Readers’ comments: India doesn’t need a Nobel laureate to get its economy back on track

Rising Populism

What a wonderful piece of journalism (Around the world, there’s a battle of storytelling about migrants and Muslims. Populists are winning). Like Mr Mehta, I am an overseas citizen of India and like him, I have been seeing my country of birth being taken over by Nazi-like people and like him I have very strong feelings which are similar. We have to work together to change this narrative! – Sam Samat

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I think Suketu Mehta is a beautiful storyteller of no lesser merit than Donald Trump and other populists he is writing about. We need writers and journalists who will show ways to people on how we should behave or deal with mother earth in a balanced or justified manner. Muslim or Hindu or Christian, we are an exploding population, far surpassing than what mother earth can produce to support. Mother earth may not have created “we the humans” only so that we multiply or overmultiply beyond a human’s normal use for fertility, only to create beautiful arguments or storytelling.

Perhaps writers and journalist can inspire all faiths, to follow a new path of conservation and balanced living, respecting mothers nature’s norms and self-sustaining mechanism, instead of always justifying their actions of overmultiplying beyond resources. Otherwise, your storytelling was just beautiful. You are superb. Salute. – Bikram Pandey Kaaji

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Thanks for this epic, with-correct-facts story. [Thanks] for your courageous honesty. Hope it can convert our good Hindu middle class towards reading non-RSS stories. – Vivan Sundaram

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It is very absurd to say that the murdered victim has blamed somebody for his own murder (Kamlesh Tiwari murder: His last Facebook live video and his mother’s statement blame BJP). What the victim might have expressed is his fear of life from a certain group. Now when Uttar Pradesh police has apprehended suspected criminals who might have committed the crime, your news item smacks of mischief on your part. You appear to be deliberately trying to defame the ruling party. You need to drop deep prejudices for or against [parties] if you truly want to do good journalism. – Arihant K Jain

Abhijit Banerjee

The writer has valid points but has, in the process, trivialised the disastrous demonetisation affair and faulty GST exercise (India’s economy is in crisis – and adulation for Abhijit Banerjee’s methods won’t solve it). The present regime has instead of improving lives, made them worse. Yes, I know the studies by Banerjee and the likes are not perfect, but in comparison with Modi’s disaster, they are better. First, we have to get out of the BJP-created mess and then get out of the Congress-created mess. This is a big point the writer has missed out. – Anand J

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You don’t need a Nobel laureate to bring our economy back on track. Which Nobel [laureate] has helped Korea, Japan, the United states of UK? Indians have character, but we also have dishonest and corrupt people. The economy is left to god and corrupt IAS officers. Everyone wants to give free money without the government having revenues. Why don’t we give free health salaries to all, followed by a free pension? – Manoj Kumar

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Why are Bengalis jumping? (‘Bengalis collectively won Nobel’: Abhijit Banerjee’s prize sets off identity debates in India) He is a Bengali but has never served our nation. He has only served the US and is a US citizen now. He has not done anything to eradicate poverty from Bengal, which is the most backward state. Only because he is a Bengali, some fools are trying to divide the nation. Even the so-called great Amartya Sen is staying in the US. Appreciate when they do good for the nation instead of criticising under some party’s influence. Better keep your mouth shut to save India from dividing on the basis of language. Tamils are much better than Bengalis because they mostly serve India. – Anil Joshi

History and Literature

This was a really nice and interesting incident which I got to know of through this page (When Amrita Sher-Gil vowed to seduce Khushwant Singh to take revenge on his wife). I am looking forward to reading more interesting incidents like this one. Thumbs up from my side. – Swati Pathak

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Sir Miguel de Lima was a British knight (Portugal gifted Bombay to Britain in 1661. So why did a Portuguese militia stay behind?). He rallied native Christians – now called East Indians – and organised at his own cost a militia 1,000-strong to defend Bombay against a threatened invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte. The militia did garrison duty till the fear of invasion was over and was creditably mentioned in an order of the council of the Government of Bombay dated April 8, 1806. A document in the reign of King George III of England is extant granting the rank of captain in Mahim division of the militia to one Mr Pascoal Demello of Dadar.

This native militia was also called the Portuguese militia. The native Christians later went on to take a new designation. The East Indians are one of the indigenous peoples of what was then called Bombay.

So it is unlikely that the Portuguese militia stayed behind. On the contrary, it’s the native Christians or East Indians of Bombay who were called Portuguese militia. – Mogan Rodrigues

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This is a wonderful article and has a lot of good information referencing original manuscripts surrounding this event (400 years ago, England’s first ambassador to India returned home with ‘eye-opening experiences’). It is such a coincidence that only last month my family and I visited UK and were fortunate enough to tour the Palace of Westminster. It is open only on Saturdays for general public viewing and if I am not mistaken only during the summer. So we were pretty fortunate to get a tour of this magnificent and historic building.

We saw this painting, as rightly mentioned in the article, in St Stephen’s Hall – one of the only places where we were allowed to take pictures. It is a part of the section called Building of Britain. Apart from this painting of Thomas Roe in Jahangir’s court, there are paintings depicting the Parliamentary Union of Scotland and England, Queen Elizabeth commissioning Raleigh to find the Americas, King John assenting to Magna Carta among several others.

It was a great and wonderful learning experience visiting the Palace of Westminster although we felt crunched for time. It is commendable how UK or Europeans in-general have documented and preserved their history and made it accessible to the public, something we should attempt to do in India as well. – Aniket Deshpande

Miscellaneous writings

I support your analytical statement (Odisha lawyers’ boycott of High Court focuses attention yet again on opacity of collegium system). In a democratic country like ours, everyone is entitled to know the fallout of the recommendations. Even the judges from the Hon’ble High Courts as they would have sufficient knowledge to work out the modalities of the candidate to be recommended from various Hon’ble High Courts. In the end, I would support the introduction of transparent appointments of Hon’ble judges to the chai. Then the ratio of judicious decisions will be written in history. Thus, I give my opinion, being a conscious citizen of the country. – Debasis Satpathy

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What do mean by suspected militants? (J&K: Two truck drivers gunned down by suspected militants in Shopian district, vehicles set on fire) Or do you think, it is possible, they are well-wishing assassins? When there is repeated targetting of apple transporters, in order to disrupt ay improvement in the situation in Kashmir, why is there any doubt? They are undoubtedly terrorists. – Raghavendran

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Ganguly’s appointment to the helm of the Board of Cricket Control of India is welcome (As BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly will take everyone along with him: Virender Sehwag). But I feel that the appointment for a period of 10 months will fall short and will not be sufficient to initiate or perform drastic changes to the present set-up. I suspect the actual motive for this appointment is different. First, to pave the way for Jay Shah to this position after 10 months and also as the BJP face in a forthcoming election in West Bengal, against Mamta Banerjee.

This is a watch and wait position because the entry of Dada into politics looks imminent but in which party remains in suspense. Probability of Bharatiya Janata Party is more because he met Amit Shah before election into BCCI and has been elected unopposed after the meeting. – Narendra Agarwal

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I read your article about Sadhguru and found it to be quite interesting and well researched (Opinion: The disturbing irrationalism of Jaggi Vasudev). I appreciate your bluntness and unbiased view on the subject. We share the same thoughts and I too think that Sadhguru is deceiving people without being an actual deceiver (sic). I think he should be unmasked. – Kalpesh S

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I guess they are not happy to see that at least one state is full of nature with loving and hospitable people (Goa: Piyush Goyal calls for ‘mass movement’ against those who oppose development). I hope they don’t apply the rule of Aarey forest to Goa in the name of development. Development for them means the building of casinos. How they are helping poor. God bless these people with proper brains. – David Fernandes

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I am appalled by the fact that such a lopsided self-centred view has been presented in your website that encourages open journalism (Plane truths: Field notes on desis in the air). Having a clever pun as a title does not make the article intelligent, readable or factual. I understand you do not want to censor opinion articles, but you do have the responsibility to curate them.

Everyone knows that people have food quirks all around the world, including vegans. Also, you can politely decline a seat change request. Ask anyone in the world and you will get that toilet usage problems are personal and cannot be generalised to a certain population. It is sad that you encourage an article fraught with irk towards anything Indian. I do not know if the writer was trying to be different or funny. – Aditya Venkatramanan