Show some love

Sir — A bank commercial featuring Aamir Khan has, unsurprisingly, got the Hindutva brigade’s goat. In an attempt to subvert traditional gender roles, the ad depicts the groom moving into the bride’s home to care for her ailing father. Such a progressive stance is clearly lost on the right-wing, which has called for a boycott of the ad for hurting Hindu sentiments. Trolling for similar reasons had resulted in a poor showing for Khan’s recent film, Laal Singh Chaddha. The responsibility of supporting liberal, progressive content now lies with the audience in order to neutralise the whims of the extremist forces.

Sagnik Dutta, Kanpur

Split verdict

Sir — A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court has delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court’s decision to ban the hijab in educational institutions in the state. The divided ruling — one judge validated the government’s ban while the other ruled against it — indicates that more serious deliberations are needed on issues such as the invasion of privacy, girls’ education and freedom of speech and expression (“Fraternity vs democracy”, Oct 14). The matter will be referred to a larger bench of the apex court. It is hoped that the judiciary will factor in sentiments related to religious practices while deciding on the issue.

Arun Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — The split verdict of the Supreme Court on the hijab ban in Karnataka underlines the complex nature of the matter (“Tough choice”, Oct 14). One of the presiding judges, Hemant Gupta, upheld the ban on the grounds that wearing a hijab was not an essential religious practice and that a uniform is a means to ensure equality among students. The other judge, Sudhanshu Dhulia, while ruling against it asserted that wearing a hijab is a matter of choice. Dhulia added that asking a schoolgirl to take off her hijab amounted to violating her right to privacy and stressed that the education of girls must not be hindered. Dhulia’s arguments are welcome.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

Sir — While Karnataka has banned the hijab from classrooms, Iran, an Islamist country, has been enforcing strict adherence to the wearing of the hijab. These instances illustrate how women continue to be the target of State ire. The hijab ban in India is currently sub judice. As a secular and democratic country, India must ensure freedom and equality among its citizens.

R. Narayanan, Navi Mumbai

Worthy winners

Sir — It is heartening that the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig for their extensive research on banks and financial crises. As the chair of the Federal Reserve, Bernanke used his analysis of the Great Depression to set up bailout packages and economic stimuli to prevent a collapse during the Great Recession of 2008. His policies were also used to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. The Diamond-Dybvig model analyses the factors responsible for instability in the banking sector. Their theories can provide valuable insights into tackling economic woes.

Vijay Singh Adhikari, Nainital

Rare feat

Sir — It was exciting to learn that the ball with which the Argentinian football legend, Diego Maradona, scored his ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 1986 World Cup match against England has been put up for auction. The feat by Maradona is an iconic moment in sporting history. One hopes that the auction winner puts the object on display at a place where football lovers can admire it.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta