floods and kerala
Kerala is bearing the brunt of climate change in the form of frequent and heavy rains and floods (page 1, August 5). It is very likely that heavy rains and floods may become a regular or annual feature in future, which needs the focus of the state government. In such a situation, it would be better to create a separate Ministry of Disaster Management so that proper planning and implementation of mitigation measures can be done in time in coordination with other concerned ministries in the government.
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
Hyderabad
tenure of CJI
I find the appointment of the Chief Justice of India a strange process (inside pages, “CJI proposes Justice UU Lalit as successor”, August 5). Any head of an organization must serve in that role long enough to allow certain initiatives to be carried out on an ongoing basis. The legal system in our country needs a major overhaul especially in terms of legal delivery system. Justice Lalit, if appointed, would have a tenure of hardly three months, it is astonishing. What can he do in such a short time? The blind process of going by seniority may need to be reviewed.
Sundararajam,
Chennai
this is epic
Report (inside page, August 5), “Topping Ramayana Quiz, The Wafi Way”, on how two Muslim students in Kerala won online Ramayana The quiz competition is awesome. In a world where so much communal hatred and bigotry is openly and covertly prevalent, their tribe can thrive. It is not the greatness of any religion, but respect and concern for other cultures that matter. The details about the academic program of the college where they study are exemplary.
P Mangalachandran,
West Ponniyam, Kannur, Kerala
One is overwhelmed by the candid comments of two Muslim students. One is reminded of Justice MM Ismail, former Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, who was an officer on the Kamba Ramayanam, His lectures on various cantos shed a lot of light on the characterization of the epic. Let Hindu-Muslim unity flourish in our country.
Mani Natarajan,
Chennai
restrictions on practice
Was surprised to read this report, “‘Ban the practice of thrashing’ thanora‘” (Tamil Nadu, 4 August). Thandora The method is very useful for making quick announcements to alert people living in village streets about emergencies as it may be difficult to extend the public address system to those areas. Also, it is a form of a for-profit business, which I think should not be banned Actually, If it is believed that the practice is linked to the caste system, the authorities don’t mind trying to see if the change in surveillance could be open to all.
N Rama Rao,
Chennai