“So they say”

In the column "So they say” (Parsiana, February 21, 2010) you have quoted Ronnie Screwvala, head of UTV, as saying: "What’s academics! I failed in my Inter! Parents need to back-off, this parental pressure is getting a bit too much. Failing in academics does not mean failure in life.”

I would like to state that there is no substitute for education. It is a fact that Screwvala is a most successful and admired Parsi entrepreneur of the last decade. I would like to ask: does he employ highly educated and experienced persons with academic qualifications to run his various enterprises? Another question: does every Parsi have the same luck, chances and backing that he is blessed with even after failing in the Inter?

The fact is that Parsis have an edge over the teeming Indian masses because of academic excellence. May it ever remain so! HOMI IRANI

hjirani@gmail.com