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This refers to the editorial, ‘Rise and rise of Xi’ (October 20). The 19th Communist Party congress in Beijing has received global attention for it is meant to shape not just China, but also the world. The roadmap prepared at the congress is sure to aim at China becoming a global leader.
If the limelight President Xi Jinping receives is anything to go by, it would be incorrect to say that personality cult is alien to communist parties or culture. Xi Jinping is the central figure around which the party seems to revolve. The accumulation of powers in his hands is evident from his holding all the three powerful posts — the party’s general secretary, the country’s President and the head of the military commission.
Xi’s consolidation of power is now so complete that his name is all set to be written into the ruling communist party’s constitution. This means his joining the club of Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping. Xi Jinping’s relentless anti-corruption drive has not only won him popularity with party men and countrymen, but also conferred a moral halo on him.
No doubt, China has made great strides in the efforts to lift millions out of poverty under Xi’s leadership. Some call it ‘ an experiment with capitalism’ and some others ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ and whatever it is called, the delivery of a decent standard of living is something for which the party can take credit.
G David Milton
Maruthancode, Kanyakumari
Creating job creators
This is with reference to ‘Why higher education is devoid of quality’ by EA Ramaswamy (October 20). Recently, NR Narayana Murthy of Infosys made an observation that India has failed to make any earth-shaking invention in the past 60 years. This is mainly due to our faulty education system which does not encourage research and invention.
When even a small country like Estonia takes credit for the invention of Skype, India, despite having so many IITs and IIMs, has failed miserably to make any impact on innovative technology/ new inventions/ or research.
Our premier IITs and IIMs have not till date made any room for research or inventions. One of the solutions to make our universities/premium institutes research and invention oriented is by making them autonomous with minimal or no government interference.
India should learn from the Silicon Valley, where risk-taking is encouraged and entrepreneurs become heroes. The HRD ministry should turn our premium institutes into hubs of invention, and innovation which will create job creators rather than job seekers.
Veena Shenoy
Thane
Labour pain
This is with reference to ‘Bans and the livelihood debate’ (From the Viewsroom, October 20). Firecrackers, unlike tobacco, are just an annually occasional affair. Hence, it would be better to ban those that are high decibel (>125 dB) or not manufactured according to the safety and environmental rules.
As for banning draught animal transport, such a move would only spell doom to draught animals that are already under-utlised from the onslaught of automobiles (both literally and metaphorically), which might lead to the redundant poor animals ending up in slaughterhouses. At least, rural areas should harness this sustainable mode of mobility.
Late JC Kumarappa, the Gandhian economist, once said: “The building of expensive roads, surfaced with Asphalt, cement etc. ... takes away from the cultivator the part-time occupation of transport, and reduces the employment of the bullocks. They are harmful to the unshod-animals and dislocate the self-sufficient village economy”.
CV Krishna Manoj
Hyderabad
Right lessons
The Kerala HC, reiterating its ban on political strikes in educational institutions, has given a warning to all and sundry who openly criticise its initial order. The court has clearly said it is not about banning students politics but about strikes inside the campus. Educational institutions are for studies. Let’s not forget this.
KA Solaman
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