 | | PICTURE SPEAK | | | | | "The Waves that Devoured", January 10 | "The tsunami tragedy shows how in spite of all our technological advances, humans are still helpless before nature's fury." Aditya Deekonda, USA The Great Deluge The same sea which provides livelihood to fishermen and enjoyment to strollers on the beaches proved a menace in the shape of the tsunami ("The Waves that Devoured", January 10). The big question now is whether India will learn from this unprecedented disaster and be prepared to meet eventualities of any kind in the future. H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, Mysore Help in the form of money, food, medical supplies and clothing is pouring in from every part of the world. If our politicians have a heart, they should stop spending money on visits to the affected areas and use it to help the survivors rebuild their lives. Rosy Chopra, on e-mail The havoc wreaked by the tsunami points to the urgent need for investment in early warning systems. While the loss of property near the coastal areas could not have been avoided, the loss of human life could have been vastly minimised if people had been warned to move inland. While India has made significant investments in meteorological forecasting we seem to have ignored investment in oceanographic predictions. C.N. Kumar, Bangalore With all its it prowess, Reliance Industries should step in to develop a communications system to contact fishermen at sea and those on the shore in times of crisis. The system could also use GPS to facilitate locating them during storms and cyclones.
Arvind Dayal, on e-mail Indians often talk of treating their countrymen as members of their family. It is now time to show whether they really mean it. The suffering of the tsunami victims can only be alleviated through support and sympathy.
Mohit Kansal, on e-mail Missionaries and mercenaries arrive at devastated areas with totally opposing interests. Do we have more people willing to share the grief of the victims or more people trying to snatch relief material? We need people with unimpeachable integrity and honesty at the helm of relief and rehabilitation operations.
S.R. Devaprakash, Tumkur It is amazing to see how nations come together at times of crisis. Only in adversity do countries rise above their differences and reach out to help. If this had been the case at all times the world would have been a much better place.
Neha Shah, Kolkata Even though relief operations have started on a war footing, it remains to be seen whether they will be sustained or taper off once the media focus shifts to other issues. One hopes that the tsunami survivors will not have to wait years for compensation like the Bhopal gas tragedy victims.
Ranjana Manchanda, on e-mail It is time for a new world order, where alliances are formed on the basis of the common threat from nature's fury.
Navneet Dhawan, Delhi Any rehabilitation package should consider afforestation a must to minimise the impact of killer waves and cyclones in future. Relocating the fishing villages to higher ground too should be planned.
D.B.N. Murthy, Bangalore Coming at the end of a topsy-turvy year, the tsunami proved that nature is the most unpredictable factor.
Rajiv Gugnani, Faridabad A word unknown to us a few weeks ago now evokes recollections of death and destruction. The images of loss and devastation will haunt us for a long time to come.
Soumava Chakraborty, on e-mail People who want to help the tsunami victims are probably hesitant to do so because they are not sure whether their contributions will reach those who really need them. There have been too many instances in the past where donations collected for relief operations have been squandered away. The Government should make the utilisation of relief funds more transparent to reassure the people.
Rahul B. Roy, on e-mail We must immediately set up disaster coordination cells in all states so that relief and rehabilitation measures can be undertaken in a more effective and organised manner.
Ashok Warrier, Cairo Every disaster has a significant message. Haphazard development in the name of promoting tourism and interference with nature must have had a hand in magnifying the devastation. Sustainable development is the only way out.
Sugeeta Roy Choudhury, Pune Wave of Indignation | | BONE OF CONTENTION | |  | | The de-mammonification drive in the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is the result of the political rivalry between the UPA and the NDA ("Schools of Scandal", January 10). If this situation continues, the most sought-after schools in the country will soon become the worst schools.
Anurag Singh, Ahmedabad | | The chaotic and whimsical nature of Indian politics seems to be percolating down to the education system. Politicians are least bothered about the future of the children. Their only interest lies in scoring points over their rivals. Unnikrishnan, Delhi | | More than the reports the heart-rending photographs said it all ("Apocalypse Now", January 10). It is high time our scientists devised ways and means to develop early warning systems to minimise the destruction caused by natural disasters.
S. Balakrishnan, Jamshedpur I was shocked by the gruesome pictures. Grief is very personal and the media must learn to respect the privacy of those who are mourning. Not a single picture of grieving people appeared in any newspaper after the 9/11 attack. The media should focus on helping rehabilitate people who have lost their relatives and restoring their confidence in life.
Shobana Shrinagesh, Chennai The photo feature does not show any respect to the dead. Humans surely deserve better treatment than a few dead fish.
Adarsh Jose, Kochi The pictures on the tsunami tragedy resemble a mortuary's log book.
Mythili Sitaramaiyer, Chennai The media appears to be more interested in sensationalising the tragedy and publishing photographs of grieving people. It should concentrate on what is being done to help these people.
Shailesh Kr.Vishwakarma, on e-mail Unkind Cut Manisha Koirala may no longer be a top star but she does not deserve the slew of harsh adjectives ("Eyecatchers", January 10). Someday all of us will be "jaded, out-of-work, over-the-hill". But you do not need to rub it in.
Cheryl Rebello, Bangalore When I see the photographs in the Eyecatchers section, I am reminded of the once famous sari ad line, albeit with a difference: "A woman expresses herself in many ways, exposure is one of them".
Padmanabhan A., Bangalore Games People Play The BJP appears to be totally clueless about where it is heading ("Shock and Shine", January 3). Such a situation was unthinkable before the Lok Sabha polls. No party should take its position for granted.
Gautam Jangpangi, on e-mail After browsing through the year-end issue, one gets the feeling that India is a country where politics is the favourite sport while sports is mired in politics.
Arya Chakraborti, Chennai Index
| 
