School shooting
The gruesome gunning down of several children of a school in Texas is a rude shock. Even though the exact reason is still unknown, the incident should be an eye-opener. The possession of guns by individuals, irrespective of age, is asking for trouble. It is time the U.S. government proclaims a law banning the possession of guns without any valid purpose.
P.S. Rajagopalan,
Chennai
The killing of innocent children makes one’s heart palpitate. That people are so helpless in bringing in stricter gun control rules makes the right to life purposeless. When the U.S. Supreme Court speaks so eloquently about the rights of unborn children, what about those of living children? Who is to speak for them? Is the gun lobby so powerful? Are we in a civilised state?
N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai
The murder of many innocent schoolchildren is horrible. Hatred created by vengeance and violence has no place on earth. The U.S. seems to be paying a heavy price for lax gun control.
Varanasi Gopalakrishna,
Chennai
It has been said that the root cause for the gunman to go on a shooting spree is humiliation from peers due to some deficiencies. The accumulation of humiliation results in alienation. When alienation is not recognised by teachers and parents it morphs into rage. Rage then needs an outlet to express itself. Perhaps schools and parents need to communicate frequently and more meaningfully. What we need is humiliation management, alienation management and rage management.
R. Narayanan,
Thiruvananthapuram
The Quad and India
From the Indian perspective, its participation in the Quad summit in Japan was an opportunity to showcase to all its Asian neighbours that India can respond strongly when it comes to ensuring geopolitical stability. Regular summits between the four Quad countries can help build a solid foundation for a new principle-based multilateral world order.
Ojal Jain,
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Sensitivities involved
A.G. Perarivalan is now free. While one would not begrudge him his smile, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister meeting him was a confusing signal. One can only suppose that the gesture was more in celebration of having re-asserted the rights of the State vis-à-vis the Governor. In the flush of that victory, the sensitivities of the TN government’s political ally seem to have been forgotten. One only hopes there is more sobriety if and when the other convicted co-conspirators are released.
R. Thomas Paul,
Bengaluru
