Sir — Last week, the Swiss light artist, Gerry Hofstetter, sent out a message of solidarity and strength to India, among other countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Italy, by projecting the national flag on the Matterhorn mountain on the Swiss Alps. This, coming from a foreign land, was indeed heartening. However, the people of India should not think that they, too, should stop at taking such symbolic steps. This will not be enough to battle the pandemic. All citizens of India should donate generously to different genuine funds to help the health sector and the needy.

Abhrajit Kundu,

Calcutta

Wrong focus

Sir — I am someone who would fall under the category that Swapan Dasgupta calls the “conscientious objectors” in his article, “Turbulent times” (April 16), and it is important to clarify the reason why people like me raise questions. When the prime minister asked all citizens to light diyas in honour of those who were saving lives and fighting for the nation, we wonder why he did not extend financial support to the millions of wage earners of the country along with his emotional appeal. Had he done so, no one would have supposed that these workers do not figure in the Centre’s list of concerns. Further, reports suggest that the financial allocations made by the Indian government to tackle the pandemic has been one of the lowest among nations, with an outlay of less than one per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Would it make me more of a ‘conscientious objector’ if I point out, like many others, that there is no let-up in the Hindu rashtra project pursued by the party in power even in the midst of the pandemic? Why else would the State arrest someone like the professor, Anand Teltumbde, with such urgency at a time when prisoners are being let off for fear of the coronavirus? The most important question that history will ask the current dispensation is why it had to organize an event like “Namaste Trump” when the pandemic had already reached India. While one does not deny the amount of passion that has been brought into the fight against the virus, one cannot but notice the gaps, especially as the State ignores the needs of the poor while pushing its nationalist agenda.

M.K. George,

Jamshedpur

Sir — In his article, “Turbulent times”, Swapan Dasgupta seems to overestimate the motives of the people of the country, who appear united in the face of the present crisis, reposing their faith in the government. The reason why the members of the so-called “balcony” class are adhering to the rules set by the government is that they are able to sustain themselves through the lockdown on account of their economic affluence. They also need people from the underprivileged sections of society to follow the imposed restrictions strictly out of their own interest of not getting infected by them. On the other hand, the ones deprived of a proper livelihood would be prone to violate the restrictions as they try to look for ways to make both ends meet. Surely they will not be able to survive long-term restrictions.

As such, the affluent classes can do little by themselves to force the underprivileged to obey the restrictions. It is for this that they must put their confidence in the government and cooperate with the local or Central administration. For them, the government and its agencies constitute the instrument that could help safeguard their interests by managing the recalcitrant hungry people who, in breaking rules in their bid for survival, pose a threat to themselves as well as to others. Pandemics of this magnitude come with the loss of jobs, starvation and, consequently, an escalation in crime rates. Quite naturally, sensible people would like to enable the government to be ready to handle the odds.

Perhaps, then, people are not always well-meaning when they seem to put their faith in the government. It is hard to believe that under the current circumstances millions of people with a hand-to-mouth existence would choose to cherish lofty ideas, such as that of a ‘national community’ and ‘solidarity’ with others, jeopardizing their means of livelihood. Whether the people are truly with the State can be ascertained only when everyone suffers equally.

Prasenjit Baidya,

South 24 Parganas

Sir — It is not surprising that Swapan Dasgupta tried to take a dig at those who refuse to dance to the tunes set by the Centre. But if one paid some attention, one would see that most “conscientious objectors” actually support the lockdown. If and when the government indeed does the “right thing”, the thinking citizens do not object. That is how reason works.

Surabhi Roy Chowdhury,

New Delhi