Remembering BK
Nehru
Sir,
I met B K Nehru
for the first time in 1964 at Washington when he
was India's Ambassador in America. I was on a
lecture tour to various Universities of that
country. Mr. M C Chagla, the then Foreign
Minister of India had given me an introductory
letter wherein he had added "Pandit Nehru
also holds him in high esteem".
After my first
meeting, he said that his curiosity to know more
about J&K State had increased. I was invited
for dinner next day and had a long chat with him
till late hours.
On his arrival in
Jammu as Governor of the State, he called for me
as according to him I was the only person in the
State he personally knew."You can walk into
the Raj Bhavan, any day and at any time, you are
free, after giving me a notice and start
educating me about all aspects of the
State".
On one day I
received an urgent message from the Raj Bhavan,
telling me that the Governor wanted me to see him
immediately. When I met him, he told me that the
Prime Minister wanted him to dismiss Farooq
Abdullah who was then the Chief Minister He
sought my advice I gave him all possible argument
against such step which, according to me, would
be counter productive in all respects. He agreed
with my assessment and asked me to send to him a
note addressed to the Prime Minister as he
thought Mrs. Indira Gandhi attached great weight
to my opinion. Accordingly I gave her the
required note. Mrs. Gandhi dismissed my arguments
and was bent upon dismissing Farooq. As is well
know BK Nehru refused to do so when he was
transferred to Gujarat as the Governor.
I pay my homage to
an able and conscientious administrator and
diplomat and above all a nice and unassuming
human being on his death after 92 years of
service to the country in various capacities.
Yours etc...
Balraj Puri
Karan Nagar
Jammu.
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Population
control
Sir,
India is a very
big country. We are proud of our country for its
rich and varied heritage and its culture. But
there are many problems in our country such as
poverty, unemployment etc. and its root cause is
over population. Our country's population is
increasing very fast. Every second, a new
individual is born in our country, and if it
remains like this the day is not far off when not
even a place of inch will be left out. Now the
water has gone above the head and it is time, we
will have to do something. We will have to set a
new look for our country.
Our country then
will be one of the developed countries of the
world. But still it is a dream. It can be changed
into reality if every one would understand that
he or she also have some responsibilities for
his/her country. Then there will be more
prosperity and progress in the country.
Yours etc...
Mubashar Mashqoor Mir
Batote Doda.
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Growing
consumption of alcohol
Sir,
The growing trend
of alcoholism in our modern society has become a
fashion an luxury. Drinking has become a part and
parcel of our celebrations and even symbolic of
affluence and aristocracy. The cost of standard
alcohol has gone up and the poor have fallen on
alternatives which are not only cheap but
spurious also. The slum dwellers and labour class
in quest for low cost entertainment get enticed
to such drinks and lose their lives.
The recent illicit
liquor tragedy of Noida in UP adjoining national
capital in which more than three dozen human
lives have been taken by the killer brew has
added another page in the gloomy list of
tragedies in our country which have claimed
thousands of lives in the past.
Drinking is a
social evil and liquor once consumed makes a
person to lose control over himself. It makes him
irrational quarrelsome and violent. He falls prey
to other evils such as gambling and other anti
social activities. He is not worried about his
wife and even children who may be starving. He is
not mindful of his health and falls prey to
several diseases. It is responsible for more than
50 persent of crimes, mental defects, atrocities
on women, accidents unhappy homes, separation and
even divorce.
Gandhi Ji firmly
believed that liquor was an invention of the
devil and drink is more a disease than a vice. To
minimise the curse of the bottle, efforts should
be made to prevent unrestricted drinking in
public places if total prohibition is not
possible. There should be a constant check and
periodical inspections of the liquor
establishments and keep watch on the unlawful
activities of unscrupulous and different liquor
vendors and manufacturers to prevent the sale of
adulterated and illicit liquor in the vulnerable
are of the market so that such tragedies may not
occur in future.
Yours etc...
Pritam Singh
Ex-Food, Inspector
New Plots, Jammu.
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Marriage by
choice
Sir,
It is well known
fact that marriages and settled in heaven and
celebrated on earth. On this earth if some one
wishes to marry according to their own choices,
firstly they have to face challenges from
everywhere. Even the close relatives interfere in
the marriages and play a big role in constructing
walls between the two thus it results in the
clashes between families.
Killing, or
constructing walls between the young boys and
young girls for the simple reason, that they
intended to marry against wishes of their parents
and relatives, is a matter of shame for society,
and is a narrow midness of the people.
If we go through
our ancient history and mythology, we find a lot
of examples of marriages solemnised according to
wishes of boys and girls. Most probably the role
of parents and relatives, was of secondary
nature.
Marriages across
regions and cutting the caste lines have to be
accepted for progress of the individuals and the
society. It is ironic that in contemporary India,
persons who cry against casteism are proving to
be biggest protagonists of the curse. A marriage
by choice, if not in all cases, is a successful
one.
Yours etc...
Malik Zakir Hussain Shaheen
Gandoh Bhallesa Doda.
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