Money matters

Sir —The news of the wealth amassed by the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, has not come as a surprise (“Wealth of comrades”, Oct 28). The ideologies and outlook of communism have undergone a sea change over the years. Consumerism has taken the upper hand. In India too, communist governments have been charged with nepotism. Making money has, unfortunately, become the only ideal that is diligently followed by all.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Sir — It is a common tendency of human nature to procure wealth by any means. The Chinese communists are no exception. What is disheartening, however, is their blatant denials and efforts to hold back the truth by blocking access to the New York Times websites in China. This tendency has been witnessed earlier in communist-ruled States. It has been largely responsible for the downfall of the regimes.

The Chinese communists must understand that history will repeat itself and the truth will prevail inspite of all their attempts to divert the attention of the citizens from the reality. Shutting out information would not help secure their public image. The wide gap between the haves and the have-nots in China will eventually force the masses to revolt against the pseudo-communist regime.

Yours faithfully,
Debabrata Sengupta, Howrah

Cut short

Sir — The untimely death of India’s first turbaned comedian, Jaspal Bhatti, came as a shocker for all his fans (“Jaspal Bhatti dies in car crash”, Oct 26). With his death, we have lost a satirist who took social maladies head on. His television serials, Ulta Pulta and Flop Show, were must-see sitcoms in the 1990s. His comic takes on burning social issues made for excellent analyses and sent out pointed messages that were hard-hitting. His character in Ulta Pulta can be compared to R.K. Laxman’s ‘common man’ in more ways than one.

It is painful that a comedian like him met with such a tragic end. He died in a car crash while he was on his way to Jalandhar to promote his new Punjabi film, Power Cut, which is a satire on the frequent power outages in Punjab. Bhatti’s death is a great loss. He can no longer entertain us in his inimitable style by taking comic digs at corrupt politicians.

Yours faithfully,
Bichu Muttathara, Pune

Sir — The country has lost a comedian and a satirist with the death of Jaspal Bhatti. He should be honoured in a befitting manner. Doordarshan can re-run his popular serials like Ulta Pulta and Flop Show, which are of utmost relevance in the present era of scams and scandals. He should be honoured with prestigious awards for his contribution to television.

Yours faithfully,
Madhu Agrawal,Dariba, Delhi

Sir — It is sad that Jaspal Bhatti should pass away just before the release of his comedy, Power Cut. He had always hit out at the corruption prevalent in the system and sympathized with the ordeals of the common man. Bhatti was a man of many talents. He was an engineer as well as a cartoonist before he made his foray into acting. The readers of a popular newspaper would also miss the illustrator who entertained them with his superb cartoons.

Yours faithfully,
Dilbag Rai, Chandigarh

Sir — Jaspal Bhatti was one of the early comedians who mixed comedy with issues which affect our system and society, calling for serious introspection on these matters. His television shows, aired during the 1980s and the 1990s, left a deep impression on the minds of the common people and struck a chord with them. He used to poke fun at everyone — bureaucrats, politicians, police officers and government officials — to expose the corruption in society.

The seriousness of his comedy and its impact on the people could be gauged from the fact that the Election Commission of India engaged him as its brand ambassador for its awareness campaigns last year.

With corruption gaining momentum in our country, the ‘Kejriwal of comedy’ could have contributed more to society in his own unique way had death not snatched him away from us. Nevertheless, Bhatti has set the ball rolling. And although he is not with us, he will remain in our hearts forever.

Yours faithfully,
S. Balakrishnan,Jamshedpur

Parting shot

Sir — The ignominious remarks of Bratya Basu, the state education minister, have deeply hurt the sentiments of the people. He showed a singular lack of taste in trying to draw a parallel between Rabindranath Tagore’s unconventional education and the academically unsuccessful record of one of his party faithfuls (“Glare on politicking in college boards”, Oct 18).

Had Basu taken the trouble to gather some knowledge about Tagore’s contribution to the field of education, he probably would have understood why Tagore is revered as a visionary throughout the world. Saugata Roy was well within his rights as a respected academician to vent his concern about the present state of the education system, where party faithfuls, irrespective of their academic records, have been given a free hand in controlling the administrative committees of schools and colleges.

Yours faithfully,
Srikanta Bhattacharjee,Calcutta