Developing love bites

Sir ? How could George W. Bush allow his country to be beaten by France as the world?s sexiest state (?Romantic French most active lovers?, Oct 13)? The effect of 9/11 on the collective American mindset could be a factor, but the absence of Bill Clinton at the top may be no less important. But not having Indian data in the report ? particularly when sex surveys are a rage in our cities ? was frustrating. It is important for us to know how much extra labour we need to put in to be level with the developed countries.

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Pal, Batanagar

Dressing down

Sir ? The row over the Islamic dress code in a school in Madhya Pradesh has broken out even before the memory of a similar row in France has had a chance to fade (?Burqa row in school?, Oct 13). Many organizations and institutions ? for instance, the army, hospitals and courts of law ? have their own dress codes. These are not intended to lower the dignity of any religion. Religion deals with morality and philosophy, its rulings on dress cannot be rigidly followed in the modern world. The Anjuman Islamic Committee believes that ?Islam impresses upon women to ?lower their gaze and guard their modesty? and hijab was...established as obligatory dress code in the shariat? and that ?Islamic values of modesty applied to both men and women?, but these have now become obsolete even in the Islamic states. Don?t the armies of Islamic countries wear un-Islamic tunics and trousers? Do the nurses of these countries wear the burqa to ?guard their morality?? Why then object to a dress code in schools?

Yours faithfully,
Asoke C. Banerjee, Calcutta

Sir ? The burqa controversy in Betul is hardly an isolated one. It may influence other schools too. It is surprising though that the parents who insist their daughters wear the burqa to school should have enrolled them in a co-education school. Allowing students to cover their face is potentially dangerous. Who can say that a stranger will not enter the school wearing a burqa, maybe even sit exams pretending to be a student?

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari,

Calcutta

Embassy trouble

Sir ? If you are an Indian citizen in a foreign country and get into trouble, do not expect any assistance from the Indian embassy. To make an appointment is the first hurdle. Here in Jakarta, you will be met with ?He is busy?, ?What is it about?? and so on. If you manage to be granted an audience with the first secretary, there is no convincing the receptionist that the appointment was genuinely acquired.

I was prepared for the worst when I went to meet the first secretary. No sooner had I launched into my tale of woe than his face reddened and he said, ?How do you want the embassy to help?? When I explained that I was merely asking for assistance to regain my passport from the authorities (who had seized it as a security measure), he proceeded to offer advice on what I ought to have done. He called out to the diplomat next door to come over and ?listen to this?. He carried on with his tirade, refusing to listen to my end of the story. Pointing to the door, he asked me to write a letter requesting the embassy to intercede on my behalf, informing me that any chances of regaining my passport were dim. Although he admitted that the passport belonged to the government of India, he was unable to assist. He made a final noise indicating the closure of the audience. So here I am, with my one-year-old son, both technically illegal immigrants, with no help from our own embassy. Are we dealing with public servants here?

Yours faithfully,
Mervyn Pereira, Jakarta