Triumph of liberty

Sir — While for Indian politicians, profession of non-violence has become a façade behind which they hide their petty interests, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has adopted it as the guiding principle of her life (“The euphoria can wait”, April 5). She had been kept under house arrest for 15 years, but this did not blunt her convictions. Suu Kyi is now free, and she has appeared in Myanmar’s political arena. She achieved a stupendous victory in the recent by-elections, winning 40 out of the 45 parliamentary seats. Suu Kyi will now participate in a parliament dominated by the military junta as an opposition leader. Myanmar’s general elections will be held in 2015, and Suu Kyi’s aim should be to win as many of the parliamentary seats as possible to diminish the junta’s strength in the government. One hopes that she will be able to bring true democracy to Myanmar.

Yours faithfully,
Mukul Ranjan Chakraborty, Calcutta

Sir — The United Progressive Alliance government has chosen not to voice any harsh criticism of the military government in Myanmar, or to stand up firmly for the rights of the people of that country, because of what it calls national interest. India’s response to Aung San Suu Kyi’s release in November 2010 after a decade and a half of house arrest was at best lukewarm. The Indian minister of external affairs praised her release as a step taken by the Myanmar’s junta “towards national reconciliation”. If by national reconciliation India meant restoration of democracy, the minister failed to convey his intentions clearly. It almost seemed as if the Indian government expected Suu Kyi to fall in line with the junta’s diktats. Even afterwards, India’s congratulations to Suu Kyi for her electoral victory were conveyed by the spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs, not by anyone higher up in the government. However, Suu Kyi continues to bank on India’s support. When asked about her expectations of India, she answered, “More, more and more. India can never do enough for democracy in Myanmar.”

Yours faithfully,
Mookhi Amir Ali, Mumbai

Sir — One of the greatest events that have taken place recently is the victory of the Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the Myanmar by-elections. Although the triumph of the National League for Democracy in the by-elections is unlikely to change the balance of power in Myanmar, people across the world are happy to witness this development.

Yours faithfully,
Ranajit Kumar Baksi, Calcutta

Cursed at birth

Sir — The news report, “Dowry wary dad kills girls, 13 years apart” (April 7), shows that social evils like the dowry system are still prevalent in large sections of Indian society. We live in the 21st century, yet dowry demands still cause the deaths of many women.

Suicides or murders for dowry occur frequently these days. In the rural areas, female foeticide is also very common. Parents often get tremendously worried on the birth of a girl child. The fear of having to provide a hefty dowry when she reaches marriageable age clogs their common sense. This fear can even make them kill their daughters or sell them. Despite so many awareness programmes by government and non-governmental organizations, this menace could not be stemmed. The State is well aware of these mishaps, but it chooses to look the other way. This forces one to ask the question — is being born as a girl a curse even in the 21st century?

Yours faithfully,
Somrita Ghosh, Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — I was happy to read Rasheed Kidwai’s well-written article on Govind Narain, one of the illustrious members of the Indian Civil Service and probably the youngest state chief secretary in independent India (“Young ICS who protected Aligarh university”, April 6). After serving in Uttar Pradesh, he went on to occupy important posts at the Centre in the 1960s and 1970s. To the best of my knowledge, living Indian members include V.K. Rao (ICS, Andhra Pradesh, 1937), N. Sahgal (ICS, Punjab, 1940) and V.M.M. Nair (ICS, Bihar, 1942, who was later appointed the Indian ambassador to Morocco). There may now be very few of the Europeans still alive in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi of the last batch (1943) opted for Pakistan. He was born in Sind in the then Bombay Presidency in 1919 and served the ICS in Bihar and Orissa. In Pakistan, he headed the Water and Power Development Authority, and later served as the finance secretary, the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, the deputy chairman of the planning commission and as chairman of the Pakistan Investment Board. His career of over half a century made him the longest serving civil servant in Pakistan.

Yours faithfully,
Arun Bhatnagar, New Delhi