Letters

More science, please

I must confess that my cynicism about a "new science and environment magazine" vanished after seeing the first two issues of Down To Earth. No doubt, it is unique in the Indian context.

But while trying to keep a balance between science and environment, I feel your magazine has suffered a slight tilt towards the latter. Of course, the division between the two is very thin, and one cannot ignore environmental issues when the whole world is fighting over them. Nevertheless, I hope you will give equal weightage to science which, unlike environment, has been largely ignored by the print media. ...

Apt title

The title you've selected for your magazine is a good one. After all, the earth is all that matters for human beings. Sri Aurobindo once said, "We bless.... this land of ours which has been even as a mother unto our nation. Blessed be this our own, our Motherland, which holds the promise of a far more glorious future for her sons than what has been theirs in the past...."

It's a great pity that the dreams and the hopes of Sri Aurobindo and millions of us who had fought for India's freedom are yet to be realised. After four decades, why is it that 80 per cent of our people have no access even to safe drinking water? Why are more than half our people illiterate and why do they live below the poverty line? Why is it that we are still one of the poorest countries in the world?

We have to find answers to these questions. I do believe that your magazine will play a vital role in doing this. ...

A happier ending?

I, along with I'm sure many others, fear that the Rio conference will turn out to be just endless discussions without any real solutions emerging. The Centre for Science and Environment's statement on global environmental democracy, which was given to me by my professor, gave me hope for a different ending. I realised that some people somewhere on this earth, were not only concerned with the problems of today, but were also offering seemingly concrete solutions. ...

Too expensive

Although your objective in bringing out a fortnightly newsmagazine is very laudable, I am afraid that its annual subscription charges are so high that it may not be within the reach of the common man. The cost of an issue comes to a whopping Rs 40! ...

Think colour

DOWN TO EARTH was given to me by a friend and I went through it with great interest. Your first issue was an interesting and informative mix of subjects related to environment. One never realised there could be so many facets to the environment.

Two factors with regard to the magazine are somewhat out of place. One, inside a very bright and attractive cover, there is an almost interminable stretch of grey, with the colour pages providing a fleeting break. Two, the text, though informative, makes for very heavy reading.

I understand that a new publication needs time to iron out the bugs, but to capture a wider audience, the text may need to be peppered with pictures, boxes, illustrations and the like. I wish it all success. ...

Keep up the sharpness

Please accept our greetings and best wishes on the launching of Down To Earth. The inaugural issue was well-produced, very informative and commercially competitive. We do hope you will be blessed in this venture. Keep up the sharpness of the contents. ...

Guidance from India

After Rio we will need, more than before, a sharp analysis for the future of the most promising global movement for human empowerment in history. My broad conception was enthusiastically realised when you told me of your plans to launch a fortnightly magazine. From your magazine I feel confident that the global movement will receive broad guidance and encouragement from the best location on earth for the purpose -- India....

A timely effort

The politics of the 21st century is going to be dominated by issues relating to energy and environment. But all the information about these issues is coming to us from the northern media. Environmentalists in developing countries should look at these issues from a different perspective and thus safeguard southern interests by educating the people in general and decision-makers in particular.

Down To Earth has come at a very appropriate time. Having gone through the first issue of this magazine, I hope that it becomes an important document on issues relating to science and environment from a southern perspective. ...

Letters Letters