You took the 'Jiyo Parsi' ad campaign too seriously
I think Scroll took this issue way too seriously. Something the original ad creators hoped that the intended audience would not. Parsis can laugh at themselves without any malice in their hearts. I wish other minorities could take cues from the Parsis on how to live easy and not take life too seriously. You've taken something light and irreverent, yet socially important, and ended up giving it a malicious spin.-Neil B Sadwelkar
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This is in reference to the article on the "Jiyo Parsi" ad campaign. The premise of this article and its title are totally misleading. Simin Patel is the only person who has been quoted in this piece. I have also read Simin’s Facebook post on this topic, and the comments section therein, also does not do justice to what her "beef" is with the community. She may have her issues with what is wrong with the community. However, this ad is targeted at the members of the community. I wish the author had spent some time asking members of the community what they thought.- Arzan Sam Wadia
The Sangh Parivar and its relationship with the Idea of India
This article is extremely biased, misleading and full of communal mistrust. It ignores Modi's message of reconciliation and commitment to our democratic institutions. There are no innocent followers of communal politics. Notwithstanding the Manusmriti's anti-women and anti-Dalit beliefs, no RSS/ Hindtuva votary has ever attacked a girls' school.-Dhirendra Sharma
* * *
The problem with India and Indians is that we are always stuck in the past. I am neither a member of the RSS member nor a fan, but Indians need to get past such negativity and move on.-Vinay Joshi
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Anand Patwardhan’s assertion that the percentage of Christians in India has fallen and there are no large scale conversions in India is utter nonsense. I am no fan of the RSS, but such assertions seriously undermine the credibility of the whole article. He is clearly not aware of the large scale conversions that are happening in Tamil Nadu and Coastal Andhra. Well-funded Churches in the form of quasi-academic "research" institutes have adopted all manner of techniques to convert people to Christianity, which includes demonising Hinduism and depicting Christianity’s alleged affinity with the Dravidian/Tamil movement. So let’s give this nonsense a rest.-Surya Mantha
Autorickshaws and Delhi's transport woes
Thank you for bringing this issue to light. I want to add a point to the discussion. An important economic reason, apart from congestion and pollution, for replacing auto rickshaws with other public transport is that the autorickshaw industry is extremely inefficient, unorganised and contributes to inflationary pressures. As a citizen on Delhi and a regular commuter, I find it safe to say, that auto rickshaws are generally a nuisance. The strong trade union and the unavailability of substitute transport "to the last mile" mean that autorickshaws have already inflated meters. Autorickshaws can almost always refuse to drop you if it is inconvenient to them and they usually overcharge. In contrast, buses, metro, even bicycles (if they are introduced), will organise the public transport industry and keep its prices uniform.-Tanya Sharma
Ban on cow slaughter and deaths on the border
The comment is in reference to the article titled, "Ban on cow slaughter in 24 Indian states is leading to dead humans on the border." This article is totally false, misleading and loaded with wrong facts. It looks like that the article was written under some ulterior motive.-SK Mittal
* * *
Why lift the ban on cattle export? Is it just because Bangladeshis love our cow beef? I would appeal to the the government to issue shoot at sight orders on cattle smugglers. No cattle smuggler should enter our border and no Indian should patronise such activities.-Kamlesh Shah
Why Ravi Varma was more successful than his more skillful contemporaries?
Movies about Ravi Varma forget that he was also a scholar, poet and an extremely religious person. It is sad to see him so poorly depicted. When a subject is treated without proper research and understanding, as in this case, it is disheartening and unfair. Many things depicted in the movie Rang Rasiya might suit the audiences abroad. But it is a shame for all Indians, even if the movie was supposedly well made.-Shreekumar Varma
Redeeming the legacy of Nehru's economic policies
Just a comment on your excellent article on Nehru's economic policies. In the decades after 1950 Japan, Taiwan and Korea benefited not only from their interventionist economic policies but also from the presence of a guaranteed open export market in the US, which was concerned that these nations should not fall into the hands of communism in China. India never had, nor will it have, any such guaranteed market. In this sense the "reformist" interpretation is even more false.-Shankar Gopalakrishnan
* * *
With the benefit of hindsight, everything seems to be flawed or incorrectly done. But, one must realise that it was just after the birth of a new nation, with 33 crore people of different castes and ideologies, often with contradictory ideas. It was an economy that had no right to breathe at all, let alone survive. If anyone else had better ideas, why were they not so prominent then? You must also look at the zeitgeist then. It is not that Nehru himself was a dedicated socialist. Sure he had flirted with the Fabian sort once upon a time, but his socialism was of a different kind, almost ad-hoc, almost opportunist. I don't think Nehru was fond of any kind of -isms. Nehru, the man, is someone we need to look at with eyes that are not jaundiced.-Kishore Tejaswi
How India’s first novelist foreshadowed novels of the future
History, or whatever we know as history, is surely not truth. Not even in the limited sense of say, a chain of facts. Whether the novelist "rejects" history or makes an attempt to construe his/her own version, without bias to the prevailing history, is anyone's guess. It's far more complicated to try judging that in Bankimchandra's case, more in a Durgeshanandini, as compared to say an Anandamath or Rajasingha. But it's a fact that many creative people do have these contradictions, if not conflicts, which in reference to what the author identifies as two Bankimchandras.-Shyamanuja Das
Jan Dhan Yojana and bank accounts with zero balance
All governments fail in the implementation of their grandiose schemes. Rather than saying its a failure the present government, we need to devise ways to educate and inform account holders about how to use their accounts for their betterment. A lot of people in villages have opened an account, but are ill informed about the fact that they need to operate the account regularly to keep it viable and avail of the Rs 1 lakh accident insurance scheme. Rather than blame governments, information should reach the account holders in the remotest areas. It is better to find solutions than blame governments.-Sudha Malik
Lack of talent in the Modi-led government
The author is talking about making laws. Isn't it imperative to achieve a clear majority in both houses to pass their proposed bills without any hassle? I'd assume Modi and his team are prioritising that at the moment. No one in this world has a magic wand to bring in "Acche Din". Patience is the key. Let them plant the seeds, before you start counting the fruits.-Sameer Jain
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letters@scroll.in.
I think Scroll took this issue way too seriously. Something the original ad creators hoped that the intended audience would not. Parsis can laugh at themselves without any malice in their hearts. I wish other minorities could take cues from the Parsis on how to live easy and not take life too seriously. You've taken something light and irreverent, yet socially important, and ended up giving it a malicious spin.-Neil B Sadwelkar
* * *
This is in reference to the article on the "Jiyo Parsi" ad campaign. The premise of this article and its title are totally misleading. Simin Patel is the only person who has been quoted in this piece. I have also read Simin’s Facebook post on this topic, and the comments section therein, also does not do justice to what her "beef" is with the community. She may have her issues with what is wrong with the community. However, this ad is targeted at the members of the community. I wish the author had spent some time asking members of the community what they thought.- Arzan Sam Wadia
The Sangh Parivar and its relationship with the Idea of India
This article is extremely biased, misleading and full of communal mistrust. It ignores Modi's message of reconciliation and commitment to our democratic institutions. There are no innocent followers of communal politics. Notwithstanding the Manusmriti's anti-women and anti-Dalit beliefs, no RSS/ Hindtuva votary has ever attacked a girls' school.-Dhirendra Sharma
* * *
The problem with India and Indians is that we are always stuck in the past. I am neither a member of the RSS member nor a fan, but Indians need to get past such negativity and move on.-Vinay Joshi
* * *
Anand Patwardhan’s assertion that the percentage of Christians in India has fallen and there are no large scale conversions in India is utter nonsense. I am no fan of the RSS, but such assertions seriously undermine the credibility of the whole article. He is clearly not aware of the large scale conversions that are happening in Tamil Nadu and Coastal Andhra. Well-funded Churches in the form of quasi-academic "research" institutes have adopted all manner of techniques to convert people to Christianity, which includes demonising Hinduism and depicting Christianity’s alleged affinity with the Dravidian/Tamil movement. So let’s give this nonsense a rest.-Surya Mantha
Autorickshaws and Delhi's transport woes
Thank you for bringing this issue to light. I want to add a point to the discussion. An important economic reason, apart from congestion and pollution, for replacing auto rickshaws with other public transport is that the autorickshaw industry is extremely inefficient, unorganised and contributes to inflationary pressures. As a citizen on Delhi and a regular commuter, I find it safe to say, that auto rickshaws are generally a nuisance. The strong trade union and the unavailability of substitute transport "to the last mile" mean that autorickshaws have already inflated meters. Autorickshaws can almost always refuse to drop you if it is inconvenient to them and they usually overcharge. In contrast, buses, metro, even bicycles (if they are introduced), will organise the public transport industry and keep its prices uniform.-Tanya Sharma
Ban on cow slaughter and deaths on the border
The comment is in reference to the article titled, "Ban on cow slaughter in 24 Indian states is leading to dead humans on the border." This article is totally false, misleading and loaded with wrong facts. It looks like that the article was written under some ulterior motive.-SK Mittal
* * *
Why lift the ban on cattle export? Is it just because Bangladeshis love our cow beef? I would appeal to the the government to issue shoot at sight orders on cattle smugglers. No cattle smuggler should enter our border and no Indian should patronise such activities.-Kamlesh Shah
Why Ravi Varma was more successful than his more skillful contemporaries?
Movies about Ravi Varma forget that he was also a scholar, poet and an extremely religious person. It is sad to see him so poorly depicted. When a subject is treated without proper research and understanding, as in this case, it is disheartening and unfair. Many things depicted in the movie Rang Rasiya might suit the audiences abroad. But it is a shame for all Indians, even if the movie was supposedly well made.-Shreekumar Varma
Redeeming the legacy of Nehru's economic policies
Just a comment on your excellent article on Nehru's economic policies. In the decades after 1950 Japan, Taiwan and Korea benefited not only from their interventionist economic policies but also from the presence of a guaranteed open export market in the US, which was concerned that these nations should not fall into the hands of communism in China. India never had, nor will it have, any such guaranteed market. In this sense the "reformist" interpretation is even more false.-Shankar Gopalakrishnan
* * *
With the benefit of hindsight, everything seems to be flawed or incorrectly done. But, one must realise that it was just after the birth of a new nation, with 33 crore people of different castes and ideologies, often with contradictory ideas. It was an economy that had no right to breathe at all, let alone survive. If anyone else had better ideas, why were they not so prominent then? You must also look at the zeitgeist then. It is not that Nehru himself was a dedicated socialist. Sure he had flirted with the Fabian sort once upon a time, but his socialism was of a different kind, almost ad-hoc, almost opportunist. I don't think Nehru was fond of any kind of -isms. Nehru, the man, is someone we need to look at with eyes that are not jaundiced.-Kishore Tejaswi
How India’s first novelist foreshadowed novels of the future
History, or whatever we know as history, is surely not truth. Not even in the limited sense of say, a chain of facts. Whether the novelist "rejects" history or makes an attempt to construe his/her own version, without bias to the prevailing history, is anyone's guess. It's far more complicated to try judging that in Bankimchandra's case, more in a Durgeshanandini, as compared to say an Anandamath or Rajasingha. But it's a fact that many creative people do have these contradictions, if not conflicts, which in reference to what the author identifies as two Bankimchandras.-Shyamanuja Das
Jan Dhan Yojana and bank accounts with zero balance
All governments fail in the implementation of their grandiose schemes. Rather than saying its a failure the present government, we need to devise ways to educate and inform account holders about how to use their accounts for their betterment. A lot of people in villages have opened an account, but are ill informed about the fact that they need to operate the account regularly to keep it viable and avail of the Rs 1 lakh accident insurance scheme. Rather than blame governments, information should reach the account holders in the remotest areas. It is better to find solutions than blame governments.-Sudha Malik
Lack of talent in the Modi-led government
The author is talking about making laws. Isn't it imperative to achieve a clear majority in both houses to pass their proposed bills without any hassle? I'd assume Modi and his team are prioritising that at the moment. No one in this world has a magic wand to bring in "Acche Din". Patience is the key. Let them plant the seeds, before you start counting the fruits.-Sameer Jain
