Army-government ties

While General Rawat is making statements based on his on-ground experience, the writer is acting as a spokesperson for secessionists (“The Daily Fix: Why is Army Chief Bipin Rawat being used as the Centre’s spokesperson for Kashmir?”). One has to fight a war to capture a piece of land. Does anyone think these misguided youth can fight the Indian Army? It is well known that the dissent in Kashmir is supported by Pakistan. The people of Jammu or Ladakh are not demanding azadi. If azadi is granted to Kashmir, similar demands will pop up in other parts of India.

The Modi government, unlike the UPA, has been dealing with terrorists and secessionists with a heavy hand. Many anti-India terrorist factions are working day and night to make the government look bad. No political solution will be to the liking of the youth who want azadi. India is too soft a state and the general somewhat talks about that. We need deradicalisation classes, sessions to help the youth better assimilate with India and classes to make misguided youth understand the core values of this ancient land. – Mahiya Mahesh

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The writer doesn’t seem to understand that the Army is the one who is actually dealing with militancy in Kashmir. Scroll.in’s posts are biased and anti-national. – Swapnil Ghorpade

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The army chiefs rarely conducted press conferences and maintained a strategic silence. But of late, the present chief holds press conferences and reveals many things that are not proper for someone in his post. Some time back, he said the army is ready to fight a war on two-and-a-half fronts. Such talk from the army chief is not desirable. – Ayaz Ahmad

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Act of courage

Proud of you, Karttikeya (“An IIT student explains how he used his engineering skills to save a diabetic’s life mid-flight”). You were born to save that passenger. Your simplicity is amazing. You are going to go places. May God bless you with a long, healthy and happy life. At the same time, the plight of insulin-dependent diabetics brings tears to my eyes. – Lakshmi Venkatakrishnan

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Bravo, Karttikeya! Congratulations. You are an inspiration to many! Learning something is one thing but to remember the information and implement it in a pressure situation is more important and you did just that. After reading this article, my entire family wants to appreciate your work! If you save one person in your lifetime that is worth more than earning a billion dollars. We wish you all the best. – Kranthi

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This article on the insulin pump and the generosity of spirit of Karttikeya Mangalam touched my heart. His engineering skills, clear thinking, intuition and calm demeanor saved a life! Such a smart guy! Many people would not have bothered, most would not know what to do. The world needs more like him. I am new to Scroll.in and it is a wonderful find. – Lily

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Hats of to you, Karttikeya. You did a commendable job. In case of a medical emergency, what is most of important is to remain cool and use one’s presence of mind. You used your technical skills perfectly because you wanted to help by understanding the crux of problem. Thank you for sharing this story. Being a doctor myself, I also plan to share this encouraging incident with others. – Gayatri Gogoi

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Neighbourhood watch

India’s diplomatic relationship with Nepal has been one of opportunism (“Opinion: How Delhi media covers Nepal highlights its role in India’s foreign policy blunders”). Now that Nepal has support from China, especially after the 2015 blockade by India, Modi is trying to accommodate the Himalayan country. This opportunist behaviour goes against India’s culture. Modi and other leaders should give up the path of corrupted diplomacy and go with our country’s culture. – Anil Laad

History rewritten

It is quite obvious that Modi suffers from lack of knowledge about many historical facts and his people do not work hard enough to fill that gap (“Twitter gives Modi a history lesson after he claims that no Congress leader met Bhagat Singh in jail”). However, one rarely finds an Indian politician who does not indulge in hyperbole, occasionally lies, misrepresents facts, and has lacks knowledge of economics. As far as corruption, the less said the better. – Ashok Bhagat

Lingayat movement

The Lingayat religion grew out of the atrocities of some Hindu practices and beliefs (“The TM Krishna column: Does it matter if Lingayatism is not philosophically distinct from Hinduism?”). It is a strong spiritual movement that has survived through centuries. Most Lingayats don’t majorly follow the teachings of Lord Basaveshwara. They have started to blindly follow Hindu beliefs and practices.

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At present their demands for a separate religion is valid. But, more than that they should be able to begin making Lingayats aware of how spiritually as well as practically strong the teachings of Basava are.

The focus shouldn’t be on rights at present. This is just a political move by parties to amass votes. Unfortunately in India, elections and political power cannot be separated from religion.

Voters should not be concerned with religion but about which political party will perform its duties and bring develop. No present political party in India meets these parameters. – Rashmi Malapur

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No offence

I understand that the Tamil horror comedy Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu contains ideas that seem archaic and regressive and I don’t think the film is good (“Tamil comedy ‘Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu’ under fire for alleged homophobia, misogyny”). That being said, Chennai Dost’s call for the film to be banned and for the filmmakers to apologise is disgusting. No one should have to apologise for sharing their views in the form of art. This is a problem that has infiltrated most of Canadian and American culture, where university professors and artists are being shamed by the liberal left for airing their views. Those asking the CBFC to ban this movie are the same ones who raise an alarm at the censoring of movies that portray progressive female sexuality. There’s is a clear double standard here.

Homophobia is a problem in India today and the solution is not to silence the ones voicing their opinions, it is to hold sane and productive conversations. The purpose of art is to spark conversation and thought. That is exactly what this film should have achieved if the LGBTQ+ organisations had reacted appropriately instead of trying to make the filmmakers apologise for their work. The film doesn’t have much going for it in terms of humour or plot and could have at least had the virtue of sparking dialogue if nothing else, but Apsara Reddy and Chennai dost denies it even that opportunity to redeem itself. – Denin Davis

New Bruce Lee

This is a nice trailer and takes me to the back to the 1970s era of the martial arts and kung-fu experts Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Angela Mao, Bolo Yeung, Shih Kein, Robert Ball and Jim Kelly (“‘Puthiya Brucelee’ trailer: This martial arts hero speaks in Tamil”). Hopefully, this new movie be able to satisfy the millions of Bruce Lee fans across the country. – AS Malhotra