Stop the violence

Sir ? Israel has turned its attention to Lebanon after the Hizbollah kidnapped two of its soldiers (?Death dance in tit-for-tat strikes? July, 17). The attack is altogether disproportionate to the provocation. There is no justification for Israel to bombard the Beirut airport, announce a sea blockade of Lebanon, and thereafter bomb civilian targets in and around the capital on the pretext that those are Hizbollah operation centres. Israel?s actions are nothing short of a declaration of war. It has had the temerity to do so since Israel is conscious of its superior firepower and the fact that Lebanon has no other way to retaliate than take recourse to the Hizbollah?s tactic of firing rockets into northern Israel. The same logic would hold for Palestine and Syria should the conflict spread there.

True, given the long and complex history of west Asia, it is useless to blame one party or the other. But the etiquettes of international politics ask the stronger party to show restraint. Israel has clearly failed in this regard. In fact, the continuing Israeli strikes have begun to resemble the United States of America?s ?war on terror? that gives it a carte blanche to take any military action against any country. At the G-8 summit, Bush appeared to give Israel his tacit assent by blaming the Hizbollah for the escalation of the conflict. Israel is obviously carrying out its plan in tandem with the US. Bush has deeply resented Syria?s support for Iraqi insurgents, and Israel is only helping him get closer to expand the war into Syria. International pressure needs to be brought upon both Israel and the US to stop their misadventures. West Asia can can ill-afford another full-scale war.

Yours faithfully,
S. Kamat, Bardez, Goa

Sir ? Israel?s bombing of Lebanese targets and the Hizbollah?s retaliatory tactics run the risk of turning into a full-scale war. One must condemn the Hizbollah?s capture of two Israeli soldiers, but nothing justifies Israel?s reprisals. A state?s right to self-defence does not exempt it from following the norms of international law, especially with regard to the safety of the civilian population. Lebanon is a free and sovereign nation and has the right to provide asylum and support to whoever it thinks is deserving. The violence has to stop, and the only way to make that happen is by beginning a sincere dialogue.

Yours faithfully,
Paul Kokoski, Ontario, Canada

Back to basics

Sir ? The railway ministry has been releasing large advertisements that talk of faster trains and a new railway timetable effective from July 1, 2006. But, perhaps, it should know that there is no ?new? timetable available for passengers at any railway station in the country, although they are constantly reminded to take note of the new timetable while buying tickets. Instead of putting the onus on passengers, the railways should have ensured that the changes in train schedules were adequately publicized. It is extremely difficult to get access to the information desk of any station by telephone. The website of the Indian Railways does not provide the necessary information either. Shouldn?t the railway ministry first get the basics in place before they waste public money on advertisements that say precious little?

Yours faithfully,
Atmaram Saraogi, Calcutta

Sir ? The Eastern Railway is perhaps the only publisher in the world which is reluctant to print sufficient copies of its bestsellers. It supplies only a few hundred copies of its suburban timetable to stations which have thousands of commuters each. The booklet runs out of stock within half-an-hour of its arrival. Last year, I could not manage a copy of the timetable despite trying my luck at five different stations on the Howrah-Burdwan route. And the story is the same this year. Will the railways explain why it cannot print enough copies of its most important publication?

Yours faithfully,
Anirban Mitra, Burdwan

Parting shot

Sir ? Ramachandra Guha writes in ?Rough-edged genius?(July 8) that he saw the late England fast bowler, Freddie Trueman (when he was past fifty), play at the Eden Gardens in a festival match, celebrating the golden jubilee of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Guha adds, ?that day at the Eden Gardens was the only time Trueman wore white flannels on Indian soil? and that ?neither (Len Hutton and Trueman)...toured the subcontinent in their prime?. I beg to differ. I happened to see Trueman at the Eden Gardens in the winter of 1956-57 (C.G. Howard?s XI versus B.C.Roy?s XI), bowling at probably his fastest and aged only 25. He opened the bowling with Alec Bedser, and the team comprised Tom Graveney, Bill Edrich, Reg Simpson and Australian spinners Bruce Dooland and George Tribe. Trueman was 46 not out in the second innings, and my brother jumped a fence to catch Trueman in his box camera when he returned to the pavilion. The photo, unfortunately, is lost!

Yours faithfully,
Ajoy P. Ray, Calcutta