Sir — Many Indians have unhygienic habits that can prove to be severely harmful to health, especially amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Two such practices are spitting in public spaces and counting currency notes or turning the pages of books with one’s saliva. While the stain of pan masala and gutkha can be seen everywhere, paper currency, circulated among a wide range of citizens, becomes a breeding ground for microbes owing to this habit. In such matters, Indians are equally incorrigible, no matter how educated or affluent we are. A mere government notification cannot change this; people need to be sensitized rigorously.

Sukhamay Biswas,

Calcutta

Staying fit

Sir — The prime minister, Narendra Modi, recently shared a series of animated videos of himself performing different Yoga asanas on Twitter to apprise the people of India of how he has been staying fit during the lockdown. This was done allegedly in response to a query regarding how he maintains his fitness routine during this crisis. Unsurprisingly, his tweet attracted the attention and applause of many.

At a time when a number of people across the country are dying either owing to Covid-19, the lack of relief funds or infrastructure and sometimes even of starvation, Modi’s tweet seems somewhat frivolous. If indeed he must answer questions asked by his countrymen, should he not choose more important ones? The prime minister seems eager to assuage the boredom of the privileged classes, but when it comes to alleviating the hardships of the needy, he simply makes an apology. The decision to lock down the country was a necessary one. But now, instead of keeping the masses entertained, Modi is expected to make plans to reduce the distress of the common man.

The people of India should also understand that the lockdown is not a vacation, even if they can afford to treat it as one. No amount of physical acrobatics will help us wriggle out of similar, perhaps more dangerous, situations in the future if we refuse to pay attention to issues such as those of environment protection, investment in research and development and equal concern for all citizens.

Abhijit Sengupta,

Calcutta

Sir — Narendra Modi, who is quite active on social media platforms, posted on Twitter a video link on Monday and claimed that he practises the Yoga Nidra asana once or twice a week, as it relaxes the mind, and reduces stress and anxiety. Sharing Modi’s tweet, Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the president of the United States of America, expressed her appreciation of the initiative, especially during a time of crisis when the Covid-19 outbreak across the world has many countries in lockdown.

Ivanka Trump had recently visited India along with her family where Modi had welcomed them by organizing the ‘Namaste Trump’ event in the honour of the US premier. Clearly, Modi has fascinated Trump and his family. One hopes that this bond between the heads of the two countries reflects in the US’s development plans for India.

Munawwar Khurshid,

Mumbai

Learn a lesson

Sir — One novel factor about the novel coronavirus is that it affected some of the most developed countries in the world — ones known for their power and prosperity — before spreading to the others. For long, deadly epidemics have been associated with poor or the so-called subaltern countries, like those in sub-Saharan Africa, or with less developed countries where the citizens are perpetually battling problems such as poverty and malnutrition. Rarely is a virus known to take down the high and mighty. This time, however, even the president of the world’s most powerful nation and his family had to take tests to check for the coronavirus. This proves that nature is a great leveller. For the first time, the chest-thumping rhetoric of powerful politicians, boasting of the superiority or primacy of their own nations, has been replaced by calls for international cooperation and praise for bipartisan policies. It also goes to show that nature is a great unifier.

What is yet to be seen is a definitive clarion call to stop the arms race and check reckless spending on military hardware. Will the coronavirus help replace these with investments in the welfare of human beings and the environment? If it does, it will establish that nature is also a great teacher. Human beings will learn that even a dangerous virus can bring goodwill, peace, well-being and equality for all on earth.

Sunipa Basu,

Calcutta