•It appears Jaithirth Rao does not have the remotest idea of what a buffer state is or should be, Our country is primarily agriculturist. To protect his farmhouse from predators, a farmer earmarks some area around his house for fodder and kitchen gardens and some area for flower beds to beautify his landscape. This he will enclose with a thick hedge, possibly a thorny one. His aim is to keep the hedge thick so that no predator can cross it.

The British were definitely wise. With Nepal, they had a friendship treaty and Tibet was a protectorate. They had a clear understanding that for any problem the Dalai Lama will seek help from India and not look to China. This made Tibet an effective buffer. Pakistan is the result of the wrong policies of our leaders. A clash of personalities created Pakistan. A proxy war has been unleashed on India through the so-called Mujahids who are being trained and financed by Pakistan.

A friendly Afghanistan was alienated. It should be clear to Rao that it is Pakistan, not India, which has outsourced the war. Rao needs to be enlightened that Nadir Shah invaded India because there was no government in Delhi. The Marathas had become arrogant and failed to get any support from the Rajputs, or the local peasantry, and therefore failed miserably. Rao should know that Chengiz Khan did not dare to cross Sindh because the government in Delhi was strong!

— Sangram Singh

Mohali

Cartwheeling Gowdas

•Your editorial, ‘Karnataka cartwheels’ is in keeping with your motto ‘journalism of courage’. The father-son duo, Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy, seem to be anything but men of scruples. Had the BJP not pressed for the transfer of power by October 3, as had been agreed to, the former PM and his son would not have found anything wrong with the “communal” BJP. The Gowda family’s craze for power and money has been well brought out by your Bangalore correspondent, Johnson T.A.

According to reports in some sections of the Bangalore press, the Gowda family’s wealth runs into thousands of crores of rupees, and all of it has been gained through misuse of power which it has been wielding for quite some time. For this act of sheer betrayal, Deve Gowda joins the distinguished company of Charan Singh and Devi Lal, who forced untimely elections on the nation.

— M.K.D. Prasada Rao Ghaziabad

•There cannot be a better example of lust for power than the father-son duo in Karnataka. Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy managed a drama to part ways with the Congress and join hands with the BJP. They then went and wooed the very Congress they had shunned earlier, in order to sideline the BJP. Their political amorality knows no limits. Now the electorate should throw them out. This is also a lesson for political parties. It is best to avoid hotch-potch coalitions.

— Ramachandran V.N.

Vadodara

Inzy’s grace

•That Inzamam-ul Haq has decided to quit the game with honour speaks volumes for a man who has often been described in cricketing circles as a gentle giant. The resolution to fade away from international cricket gracefully at a time when he, in his own words, feels that he still has a couple of years’ game left in him, puts the former Pakistan captain on a different plane altogether. He chose not to rest on past laurels and cause embarrassment to the team management with pitiful exhibitions of form. Inzamam was a true titan and will always be remembered for his on-field heroics. Adieu mate!

— Pachu Menon

Margao