Golden era

Sir — The article, “‘We were called the two sundaris’” (Oct 9), by Moumita Chaudhuri reminded me of the 1980s and the 1990s when Doordarshan was an inseparable part of the lives of Bengalis. Programmes like Chiching Phank, Hore-Koro-Komba and Darshaker Darbare were extremely popular at the time. Bengalis could not imagine missing even a day’s broadcast of these shows. While Chaitali Dasgupta and Saswati Guha Thakurta were undoubtedly two of the most recognisable faces on Doordarshan Calcutta in those days, people will also remember names like Chhanda Sen, Tarun Chakraborty and Debraj Roy. These news-presenters were akin to celebrities for Bengali television viewers like me.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta

Body blow

Sir — The Election Commission has disallowed both the Eknath Shinde-led camp and the faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray from using the name, Shiv Sena, and the bow and arrow symbol for the upcoming bypoll to the Andheri East assembly seat. They will need to contest under different names of their own choice and shall be allotted alternative symbols. This is a blow for the Thackeray scion and has resulted in the weakening of the party. This should be a lesson for the numerous coalitions cropping up in India to plan for every eventuality.

C.K. Subramaniam, Tiruchirappalli

Sir — The EC’s decision to disallow the use of the bow and arrow poll symbol is a setback, especially for the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, which claims to be the real Shiv Sena. It is apparent that with the demise of Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena has lost its roadmap.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Drive safe

Sir — It was heartbreaking to read about the bus accident which killed nine people, including five schoolchildren, near Vadakkencherry in Kerala’s Palakkad district. Highway accidents are reaching alarming proportions. Adhering to traffic rules is thus of utmost importance. Kerala has gained notoriety for incidents of negligent driving and drink driving. The state government should take steps like setting up speed-breakers in accident-prone spots.

M.R. Jayanthi, Coimbatore

Sad end

Sir — It is shocking that a tiger in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar had to be killed after being declared a man-eater. Tigers are endangered animals. Is there no way of rehabilitating a big cat which may pose a threat to humans other than eliminating them?

Satadal Deb, Pansila, North 24 Parganas

Be cautious

Sir — The alleged Ukrainian involvement in the explosion of the multi-billion-dollar Kerch road-andrail bridge, which connects mainland Russia with the Crimean peninsula, could further worsen the Ukraine conflict. Crimea is politically and strategically significant for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The Kerch bridge was of prime importance to ensure the smooth movement of Russian troops and weaponry into Ukraine. The news of the explosion will surely boost the swelling morale of the Ukrainian military. However, Russia may use this attack as a pretext to launch a massive offensive on Ukraine, with the threat of a nuclear attack looming on the horizon.

Jayesh Khasgiwale, Ujjain

Unite for peace

Sir — The announcement of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize awardees was thrilling. Two of the winners hail from nations at war with each other, while the third is the citizen of a country involved in the same conflict. It is a historic moment for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. This prize will dent the aggressive image of the Russian president. It will give people the strength to demand the ouster of the Russian leader. The prize goes to show that war can never overcome united efforts for peace.

Murtaza Ahmed, Calcutta

High hopes

Sir — M.K. Stalin has been elected the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the second time. He has also inducted his sister, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, as the deputy general-secretary. This proves that the DMK is walking in the footsteps of dynastic parties like the Congress. While there is no doubt that so far the DMK has performed well in running the state, many election promises remain unfulfilled. Stalin seems to have set his sights higher — as the prime ministerial candidate of the joint Opposition. It would be nice to have a prime minister from Tamil Nadu, but there are too many local leaders vying for the post. Too many cooks may thus spoil the broth.

N. Mahadevan, Chennai

Double duty

Sir — The term, ‘moonlighting’, has come under the limelight in the corporate world recently. In the post-Covid world, where the economy is in the doldrums, stable jobs are few and far between and the concept of job security does not exist, employees must be allowed to work more than one job. This will not only get companies the best of the talent pool but will also save them from facing constant demands for raises. Companies can easily allow their employees to have part-time associations with other organisations provided they do not result in any conflict of interest or hamper their performance. If corporates legalise dual employment in a controlled manner, it will make the employee-employer relationship more transparent. Of course, there will be instances when people may try to exploit such an opportunity. But that does not mean we should not try to change the work culture with the needs of the times. After all, who knew, that working from home would be more efficient?

Indranil Barat, Dhanbad, Jharkhand