Readers’ comments: Should namaaz be offered in public spaces?

Prayer policies

Why should these retired officers indulge in criticism (“Retired IAS officers urge Haryana government to ensure those offering Friday namaaz are not attacked”)? Years back, namaaz was being read inside mosques or at home but in recent years, it is increasingly being offered in open spaces with huge numbers in attendance. Sometimes, this blocks traffic and causes inconvenience to the general public. There are objections to similar celebrations by other communities, but those do not take place every week, just on specific days of the year. And even those should be restricted.

This is not about a particular community, it is a matter that should be resolved in a cordial way to maintain peace in the country. – CB Bairathi

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I wonder what these retired officers are trying to do. They are behaving like political agents. If they really want to be useful, they should offer a solution to the problem.

We all respect all religions. We want our Muslim brothers to have the space to offer their prayers and at the same time, no inconvenience to be caused to anyone. But some people see this as an opportunity to turn a simple matter into a religious dispute and to blame Hindus. – Bhumesh Chander

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Thank you IAS officers. God bless you and your families. We need conscientious people to speak up to preserve our democratic country. – Paulraj Isaiah

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Public property should not be used for religious purposes. Retired IAS officers should go back to enjoying their retirement. – Rajender Malik

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Muslims should have the freedom to offer namaaz anywhere. – Ali

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This is the first time I have heard government officials speak up in this manner. I request the Indian media also to represent the truth, but for that you need courage. – Kazi Ali Akbar

Double dynasty

This article is biased against Piyush Goyal (“His father’s son: Piyush Goyal is no kaamgar – he is as much a dynast as Rahul Gandhi”). The fact that someone has come from an advantageous background does not make them less deserving for a position. The question is whether he has merit or not. While Goyal can be called naamdar because of his background, at least he has certain qualifications necessary to call himself a kaamdar, some of which have been mentioned by the author as well.

People like Rahul Gandhi symbolise the dark side of the dynasty culture. It has been proven time and again and reiterated even by some Congress leaders that Gandhi does not deserve his post. Had Congress brought in a more able leader than Gandhi, the Opposition would not have been in such a hapless condition. And it is not that they don’t have deserving leaders. Even among dynasts, Sachin Pilot has proved his mettle. But he still has to stay in the shadow of the Gandhis. With such biased reporting from you, no wonder BJP leaders, including Goyal, are so happy targeting Rahul Gandhi. – Srijan Acharya

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This article says “studying as a CA in India costs money”. That is wrong. Please be careful of what you publish. In my case, earning a Chartered Accountancy qualification came with a net financial gain because the articleship stipend easily meets all the incidental expenses. Also Piyush Goyal is a Gold medalist CA which is a very very big achievement (even clearing the test is a big deal). So he is definitely a kaamgar. – Aditya Ghatage

Crimes against women

It is very devastating to learn of rape cases every day across the country (“Uttar Pradesh: Two men allegedly rape woman in a moving car after throwing out her toddler”). But the government is maintaining its silence on most of them and has failed to take concrete action. People who are elected to Parliament have the power to make laws but have failed to enact stringent legislation. We live in a country where the government can change the currency overnight, but not rape laws. I appeal to our country’s citizens to come on to the streets every day in protest till change is effect and not only when a heinous crime comes to light. Question our netas till things get done. – Shashidhar Vuppala

Temple row

The idea of taking over of the famous Sri Venkateswara temple and its affiliates by the Archaeological Survey of India is not a new one (“Archaeological Survey of India withdraws letter proposing to take over management of Tirumala temple”). It dates back to 2011 and IYR Krishna Rao, then the executive officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Everybody knows the ASI is meant to look after ancient, abandoned historical structures and not this evergreen, popular, ever-growing sacred place.

Pages of memory

It gave me pleasure to read the article on the famous and popular Urdu magazine Biswi Sadi (“‘Biswin Sadi’: How I came of age in the 1960s with long-gone Urdu magazines and books of the time”). It used to contain works by writers of great standing. I fail to understand why its publication has ceased. Even other popular magazines like Shama and Khilona, among others, simply vanished. Some of my non-Muslim friends would insist that their offpsring learn Urdu so that they could enjoy these beautiful literally works. – Aslam Malik

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This delightful article makes old-timers nostalgic for the good old days of Urdu magazines and, at the same time, gives youngsters a guided tour of a fascinating era. These magazines catered to all age-groups, genders and varied interests and boasted of a loyal readership. Those fond of Urdu poetry eagerly looked forward to these magazines in the hope of reading the latest literary creations of their favourite poets.

But the magazines soon began to lose ground thanks to the hostility of successive governments. Urdu found itself pitted against its twin sister Hindi. It was targeted by communalists and subjected to step-motherly treatment. Its powerful opponents conspired for its systematic liquidation.

There is now a hugely powerful lobby in the Indian literary circle that, pretending to be deeply anxious for the future of Urdu, keeps clamouring for the replacement of the current Urdu script with Devnagri. Those making this demand are, in fact, playing the role of accomplices in the planned destruction of Urdu.

All speakers and genuine lovers of Urdu must combat the designs of the powerful anti-Urdu lobby. – Samiul Quadri

Race for Karnataka

This is the best news I have heard I ever since the lying machines of the RSS and their fake news factory went into overdrive (“Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sends defamation notice to Narendra Modi over corruption claims”). It is time somebody challenged the post-truth world of the RSS and Modi to tell them that there are limits to make-believe and false claims. – George Karuvelil