is starkly against such tolerance. The culprits perhaps are trying to emulate their Scandinavian brethren and caution must be taken in this regard least matters reach the magnitude of the church burnings in countries such as Denmark, Norway and such which shocked people the world over.

T. Ao , Nagaland

Purno Sangma is leaving no stone unturned in his bid for the seat of the President of India. He has managed to garner the support of powerful allies in the likes of Jayalalita and Naveen Patnaik. However, Mr. Sangma is in for a dicey time ahead as it is only too apparent that his allies are trying to form a third front and oust the BJP and Congress. Mr. Sangma, in his wisdom should keep in mind that he has emerged as the right tool for this sort of move and should in no way mistake his allies’ good wishes as a recognition of his charisma, rather, he should see things for what they are as opposed to what he would want them to be.

M. Myrthong , Shillong

Prime Minister Dr, Manmohan Singh’s visit to Myanmar is the death knell of insurgent groups of the north east. After moves by Bangladesh to wipe out the rebel camps taking refuge in its territories, an additional thrust from Myanmar along these same lines will leave the already reeling groups with no safe havens in the region. The visit also bodes well for the development of the north east region as the agreements entered into by the two countries will definitely result in a win - win situation.

P.Saikia , Guwahati

With regard to the agitation launched by the NGOs in Meghalaya regarding dubious voters finding entry into the voters list of the state, a certain misconception has arisen. It was reported time and again in certain national dailies that the NGOs were agitating for steps to be taken to ensure that no people from the mainland found place in this list. I would like to say that this is a gross misinterpretation of the demands of the NGOs. These NGOs are against the entry of non Indians (read illegal immigrants) into this list and are in no way opposed to bonafide Indians with the necessary proof of citizenship entering this list. After all, the Constitution of India ensures every citizen of the nation a free choice as to their place of residence within the country and a demand for the barring of the entry of Indian citizens into this list would amount to going against the Constitution of India.

B. Lyndem , Shillong

The article ’60 Years of Indian Parliament’ has once again brought to light a disturbing, shameful and yet unaddressed problem of Indian politics. How many times have we bowed our heads in shame while we watch the sessions of both the upper and lower house of Indian Parliament? The proceedings time and again have resembled fish markets as opposed to the august houses which they are supposed to be. These Parliamentarians would do well to watch the debates in England’s House of Commons and the United States’ Senate. But then again, considering the myopic vision of our leaders, I’m sure that they would find innumerable explanations of why their way of running things is better.

V. Chatterjee , New Delhi

Your article on the controversies of the IPL have cemented my opinion that the league has drastically transformed this much loved game. Gone are the times when we could enjoy the game as it is. Distractions now abound and I agree with the author when she says that nowadays, people are more interested in the off – field antics of the players. What is even scarier is the fact that moves are being made to do the same to another popular game – football. I feel that it has become more a game of money than an actual sporting contest. Players and team owners have to live but then again, when greed sets in and everything becomes about money, the spirit of the game and the true sportsman spirit is lost. This is simply unacceptable.

J. Venugopal , Kolkata

It is sad to hear that people in some pockets of Arunachal Pradesh take opium addiction as a normal, everyday thing. I was shocked to read that some of the addicts actually justify their addiction by stating that opium is better than alcohol because it results in a peaceful home environment. Not surprisingly, these people are clearly delusional but I guess they have to find some way of justifying their addiction and this becomes the scapegoat. Efforts need to be taken on a war footing to educate these people of the dangers of opium addiction and the social repercussions of such an addiction.

T. Mahadeva , Guwahati