Professor P Ramasamy's letter titled Article on 'Ceylonese' insensitive, pernicious was very interesting. Having read the original Star piece (March 27) and the short explanatory note by the Star (March 31), I take the following view:

First, the original piece was well-written, even if its depth was shallow, and very relevant; and the mention of 'Indian coolies' was clearly, historically, factual and correct and there is no point being in denial of the truth. I am prepared to give the writer of the Star article the benefit of the doubt that she did not intend to call present-day Malaysian Indians "coolies" and only meant it in historical context.

Indeed, it is in contrast to that historical position that the present Indian Tamil community needs to measure its development and progress; if there have been such development and progress. Have Malaysian Indians really come out of the "coolie" sub-class social status, relative to the progress and development of the other races?

Let us not forget that many Malaysian Chinese immigrants brought to the Federated Malay States (FMS) by the British too came as "coolies" (as Prof Rama himself acknowledges). Have they not progressed and developed better relative to other races since they arrived? We must not be in denial of such historical facts and touchstones.

Second, in some ways Prof Rama's response was an over-reaction and for him to say that the 'historical rift between the descendants of those who migrated from present-day Sri Lanka and those who came from South India has been slowly closing due to the emergence of Tamil identity', is also to be in some denial of some long remaining resentment that Indian Tamil's still harbour against the Ceylonese for the way the latter's ancestors treated the former's ancestors within the living memory of many. But Prof Rama was right in pointing out that there has been healing.

Third, I do not believe that the Star article has humiliated the Indian community as postulated by Prof Rama. With respect, I believe that he is being oversensitive; I cannot believe that the Chinese would bat an eyelid if the term was used to refer to them in this context.