Dogs in Kerala
Keralites don't like animals. ('Killing isn't the answer: Kerala must learn from Jaipur how to control stray dogs') Everyone in Kerala has a dog , but they are kept in cages and are sometimes never let out or are freed at night when people are indoors. We were the odd ones out in Kottayam when we took our dog for a walk; such a concept does not exist in the state. Elephants, too, are treated in a cruel manner. This is the only state in which I have seen people beat dogs to death on the street. Every dog that runs is considered rabid here for whatever reason. As far as biting people is concerned, it mostly happens on provocation. -Mani Mathew
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The writer is too sympathetic to dogs. She has not written a line sympathising with the victims, which include small children and others who were severely injured. Dog lovers and animal rights activists can start adopting stray dogs from Kerala. They are quick to attach blame without accepting responsibility. It's easy to criticise the poor who want action against the dog menace. Dogs are a danger to pedestrians and two-wheelers at night. - Anzar Chennatt
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I would like to thank your team for writing this informative piece. After the recent massacre of dogs in the state, such a piece was much needed. I work for Humane Society International, an animal welfare organisation. We are trying in every capacity to educate both the government and citizens to change their perception about stray dogs. - Navamita Mukherjee
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Just read the article and I'm so happy to see that you've published something like this. It's very well written and I don't know if you intentionally want to play a role in stopping the culling by spreading awareness or whether it was just another article published. Either way, I'm sure this article will do its bit in helping others spread awareness and hopefully somehow contribute to the efforts people are making in the campaign against culling. I really hope that you follow this issue closely and keep writing about it. - Christina Bird
Scientists doing everything but science
Narayana Murthy has finally belled the cat. ('Full text: Naryana Murthy questions the contribution of IITs and IISc in the last 60 years') Kudos to him for his outstanding speech. Our scientific institutions are obsolete - the so-called scientists do everything but science. If a person inclined towards research tries to do something, he is ridiculed and cornered.
Science without society is a sin. There is no atmosphere for scientifc work in India. Every so-called scientist in our country wants a supervisory role so that they need not to do any work. The amount of public money spent is enormous. Their visits abroad are like all-paid vacations.
Our Prime Minister should take this seriously and review the achievements of scientific organisations. If necessary, wind up some white elephants. - Panneerselvam Angamuthu
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People like Narayana Murthy should bear equal responsibility. As a leader of big business, what has he done to support science and innovation? He could have used part of his fortune, accumulated with the help of several IIT and IISc graduates, to create the equivalent of a Bell Labs in India. Talk is cheap. Serves these institutions right for putting on stage someone with no serious research credentials. - V Ramaswami
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Contrary to what the media is writing, Mr Murthy has not downgraded IITs or IISc for their inability to produce research. He has chided them, challenged them and exhorted them to bring out more research.
At the same time, he listed the problems being faced by India: drinking water, housing, health etc. Surely these are priorities as opposed to research, which is why IITs and IISc focus on these problems.
He should not have highlighted what Infosys contributed. For example, as a textile engineer from IIT-D, I contributed in my own way to the development of India. But my contributions cannot be measured as they are not done with the intention of getting recognition. - Vijay Aivalli
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I think these institutes should ask for one thesis from the aspirants rather than the rankers. - Sripathi Siddavatam
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Does the space programme not count as a contribution? - Vijaya Shakkottai
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A system of indigenous technocrats should be created at the village level. Our IIT, IISc and IIM graduates should take the lead in using their knowledge to cater to everyone's everyday needs. Technology needs to be simplified so that it is easily adaptable. - Yogesh Vaish
Keeping Old Monk alive
Nice to see an article on India's best rum in the IMFL category. 'Old Monk is dying - and so is India's love for rum') I would like to highlight a few issues with the brand. The owners have thus far neglected the brand. Its market share was considerable in the southern states, Karnataka in particular, after its relaunch in 1996. In a short period, it became the no.2 brand, giving competitors a tough time.
Following the government's takeover of distribution in 2003-04, the brand rose to No 1. However, sales slowly began to slide as the company neglected marketing as opposed to its competitors.
The brand is often off the shelves and there is no constant push, with marketing put in the hands of unprofessional agencies who are also the licensed bottlers for the brand. This has led to inconsistency in terms of maintaining quality, with many consumers shunning Old Monk. Going by the current trend, Old Monk is following in the footsteps of the beer brand Golden Eagle. - Deepak M
Copy, edit and paste
I just finished the book and found it very disappointing. ('The Scion of Ikshvaku is quite the 'Un-Ramayana') The problem isn't the presentation and the liberties taken by the author; it's just a case of cut, copy, edit and paste. Amish seems inspired by Greek mythology and movies on the same. If you read the Shiva Trilogy, all the war formations have been inspired from movies such as Alexander, Troy and 300. As for the book, the character of Bharat in inspired by Paris of Troy. The author has even used several dialogues similar to those in the movie. As a librarian, I would not like to keep this book in my library. However, I have decided to keep it to show my students how a bad book is written. - Avinash Mishra
Salman's best?
Liked Nandini Ramnath's take on Salman Khan's journey from Bhai to Bhaijaan. ('Film review: Bajrangi Bhaijaan has two stars, neither of whom is called Salman or Kareena') Hope to read more of her reviews in the coming days. Also, I'd like to share my two cents on the film.
Salman Khan is not for everyone. Most critics don't like his films. However, most viewers like them. His films are a strict no-no for those who haven't seen his previous work. He is very predictable - even when he dances - but his screen presence is addictive.
It's a good movie because anything better than Kick is good. It's also Salman's best performance because he chose not to fight, romance or dance to a great extent. All that is left is staying clam and delivering his dialogues in purer Hindi.
Nawazuddin steals the show with ease, primarily because of a lack of competition when it comes to acting. The film is slow and a bit too sweet. Half an hour shorter and Bajrangi Bhaijaan would have been lighter and more enjoyable. - Shounak Banerjee
Unbelievable account
The story is unbelievable. ('First person: The story behind how Sanjay Gandhi slapped Indira six times at a dinner party') Indira did not have the persona to allow someone to slap her. The journalist was probably an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, which hated Indira and India for being close to the Russians. They probably killed Sanjay in the plane crash to weaken Indira. This story was written to support the view that Indira got rid of her son. The CIA can be trusted to misinform the whole world. - Sushil Gupta
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Today, everyone wants to keep incidents in their lives secret on the grounds of privacy. Someone should prove that the slapping incident happened or it will remain in the unclaimed box of gossip. Circumstances led to Indira Gandhi becoming Prime Minister. Why are people interested in talking about her and her relationship with family members? Shall we move ahead with the pressing issues of our times? -Ranjana Rathore
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Why is this old, dirty story being published? What is the motive? It seems that the writer is trying to antagonise people against Narendra Modi by raising fears of an Emergency. Overall, the story is not in good taste. - SK Roy Chaudhary
Emergency tales
In my experience of the Emergency, India became a better place to live in for the common man. ('Emergency: When the Press crawled some refused to even bend' Trains ran on time, offices worked efficiently as there was no wastage of time by a more attentive and punctual staff, roads were cleaner and corruption was visibly absent. The rule was law was established and there was fear of authority. But that India was a lot more Indian than today's India. - Naiyer Razzaqui
Sex education
If 10-year-old boys and girls are engaging in sex and spreading HIV, the problem is more than just a lack of condoms. ('South Africa gives school children access to condoms, while India still debates sex education') If we identify and define the real problem, it will guide our course of action in attempting to respond to this apparent crisis. If the problem identified by the community is not a lack of condoms, then to say the solution is access to condoms is no different from putting a band-aid on a cancer tumour. Thanks for the well-intentioned efforts to address this sad situtation. - Eddie Jumba
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A sound education does not prevent a person from having sexual urges. Sex is natural for humans. The real problem is that parents and other adults keep Indian teenagers in the dark about sex. - Suvendu Mait
Unmentioned, unsung
Although I agree with a lot of the mentions in this article, it is quite disheartening to see that some of the really hardworking groups have not been mentioned. ('Gay literature is firmly out of the closet in India, and winning readers over') Gaysi (the gay desi), which has been churning out daily writings, musings, videos, art, erotics and so much on their blog, provides a platform for gay and straight writers and artists from around the world. They also have a yearly print edition.
Then there's Labia (Lesbians and bisexuals in action), whose magazine Scripts has been in circulation for years as a form of queer expression. Bombay Dost, Darpan, Sanghamitra, Gaylaxy are among others worth a mention.
My point is everyone needs a mention if you are trying to cover gay literature. And that's mainly because the hard work and dedication these groups and individuals put in is tremendous. As a reader, I would prefer if some more homework was done on the subject. - MJ Deshprabhu
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This article missed a very significant literary contribution written in Bengali. This year's Ananda Puroskar was given to Halde Golap (yellow roses), a novel dedicated entirely to the transvestite and gay community. There are also writings by Manabi, who made news for being the first transgender college principal. And how can one forget Rituparna Ghosh and his film Chitrangada - an in-depth study of the human psyche through the ages with regard to the LGBT community. Hope these contributions will be included in the future. - Amar Mudi
Forests, woods
As I read Valmik Thapar's article, I couldn't help wondering how ill-informed this man is about the working of the forest department in the states. ('How India is killing its Forest Service and, with it, its forest management') He is making an issue out of nothing.
When an All India Service officer - which includes IAS and IPS - joins a state, he automatically becomes a senior to only those State Service officers from his batch. Any State Service officer promoted to the IFS automatically becomes an All India Service officer. According to Mr Thapar, 'The State Service officers are held to ransom, most of the time by less experienced officers from the All India Service'. Really? Please go to any state and you will see that State Service officers are extremely powerful and mostly manage to get field postings.
They are locals and understand the regional power equations well. I really don't know in which era Mr Thapar lives. There are inded many serious problems in the forest department such as a poor working plan, poor standards of forest research, systemic corruption etc. But I wonder what made Mr Thapar think that the state forest officers are victims. - Rajesh Kallaje
Teesta Tales
I could not agree with the writer more. ('The many ideas that Teesta Setalvad has come to symbolise') I worked briefly with Teesta in 2002 and I know much she cared for people affected by the riots. I am afraid that we are saddled with a government whose religious bias is becoming more evident every day. - Uma Sheth
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Teesta Setalvad is pseudo-secular, just like her bretheren in political parties such as Congress, CPM, SP, BSP et all. She is a big hoax who is paid anti-nationals and anti-Indian foreign firms. We must investigate. - Sent via email by s4smsm
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Even Naxalites claim - and to some extent rightly so - that they are defenders of the downtrodden. Will you justify their looting and killing? I don't think so. While acknowledging that Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand and Sabrang Trust have championed the cause of riot victims, how do you justify wining and dining in style, fat salary cheques and lavish styles made possible by money collected in the name of the poor and needy? The Sabrang Trust has no proper documentation of funds used to help the needy. - Ranjan Pandey
Literary lessons
I completely agree with the subject matter in your article 'Why don't literature students read any real literature before college'. I have just graduated from Class 12 and though I am not opting for a BA in English, I think I know why students don't read classics - it's because they are never encouraged to do so. Before the summer holidays began, I'd asked my English teacher to recommend some books. But she got busy and never ended up giving me a reading list. So I was forced to hunt for forums and portals for suitable books. - Keshav Khanna
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My first English lecturer at university was someone who had just returned to India after studying at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. When a classmate and I turned in our tutorial essay, he discovered that we knew nothing about the foundations of English literature. - Sent via email by prabhusguptara
Ahalya inspirations
Sujoy Ghosh did a really nice job with the direction and I really do not need to extol the acting as it's there for everyone to see. ('Sujoy Ghosh's Ahalya is based on the Ramayan you didn't read') As for the story, Ahalya's character is undoubtedly the backbone and there's a reference to the Ramayana. But the story also borrows from one of Satyajit Ray's Professor Shonku escapades, in which he goes to Europe and gets embrolied in case of the lookalike dolls. Just wanted to bring this to your notice. - Maddie
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I believe that the storyline has been adapted not only from the Ahalya episode of the Ramayana, but also but from a story called Professor Shanku o Aschorjo (Professor Shanku and the mysterious dolls). In the story, a mad scientist transforms famous personalities into six-inch tall dolls and make a collection of them. Sujoy Ghosh definitely deserves praise for combining two very different texts together in a single short film. - Debmalya Sinha
Teaching tribals
The tribal way of life is outdated. ('The Dongria Kondhs of Odisha now face a more formidable enemy than Vedanta') Dongria Kondhs should be educated at Industrial Training Institutes and integrated into the mining and manufacturing industries. - Nishant Kale
Defending Asaram
Nishita Jha talks about justice for the family of the so-called victim. ('Asaram Bapu rape case: As witnesses die, this family is keeping its hopes for justice alive' Is the media blind to the injustice meted out to Asaram Bapu, who has been languishing in jail for 22 months without evidence of sexual assault or rape? Apart from him, millions of his devotees and followers are suffering because their guru is in prison.
In addition to his saintly status and the millions suffering, Asaram Bapu is 75 years old, unwell and his wife has had several heart attacks. In addition, his son was framed in fake sexual assault cases and is also in jail.
If the media really wanted to project a balanced view and report objectively, it should have interviewed Asaram Bapu or his spokesperson and published the same. It's only then that the public will appreciate the media for being unbiased. But by adopting this partisan view, the media is losing its credibility, especially among urban literates. - Vinod Sehgal

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This is not a rape case. It is completely bogus and fake. - Amol Dhore
Solving Kashmir
Any discussion on Kashmir has to touch on a possible solution ('What the Pakistan and Islamic State flags raised in Jammu & Kashmir really stood for'. Will it help the Kashmiri people if India were to leave? I am concerned only for the people of Kashmir. Is it viable or could it be made viable for them to go back to their independent status prior to the aggressions? I believe it is not automatic - a scenario has to be created to make this viable and it's not the responsibility of the Kashmiri people.
An independent Kashmir guaranteed by India and Pakistan and supported by world powers is the only solution. As of today, Pakistan is not agreeable to this plan. They have already parcelled out territories of Kashmir to China, which won't return the gifts. That is why Pervez Musharraf was seemingly agreeable to an LoC-based division, which is not acceptable to Kashmiris. India was drawn into the conflict and is unable to withdraw honourably.
It's unfortunate that the people of Kashmir have been caught in the middle. We may drop the view that Kashmir is a test case for our secular state, but we cannot run away by abandoning the region or allowing history to work in its own strange way. For now, India should focus on development that would help the people in economic terms. - KS Parthasarathy
Why allege?
I would like to point out what I believe is an inadvertent error in referring to Yakub Memon's role in the 1993 bomb blasts as 'alleged'. ('Supreme Court allots less than five minutes to Yakub Memon's final appeal of his death sentence') Surely, a man tried and convicted of a crime by our judicial system, even after appealing in all tiers of courts, cannot still have an 'alleged' role in the crime. - Anish Radhakrishnan
No mercy
In civilised societies, the death penalty should arguably be scrapped. ('Hanging Yakub Memon will mean we remain a society that demands blood for blood') However, I would be willing to make an exception as far as terrorists are concerned. Let them face the consequences of their dastardly and calculated actions. They deserve no mercy. - Vikrant
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I agree that Yakub Memon should not be hanged. Instead, he should be given life imprisonment in solitary confinement with no parole for the duration. Accounts of his suffering should be publised weekly or monthly. - Sent via email by s4smsm@gmail.com
Disgraceful hanging
It is utterly disgraceful that we claim to be a civilised nation but still hang our people. ('How India hanged a poor watchman whose guilt was far from established') For a while, it seemed that the country would honour the informal moratorium on the death penalty. But governments have only shown that we are a bloodthirsty people.
We hang people to prove a point, not to people, but to send out a message to other countries. Who are we to judge whether a person should be put to death? I am not some mindless pacifist or some do-gooder who has to shout himself hoarse from the rooftops seeking the limellight. But this is wretched and shameful. Show mercy and show yourselves to be kinder and more compassionate, my people.
A life for a life is primitive, punitive and utterly disgusting. Vengeance shall be yours even if a condemned man languishes in prison pondering over his many mistakes. Britain got rid of the death penalty only after it discovered that it had hanged the wrong person. Must we wait until that happens over and over again to ban the death penalty in India? Stop the hangings. - Kishore Tejaswi
Skilling India
Anumeha Yadav has correctly made out an excellent case for industry walking the talk on a skills ecosystem to truly develop India. ('Why Modi's new Skill India mission will mean nothing for workers') Although businesses are the biggest beneficiary of skilled labour in the form of a more efficient and productive workforce, they have lacked enthusiasm when it comes to loosening their purse strings for this purpose. Matters have not been helped by the tendency of vocational education and training providers to perceive government schemes as an easy way to make quick returns. - Rumki Moitra
Land reform
The argument favouring further division of land is shortsighted and lacks deep insight about how agricultural growth in India will be harmed. ('Why the Modi government must work on land reform before land acquisition') Considering 95% of farmers are already small and marginal ones, is there land to divide further? These farmers are already under tremendous stress and are committing suicide.
Small agricultural holdings are already unsustainable and do not generate profit. In addition, the land is further divided with every passing generation. It's a suicidal idea to further divide tennis court-size land. It will be the last nail in the coffin of Indian agriculture.
The great Indian scientist MS Swaminathan, who brought the Green Revolution to India, is also against this idea. It's like distributing crumbs and starving everyone in the process. - Feroz
Adani connection
I am a regular reader of Scroll.in and have found that, in general, your articles present a neutral view in comparison to other media in India. However, I am having second thoughts after reading the article titled 'Did the Jayalalithaa government sign up expensive solar power from Adani?'
I think that the journalist ought to have taken the view of a solar energy expert on the possible reasons as to why the price of solar power could be more expensive in Tamil Nadu. There could be several reasons: difference in the price of land, difference is solar radiation levels and the fact that module prices would be cheaper in 2016 as compared to prices this year. None of these possiblities have been given due consideration in the article.
Also, the fact that energy from wind or coal is cheaper than solar energy is not significant here. Energy from coal is pollution. Coal prices are increasing (how do we know that energy from coal will still cost Rs 3.5 after 15 years?) Wind energy is less predictable than solar energy as wind speeds can vary signifcantly - Harsh Goenka
Doctors know
This is a very thoughtful and interesting article. ('What doctors know about death that the rest of us don't') Everyone wants a smooth and easy exit, which is quick and painless. A familiar atmosphere is conducive to a more positive approach to the inevitable. Having witnessed more deaths, doctors know when resuscitation efforts are just a sham. - Sarojini Dash
Get it right
Dear Girish Shahane, with all humility, may I ask when Mr Amartya Sen was a non-partisan individual? ('Why the BJP is appointing C-listers to head top institutions') Please read his articles and watch his interviews. He is definitely a Congress/Leftist person. - Mukherjee
Wasting food
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations is constantly working towards eliminating hunger in the world. ('India should heed John Oliver's message and stop wasting insane amounts of food') It is unfortunate that the world's biggest democracy is a major culprit when it comes to wasting food. India and China do not lag far behind in this respect.
When there is so much undernourishment and hunger in the world, especially in Asia and Africa, it calls for a vow not to waste food. The latest techniques should be adopted and popularised in the storage of foodgrains and quicker delivery through speedier supply lines.
Governments have to act and ensure that no wastage takes place. In Germany, if you order food and leave something in your plate, you are penalised. What a wonderful law. Shouldn't we follow suit?- Kewal Khanna
Belling the cat
Why doesn't this failed mother-son duo step down? They are as idiotic as ever. ('Sonia Gandhi's unusual display of anger sends out a message beyond Shashi Tharoor') I think Shashi Tharoor used the right words. At least someone is capable of criticising the Congress in public. - Arpita Ghosh
One other?
The headline is completely misleading and biased. ('As Marans' Sun TV takes on home ministry, other Tamil channels take on Sun TV') 'Other Tamil channels' means more than a few channels. But in your story, only one unknown channel's representative has given a phone interview. The writer of the story should have met all the channel owners if he or she really wanted to present a holistic view of the issue. In addition, the writer should have also gauged public opinion. The editor should have dismissed this lopsided story. - Ravi
Keep it up
An awesome article by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan. ('The BJP has figured out its own 'zero loss' argument for Sushma Swaraj - whataboutery and legalese') The best thing I liked about this post and the other articles on Scroll.in is that you are neutral.
Some journalists are born Congress supporters and some BJP, while some just support the ruling party at a given time. But you journalists do not spare anyone who is unworthy. Rohan has done a wonderful job. I had similar thoughts on the subject, but he has been able to put them down in such beautiful words. Keep up the good work and ignore the trolls. - James Jose
Gained in translation
It's simply an awesome and powerful article. ('Word for word: the translator's temptations and the pleasure of sinning') As a Spanish language student-cum-professor, I have done many literary translations and had similar thoughts on this subject. I completely agree with the writer. There should not be any restrictions on translation. It need not be a replica of the original piece. - Mary Saha
Debating philanthropy
It is actually not fair or accurate - though it is a popular sport - to declare India's ultra rich as tight-fisted when it comes to philanthropy ('Azim Premji aside, why are India's ultra rich so tight-fisted when it comes to philanthropy?'). I am currently researching a Ph.D. dissertation examining the philanthropy of the Indian elite and find plenty of evidence of significant giving and social concern among the ultra and very rich.
I would like, for now, to correct one particular misconception in Shoaib Daniyal 's article. Religious causes are very much counted as “philanthropy” in the West. The two percent of GDP statistic for giving the USA includes religious giving. According to the 2015 Giving USA figures, religious giving comprised 32% of total giving. In years past it has been slightly lower. Religion, though not necessarily giving to religion, is a powerful driverå of philanthropy in all cultures.
Finding statistics to compare with Giving USA is fraught with difficulty. For the ultra-wealthy, Bain & Co is our best source to date. They also report that most of the Indian high net-worth individual philanthropists were novices whereas most US philanthropists are experienced philanthropists. This is consistent with the emergence of wealth in India, largely since the 1991 liberalization of India's economy. Great wealth has only recently become evident in India, in contrast to the USA.
The real concern, in my view, is not the apocryphal 'tight-fistedness' of the ultra-wealthy. The real concern is the lack of well-informed discussion about this important topic. - John Godfrey