Needless battle
Sir — The hype generated around Halloween costumes is not new. This year, the supermodel, Heidi Klum, wore an outrageous costume for Halloween — she arrived at the star-studded annual party that she hosts dressed like a worm. Klum complained that she was feeling uncomfortable in it and yet she stuffed herself in an attire that made it difficult for her to breathe. The origin of Halloween can be traced back to All Saints' Day and was considered to be an occasion to remember the dead. Now Halloween has become an occasion for celebrities and common people alike to dress up strangely in a bid to outdo one another.
Sulagna Dhar, Mumbai
In ruins
Sir — An Indian IT graduate who relocated from India to Canada for a job with the social media giant, Meta, was laid off within just two days after joining. He is one of the 11,000 employees who have been impacted after the chief executive officer of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, announced mass layoffs in anticipation of a recession. Other tech giants such as Twitter, Amazon and Netflix have either slashed their headcounts or are expected to very soon. The mass layoffs are a sign that these tech businesses are in trouble ("Broken dreams", Nov 17). It must be noted that Meta, like other tech companies, enjoyed an economic boom during the pandemic. But their revenues began to fall after the lockdowns were lifted and people ventured out. The economic slowdown and a steady decline in online advertising — the biggest source of Meta's revenue — have contributed to its woes.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Sir — The tech bubble burst is forcing thousands of people out of their jobs. Both Meta and Twitter have laid people off in the past few weeks. However, there is a difference between how Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, and the new chief of Twitter, Elon Musk, handled the downsizing. While Meta has laid off 13% of the staff, Musk did not put much thought into the process, firing around 50% of the total workforce randomly soon after taking over.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Welcome move
Sir — The University Grants Commission has done away with the mandatory requirement of getting research papers published in peer-reviewed journals before the submission of the final PhD thesis. However, it has suggested that students should continue to publish papers as it will help when they apply for employment. Unethical practices such as plagiarism and pay-to-publish have become causes for concern. These have reduced the quality of research work. With mandatory compliance removed, students might be less likely to resort to unfair means.
Imamah Ali, Calcutta
New beginning
Sir — C.V. Ananda Bose, a retired Indian administrative officer from the Kerala cadre, has been appointed the governor of West Bengal. Bose was part of the working group that prepared the all-India affordable housing scheme. The differences between Raj Bhavan and the Mamata Banerjee-led government reached unprecedented levels during the tenure of Jagdeep Dhankhar. Many Opposition-ruled state governments are engaged in tussles with their governors. Such differences must be ironed out.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Parting shot
Sir — It is unfortunate that Gupta Nibas, the house on B.T. Road in Belghoria where Abanindranath Tagore lived out his last days, is in a dilapidated condition ("Neglect kills Aban last home", Nov 18). One hopes that the Indian Statistical Institute — which is the current proprietor — will restore the house.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta