Shailaja’s maturity:

Shailaja Acharya has shown political maturity and insight. In comparison to other Nepali Congress functionaries, she stands tall. And among the leaders of her generation, she deserves the post of president more than anybody else. Unfortunately, her own uncle, Girija P Koirala, continues to overlook her in order to promote his own daughter, Sujata, who is known to have neither the political talent nor the charisma. Or perhaps he still continues to feel threatened knowing well that if there is anybody who can claim the NC party presidency among the next generation leaders, it would undoubtedly be Shailaja.

Prem Sarkee, via e-mail

Rude crew:

I was one of the passengers on board a Cosmic Airlines flight between Kathmandu and Biratnagar on November 6. The flight landed back at the Tribhuvan International Airport after being in the sky for about 20 minutes for ‘technical reasons.’ That can happen with aircraft, but what surprised me was the rude behaviour of the air hostesses. They need not explain the full details of the problem in the aeroplane, but it is their job to console and be polite with the frustrated passengers, particularly the worried and panicking elderly people. They were busy selling water to the passengers rather than doing their job. They should be better trained to handle such situations.

Dr Abhinav Vaidya, BPKIHS, Dharan

Poor service:

I support Yuvaraj Baral’s opinion expressed in his letter “Harmful bus syndicates” published in THT on November 7 regarding the poor transport service provided to passengers on long routes. I would like to add that the buses are overcrowded even during long journeys. This is extremely dangerous for the safety of the passengers. Often, the passengers have to request the drivers not to over-speed, but only in vain. Another important thing is that the night bus drivers don’t change shift during the journey. So they drive continuously without proper rest. This can cause accidents. The passengers, as Baral said, are taken to sub-standard eating places which sell unhealthy food to the passengers who have paid a high price for their tickets. There is no proper toilet facility as well. The government must check such negligence immediately, and the bus owners need to improve their services.

P S Niraula, via e-mail

Jazzmandu:

I was amazed to see the photograph showing a traditional Newari dance in a recent THT news item about Jazzmandu festival 2005. This is total disrespect to music and this great festival, which is being celebrated with much fanfare in the country. More importantly, such a picture would surely mislead many readers who have little knowledge of jazz music, especially those who want to know more about jazz. A picture speaks more than a thousand words. For many readers, your photograph of a traditional Newari dance must have surely communicated what Jazzmandu was like. It seems that your photo editor made a mistake or the reporter was being careless. At least show some respect to Jazzmandu. Festivals of these standards deserve some good coverage in the media.

Arpan Shrestha, via e-mail