Kindly forward this letter to the addressee....
Raghu Venkatachalaiah
From: Raghu Venkatachalaiah <raghum...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 17, 2013 at 10:51 PM
Subject: Kindly forward this letter to the addressee....
To: ministero.a...@cert.esteri.it
Raghu V.
Assistant Professor, Department of English
Vijaya College, Jayanagar, Bangalore
Karnataka, India
Pin: 560 011
17 March 2013
Mr. Ippazio Stefano,
Honourable Mayor,
Taranto, Italy.
Dear Mr. Ippazio Stefano,
Subject: We demand respect not charity....
I thank you for your offer to sponsor the children of Indian fishermen killed by your marines. And emphatically reject the same.
We would appreciate if you can keep up the promise you made to the highest court of this country, by sending back the killer marines. We wish to remind you that India is a federal structure governed by a constitution and monitored by the courts. Also remember that the killings happened on the Indian waters and the jurisdiction is on Indian soil according to Indian laws. The fishermen, killed by trigger happy marines of yours, were fishing on Indian waters; right to livelihood is again a right guaranteed by the Indian constitution.
I am not surprised by this kind gesture of yours as it is
based on your perception gained by the interaction with some people of this
country who you think `represent’ India. But they are middlemen and not the
real men of this country. Sorry sir, our lives are not for sale. You might get
the trade deals by offering commissions and kickbacks to these men but not our
souls.
Sir, you touched the most sensitive chord by making an offer to sponsor education of the children of the murdered fishermen. Again education is a right guaranteed by our constitution and in a country where millions are in schools a few from the Gods own country could not miss the same. And you are referring to a state which has the highest literacy! In turn why don’t you send the children of the killer marines to our schools for education if you fear that they would be miss it as a consequence of legal proceedings against their fathers?
The offer you made is audacious and arrogant. It clearly reflects the colonial thinking that you have money power to buy away any atrocity committed against colonised country. We have moved beyond that Sir, but your thoughts are stuck there, high time you grow up. What marine is he who cannot make out pirate infested waters from safe monitored international waters? The coasts of Indian subcontinent is closely monitored and well protected. Your vessel could have called our port authorities or coast guards to verify before pulling the triggers or ......is it that they wanted to have some fun at the cost of brown skins? Hmm...... you feel the offer is too good for us to buy. Are you aware that the temple lockers of the state in which you killed `poor’ fishermen contain valuable goods in gold and gems and the estimated price of this wealth is beyond any imagination? In India poverty is not a sin but virtue. Our father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi showed us that we can live happily with minimum comforts. We choose to live with passion not with fashion.
Sir, we too regret we cannot accept your offer. What we need
is respect for the constitution and courts of India and honour for the dead
fishermen brothers.
Your country being the home of the holy spirits housing the
Vatican should not fear to send your sons to face a fair trial to a land known
for tolerance and patience. And the lord bore the cross to suffer the sins of
many. He did not find a place to rest his head, faced the trial and the
following consequences. Christ did not hide, run away for fear of trial. Men of
courage face the consequences of their action. Only cowards and sinners hide.
Now, I call up on thee to send your marines and not words of charity.
Thank you
Yours faithfully
Raghu V.