Given how lifeless our well-decorated newspapers are becoming, the only place to get some juice is in the LTTE (letters to the editor) columns. Sample this letter in today's Telegraph, Calcutta:
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Sir—The British prime minister, Tony Blair, choosing to fly in a low-cost airline while returning from Italy should be a lesson to the central and state ministers of India. Indian politicians brazenly fly executive class and stay in five-star hotels at the cost of the taxpayer with total disregard to the fiscal status of the country. Parliament needs to pass a bill which will make it mandatory for the ministers to travel low cost and stay in the state-sponsored guest houses in order to save the exchequer thousands of rupees.
Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta.
This small item from ‘Business Standard’ of June 6 may be of interest: “President APJ Abdul Kalam’s extended family came to visit him some days ago, the first time since he assumed office. After reaching Delhi, the 30-odd family members from Rameswaram were booked in a bus to Ajmer and on their return, they enjoyed the hospitality of Rashtrapati Bhawan for two-three days. The President asked for the bill for food, laundry and other incidentals after they had left, and paid for them.”