Operation Beauty

Sir — The Afghans have survived — barely — the first American offensive, but they might not this second one by two American women out to teach women in that country “Western ideals of womanhood”, primarily how to colour their face and do their hair (“Afghan women flock to learn beauty secrets”, Feb 22). There is no reason to think that the lipstick and the blush-on are any less damaging than precision-guided missiles in the American arsenal. Beauty is all very fine, and during the taliban regime, frequenting secret beauty salons was the women’s way of thumbing their nose at all its repressions. But the taliban are gone now and most Afghans are desperately poor. People are thronging the beauty business because a beautician can expect to earn $ 85 a month. But what about their clients? Would not the money have been better used for food or clothes or education? These are uncomfortable questions to which the Americans have no answer.

Yours faithfully,
Rukmini Arya, New Delhi

Left in the lurch

Sir — Abhirup Sarkar tries to unearth the reasons for the political and economic impasse in West Bengal (“By design or chance”, Feb 17). The industrial stagnation may be one of the Left Front’s ploys to retain power. (The other one, as Sarkar says, is rigging.) The poor, desperate for a job or for any means of earning a livelihood given that the scope for jobs in industries is almost nil, look on the ruling party as their last resort. Consider how auto-rickshaw operators’ unions religiously decorate their offices with red flags.

But what about the section that is doing well, both economically and professionally? Many school, college and university teachers’ unions and bank employees’ associations support the left. Such people are well-established in their respective areas, well educated and have enough potential to maintain their earnings without being loyal to any party. Why then do they support the Left Front? Perhaps, it is because they are greedy and cannot pass up any small advantage that might come of their association with the party. In fact, it is this privileged and “enlightened” section which is mostly responsible for the Left Front being in government for so long in West Bengal.

Yours faithfully,
Chiranjib Neogi, Kalyani

Sir — Abhirup Sarkar’s logic is strange. The poor must remain poor, with just enough in the belly to kill the hunger pangs, so that they can appreciate all that the party has done for them. And they must be involved in the political process to give themselves a sense of belonging, even though the strings are pulled by the now pot-bellied comrades. If the poor move very far up the ladder, then their priorities change. Sarkar appeals to two human instincts. One, a man will not eat at a roadside stall if his pocket permits and status demands that he be seen dining at a posh eatery. Two, if a man sees his neighbour move up in life through party largesse — an auto licence here or a chance to set up shop there — he is more likely to remain a left supporter or shift his political affiliation to the left.

In reality, the local wings of the left parties have become so enmeshed in the lives of people that they even settle family disputes routinely. There is no escaping their all-pervasiveness. This, and the sorry state of the opposition, is the reason for the left’s continued success in West Bengal, despite industrial stagnation.

Yours faithfully,
Sunil Garodia, Calcutta

Sir — Abhirup Sarkar’s assessment of the reasons for West Bengal’s political stability is correct. The left has ensured that the government machinery works in such a way that we are beholden to it for every little thing. Businessmen, school-teachers, rickshaw-pullers and garbage collectors — all must appease the party to survive. The party decides on key issues like industrial land distribution to entrepreneurs, which rickshaw-puller will represent which rickshaw-stand, and how garbage collectors’ area of operation will be demarcated. Criminals join the party to keep the police at bay, and repay their debt to the party by helping it rig elections.

There has been no real development at the ground level in West Bengal, only a few clerks and their aides who control the party locally have become rich. The government should focus on ensuring free and fair competition, which will bring about all-round development of the state. But that, perhaps, is an utopian thought.

Yours faithfully,
Uddyam Mukherjee, Durgapur

Sir — Abhirup Sarkar infers from the Left Front’s long rule in West Bengal that the state is politically stable. But industrial stagnation can never lead to political stability. Take the example of the north-eastern states, where there is no industrial development and consequently, no political stability. To be popular with the masses, a political party must encourage development. It cannot get by for long by making tall promises and then failing to keep them.

Yours faithfully,
K. Chakrabarty, Majitar, Sikkim

Cane and do

Sir — Without meaning any disrespect to the verdict of Calcutta high court banning corporal punishments in the schools of West Bengal, I, principal of a co-educational English-medium school in Calcutta having 4,000 students, would like to make a few submissions.

An element of fear is a must in any administration. During the British rule, we worked to the best of our capacity because there was always a fear in the minds of people of being punished, even of losing the job.

With the influx of Hindi films showing violence and vulgarity, vulgar advertisements on television, the internet, school students today are not what they used to be 25 years ago. Students sometimes indulge in such gross acts of indiscipline and misconduct that they get on a teacher’s nerve. Corporal punishment then becomes imperative to set them right in the interest of the other students.

The cane is used only when all other corrective measures have failed. I have been using cane for the last 35 years in the profession. But my use of it has always been restricted to students of classes X, XI and XII, and in the morning assembly before other students, and with the prior approval of the parents of those being caned. I use the cane only once in six months or a year, depending on the seriousness of the situation. No student or parent ever objected because I never caned with a grudge and I never got angry. The students knew that I loved them like a father and, as a father, I had the right to cane them. I feel that if a teacher loves his student and does not possess any grudge, anger or animosity, he has every right to award corporal punishment to the student as a corrective measure.

The high court’s verdict may be taken by some unruly students as a licence to indulge in acts of indiscipline knowing full well that no corporal punishment can be awarded to them now. Such a feeling among the students may not augur well for school discipline. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” still holds good to a great extent.

Yours faithfully,
Basudeb Bhattacharya, Calcutta