Human debt

Sir — Heartwarming stories about humans stepping in to save animals are all too familiar. The reverse is equally true. Human beings have been dependent on animals not only for their daily needs but also for their survival. This has been recently illustrated by the war in Ukraine where compression bandages used by medics are being coated with ‘chitosan’ extract — a fabric made from shrimp shells that can stop heavy bleeding within a minute by forming clots — to save thousands of injured soldiers. While this alleviates human misery, it will invariably lead to the widespread killing of the crustaceans, which play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem. Warmongers should understand that there is a simpler way to stop the bloodshed — by ensuring peace.

Namrata Ghatani, Mumbai

War crimes

Sir — The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over his alleged war crimes in Ukraine (“Warrant pierces Putin aura”, Mar 19). However, this may not be very effective in curbing Putin’s actions. The international tribunal has no police force to enforce such warrants and, therefore, have to rely on the world community for reining in Putin. The bigger irony is that the two superpowers, the United States of America and China, are not signatories to the ICC. So are the two warring sides, Russia and Ukraine. This can render the ICC’s move futile.

D.V.G. Sankararao, Andhra Pradesh

Sir — The decision of the ICC to issue an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin will significantly puncture his hubris. Putin’s government has been accused of abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Although there is little prospect of Putin standing trial, the court’s move carries a moral weight that puts Putin in the ranks of the most dangerous war criminals in history.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — A current and a former world leader are facing arrest at present. The indictment of the former American president, Donald Trump, in the Stormy Daniels case seems imminent whereas Vladimir Putin has an arrest warrant issued against him for his war crimes in Ukraine. This shows that no one is above the law.

R. Narayanan, Navi Mumbai

Tighten the net

Sir — It is heartening that the Union finance ministry has brought cryptocurrencies under the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Additionally, the entity ownership threshold has been reduced to 10% from the earlier 25% under the new PMLA rules. This will bring more indirect participants within the reporting net. Further, for cash transactions of over Rs 10 lakh, the entities are to furnish details of their clients. The stringent rules will help in preventing fraud and safeguard against potential scams.

Dattaprasad Shirodkar, Mumbai

Politics of grace

Sir — In his column, “Courage under fire” (Mar 19), Gopalkrishna Gandhi highlighted the virtues of the E.M.S. Namboodiripad government in Kerala, such as radical land reforms and education policies, that brought about a holistic development. Namboodiripad’s vision of decentralisation of power and literacy deeply impacted society. His respect for Jawaharlal Nehru in spite of the fact that his democratically-elected government was dismissed by the Nehru-led Congress regime by invoking Article 356 is remarkable. Such graceful gestures have become scarce in politics.

Jayanta Datta, Hooghly

Sir — The former chief minister of Kerala, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, displayed exemplary moral strength when he listed the various achievements of Jawaharlal Nehru in a tribute letter on the latter’s 70th birthday despite the rivalry between them. Namboodiripad also chose to raise awareness about the negative aspects of Article 356 without questioning its constitutionality. The particular episode was beautifully depicted by Gopalkrishna Gandhi in his article, “Courage under fire” (Mar 19), using table tennis analogy.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Start early

Sir — It was heartening to learn that the Calcutta school, Mahadevi Birla World Academy, is admitting children at the age of two-plus to match the trend of early schooling. Reeta Sonawat, who specialises in childhood education, once pointed out that early education is critical for lifelong learning. In today’s age of working parents, preschool is important for children to learn social skills and language development by interacting with their peers. The preschool learning system should thus be reformed to accommodate the needs of children.

Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta

Victory, at last

Sir — ATK Mohun Bagan deserves praise for winning its maiden Indian Super League Championship by defeating Bengaluru FC 4-3 in a thrilling penalty shootout (“Keeper stars as Bagan lift ISL trophy”, Mar 19). The Man of the Match, Dimitri Petratos, scored three penalties for Bagan, which reminded one of Kylian Mbappe’s penalty hattrick in the World Cup final. The save of Bruno Ramires’ penalty by the goalkeeper, Vishal Kaith, sealed Bagan’s victory in the final where they had unsettled BFC right from the start. It is hoped that this will significantly boost Bagan’s confidence in the upcoming Super Cup.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir — ATK Mohun Bagan will be renamed as Mohun Bagan Super Giants. This will placate fans who have been miffed with the inclusion of ATK in the team name.

Sneha Biswas, Malda