Letters: Cautionary tales

Apropos the report, "Rajat Gupta pens inside story" (April 12), one feels grateful to him for the promise that he will attempt to answer the toughest question yet for a person of his stature, namely, "How to maintain peace and dignity in the most difficult circumstances?"

As Gupta rightly presumes, first-person answers to such questions encountered in trying situations by individuals will help the youth. Case in point: the prime minister of Iceland had to resign after his name cropped up in the Panama Papers leak.

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In Kollam, defiance of the law by vested interests led to the death of more than 100 people and injury to hundreds of others. The district collector, who issued orders according to law, is struggling to help the victims of the tragedy caused by violation of her orders. This makes us ponder on the question: Is the rule of law on the decline in the 21st century? In India, public opinion is largely managed by the political leadership and the media. The youth and all those who are educated and employed need to participate in governance by expressing their views. Elders, who are able to interact with other citizens by various means including social media, need to play a proactive role in educating the less privileged in terms of performing their duties and responsibilities.

Beyond the focus on "breaking news" and prime-time content, the media should devote some time to promote honesty, ethical behaviour and safe and clean living. Publishing memoirs, like the one Gupta is planning, will likely enlighten people about how to avoid traps of the kind into which he fell.

M G Warrier, Mumbai

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