Maoist attack
It is disheartening that our security personnel are easy pickings for Maoists (Page 1, April 27). Even after steps such as community development, an emphasis on developing infrastructure (roads, housing), and trust building exercises, why is it that extremist groups are able to infiltrate vulnerable communities? Confidence-building measures are a must.
Anurag Ghosh,
Hyderabad
Wednesday’s incident in Dantewada, where a team from the Chhattisgarh District Reserve Guard lost 10 personnel in an ambush by Maoists, is shocking and demoralising. It is inconceivable that the nation’s security forces have not learnt lessons from past experiences. The perception is that there were lapses.
P. Mangalachandran,
West Ponniam, Kannur, Kerala
The attack highlights the ability of the Maoists to pull off ambushes despite a waning influence among locals. It is also true that certain pockets of the country still remain vulnerable to Maoist attacks. There need to be better methods to neutralise the use of improvised explosive devices.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Elections, contenders
The 1990s saw a younger ‘sect’ of leaders, impatient for technology and progress, taking over and largely sacrificing a core socio-political ethos and value systems at the altar of hedonic economic pursuit. At the turn of a 60-year cycle now, the governance of nations globally is perhaps tending to be entrusted again to ‘seasoned’ septuagenarians. Major conflicts around the world, post the 1970s, were fought under younger leaders. The latest, in Ukraine, has nations rediscovering that economics is not the end in itself but a mere tool to constantly reset socio-political equilibria in a rapidly modernising world. It is also a rediscovery of the need for a sagacious leadership to firmly anchor the basic tenets of universal governance. One waits to see how it will be in 2024, in the United States.
R. Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai
The potential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the world’s most powerful post is concerning. Are there no new and charismatic leaders? The disinterest shown by the young in politics and governance is cause for concern. There is a need to engage young people in a better way in politics.
S. Sundareswara Pandiyan,
Chennai
Mamukkoya
Unassuming and ebullient Mamukkoya was one of Malayalam cinema’s most naturally gifted and popular actors. Devoid of glamour and glitz, he effortlessly brought entertainment and peals of laughter to many homes. Down-to-earth and rustic, he was a man of firm convictions and beliefs. The void left by him is not easy to fill.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam, Kerala
