Linguistic union

Linguistic union
I am a regular reader of R Jagannathan’s articles. His article on Jawaharlal Nehru was an excellent piece (‘Partition was good’, DNA, August 27). An undivided India on Jinnah’s terms would have reduced the whole region to a Pakistan-like chaos. While, I endorse the view that Nehru did the right thing by giving Jinnah what he wanted and saved the country, I have a slightly different view with regard to the Nehruvian way which is  followed in India. India, being a linguistic union of territories, should have followed an EU like federal structure. Both the BJP and Congress buy Nehru’s views of a centralised polity, which continues to look at India as a religious dichotomy or  trichotomy, blissfully forgetting the fact that I dia is more importantly a linguisticpolychotomy.
—Ravi Turuvekere, via email

Hoodwinking the US
A seasoned observer of the international situation will not be surprised by the Pakistani action of clandestinely modifying its US-made missiles for the sole purpose of targeting India (‘Pak modified US-made Harpoon missiles, P-3C aircraft: Report’, DNA, August 30). This is not the first incidence of the western super power getting duped by Pakistan. During the 1979-89 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Pakistan hoodwinked the US into believing that it was in dire need of submarine-launched missiles to fight the “imminent threat” posed by the presence of the Soviet forces in its neighbourhood. The US administration did not even give a moment’s thought before it agreed.
—Arun Malankar, via email

Racing ahead
Giancarlo Fisichella’s splendid performance at the Belgian Grand Prix has electrified the nation (‘Fisichella assures Force India that he is staying’, DNA, August 31). It was a team victory for India. It is time the sports ministry revises its opinion that F1 races are not a sport but only entertainment and releases the forex required by the organisers of the Indian version in 2011.
 —A Seshan, via email

Flu panic
I read Anil Dharker’s ‘Pandemic or media pandemonium’ (DNA, August 17). It was indeed a thought provoking article. What he said about the media exaggerating the flu pandemic is quite true. But if you tell people that there is nothing to worry about then nobody will take adequate precautions. So I feel a little panic is necessary to keep people on their toes. Dharker’s article was worth appreciating with all the relevant statistical data. —Nusarat Sheikh, via email