Sir — Research has suggested that rest cannot replace sleep in its restorative quality. Yet, sleep is not always restful. It can rejuvenate bodily functions, but can it restore mental balance? Restful time spent reading, gardening, listening to music or even in contemplation can be a balm for the soul, fortifying a person against the relentless pace of modern life. In essence, both are equally important. In a rush to improve one’s productivity, one should not fall into a vicious cycle of sleep and work. Taking time out to rest is key to not burning out. No amount of sleep can ensure that.
Papia Guha,
Calcutta
Day of shame
Sir — It is not surprising that the era of Donald Trump came to a close in a scene reminiscent of the fall of an ill-fated Roman or Czarist empire. The mob that converged on Capitol Hill signed off on a saga of ineptness compounded by ego. Trump’s falsehoods and obstinacy have extracted a steep cost from a proud nation.
The common people who bought into Trump’s lies, however, are far less to be blamed than the politicians who promoted Trump with evangelical fervour so as to consolidate power. This egged people on to take to the streets to avenge an imagined voter fraud. Trump’s dreams of a people’s revolution returning him to power became a nightmare for America at Capitol Hill. With his colleagues now deserting his sinking ship and in the face of a severe backlash from every section of the polity, Trump has now conceded defeat in an election he lost long ago by thousands of real votes.
The United States of America has lost face in the global arena and the new leadership must repair and reclaim its lost prestige. If Trump creates any further problems, he should be impeached at once. This would underscore that no matter how popular a leader, he cannot cast a shadow either on the democratic accountability of a high office or eclipse an inclusive socio-political ethos that is the very sap of progressive democracies.
R. Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai
Sir — President Donald Trump should be suspended from the party and barred from politics in order to teach authoritarian leaders throughout the world a lesson. ‘Trumpism’ should be given a proper and public burial, otherwise it will raise its ugly head elsewhere.
Countries like India are especially vulnerable to the kind of intolerance and divisiveness that led to the attack on the US Capitol. India has already witnessed such an attack which led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. At least the Trump administration faced a serious challenge from the various institutions of democracy throughout the four years of its maladministration. In India, the pillars of democracy have been uprooted systematically in the last six years. Today there is not a single democratic institution left in India which can stop the government from taking undemocratic steps. Even if the Hindutva forces are defeated by a people’s mandate, who is to say that the self-proclaimed foot soldiers of Hindutva will not choose to do to the Parliament what they did to the Babri Masjid? It is thus important that we support the voices that still dare to speak up for democracy, be it at Shaheen Bagh or on the Singhu border.
Shovanlal Chakraborty,
Calcutta
Sir — No one would have doubted America’s commitment to democracy until this week when thousands of people stormed into the US Capitol to stop the Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential elections. Such barbarity has blackened the history of American electoral democracy. Reportedly, Donald Trump incited these groups of hooligans to march on to the Capitol to pressurize the rejection of the election results. This is the same Trump on whose felicitation the Indian prime minister spent crores of public money. This raises doubts about the latter’s commitment to democracy.
Trump must be internationally reprimanded for his brazen behaviour. One hopes that the Biden administration will usher in a new era of fair play and maintain good diplomatic relations with India.
Mrinal Kanti Kundu,
Howrah
