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Kushal Singh

Contact-suresh.mehrotra@yahoo.com> & <mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com>

Vivek Sahay is new Chairman Railway Board
Vivek Sahay, Member, Traffic Railway Board, has been appointed as new Chairman Railway Board (CRB). His name was cleared by Prime Minister’s office (PMO) at 8 pm on Saturday. Official orders are being released this afternoon.
(We said this on March 6, 2010)
Vivek Sahay’s file cleared by PMO on Saturday
As the grapevine has it, Vivek Sahay, Member, Traffic Railway Board, whose
proposal pertaining to elevation as new Chairman Railway Board was mooted earlier in the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) on Saturday.
Vivek Sahay meets Cabinet Secretary
As the grapevine has it, Vivek Sahay, Member, Traffic Railway Board, had met Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar. It may be stated here that Sahay’s proposal pertaining to elevation as new Chairman Railway Board is pending in the Government of India (GOI).
Have things changed after Vivek Sahay met the Cabinet Secretary?
Have things changed for Vivek Sahay Member Traffic Railway Board after he met Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar? .
Rakesh Chopra was to head Railway Board till year end
As the grapevine has it, Rakesh Chopra, Member Engineering, Railway Board was going to be caretaker Chairman Railway Board (CRB) till December 2010.
A.P.Mishra was to be new Railway Board chief
As the grapevine has it, A.P. Mishra was tipped to be new Chairman Railway Board (CRB), after the retirement of Rakesh Chopra Member Engineering. At present Mishra is General Manager (GM) South Eastern Railway (SER).
Dr. Ashok Kumar Balyan poised to be MD, Petronet LNG Ltd
Dr. Ashok Kumar Balyan, Director  (Human Resource) of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) is poised to be new Managing Director (MD) of the Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL). Name of Dr Balyan has been cleared.
Eleven IPS officers retiring today
As many as 11 IPS officers have retired in May 2010. They are Mahabir Singh (AGMU), Mohinder Singh (Haryana), G Baburaj, V Santharam and C Sharafudeen (Kerala), A N Roy and V N Salve (Maharashtra), L Talimeren (Nagaland), B N Yogeshwar (Rajasthan), K Rajendran (Tamil Nadu) and Vikram Singh (Uttar Pradesh).
22 IAS officers retiring in May
S Manoharan, Lambha Roy, Laxmi Nath Tamuly (AM), P Sunder Kumar (AP), Ms. Dipika Padda, Rana Awdhesh Kumar (BH), B C Chaudhari (GJ), Ms. Firoza Mehrotra (HY), N K Verma, Gowhar Ahmed (JK), K Ramamoorthy (KL), Ratnaji Babu Agawane (KN), Waseem Akhtar, Krishna Mohan Gautam (MP), Ms. Shyamalima Banerjee, Kanu Priya Goswami, L Darlong (MT), Manoranjan Mishra (OR), Manjit Singh (PB), P ILango, R Palaniyandi (TN).
Ms.Vimla Mehra DGP, Arunachal Pradesh returns to Delhi
As the grapevine has it, Ms.Vimla Mehra who had become DGP of Arunachal
Pradesh in July 2009 has returned to Delhi. She is an IPS officer of the 1978 batch, AGMU cadre. Arunachal Chief Minister reportedly had made a complaint of non-cooperation. She was infact, asked by the Chief Minister to leave the state by Saturday. She is considered to be honest and tough police officer.
4 IPS officers of AGMU cadre to be promoted as ADGs
DPC meeting that was held recently has cleared names of four IPS officers of AGMU cadre belonging to 1981 batch for elevation as Additional Director Generals (ADGs). They are: Qamar Ahmed, P.N. Agrawal, Dr. Aditya Arya and M.S. Sandhu. Promotion orders are expected to be issued this week.
5 IPS officers of AGMU cadre to be promoted as IGs
DPC meeting that was held recently has cleared names of five IPS officers of AGMU cadre belonging to 1988 batch for elevation as IGs. They are: Arvind Deep (IB), Muktesh Chander (Daman), Ms. Sundari Nanda (Goa), S.B. K Singh (Pondicherry) & Pranab Nanda (IB). Promotion orders are to be issued this week end.
5 IPS officers of AGMU cadre to be promoted as DIGs
DPC meeting that was held recently has cleared names of five IPS officers of AGMU cadre belonging to 1995 batch for elevation as DIGs. They are: Madhup Tiwari-Arunachal Pradesh, Devesh Shrivatava-Arunachal Pradesh, I.D. Shukla –Delhi, K.C. Dwivedi DCP (East) Delhi & David Larsinga DCP Headquarters Security. Promotion orders to be issued this week end.
22 Addl/Jt Commissioners of Customs and Central Excise transferred
As many as 22  Additional / Joint Commissioners of Customs and Central Excise have been transferred. They are Mayank Kumar to Vadodara CX, Ms. V. Usha to Meerut CX, Chander Shekhar to Meerut CX, Prachi Swaroop to Dte. of Legal Affairs, Delhi, M.M. Parthiban to CEI, Delhi (To work as OSD to Member (Customs), CBEC, Vinayak Azaad to Mumbai CX-I, Sugrive Meena to Mumbai CX-II, Rakesh Mohan Maindola to Delhi CX, Ms. Shubhagata Kumar to Systems, Delhi, Shafat Ahmed Usmani to Hyderabad CX, Milind Gavai to DRI, Ahmedabad, B.P. Singh to Audit, Mumbai, S.S. Dhakate to Pune CX, A.K. Khatri to Dte. of Safeguards, Delhi, Hardeep Batra to Delhi Customs(P) (Retention), N.K. Jain to Vigilance Delhi (Retention), Sameer Chitkara to Ahmedabad CX, P. Suresh Kumar to Vizag CX, Upendra Singh Yadav to Vigilance Mumbai, R.S. Chandel to Lucknow CX (Retention), R. Guru Nathan to Vizag CX (Tirupati) and S. Arumugam to Chennai CX. 
Sonam Palwar Sr Dy Acct General transferred and posted as Director
Sonam Palwar, Senior Deputy Accountant General (Admn, A/cs), in the office of Accountant General (Audit), Delhi, New Delhi, on his relief by local arrangements, is transferred and posted as Director in the in the office of Principal Director of Audit, Defence Services, Chandigarh. He will also hold additional charge of the post of Director in the branch office Chandigarh of the in the office of  Principal Director of Commercial Audit & Ex-officio Member Audit Board - IV, New Delhi, until further orders.
CVC recommends action against 32 CBEC officials
CVC has recommended for major penalty on the 32 officials of Central Board of Excises Customs (CBEC).
IA & AS officer Hrisikesh Dasgupta transferred
Hrisikesh Dasgupta, Deputy Accountant General (adhoc), in the office of Accountant General (A&E), Assam, Guwahati, is transferred and posted as Deputy Accountant General (RA/CA : adhoc) in the office of Principal Accountant General (Audit), Assam.
Consent letters reach CMD aspirants of banks
Consent letters have reached aspirants for slots of Chairman cum Managing Directors (CMDs) in different public sector banks.
Dr. G S Rajagopal is Member of Vigilance Advisory Council
Dr. G S Rajagopal Former Special Secretary Home in the Government of India is the Member of the reconstituted Vigilance Advisory Council, first set up by the Commission in the year 2004, with persons of great eminence as its members to advise and guide the Commission from time to time in the discharge of its statutory duties. He is retired 1971 batch IPS officer of Rajasthan cadre.
Names for NAC approved ?
About a dozen names have reportedly been approved for the newly constituted National Advisory Council (NAC). They are Mssrs Farah Naqvi,Jean Dreze, Aruna Roy, N.C. Saxena , Harsh Mandar, A.K. Shiva Kumar,Anu Agha, M.S. Swaminathan, Narendra Jadhav, Deep Joshi and Madhav Gadgil.
Ms Rita Sharma is Member-Secretary NAC
Former Rural Development Secretary Ms Rita Sharma has been appointed Member- Secretary of the National Advisory Council (NAC). She is retired 1974 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Governor Andhra Pradesh proves to be an eye sore for CM
ES Lakshmi Narasimhan Governor of Andhra Pradesh has much to discomfiture of K. Rosaiah Andhra Pradesh chief Minister is reported to have made certain political statements. Opposition political parties had voiced their concern. As the grapevine has it the Chief Minister will lodge a complaint against the Governor with higher ups in Delhi soon.
File for NHB’s new CMD with Pranab Mukherjee
As the grapevine has it, the file relating to post of Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of the National Housing Bank(NHB) is still lying with Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee .Its interviews were held on April 21, 2010. In that Raj Vikas Verma is number one in the panel.
Rajasekhar goes to London
C Rajasekhar Minister in Indian Embassy Seoul has been moved to Indian High Commission in London.
Two IPS officers promoted in Bihar
Two 1998 batch IPS officers M R Nayak and Amit Lodha have been promoted to the rank of Senior Police Superintendent.
IPS changes in Bihar
Indranand Mishra awaiting for posting has been made Commandant of Bihar Military Police, Patna. Vivek Raj Singh will now be SP Railways,Patna.Daljit Singh has been made Police Superintendent of Gaya(town). Ranjit Kumar Mishra has been made SP Darbhanga (town) and Vivek Kumar has been made SP Flying Squad wing of Transport Department.
Pravin Garg is new Housing Commissioner in MP
Pravin Garg is new Housing Commissioner in Madhya Pradesh. 1988 batch IAS officer Garg was earlier MD of the AVN.
IAS postings in Madhya Pradesh
Arun Kochar has been appointed as Commissioner Tribal Development. GV Rashmi has been transferred as Managing Director, Industrial Development Corporation, Indore. Chandramauli Shukla has been transferred to Indore Development Corporation as CEO.
Principal Secretary Housing and Environment Alok Srivastava has been given additional charge of New and Renewable Energy Department . Nitesh Kumar Vyas has been handed the additional responsibility of Project Director Asian Development Bank.
Will B P Singh move from Sikkim ?
Sikkim Governor B P Singh was in Delhi last week. It is believed that he is asking for a change.
GoI Secretary Health lauds BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh Government
Union Health Secretary Sujata Rao has lauded the efforts of the Madhya Pradesh Government for health services. She said that State's achievements in institutional delivery are laudable. She said that State kept the same momentum; Madhya Pradesh will definitely become a pioneering State in achievement of health schemes' targets.
Two CBDT Members to retire today
Two Members of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Shaikh Naimuddin and Narinder Singh are retiring on Monday.
Gautam Dey is PCCF in Tamil Nadu
Gautam Dey has been elevated from Additional PCCF to the PCCF’s rank by the Tamil Nadu Government. He is Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of the 1977 batch who belongs to Tamil Nadu cadre.
Satyavrat to be DG Vigilance Uttarakhand
Satyavrat is being promoted as DG Vigilance in Uttarakhand. He is 1976 batch IPS officer.
Pande to get DG rank in Uttarakhand
J S Pande is being promoted to the rank of DG.1976 batch IPS officer Pande will be DG Technical Services.
Anil Dabbu is Media Advisor to Uttarakhand CM
Anil Kapoor Dabbu has been appointed Vice President of the Media Advisory Committee by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister.

CCIT Chennai gets additional charge of Coimbatore

Mrs. PM Vasan, CCIT, Chennai, has been given the additional charge of the post of CCIT, Coimbatore, following the retirement of the present incumbent Arvind Pinto on May 31.
Lt Gen Kakria  is new MGMS (Army)
Lt Gen HL Kakria has taken over as new Director General of Medical Services (Army) from Lt Gen SR Mehta who has retired.
Deputation tenure of IPS officer extended
Inter cadre deputation  tenure of  Kumar Vishwajeet from Andhra Pradesh to Uttarakhand  has been extended  till June 30. He is 1994 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.
Inter-cadre  deputation tenure of Alok Sharma extended
Inter cadre deputation tenure  of Alok Sharma from Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand  has been extended for a further period of 6 months beyond May, 10..He is 1991 batch IPS officer of UP cadre.
Ms Gupta promoted
Ms Jayashree Gupta CMD, IDPL has been elevated in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary with effect from May 10. She is 1973 batch CSS officer.
Deputation tenure of IG CISF extended
Central deputation tenure of Umesh Kumar IG,CISF has been extended for a period of three months beyond  June 11. He is 1984 batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
Inter-Cadre deputation  of IFS officer
Inter cadre deputation  of  Y.A. Thongtsar from Kerala to Nagaland has been  approved for a period of five years.He is 2003 batch IFS officer.

Sanjay Puri goes to Kabul

Consequent upon his selection for appointment as legal Advisor Ruling & Appeals (Tax Reform) in the Tax Administration Reform Project at Kabul in Afghanistan, the services of Sanjajy Puri, CIT (Advanced Ruling Authority), New Delhi, are placed at the disposal of above organization for a period of one year.

Shivanandan is new DGP of Maharashtra
D Shivanandan will be new DGP of Maharashtra. 1976 batch IPS officer Shivanandan will succeed tomorrow A N Roy who retired today.
Dayal to be new Police Commissioner Mumbai
S S Dayal is new Mumbai Police Commissioner. 1977 batch IPS officer Sahay will succeed D Shivanandan.

RTI

Information sought by Editor for publishing

Information regarding alleged illegal construction on certain properties was refused on the ground that the RTI applications are on the letter head of a News Agency signed by Chief Editor. The PIO claimed that section 3 of the RTI Act confers the Right to Information
on all citizens whereas the information has been sought by a person with designation as Chief Editor and with a specific reference of purpose for publishing in his news paper which is not admissible in the true spirit of the Act. The Commission ruled that mere act of using a letter head does not mean that a citizen is not using the Right to Information. The CIC directed to carry out a joint inspection of two sites by the Complainant and the PIO’s representative and
submit a joint report along with photographs. The CIC also issued show cause to the PIO for imposition of penalty.

Comments

The PIO’s refusal to give the information is without any basis as the mere act of using a letter head does not mean that a citizen is not using the Right to Information. The RTI Act does not require the citizen to give any reasons for seeking the information. If a citizen has declared that he will publish the information in a news paper, the act needs to be appreciated in the spirit of transparency and this cannot be considered a ground for denial of information.

[Mr. Rajendra Gupta v. Municipal Corporation of Delhi in Decision No.
CIC/SG/C/2010/000142/7895]

-A new decision of CIC brought to you every Monday by Mrs. Anuradha
Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in), Co-author of the book: RIGHT TO
INFORMATION – LAW AND PRACTICE by Taxmann. (The views are Personal)

CORPORATE
Shekhar Datta resigns from the Board of BHEL
Shekhar Datta, Part Time Non-official Director of  Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has resigned  from the Board of Directors of the company w.e.f April 23, 2010.
Sarvadeep Garg quits Huawei India, likely to join Ericsson India
Saravdeep Garg, Head-Technical Sales at Huawei India has put in his papers and is likely to join Ericsson India on June 2 . It is also learnt that Sanjay Pandey, Head ( Managed Services) in the company has also put in his papers alongwith Deepak Bagga (MS Team)  and  Piyush Dhingra (Project Team) who are to join either Ericsson India or Alcatel Lucent by early next week.
Sabharwal new ED (Retail Banking ) at ICICI Bank 
ICICI Bank has appointed Rajiv Sabharwal as its new Executive Director in charge of retail banking operations.
Paranjpe is back with RIL as Head of HR 
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)  has brought back Vivek Paranjpe as the Head ( Human Resources).
Rajib De no longer with Berger Paints
Rajib De of Berger Paints (I) Limited has ceased to be the Company Secretary w.e.f. May 17, 2010. 
Amara Raja Batteries new appointments
Amara Raja Batteries Limited has approved the appointment of  Rohit Kochhar as an Alternate Director to  Shu Qing Yang and  appointment of  Tony W. Huang as an Alternate Director to  Jorge A Gonzalez.
Reddy is MD of Pennar Industries
C.H. Anantha Reddy has been appointed as MD of steel-based engineering company Pennar Industries Ltd. .

Aaj Ki Aawaz

Naxal attacks are getting bolder and bolder!!
And the ‘cold bloodedness’ in the attacks is getting colder and colder!!
 
The blame for Naxalism getting a foothold lies with Ministry of Home!
Freely some time back the Naxals were literally allowed to roam!!
 
The excuse doled out was that areas they operate are inaccessible!!
Defies logic because to even Jounros the area is accessible!!
 
When Naxalism could have been nipped in the bud MHA slept!!!
Not even a proper check on the activities of Naxals MHA kept!
 
MHA felt this was a disease that would cure on its own!!
Like a cold ‘ it would take 7 days to cure on its own or 7 days to be blown’!
 
Like they say for a cold ‘ it’ll go in 7 days with or without medicine’!
But in the case of Naxalism this waiting for a self-cure was a cardinal sin!
 
And then politics played a big role!!!
Tribals are Congress’s vote-bank and strong action would mean in Congress’s vote bank a hole!
 
So MHA’s wrong analysis and politics have allowed Naxalism a free run!!
Now Congress says ‘people’s confidence in Naxal hit areas needs to be won’!!
 
Was Congress sleeping as Naxalism strengthened its foothold?????
With every passing day Naxals got more and more bold!!
 
Now see how Mamtha plays politics on the dead bodies of the Naxal attack!!
She says ‘ attack was timed for MC elections’ …. she deserves the sack!!
 
The old Mamtha that put ‘accountability in the forefront’ is dead!!!
She’s now started enjoying the perks of power its being said!!
 
The old Mamtha would have resigned!!!
It was said she carried with her ‘her resignation letter’ undated and unsigned!!
 
Congress in AP needs to show Jagan his place!!
Make it clear he’s not in the ‘CM race’!!!
 
In fact this lad should have been set in place post his Dad’s demise!!!
He should have been cut down to size!!
 
But then his logic is if Rajiv became PM after his Mom’s demise!!
‘Why to the top I cannot rise’????
 
Sonia says ‘with Congress at the helm in Delhi J&K will advance’!!
Well at the past she needs to take a glance!!
 
Had decisive action been taken by Congress when it was in power in the past!!
Peace would not have been fractured and literally put in a cast!!
 
But then hard decisions have never been Congress’s cup of tea!!
With one eye at its vote bank Congress always does see!!
 
Confucius says…. when politics is the guiding star in every decision being made!
A Nation’s future is literally waylaid!!

Flash.... Jaya has played it safe!!!
Totally cutting off with Amar Singh would have been 'unsafe'!!

So she's turned down the RS nomination but she remains in Samajawaadi Party!
Though Amar will show that to her decision to refuse RS nomination he was party!

Technically now Bachchans sail in two boats!!
And on them having one leg in his boat Amar gloats!!

Bharat Kumar

<aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

FORUM
(The views expressed in this column are of the contributors. We do not owe any responsibility, whatsoever, of the views of our surfers as they are their personal opinion. However, we would also request our contributors not to be personal, directly or indirectly, in presenting their views. Instead of countering the views which ‘X’ has already expressed, our contributors are advised to present their own views. Also be brief, say about 200 words at the most since any views longer than that if eliminated at our end would carry the risk of the contrbutor’s item losing its original essence)

Will the Army General extend the same privilege to other officers?
One would think that running the Indian Army is a full time occupation. So is pursuing research for a Ph.D .The General would need to visit Bhopal frequently to meet with his guide. Where will he find the time? Or will he summon his guide to Delhi to meet with him. The media has reported that a cavalcade of 20 Army vehicles along with many officers visited the University to ensure security arrangements for his forthcoming visit for giving his viva voce. Will this drill be repeated everytime he visits to meet his guide. Or will he permanently position a battalion to ensure his security along with a few academically inclined officers to do the spadework for his research. Who will be paying for all this. Has the Government approved his proposal. If the General wishes to pursue research, then the Government should ask him take retirement and then pursue his personal interests like any other citizen. Will the General extend the same privilege to anyother Army officer who wishes to do Ph.D.
R Subramanian

All kudos to PM
The PM deserves thanks for granting an extension to the one of the greatest civil servants of India in recent times- K M Chandrashekhar, IAS. The epitome of virtue, Chandrashekhar personifies dignity, humility and selfless service. The finest officer, as all who have had the good fortune of ever having been associated with him officially in any capacity, know.
A K Singh

Gandhians with guns
The naxalites are supposed to be Gandhians with guns. The only reason why they are thought to be so Gandhian by the fashionable folk, the chatteratti and the political class (barring Thiru P Chidambaram, who has seen the menace for what it is actually) is because these folk are not being targeted by the Gandhians with guns. Had these folk also suffered at the hands of the naxalites like innocent people are doing in the remote areas, they would be singing a different tune. How can murder by naxalites be condoned for their supposedly having been been victims at the hands of the Indian state? Can the murders carried out by the terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the son of a poor butcher coming from a poor area in a poor country like Pakistan, be condoned for the poverty of his butcher father and his poor country; would Kasab be called another Gandhian with an AK-47? All this quibbling is utter nonsense and a disgrace. Do only these terrorists and naxalites and criminals have rights in independent India? How about law abiding, decent, ordinary citizens with barely enough to sustain themselves? Dont they have any rights at all? Should they be killed at whim by the Gandhians with guns and AK-47s? Decisions have to be taken and fast, if the country has to survive. Vote banks and political calculations alone cannot decide the fate of the country for which Mohandas K Gandhi sacrificed his life. The freedom that this country achieved was through the sacrifices of all its people cannot be sacrificed at the altar of expediency.
Arjun Mallik

Whether tax-payers money is paid to govt employees rationally?
Certainly not. The employees sitting in North Block, South Block as well as Bhavans (Sastri Bhavan, Loknayak Bhavan,Dak Bhavan, Rail Bhavan, Nirman Bhavan) in New Delhi are taking their undue share by calling themselves as 'CSS'. Surprisingly, the so-called 'Sr. PPS' of the CSSS were re-designated overnight as 'Pr. Staff Officer' with the pay-scale of Director, without any additional responsibilities. Like so, the Assistants of CSS were granted with the higher grade-pay of Rs. 4600/- recently instead of Rs. 4200/-. But,the Data Entry Operators of the Staff Selection Commission (CSS Office - attached office of the Dept. of Personnel & Training) are either paid any higher pay-scale being a CSS office nor the pay-scale which is being granted to their counter-parts in various subordinate offices. Hence, it is clear that the country's tax-payers money is not being utilised rationally as far as the Salaries of the Central Government Employees are concerned. I strongly believe that employees who are less in number will be the victims. I hope Hon'ble Finance Minister will look in to this irrational pay-scales of Central Government Employees.
Jhansi Lakshmi T

Excellent news
This is an anticipated and excellent news to my mind for the last fortnight which ultimately, become as it was thought of by my mind. Now I, certainly, pray Almighty God to give strength to both the brothers to be flourish in their profession and enlighten Global Industrial houses to follow the footsteps of duo to patch up their business amicably and in the interest of Country as a whole. Once again best wishes to both brothers.
H S Bhalla

Aryans originated in India
According to astronomical evidence, the Aryans originated in India and many emigrated westwards to Persia, Assyria and further to Georgia and Europe. The further they went from India the less civilised they became and finally turned into the barbaric Anglo-Saxons. The astronomical evidence is based on computer projections of the position of various astronomical constellations mentioned in the Rig Veda. The erroneous belief of foreign invasions was a myth propagated by the colonial British in order to justify their invasion and occupation of India. Again it was the British who denounced the caste system as evil as it was the biggest obstacle to their attempts to convert all of India to Christianity. Although they occupied India physically they could not enter our homes as they were classed as Mlecchas, nor could they marry our women and create a hybrid race of Eurasians to support their rule. Western scholars and British historians have all denounced the Hindu caste system and made Indians feel ashamed about an institution which saved us from conversion to foreign religions. We should be proud of the Hindu caste system even if it went into decline during the Muslim and colonial period. No doubt it decayed and degenerated, but which Indian institution did not, during the colonial period? Even today the BBC carries out non-stop propaganda against India and all things Indian to sully our image. Unfortunately the BBC is considered the benchmark for information on India and all Western channels follow the British line. Sir Mark Tully considered fair in his views on India today was , in fact rabidly anti-Indian when he was with the BBC and the BBC still continues that line when covering India. So there is no reason for Indians to be on the defensive about the caste system The Brahmins who have become the modern Dalits, did India and the world the favour of at least preserving the 4 Vedas for posterity as they learnt them by rote and this was passed on from father to son for 5000 years. The knowledge contained in the hundreds of other Vedas have been lost to mankind due to foreign invasions beginning from the Arab invasions(8th to 10th centuries) to the British invasion of India. Both Islam and Christianity have been extremely intolerant of our native religions like ,Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism etc. It is only nowadays that there is an interest among Westerners about other Asian religions because they have become thoroughly disillusioned by the sexual activities of their priests.
D Choudhury

Is caste issue so important ?
I am in Uttrakhand. Had no access to Computer all these days. Missed Whispers. Today in Kausani I found this Internetcafe. Caste is dominating the discussion in Forum. Is that important or the issues like water shortage at most of the places. Here in this state it is so acute that women trudge miles to fetch water. Children drop out of schools to help in search of water. When I saw these innocents with tins, buckets, jerrycans pumping water from handpumps by the side of roads I wonder what meaning the Right To Education is for them. Are we thinking of some solution to Country's basic problems? Hardly.
Aarti Khosla

Let's not get into caste politics
Modern India will suffer heavily if we continue to bark at the castes. We should give the so called backward and SC & ST love and affection as they are important part of our society; they should be brought up if they are economically and socially backward by giving them reservations in the government and corporate jobs but the criterion should be economic and not merely caste. The Hindu society should give love and regard to the so called backward and Dalits and assimilate them by all possible means.
Senior Citizen

TAIL-PIECE
Legal voting age for boys 18 years and legal marrying age is 21 years. It proves one thing-more experience is needed to handle a wife than a country.
By-A Contributor