It is reported that President Abdul Kalam has decided
to withdraw from the race for Presidency. Congress
party's antipathy towards supporting Abdul Kalam for a
second term in Rashtrapati Bhavan is understandable as
he is perceived as a man who upset the applecart when
Sonia Gandhi had the chance of becoming the prime minister. But, BJP's
reluctance to endorse his candidature is intriguing
and the technical reason advanced by Vajpayee for the
same sounds like a lame excuse. For once the country
had the privilege of having a scholar statesman as the
Head of the State. But it is a pity we cannot offer
him a second term in office because our criminal
politicians want only one of their ilk and not a
person of stature. Through these columns I appeal to
all the intellectuals of the country - writers,
professors, scientists, artists, journalists, to
spearhead a campaign "Kalam for President". I also
request your esteemed paper to take the lead in this
matter.
-- V.Venkatasubramanian
   Mumbai

Dangerous cocktail
Every day, as I read the newspapers, I am both depressed and shocked, to read the number of people committing suicide. Last week itself, the city of Mumbai witnessed a spate of six or seven suicides, within 24 hours. What is most appalling is the fact that in this city, many of those who attempt or commit suicide, are barely fifteen or sixteen years old. Pressures from home, failure at studies, a love affair gone wrong, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure--all these form a dangerous cocktail to which the tender developing brain of the teenager is very susceptible. 
The peculiar thing about brain development in teenagers is that those areas, which are responsible for risk taking or for pleasure seeking, develop ahead of those areas that control rational thinking and logic. Hence it is common to find teenagers behaving impulsively, without thinking or introspection. This is not their fault--their brains are wired differently from ours. For a parent, the loss of a child, especially due to suicide, is devastating, to say the least. Though most people committing suicide have some basic chemical imbalance in their brains, a lot of what drives them finally is circumstances, people, and events. 
Stress is not only for the adult or for the teenager. As a practicing child specialist, I'm seeing it in four and five year olds. All this has prompted me to sit down and write a book for parents, titled "Make Your Child Stress Free". This book, which is under publication, should be ready for release by the first week of June, and I sincerely hope that by writing this book, I can make a difference in the lives of the children, and their parents. This book is more a social movement than a commercial venture, a movement to create awareness among parents, who are consciously or unconsciously subjecting their children to plenty of stress, something that the young ones are not capable of tolerating. My only sincere advice to parents would be to let the children 'be' rather than 'become', for when we try hard to become what we cannot or what we are not, all types of tensions and stresses start to develop.
 --Dr.P.V.Vaidyanathan M.D
   Mumbai

Sayyed guilty, but what about Dutt?
Does this verdict mean that Dutt's involvement in the attacks of 1993 is true? Since Sayyed has accepted that he carried the weapons from Dutt's residence,it is clear that Dutt had stored these weapons in his residence, in which case the punishment should be more than Sayyed. Am I right? But it will not happen, Dutt will be acquitted. This is the mentality of judges and the anti-national parties like Sena, BJP etc. The day is not too far on which all those guilty will be punished by the creator of the universe, the GOD the almighty.
--Nauma

CBI has to probe into Hyderabad blast
Last Friday was a black Friday to the Hyderabadis in particular and secular India in general. I am a Muslim Indian, born in India living in India and intending to die in India. Likewise there are about 20 crore Muslims in India who think like me. We have to prove our love towards our country.  This type of atmosphere has been created by some political parties. Now, wherever we go we are looked at in a suspicious manner. Till the last Gauragun Masjid bomb attack it was some militant group from Pakistan involved, and now it is some Bangladeshi group.
 I request our Honorable Supreme Court, and the National Human Rights Commission, to look into the matter seriously. If possible the case of Hyderabad Blast has to be handed over to CBI
--Mohsin Mumtaz,
   Bangalore

Democracy only on paper
The democracy is only on papers but the rule at present is exactly what the Britishers used to do with Indians during their rule. The present Government is anti-people and anti-national. This is not the way for the BDA should behave. It should have issued notice to the occupants of the land and houses on the land. Mr. Kumaraswamy is no less than Mount Batten. All these lands will be auctioned and Kumaraswamy and his family only will benefit.
 --Nauna

Public nuisance
As of this minute, there is a large procession moving through Jayanagar 3rd Block, creating a complete and unacceptable public nuisance.  In fact, the celebrations have been going on for 3 days now with loudspeakers blaring loud music throughout the neighbourhood. It has impossible to live or work through the din. To facilitate the passage of the procession, trees have been rampantly chopped (with permission of the BMP, it seems), wires have been cut, and vehicles on the path defaced by the mob. The authorities are obviously turning a blind eye to the proceedings.
How can this be acceptable?
  -- Sunil Arvindam

Stop auction of land
I as a Mechchina Kannadiga, would fully support the agitation headed by CPI(M). The Government should regularise the land in the names of the occupants as per the GO issued during the tenure of JH Patel. The CPI(M)should take up the issue of regularising the land to the occupants. The present Government is not only anti-party but also a "drama company". The auction should be stopped immediately.
 --M.G.Nazar pasha
   Riyadh

Naxal leaders in our midst
The recent arrest of  Dr Vinayak Sen at Raipur as a suspected Naxalite sympathizer and supporter has provoked strong reaction from many quarters. It is being depicted as political vendetta and human rights violation. The media is up in cudgels from Raipur to New Delhi. The Supreme Court is being dragged through PILs to defend Dr Sen and chastise the Chattisgarh State Government, which for the first time, has dared to touch Dr Sen. Many web sites have started reverberating with stories of Dr Sen's academic brilliance and his dedication to the poor and downtrodden along with stories of human rights violations of the Chattisgarh police.
While Rajendra Sail, President of the state PUCL, who has earlier been sentenced by the M.P.High Court for six months imprisonment for criminal contempt of court, a few years ago, and who could not stop himself from being thrown into jail, even by appealing in the Supreme Court, has taken up Morcha in support of Dr. Sen at Raipur, it is Arundhati Roy, who also has been sentenced by the Supreme Court for one month imprisonment for the same offence, who is leading the Morcha at New Delhi.
Dr.Vinayak Sen's arrest has unearthed and brought "overground" a very powerful nexus active in the field of media, judiciary and other organs of the government, which works with a single-minded objective - to grab political power of the country; not by democratic means.
This nexus remains unmoved. But let government forces act against them, the nexus becomes super active to paint the government as the villain against humanity.
No one has been able to pin point the actual leaders of the Naxalite movement here in Chattisgarh or anywhere else in the country. The government finds itself helpless to curtail the activities of these elements in the face of the fact that these masterminds appear to have no hand in the criminal activities of the Naxalites. And how could they, when a liberated zone and a regular army of the Naxalites are yet to be achieved. Till this aim is achieved, the Naxalite movement will remain underground and so will its leaders. That does not mean that, in the meantime, the leaders will hide under a tunnel. What better place to hide themselves than the secure and reputed positions in the civilized society?
  --George Kurian

Prez should form a think tank
Politicians are gracious enough to admit that they are party soldiers and as such take orders from their high command.  It follows that they will do the same if they become the President of the country.
We deserve at least one official who will think of the country as a whole, who will think of the longer and the larger interests of the country, who will lead a sort of think tank.
Our current President belongs to that category but he is "a one-man army".  We will welcome a president who will go one step further, who will form and lead a think tank.
Let us hope right man gets selected for the job
--K.Venkataraman
  Mumbai

Problems in apartments
Your article, on 11th May, 2007 titled "Live and Live in an Apartment", while applicable to the majority of the apartments does not cover certain exceptions.  I am alluding to your statement regarding the association in apartments and how it is obligatory on the part of owners to pay their maintenance fee for the upkeep of common areas.  While this statement brings out the obligations of the owners it does not emphasise the duties of the association or the committee towards its residents. As per the bye-laws the committee should act in the interest of the residents of the building and should always keep their interests predominantly in mind when making decisions.  This I feel has been overlooked in your article.  I have unfortunately been at the receiving end of a committee that has arrogantly and contemptuously disregarded my pleas for justice.

I reside in an apartment building in Malleswaram with my wife and three children. The problem relates to watchmen that are hired by the committee.  These watchmen are not hired from a security agency but off the street, so to speak.  This is done to save a few bucks but the consequence of this decision has been watchmen who are errant to say the least. Many of them come for duty drunk, they then steal or assault the owners when confronted.  I have been the victim in an episode where the watchman when confronted of the theft of materials decided to strike me.  When this incident was brought to the notice of the committee members, they turned against me and asked me to apologize to the said watchman. It was only after I contacted a lawyer and with the support of neighbors that I was finally vindicated and the watchman was terminated after a lapse of six months.  But during this period the said watchman had damaged my car and punctured my tires.  Thus I had suffered considerable monetary expenses both for the representation of a lawyer as well as the property damage caused by the watchman.  I have therefore on the advice of my lawyer withheld the payment of my maintenance fee.
What I am therefore trying to emphasize is that sometimes the committee behaves in an autocratic and domineering manner.  It expects maintenance fee regularly from the owners but ignores its obligations and duties to the owners.  Hence there are two sides to the story.  Through my bitter personal experience I would like to bring this aspect of the story; namely the responsibilities of the association/committee as opposed to the obligations of the owners to constantly pay ones dues irrespective of the mistreatment one receives. 

Please bring out this alternate viewpoint in your esteemed newspaper. 
--Ravi Shankar

Subdued anniversary for UPA
This letter refers to "UPA Govt to step into 4th year sans brouhaha" (DH, 22/5). The report says that the subdued function to mark the completion of three years of the UPA government will be followed by a dinner for the UPA and Left MPs and the Left leaders, hosted by the PM.
Instead of a dinner to fill the bellies of  the well-fed MPs and Left leaders with fancy and rich fare, the cost of the dinner could have been donated by the PM to a worthy charitable cause. I am sure this gesture would have given Manmohan Singh Government a shine in the eyes of aam aadmi.
--Hero Vaz
  Bangalore

Load shedding
There has been indiscriminate load shedding in and around Kammanahalli Main Raod for the last one month during day time and night. I am aware that Karnataka is facing a power crisis, but I don't understand why this particular area has been targeted for repeated and indiscriminate power cuts. For example, on May 17, the power went off at around 9 am and instead of it coming back at 5 pm as announced by BESCOM, it actually came back well past 6.30 pm. Then repeatedly the power supply went off putting all of us in the area into great difficulty.
On certain days the power goes for more than an hour during day time and again during night. None of the BESCOM numbers respond when the power goes. Yesterday, power went off at 11 pm, 3 am, and 6 am, putting people into lot of difficulty. Interestingly, there was no power cut in either Maruthi Seva Nagar or Ramaswamy Palya yesterday. I seriously suspect some mischief here.
The area receives water supply for just two days and when there is load shedding early morning, we have no option but to wait for the power supply to come back to take a bath. When power is switched off for long hours in the night, we also fear about our security.
--Sanjeev