THE democratic polity in India has failed to create a suitable environment for the smooth implementation of women-related laws (Cover Story, January 4). It is a Herculean task to provide speedy redress to women trapped in distressful situations. It has become imperative to create a new legal channel, with special courts, for patient hearings in cases relating to women.

Arvind K. Pandey
Allahabad, U.P.

THE Cover Story is an eye-opener at a time when people have started believing that the position of women in society has improved. Their condition may have improved somewhat in cities but women in villages continue to face a lot of hardships.

Shailesh Kumar
Bangalore

A.G. NOORANI aptly describes the Sarkari and the communal Muslims as parasites (“Kabir and Sachar”, January 4). Humayun Kabir, encouraged by Nehru, made sincere and honest efforts to provide social equity to the minorities, though they were not followed up to their logical conclusion by the succeeding Congress regimes. The findings of the Sachar report are in tune with his efforts.

Kasim Sait
Chennai

IT is a paradox that although charges of appeasement are often levelled against Muslims by certain political parties and a section of the media, all the statistics show the condition of the community to have plummeted from bad to worse since Independence (“Not by Haj subsidies alone”, December 21). That Muslims fall behind even Dalits and Adivasis in literacy rates, employment and access to basic amenities would explain the gravity of the situation. Instead of giving Haj subsidies, which creates the delusion that the community is given bountiful favours, the Union government should take positive measures to implement the recommendations of the Ranganath Misra Commission and the Sachar Committee to bring the community into the national mainstream.

Syed Sultan Mohiddin
Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh

Terror links

THIS has reference to one of the articles in your Cover Story on terror (“Misleading calm”, December 21). I am the sole owner of Thinnai Thozargal Pathippagam. This has nothing to do with any other organisation or any former members of any movement as mentioned by the article. I am pained that there was no attempt to cross-check facts. The aim of my publication is to promote literacy, with emphasis on Islam. Your article has damaged my reputation as a publisher.

S. Sirajudeen
Coimbatore, T.N.

THERE is a need for stringent laws to check terrorist activities.

N. Vijayaraghavan
Chennai

Nandigram

I WAS quite disappointed with your coverage of the Nandigram fiasco (“Mending fences”, December 21). It is one thing to defend consistently the actions and positions of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). It is quite another thing, however, to omit completely all voices critical of the CPI(M)’s position from your reporting. The real question is why the CPI(M) is so aggressively pursuing neoliberal capitalism in West Bengal. This is the larger political context in which all of this is taking place.

Pranav Jani
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

JAYATI GHOSH’S column has tried to put in perspective why the media have been attacking the Left so aggressively in recent days (“Media and the Left”, December 21). Of course, the media have always been “so determinedly anti-left and so blatantly partisan”. But the March 14 incident in Nandigram came to people like me as a slap in the face. What should be tackled at the political plane should not be allowed to be settled in the streets through muscle power. Only a strong pro-people stance will enable the Left to withstand the onslaughts of the media.

Gnana. Surabhi Mani
Madurai, Tamil Nadu

Russia

VLADIMIR PUTIN has brought Russia to a position that is on a par with the United States (“Putin power”, January 4). The U.S.’ status as the sole superpower is bound to crumble within a decade. Russia is on its way to becoming a superpower again. But its bureaucracy must be reformed and purged of corruption. Perhaps multi-party democracy is the answer.

Thomas Edmunds
Chennai

VLADIMIR PUTIN has established himself as the undisputed leader of his country. It is heartening to see that he has stood up to American imperialism.

Amitabh Thakur
Lucknow

CORRECTION

In the article titled "Lacunae in law", carried in the issue dated January 4, 2008, the statement appearing just before the sub-heading "Sexual harassment" should read as follows: "The emergence of sexual harassment as a wrong and a form of discrimination against women has been articulated exclusively by the Indian courts, and has not been enacted into any statute," says Ratna Kapur in her book "Erotic Justice".