Re: Re Pritish Nandy: Question for Mr Dasgupta

[Indranil DasGupta <wanabond@hotmail.com>]

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[Topics under debate]: GOOD GOVERNANCE
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Dear Dr. Roy:

You can find Pritish Nandy's columns in the online magazine "Rediff On
the Net" (www.rediff.com). A word or two about Mr. Nandy. He was a
junior colleague of my father back in the 60s and early 70s when they
worked for a Swedish engineering firm in Calcutta. He used to write
couplets
and was getting well-known as an up and coming poet/journalist at the
time.
Let me assure you that while he may be "anti-Pakistani state", he is not

"anti-Muslim". And given that we have characters like Phoolan Devi and
Mulayam Singh Yadav already in Parliament, the entry of Pritish Nandy
represents a vast improvement  and a welcome change.

BTW, while it is true that some Muslim organizations have been
supportive of
the Kargil operation, it by no means includes all. Notably, the radical
Jamaat-e-Islami has called Indian Muslims to  jihad against India, and
the
Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala which is supposedly a "mainstream"
political party has come out with a statement in support of "the brave
Mujahiddeen fighting in the mountains for regaining Kashmir's freedom".

The "effete" intellectual tag was not meant for you, so please don't
rush to assume the mantle. I was refering to people such as Kuldip
Nayar who have a romanticized view of Pakistan and its aims toward
India.
For a cold, hard look at the reality of Pakistan, I urge you
to take a look at Arun Shourie's latest column published in the
online magazine Indian Lampoon (www.indianlampoon.com).

Lastly, I want to thank you for the great link to the "Kargil Heroes"
page. It was both informative and inspirational.

Regards

Indranil Das Gupta





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