Tale of two countries

Sir — April is the cruellest month, albeit for the pocket. Summer months see a spike in electricity bills, leaving a deep hole in our pockets. While sweaty Calcuttans have to throw caution to the wind and keep the air-conditioners running, Finland is dealing with a rather unusual problem. It has produced such a surplus of clean energy that its electricity prices have now dropped to negative. This is because of the Finnish effort to boost the production of renewable energy in light of the Russia-Ukraine war. Is it any wonder then that Finland is the happiest country in the world and India ranks 126th on the happiness index?

Ribhu Datta,Jamshedpur

Cracked foundation

Sir — The Union government was unable to provide evidence to support its claim that the Chola-era Sengol — a sceptre — was used to mark the transfer of power between Britain and independent India (“Transfer-of-power claim on sceptre a ‘bad story’”, May 27). It is just another attempt by the prime minister to put up a show. Could it be that the coronation of King Charles III was the inspiration behind inventing the story of a sceptre to mark the transfer of power? If the foundation of the new Parliament is being laid on the basis of myth-making and fiction, can there be any hope of it being the seat of democracy?

Bisakha Biswas,Calcutta

Sir — The inauguration of the new Parliament building is an exercise in self-promotion for the prime minister (“What is the message, PM?”, May 26). His insistence on inaugurating the building shows his disrespect for constitutional positions.

Bishal Saha,Murshidabad

Sir — Not having the president, Droupadi Murmu, inaugurate the new Parliament building reveals the casteist mindset of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Datta Shravan Khandare,Mumbai

Spotty record

Sir — Three African cheetah cubs have died at the Kuno National Park (“3 cheetah cubs died in Kuno on Tuesday”, May 26). The deaths of three adult cheetahs and three cubs are a major setback to the reintroduction programme. Conservationists should probe the causes of these deaths and take steps to save the rest of the cheetahs.

Alok Ganguly,Nadia

Ethical checks

Sir — The rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence can be dangerous unless it is used ethically (“Rising rogue”, May 27). Most AI systems are designed with safety protocols and are subjected to rigorous testing and regulations to ensure that they do not pose a threat to humans. Although AI has the potential to automate many jobs and lead to unemployment in certain sectors, it can also create newer jobs as long as workers are retrained.

Sambhav Jain,Ujjain

Rocking legacy

Sir — The world has lost an icon with the demise of the ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’, Tina Turner. Her passion for music had mesmerised millions of fans around the world. While her partnership with her former husband, Ike Turner, had produced hits like “Proud Mary”, “River Deep-Mountain High”, Turner demonstrated great strength by coming out of the abusive marriage to rebuild her career as a solo star and earn 12 Grammys.

Vijay Singh Adhikari,Nainital

Smoggy view

Sir — It is disheartening that the air quality of the popular hill town of West Bengal, Darjeeling, is below the national average (“Pollution study busts pure hill air myth”, May 27). The authorities should take immediate action to restore the ‘Queen of Hills’ to its former glory.

Sourish Misra,Calcutta