Unfettered voice

In the passing of Nadine Gordimer the world has lost an iconic writer. She used her pen as a mighty weapon to inculcate a sense of humanity and humanistic ideals among readers. Even after the transfer of power in 1994 she had the strength of character to criticise the ANC and its leaders.

A great believer in the free flow of information, she voiced her vocal opposition to a proposed law to limit the publication of information deemed to be sensitive by the government. She said she did not know how long it would take and how much suffering it would entail for the emergence of a world free from racial distinctions, but it would emerge.

G David Milton

Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu

Negotiate good terms

The new Brics bank will give India a boost provided India plays its cards correctly (July 15). We made mistakes when the Asian Development Bank was set up. The Brics bank (BDB) started with India’s ideation should have a president on a rotational basis.

The BDB should be more an infrastructure-building, agriculture development bank with focus on power, sea, air and road transport. It should devise methods to deploy experts from different countries and draw from the expertise in member-states. India should be alert during negotiations so that it can make its contributions.

KU Mada

Mumbai

Store and save

With reference to “Why India needs to store more oil” by Sandip Sen (July 15), if we can emulate the US example of storing fuel when prices are cooling and using it when prices are peaking or volatile, it would be great. It will help if we have large storage tanks which can serve our country’s local consumption for at least a month; small storage tanks will not make any real difference. If the US and Japan can store oil for 6-month periods, we can also do so and control our import bills.

Bal Govind

Noida

The British thought we had no oil reserves in this country, and after Independence we carried on believing the same. It is time we start looking for more exploration opportunities so that we become self-reliant. For this, we need clear policies that are also transparent. Global warming is real and while formulating any policy we should remember that we have not inherited this land from our ancestors but have borrowed it from our children.

CR Arun

Email

Mutual confidence

With reference to your editorial, “Take it easy” (July 15), the implementation of GAAR was deferred by two years, not indefinitely. The corporates, for obvious reasons, want it to be postponed and the reaction of the markets was an indirect way of exerting pressure on the Government to reconsider the implementation date. The Government, on its part, has to reassurecorporates that it only intends to be a watchdog and not a bloodhound.

Sridhar Narasimhan

Email

The editorial has rightly focused the need to defer implementation of GAAR. Of course there is a need to crack down on tax evasion. Besides, it will be premature to implement GAAR before revamping the tax system.

NR Nagarajan

Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu

It’s a mindset

In connection with “What’s even worse than rape?” by Rasheeda Bhagat (July 15), it is indeed shameful the way society treats rape survivors. The malaise is universal, but more severe in India.

The root cause is the culture of male superiority and domination over women. It breeds on child rearing practices which require girls to be submissive and boys to be dominant, family values harping on honour of the family and community behaviour which protects the culprit and ridicules the survivor.

This mindset is not confined to certain political parties or male netas . Even governments underplay the crime. Add to this the slow process of investigation of complaints, prosecution and judicial action and toothless women’s organisations.

YG Chouksey

Pune

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