LTTE

The split in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam augurs well for peace in Sri Lanka ("Tiger Vs Tiger", Cover Story, April 9). The revolt by "Colonel Karuna", who was considered No.2 in the military hierarchy of the LTTE, not only dents Velupillai Prabakaran's claim as the sole representative of Tamil interest but also weakens the military capabilities of the organisation. Post-Karuna, it would be difficult for Prabakaran to back out of the Norway-mediated ceasefire and resume the war. It is clear that Karuna has had enough of the war and is willing to negotiate peace and autonomy within a united Sri Lanka.

Bijoy Raj GuhaJabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Hindutva

Thank you for providing us with valuable information in the Cover Story ("Hindutva at work", March 26). It reminds me of Jawaharlal Nehru's remarks about the RSS: "Hindu communalism was the Indian version of fascism, and in the case of the RSS it is not difficult to perceive certain similarities. The leading principles: the stress on militarism, the doctrine of racial culture superiority, ultra-nationalism, the use of symbols of past greatness, the emphasis of national solidarity, the exclusion of religious and ethnic minorities from the nation concept. All these features of the RSS are highly reminiscent of the fascist movement in Europe."

It is ironic that the RSS, which has contributed almost nothing towards India's Independence, now projects itself as the guardian of India's traditional culture.

Bidyut Kumar ChatterjeeFaridabad

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The feature on Hindutva was flawless in analysing the evolution, progress and impact of Hindutva on Indian politics, economy and psyche. After Partition, there was a feeling of hatred against the Muslims, and vote-bank politics added fuel to the fire, resulting in many riots. Hindutva could be countered by creating awareness among the masses about the tenets of Hinduism, bringing about economic prosperity and eliminating misconceptions about religions.

Akhil KumarDelhi

Domestic violence

This is in response to your article on domestic violence in Europe ("Within four walls", March 26). In India, emotional abuse is a way of life for many middle class educated women. One question asked of any working woman is: "Can you cook?" No one wants to know what her interests in life are. The abuse is too subtle. As a doctor, I listen to many stories about total disrespect for a woman's feelings. It is true that there is domestic violence in the West too. But the problem is far more complex and deep-rooted in India.

C. SeethaWarrnambool, Australia

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When I was doing my post-graduation, I attended a seminar on gender issues in the fields of science and research. The speaker asked us a seemingly innocuous question: "What's our national sport?" and himself gave the answer immediately: "Wife-beating". Unfortunately, it seems to be a national sport in many European countries as well. The medieval notion that a woman is a man's "property" and in its possession lies the test of "manhood" is the root cause of the violence against women. Lessons in gender equality should begin from the mother's lap and not at the school or college.

S. RaghuramNew Delhi

Haiti

In the article "Haitian tragedy and imperial farce" (March 26), Aijaz Ahmad has brought out the imperialistic mindset of the Bush team.

Bush's "renewed commitment to democracy and freedom in this hemisphere", is clear from his support to the installation of Guy Philippe, a man who openly admits his admiration for Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, as leader. The overthrowing of the democratically elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide government, has paved the way for the return of exiled Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. The mafia and criminal forces who were described as "thugs" by Secretary of State Colin Powell became messiahs. In 1991, during the presidency of George Bush, Aristide was toppled with the help of U.S. trained thugs. This coup was not only a case of the bourgeoisie joining with the so-called international community to get rid of President Aristide, but also of a son continuing a neo-conservative agenda of his father.

A. Abdul FaizalChennai

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Congratulations to the author and Editor for the article on Haiti. Frontline is on the whole a highly readable and informative magazine and invariably all articles maintain high levels of quality.

Thomas ChakkiathReceived on e-mail.

Is India shining?

"The Feel Good Factory" by P. Sainath ended with the line "Call it India Thinking!" (March 12)

And think is what I did! When I was reading about Keynesian economics, I recollected a situation portrayed during the 1920-30s in the United States. The disparity between the rich and poor was striking in the U.S. during the roaring 20s. CEOs and investors were making obscenely huge amounts of money and talking about the rising Dow-Jones industrial index while the working class was living a hand-to-mouth existence. The nouveau-riche had even claimed allegiance to the Fascist movement thinking that the democratic form of government would die a slow death. The result was the Great Depression of 1929-33.

The American middle class was consciously created after lessons learnt during the Depression years, and widened to the extent visible today through the consistent application of economic and governmental reforms with help from the media. Today, the vast majority of the American population is considered middle class. Sure, there are a lot of poor people. At the other end of the spectrum, there are the Martha Stewarts, Dick Grassos, Jeff Skillings et al earning "seven-eight figure" salaries.

The "India Shining" factor applies to the newly created upper-middle class and the nouveau-riche, educated, upper-management cadre plus of course, the traditionally rich business families.

Dhwanit PatelTexas, U.S.

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The feature exposed the pack of lies that was "India Shining". The articles were published at the right time. I hope more and more Indians read these articles before casting their invaluable votes.

Suresh BabuReceived on e-mail

Paul Sweezy

Thanks for the Obituary on Paul Sweezy ("A saint and a sage", March 26). I came to know of his death only from Frontline. The media in general ignored his great contribution.

Vidyadhar DateMumbai