Media: February 2005 Archives

Mohan Roy (An independent News corespondent), Kolkata, 5th February: A symposium was organized at ‘Calcutta International Book Fair’ United Bank of India Auditorium by ‘Matribhasa Suraksa Samiti, Bangabhasa Samskriti and Bamla Bachao Committee’ (‘All Bengal Save Mother Tongue Association’).

The meeting was presided over by Dr. Alok Mukherjii, a noted linguist from Bengal.

Indonesia's top intellectual and a longtime contender for the Nobel Literature prize believes that the influx of foreigners and aid money into tsunami-devastated Aceh could bring significant change to the war-torn province.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer, an outspoken champion of democracy who was imprisoned for 14 years by the U.S.-backed dictatorship of former president Suharto, said recovery, and ultimately peace, will depend on the Acehnese.

"They are the country's bravest, most fiercely independent ethnic group and they cannot be conquered," Pramoedya told The Associated Press in an interview at his home outside Jakarta. "With everybody coming in from around the world, that could bring real change for the Acehnese."

National News Service, Kolkata - 25 February 2005: The moral degradation that the average Indian has gone through and continues to go through has reached new heights. The inability of Indians to shine in anything has lead us to celebrate mediocrity.

The latest example being Sania Mirza. We wish and hope that she becomes a great sports person, but to celebrate her rising to the third round of the Australian Open and being ranked 99 th in the WTP rankings is totally out of proportion with her achievements. The achievements of Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaideep Mukherjea, Premjit Lal, Naresh Kumar, Ramesh Krishnan, The Amritraj Brothers, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati were much greater than what Sania Mirza has achieved but, the Indian public, and more than the public, the medias' hype has gone beyond control. All the previous players received their dues when they achieved real success after years of toil, and their achievements real, but frankly speaking the press and the public are doing a disservice to Sania Mirza by hyping a non achievement.

By Aarti Dhar

CAMPBELL BAY (NICOBAR ISLANDS), FEB. 16. Apart from the destruction caused by the tsunami, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are witnessing another problem — a divide between the local tribal population and the mainland settlers.

[India News]: Campbell Bay (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Feb.15 : A teenaged woman, who survived on wild berries and rainwater for over 40 days on a tsunami devastated Indian island, was rescued by a search helicopter earlier this week.

National News Service (Kolkata, Feb. 16, 2005): The pseudo intellectuals of India have struck again. The bleeding hearts like Medha Patkar and Arundhuti Roy are crying their hearts for S.A.R. Geelani, a Muslim fundamentalist, and so called professor of the University of Delhi. If there was any genuine case of somebody deserving to be locked up in Guantanamo Bay, it is he.