant" plotting the destabilisation of India, there are ten Hindu goons in Bihar alone who do little to serve the cause of stability or tranquility. All these glorious, lofty nationalistic arguments against immigration are all very well, but how does one prove Indian citizenship? Most of the Bengalis or Assamese accused of being illegal probably have no documents proving citizenship of any country: along with them, why not summarily export everyone without an Indian passport, ration card, birth certificate or a listing on the voter list (hah!) to Bangladesh, since that's where they all came from, right? You wouldn't have much left. Quit the bombast, Varsha. Almost every Bengali migrant in India is there not to blow up temples or disturb peace, but simply to save his or her family from starvation. That's called human survival, not terrorism, religious fundamentalism or whatever cliche you use to describe it. Meanwhile, exhibit a little more concern for the shenanigans of the very Hindu loonies in the AIADMK derailing the country in manners much more harmful than a poor Bengali looking for his rozi-roti.
Date sent: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 10:33:25 -0700 Congratulations for your column. You have the courage and guts to write what you feel and think straight. I fully agree with your thoughts and hope to see similar strong columns from you in future.
Shibaji Mukherjee
Date sent: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 17:00:05 +0100 I have been following your articles since some time. This I think is the best you have written so far (according to me). Though not a critic, I always had fights with friends about eating beef (mind you, only beef. They eat other meat though). The facts you have given here will help me stating my argument more convincingly. Thanks. Keep up the good work. Satish
Date sent: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 16:38:27 -0400 Having found interesting Varsha Bhosle's recent article 'Monopoly Game,' I happened to see some readers's comments and the article on death penalty by Varsha. Quite some time back I had read the novel Papillon and from that I realised how much loneliness can literally kill or ruin a person. I think the very concept of 'prison' was to isolate the criminal from the world so that, during some time when the person is all alone, he/she would think of the happenings and might repent in the process. Just imagine yourself in a place where there is no other human being, and it was another year before you got to even see another person. During this period, you are left at nature's mercy to fend for yourself and not a bit of the modern world is at your reach. I bet, one would realise, why we need other persons, how important it is for us to communicate our thoughts and ideas, how civilised we have grown and how important it is for us to protect nature and live along with it, etc., etc. I feel such an isolation would be more than death penalty. Probably a fanciful idea: In this modern world, there probably is another tack to the death penalty. Create a virtual reality device, which would make the criminal go through the process of a near-death experience and warn the criminal that the next time any wrong is committed, the happenings would be real and not virtual. I think that should send shivers down the spine. Bala
Date sent: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 15:04:14 -0400 Varsha, I have been reading your articles for sometime on the net now. I have to admit, the tone of your articles are extremely transparent. There are no hideous meanings or implicit statements. You are very clear in bringing out the sorry state of affairs engulfing our country right now. I completely agree with your views on this Swadeshi farce. I don't understand some things about our society. We always try to ape the West in so many different things like clothes, music, our personal activities etc just to mention a few (we are so amazed when someone goes to a faran land and returns with all those booties). These are totally irrelevant and insignificant. Why can't we try to ape their work culture, their organisational skills, their dedication to work and basically having a result oriented approach? This Swadeshi or whatever it is called is basically a cover up of our own inefficiency. We always sing glories of our past, which I agree is very rich. But that is not going to propel this country to a very challenging 21st century. Look at what is happening to all Asian countries. Look at China. If we even aspire to get at least anywhere in the next century, we have to take on international competition, change our old and sagging attitudes, and above all SHED HYPOCRISY (now that's a subject I don't even want to go into). As an Indian, I truly hope that all this will change one day and we will be a strong force to reckon with. Keep going Varsha.
Date sent: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 14:45:03 -0400 For once I agree with Varsha wholeheartedly. More than any other moronic policy, the isolationist Swadeshi policy has hurt India the most. Its high time to open the flood gates to MNCs and let the free market lead India into a prosperous 21st century
Date sent: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 14:09:06 -0400 I have been reading your articles keenly for the past few months now, and just like many others (I'm sure) am a big fan of your style of writing. I chose to comment on this particular article because it is one issue very close to my heart. First of all please don't compare India to any other "Developed Asian Countries" because other than Japan and may be to some extent Korea all your so called "Developed Asian Countries " have what I choose to call McDonald's economy -- meaning they are just puppets who look wealthy because of Uncle Sam. I'm sure you are aware of what happened to Dow Jones when some of the Asian markets fell -- the truth of the matter is: business organisation or "Developed Countries" invest in foreign markets for one and one reason alone -- to make money. True, foreign investments may create more jobs, better lifestyles for the urban educated people but it will do nothing to the majority of people of India living in villages and to the Indian economy. So I think the problem in India is not that the VHP opposes KFC, but this whole attitude that we people have that "it is always someone else's fault" whatever the problem may be! I'm sure there is absolutely no shortage for people who can come up and point out the problems India has, that is the easy part... but I've never come across one who has something constructive to say. So in conclusion, I want to point out that true "Developed Countries" have become great mainly because of self reliance and that is the way India should go too. Of course there is absolutely no way that a person can summarise all he feels in one letter or article, but I hope at least I have been able to convey my disapproval of your ideas on the matter. By the way, I have lived in the US for more than three years now and have tasted food from pretty much all countries, and don't understand the obsession with KFC, Pizza Hut or McDonalds when you can have Bhel Puri, Paani Puri, Dosas and Idlis every day. Rajeev
Date sent: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 16:57:04 +1000 I am happy to read Varsha Bhosle's columns. She is a courageous woman who is not afraid of calling a spade a spade. I do not always agree with her and it may help her cause if she tones down a bit, but she is fantastic. I read the piece by Tavleen Singh to whose piece Varsha referred to and was astounded to read that Muslims and Sikhs think that all Hindus are cowards! I thought Hindus were a peace loving people and this has been tracked as cowardice! That reminds me that at an appropriate time the government should teach Pakistan a lesson for inflicting terrorism upon us. Greater the punishment better it is!
Dr G N Seetharam
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