Win some, lose some

Sir — On the eve of Republic Day, I was surprised to see the name of Sant Singh Chatwal among the list of Padma awardees on television. Chatwal is a New York-based restaurateur who has money, and apparently some influence at the right places, which helped him get his name included for the Padma Bhushan. The citizens of the country have a right to know on what basis this prestigious award was given to Chatwal.

Yours faithfully,
Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Calcutta

Sir — The report, “Win Nobel and hope for Padma” (Jan 26), revealed what the Indian government has in mind while bestowing honours on eminent citizens every year on Republic Day. The article correctly observes that the bar for making it to the list of Padma awardees has been raised, as one has to win a Nobel or receive an award outside the country to be eligible for this honour. Having said that, I think the criteria for getting the Bharat Ratna, if one were to go by past records, are the toughest: one can get it only posthumously.

Yours faithfully,
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bangalore

Sir — It was great to see Aamir Khan, one of my favourite actors, get the prestigious Padma Bhushan (“After Nobel comes Padma prize”, Jan 26). With films like Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots, Khan has proved that films which manage to strike an emotional chord with the audience can never go wrong. Khan is definitely a cut above the rest of his colleagues. His first directorial venture, Taare Zameen Par, was about a dyslexic child. It was shorn of romance, sex and violence, and its pace was leisurely. Yet, it received applause from all quarters. The film was a clear indicator that a confident person was behind this work.

Yours faithfully,
Subhayu Saha, Murshidabad

Sir — Indian politicians seem to be religiously following the British judicial legacy of “innocent unless proven guilty”. That is why they are so keen on giving awards to people who have been charged of various misdemeanours. This Republic Day, Saif Ali Khan, who has been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act for poaching black bucks in Rajasthan in 1998, has been awarded the Padma Shri. Perhaps it would bode well if the authorities also remember that one is not innocent unless acquitted.

Yours faithfully,
N.K. Das Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — The winners announced by the selection committee for this year’s Padma awards were commendable choices. Great personalities from every field found a place in this list. But it is regrettable that the committee was unable to find a suitable candidate for the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. It could have considered the late Baba Amte, a noted social worker, for the award this year.

Yours faithfully,
Ajit Kumar Guha, Calcutta

Rotten state

Sir — “The rot within” (Jan 7), by Brijesh D. Jayal, points to the steady erosion of values in India’s democratic institutions. Gone are the days when journalism used to be a sincere mission. Today, it is all about minting money by dramatizing events unnecessarily.

On the other hand, the pace at which the Indian judiciary dispenses justice is woefully slow. Our laws have loopholes that give criminals a chance to go scot-free. When the president flies the Sukhoi, it is supposed to be a symbol of empowerment and equality for Indian women. The truth, however, is not just different, but also extremely shameful— the cases of Ruchika Girhotra and Jessica Lal bear testimony to that.

P. Chidambaram’s repeated references to the threat that India faces sound banal, as the problem of security is not a new one. India has been invaded time and again, and has yet been unable to remodel itself to counter these attempts. Moral bankruptcy is at large within the Indian establishment. Politicians talk of 10 per cent growth despite spiralling food prices, unemployment and poverty. Cooking up data seems to have become a norm while trying to show India’s prosperity. But this does not change the reality. What Jayal has written about is pertinent, given the present situation, but it is not the first critique of its kind. Such observations have been made earlier as well, but to no avail.

Yours faithfully,
A. Bhattacharyya, Guwahati

Sir — Brijesh D. Jayal has rounded up the performances of some of India’s democratic institutions in 2009 on a dismal note. But one can say that the country does have the resilience to rejuvenate itself in the new year. Jayal’s assessment of the fourth estate reflects the changing face of journalism. From being a ‘mission’, it has become a ‘profession’. But this change was inevitable, as every aspect of human life has been commercialized. Today, access to information comes with a price. The electronic media have taken full advantage of this demand. In their enthusiasm, the media have, on more than one occasion, compromised on accuracy. However, one must remember that without the media’s help, none of the recent instances of crime and misconduct would have reached the public domain. The media are entitled to a margin of error as long as they serve as the watchdog of democracy.

Yours faithfully,
Prabhakar Bhattacharya, Ichapore, North 24 Parganas