No exit

Sir — Although the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha professes to be non-violent in its operation, the way it actually conducts its affairs can be described in no other way than as being tyrannical (“In the middle of nowhere”, Oct 31). It has made it compulsory for everybody in Darjeeling to wear traditional costumes, apparently to strengthen ethnic identity. As a result, the whole of Darjeeling now resembles a well-disciplined school, where boys and girls, lecturers and labourers, old and young alike are wearing uniforms. The GJM has placed its cadre at the entrance of every institution, educational and otherwise, and these party workers make sure that all are obeying the diktat. They dutifully send back the people who have failed to put on the prescribed clothes. Even lecturers and college staff dare not disobey the orders. And all this is being carried in the name of democracy. I study at St Joseph’s College in Darjeeling. A few days back, when I was headed for college in my traditional dress, shivering in the cold, for a class test, I heard of a classmate who had been sent back by the GJM cadre because he had not been in uniform. He missed the test as a result.

The suppression of people’s democratic rights in Darjeeling makes one’s blood boil in rage. But I feel angrier with the state government than with the GJM for this. The government is sitting doing nothing when a mere party is forcing people to dance to its tune. But then, tyranny is perhaps something that the Left Front government of West Bengal is itself fond of.

Yours faithfully,
Satadru Chatterjee, Darjeeling

Silent voice

Sir — With the passing away of noted Bollywood filmmaker, Baldev Raj Chopra, popularly known as B.R. Chopra, the era of ‘clean’ entertainment has come to an end (“Filmmaker who made television history”, Nov 6). Chopra began his film career under the banner of B.R. Films with Naya Daur starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala and the film was a big hit in the 1950s. Last year, the film was digitally reprocessed in colour and still received acclaim from audiences. Chopra’s directorial ventures such as Gumrah, Waqt and Dharamputra are treats for movie buffs.

Chopra later shifted to the small screen and produced one of the most popular serials of all time, Mahabharat. Incidentally, B.R. Chopra was the elder brother of the equally famous film producer, Yash Chopra, of Yash Raj Films. Chopra will be missed in the Mumbai film world , and will always be recalled with respect.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Visakhapatnam

Sir — B.R. Chopra was one of the most eminent film personalities of India. The films he produced or directed give ample evidence of his conviction that a film addresses itself to the society and it is the duty of filmmakers to make meaningful films that will have a social message. Contemporary directors, who keep coming up with one meaningless film after the other, might learn a lesson or two from the book of this veteran filmmaker.

Yours faithfully,
Dilbag Rai, Chandigarh

Sir — B.R. Chopra made cerebral films at a time when the Mumbai film industry only churned out films for popular entertainment. He dealt with important issues such as illegitimacy in Dharamputra, rape in Insaaf ka Tarazu, and adultery in Gumraah. His Kanoon was an experimental film — it was a murder mystery and had no songs.

One also remembers Chopra for the songs in his films. It is difficult to forget that song from Dharamputra — “Tu Hindu banega na Musalman banega, insaan ki aulad hai insaan banega”. The song is relevant for our times when the country is being torn apart by communal violence. Chopra dreamt of an emergent India way back in 1957 and gave the recipe for success in the song “Saathi haath badana” in Naya Daur.

Yours faithfully,
Mahesh Kapasi, New Delhi

Dangerous drive

Sir — There has been a sudden mushrooming of certain private agencies in and around Calcutta that provide cars on hire for a day. Many Calcuttans like me, who do not possess a private car, often hire cars from these agencies if they have to attend some special occasion. On November 4, I called Baba Taraknath Driver Service Centre at Jawpur Road in Dumdum and ordered a car for my wife.

After being in the car for some time, my wife detected a smell of something burning inside the car. While on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, my wife discovered that the driver was driving with the hand-brake on, which means that the car had been running without a brake all along. This had caused the oil pipe to burst and the oil had entered the engine, giving off the burning smell. Had my wife not intervened in time, the car could have caught fire. On interrogating the driver, she learnt that the driver did not know how to drive at all. On challenging him, he promptly abandoned the car and my wife on the deserted EM Bypass and ran away, switching off his mobile phone. She panicked and on calling me, I arranged for an alternative car to drive her back home. While the rent for the car was Rs 100, I had to pay Rs 700 in all due to the fiasco.

The incident calls into question the reliability of these centres. People take the help of these agencies usually in an emergency and if their lives are put at risk as a result, can they repose their trust in these centres anymore? Calcuttans should be aware of the dangers these agencies pose before they hire cars from them.

Yours faithfully,
Pinaki Ghosh, Calcutta