Sir — While book reviews have been one of the most enduring features of newspapers, few have ever thought of reviewing the kind of readers. Just such a unique review was carried in an online portal recently, with categories such as ‘the reader on the train who misses her station’ and ‘the reader who re-reads’. One thing is for certain, given the general aversion to reading in the age of vlogs and podcasts, any kind of reader — whatever their shortcomings — is a blessing in disguise.

Koyel Dutta,
Calcutta

Bright idea

Sir — Collar Up, a Hyderabad-based non-governmental organization, has come up with a unique idea to prevent stray animals from being hit or run over by vehicles at night; this is laudable. Reflective, fluorescent collars are put on the animals so that they can be spotted from a distance at night. This will also prevent road accidents that occur while trying to save animals. An early morning ride can tell us how dangerous life on the streets has become for stray animals — we come across so many crushed carcasses lying on the highways and the arterial roads.

What is more, besides coming up with this brilliant idea, the group has also created job opportunities for women. The NGO has tied up with women entrepreneurs from rural areas thereby creating a source of income for them. It is encouraging that such work is being done in the country.

M. Pradyu,
Kannur

Dashed hopes

Sir — Hopes of young children of going back to school will be dashed with the recent spike in Covid-19 cases. City schools are now deliberating a return to monotonous online classes. There was hope in the academic community that school might resume soon for all students, irrespective of the level they were at because the contagion was under control and vaccines have been rolled out.

Unfortunately, laxity among the masses when it comes to adhering to preventive measures, the emergence of more virulent strains and the slow pace of the inoculation drive are the reasons for the recent surge. Another year of isolation will cost young students dearly. Physical and psychological health will suffer. More underprivileged pupils will be held back from learning owing to a lack of technical support. Child labour, early marriages, human trafficking and other social evils will spike too. Today’s young learners — who can see the leader of the country is now organizing election rallies at odds with safety guidelines in the name of democracy — will rightly blame us for the cost that these distractions are extracting from them.

Satabdi Dutta,
Burdwan