Remembering Sir Arthur Cotton

On May 15, on his birthday it is apt to remember the eminent British engineer, Sir Arthur Cotton who played a pivotal role in the construction of the original anicut on the Godavari River at Dowaleswaram near Rajahmundry. This anicut, completed in 1852, is often referred to as the Dowleswaram Barrage. it’s more accurately known as the Dowleswaram Barrage, which was later replaced and upgraded to the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (also sometimes called the Godavari Barrage) in the latter part of the 20th century. Sir Arthur Cotton’s initiative and engineering skills were crucial in transforming the Godavari delta into a fertile Agricultural Region, protecting it from floods and famines. His contributions are still remembered and honoured in the region today.

Kantamsetti Lakshman Rao, Visakhapatnam

MP Minister has goofed up

The MP cabinet minister, Vijay Shaw, has made a grave mistake! His remark on Col.Qureshi deserves to be condemned without any reservations and second thoughts, because Vijay Shaw should note that he is not an ordinary man on the street to talk disparagingly against anybody more so, when that anybody is an “active” officer of the armed forces. The High Court did the right thing, by taking up a suo motu case against the erring minister and got FIR registered against him. Caught on the wrong foot, Vijay Shaw tried to down play his remarks against Col.Qureshi, but the damage has been done. The opposition got a good handle to beat the ruling BJP with Vijay Shaw’s remarks. By demanding the sacking of Vijay Shaw, the opposition parties are apparently overdoing everything about it.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

Turkey faces Indian boycott now

After Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Hyderabad’s Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) suspended of their Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with educational institutions in Turkey, due to national security.

This move comes amid an intensifying boycott of Turkish goods and services in India, spurred by Turkey’s vocal support for Pakistan following India’s military action under Operation Sindoor. The use of Turkish-origin drones by Pakistan to breach Indian airspace has triggered widespread public and political backlash within the country.

The university stated that the MoU had been signed on 2 January, 2024, for a period of five years, under which a diploma course in Turkish language was introduced at the School of Languages, Linguistics, and Indology.

The services of a Visiting Professor were engaged for this programme. It is also worth noting that the Visiting Professor from Turkey has already returned to his country. There is also growing demand for a tourism boycott of both Turkey and Azerbaijan, following Ankara and Baku’s support for Islamabad and their criticism of India’s strikes on terror camps in Pakistan.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Is Tharoor BJP man in Congress?

It is time the Congress lets Shashi Tharoor go where he belongs. It should facilitate what he wishes to do. The Thiruvananthapuram MP has made it clear time and again that he agrees with the BJP and disagrees with his own party on a host of issues. He has said enough to be called a BJP man in the Congress. Erudite and articulate that he is, Tharoor would make a good spokesperson for the BJP. Or he could be elevated to the position of Minister of State for External Affairs to assist S. Jaishankar.

For all his espousal of secularism in his writings, the BJP mentality in him surfaces and resurfaces and reveals what kind of a nationalist he is, again and again. While refusing to toe his party’s line, Tharoor ends up kowtowing to the BJP. His strong defence of the Modi government on the Sindoor Operation is an exertion no BJP spokesperson can ever do better. He spoke, to use his words, “as an Indian and in the national interest”. If his unqualified praise of Modi is anything to go by, it can be safely said that he suffers from what can be described as “Modi worship syndrome”.

G David Milton, Maruthancode