The actual irony of Gujarat (?Ironic intervention?, Nov 24) is that this was the location of a fateful dislocation in the late 17th/early 18th century that resulted in India?s loss of trade-route dominance of the high seas and ceding of its economic lead to Europe. Emperor Aurangzeb?s misguided zeal had created conditions for a rift between sea traders and their financiers (of a different religious persuasion) over the issue of interest rates (or ?usury?, as he saw it). Ships stopped sailing from Surat, and that was the ?surat-e-haal? that ended the subcontinent?s economic success and administrative cohesion.
?RJ Shah
Intellectual value
For long-term success in Indian real estate (?To realise opportunity?, Nov 23), perhaps we need a shift in operative dictum from ?location, location, location? as the three things that matter, to ?intellectual value, intellectual value, intellectual value?. The concept of property is changing.
?Anuj Chaturvedi, Gurgaon
Playing chicken
While the media may say that whom Ronen Sen?s ?headless chicken? remark was aimed at is a matter of conjecture (?LS committee gives clean chit to Ronen Sen?, Nov 23), doesn?t the fact that such an innocuous phrase raised so many hackles reflect poorly on our public discourse?
?Srinivas Seth, Mumbai