Dear Hotelier,

I perfectly agree with you. Since you are a hotelier I am reminded by association, of a fourth ‘R’. You know that the habit of reading while eating is usually frowned upon by stern mothers and wise wives. It is bad manner and bad for the digestion. But people continue to consume their morning quota of news along with breakfast; alphabet soups continue to be served to the tiny tots in a not particularly shy effort to mix education with a meal; and apples and oranges continue to be eaten to the accompaniment of minor problems in simple arithmetic concerning the money dad has to shell out if he buys three dozens of the one at an unheard of price and two dozens of the other of a slightly more reasonable price. Which is more eggheads and indigent poets still make use of napkins cuffs and table-covers to jot down formulas and pharses born or sudden inspiration. The eateries in the United States and therefore not being particularly original in offering to clients a king of education without tears by way of table mats covered with all sorts of information, authentic let me hope, on subjects varying from the United Nations to the solar system. Literary activity at a restaurant table is normally restricted to a prolonged and often baffing study of the menu while exercise of the thinking and reflective appartus is encouraged generally by tardy waiters and inefficient service. However a chap may as well learn a thing or two about the Food and Agricultural Organization and the moons of Jupiter while struggling with a steak or stirring his coffee. If it will help the noble cause of education there is nothing wrong in adding to the three ‘R’s fourth—Restauranting. But it must be hoped he would be learners will not come to prefer a cafe to a school. I think this meets your requirements.

Yours faithfully,

Professor.

Dear Professor,

We have generally heard of the three R’s Portial reading, writing and arithmetic. Don’t you feel that there is now need to enlarge this family of Rs. Could you therefore suggest a fourth R?

Yours sincerely,

A Hotelier.

Dear Student,

We have made a fetish of non-violence these days but we should not forget that violence or at least anger is one essential feature of human nature. We can does away with it only by denying our nature free expression. You know when men get angry much more than temper is lost, although what precisely is the additional loss has not yet been worked out in detail. This is probably because different men in fury react differently. Some go to places, being unable to contain themselves; some go mute, some wastefully and often futilely vociferous; others grow violent, and sometimes pitiably aggressive. The scowl the red face and the knitted brow typify the angry man as much as the stammer, dilated eyes, bouncing heart working nostril and trembling hands. These are the commoner symptoms of a rush of adrenalin, which may lead to active violence. A contrast is provided by the cold, calculating, eye flashing fury of the strong, silent type which is a rare and a fascinating thing to behold. May I quote an instance. The other day in an English town a motorist happened gently to bump into the rear wheels of a postman’s bicycle. The later calmly got down from his vehicle inspected the damage and, speaking not a single word, kicked in the head lamps of the car. The motorist, equally calmly and as the tight lipperd got out inspected the damage and jumped on the bicycle’s rear wheel. The cyclist than smashed the car spot light, whereupon the motorist picked up the cycle and threw it down with a bang. Having got back into the car he was about to drive away when the cyclist took out his pump and smashed the windscreen. It is said neither spoke a word in the entire course of this exchange. That is the puzzling thing about the story. That and the fact that neither had the guts or the folly to assault the their physically, both retaining their wits to restrict themselves to assault on property. Perhaps this is a higher order of indignation, the spoken world being the usual means of working it out of the system. How much more useful it would be, if present-day politicians take a cue from this incident and initiate a new theory of non-violent violence.

Yours sincerely,

Professor.

Respected Professor,

The term “non-violence” in modern times has become almost a creed for people in all spheres of life. Yet you will agree that violence many a time becomes indispensable. Could you kindly quote an example of non-violent violence?

Yours respectfully,

A Student.

Dear Sir,

In modern time bureaucracy has acquired many forms. When any responsive or say responsible, Government finds that the people can’t do something well, it steps in and does it worse. Anyway it does it, that’s a the chief thing. A Brooklyn citizen the other day voiced and odd kind of protest against an obviously responsive local authority. It seems New York city recently appropriated $675.000 for 5000 trees, or about $135 at tree: and the citizen wailed: “I had a tree planted for & 35 in front of my house. Why does it cost the city $100 more? The poor Ignormus does not know the was of a bureaucrat, obviously: else the would have instantly understood a tree costs much more when bought or acquired by a government authority than when planted by a private individual. The prosscess is by no means simple. Estimates have to be called for. Tenders have to be invited, decisions on them taken, paper work and files field: and all the time the bills keep going up. Time as everyone knows, is a kind of money and since every official uses plenty of it the final bill will have little resemblance to the estimate. This is far from being unusual. Local authories sometimes build owner fiats in this country which cost twice as much as when others try their hand at it. Some time back some nine tons of an item of naval stores were bought at Rs.26.320 a ton: later it was found the market price was Rs.720 a ton. A timber seasoning kiln was built once at a cost of Rs.296.000: it took seven years to build, and then it was abandoned. A donkey was recently in the news as having been retained at a cost of Rs.60,000. These things happen a tree sprouts and grows, puts forth many leaves and branches out in various directions. One has to pay for it all. Incidentally these are the fruits of bureaucracy!

Yours faithfully.

Dear Sir,

Around 10 a.m. on September 16, when I go off a bus opposite the G.P.O, a middle aged respectable Sindhi, clad in simple white4 clothes, cheerfully approached me, shook hands and then, warmly pressing my right hand with both his hands closed his eyes for a few seconds and enquired of me, Achha Hae! (how do you do)? I was naturally somewhat surprised by this affectionate treatment form a stranger. I had not experienced anything like this during my three day’s stay in Karachi. On inquiry, he told me hat his son was fighting on the Kashmir front; he wished “victorious joy” for one, and all the jawans fighting for the motherland. We should indeed thank India for having served us in many ways through her invasion, one of which is that crude and selfish slogans like Sind for Sindhi and Punjab for Punjabi-speaking have suddenly vanished. “Pakistan for Pakistanis” is our only slogan now. It is high time o give, once again, a practical shape to the noble words uttered in the days of our patriotic leaders: “Who lives if Pakistan dies; who dies if Pakistan lives?”

Yours faithfully.