Art and life
Sir — There are ample instances of art imitating life — one only needs to read the novels of Charles Dickens for proof. But it is rare for life to imitate art. The recent discovery that plants can emit sounds is eerily reminiscent of the short story by Roald Dahl, The Sound Machine, where an amateur scientist is driven insane after gaining the ability to hear the painful cries and shrieks that plants emanate. Rationalists will, of course, point to the fact that Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose had found evidence of this long back. But what if other fictional stories about plants started coming true as well? I will certainly think twice before snipping even a single branch from a tree, lest it turns out to be like the carnivorous Septopus from one of Satyajit Ray’s stories.
Sanjay Nandi,Calcutta
Vicious propaganda
Sir — The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, is justified in claiming that the soon-to-be-released film, The Kerala Story, is a blatant attempt to spread hateful propaganda. The film-maker should be brought to book for making unverified statements about how 32,000 women from Kerala had been coerced into joining the Islamic State. The saffron brigade’s proclivity to consider all interfaith relationships as instances of love jihad is well-known. Interfaith marriages should be cause for celebration; it seems that the sangh parivar is unable to stomach the religious harmony in Kerala.
G. David Milton,Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — It seems that the main intention behind making the movie, The Kerala Story, is to segregate people on religious grounds under the pretext of freedom of expression. The film’s trailer alleged that more than 32,000 women had been brainwashed into joining Islamic terrorist organisations in the Middle East. A part of the Hindi film industry seems to be intent on portraying a particular community in a bad light — the controversial movie, The Kashmir Files, is also guilty of this. The Kerala Story should be banned.
M. Zakir Hussain,Kazipet, Telangana
Easy partings
Sir — Divorce should be simple in the case of substantial disagreement between spouses. The judgment pertaining to divorce passed by the Supreme Court is thus a step in the right direction (“SC clears air on divorce grounds”, May 2). In accordance with its authority under Article 142 of the Constitution, the apex court has asserted that it can dissolve a marriage on grounds of irreconcilable differences. At present, even a divorce by mutual consent requires one to wait at least six to 18 months. The laws governing divorce should be changed. Extreme reasons like adultery, desertion or physical abuse should not be the only reasons for divorce.
Abhijit Roy,Jamshedpur
Sir — The Supreme Court judgment, asserting its power to grant divorce before a mandatory six-month waiting period in special cases of “irretrievable breakdown of marriage”, is laudable. We cannot afford to remain stuck with conservative sensibilities. The legal process should reflect societal changes.
Subhranshu Roy,Patna
Great grit
Sir — Few people possess the determination to turn opportunities into success stories by weathering storms in one’s path. Commander Abhilash Tomy, a retired naval officer, is one such personality (“Indian conquers sea and millstone”, April 30). He has scripted history by becoming the first Indian to secure a podium finish in the prestigious Golden Globe Race, a non-stop solo circumnavigation of the planet.
This achievement is particularly special because Tomy broke his back attempting to complete this race back in 2018 and had surgery which left him unable to walk for months. His success is a deserved reward for his grit and his never-say-die attitude.
Vijay Singh Adhikari,Nainital
Young achiever
Sir — Satyaki Das, a 12-year-old native of Naihati, has made his family, school and country proud by winning the first prize at the international level in the Science Olympiad (“All of 12, and a global champ”, May 1). His success is an encouraging sign amidst the deteriorating standards of education in public schools across the state. The boy should be felicitated by the government.
Ananda Dulal Ghosh,Howrah
Make peace
Sir — Long after the end of the Cold War, the world is still on tenterhooks (“Up in arms”, April 28). Despite the fact that many nations possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world in a flash, the preparations for war continue unabated. Instead of preparing for mutual annihilation, global powers should try to improve the living standards of underprivileged humans.
Aranya Sanyal,Siliguri
Take care
Sir — It was heartening to read about the inauguration of Jagriti Dham, a residential project for the elderly at Merlin Greens near Joka. These institutions provide all modern facilities and medical care for the elderly. Such facilities are common in many Western nations and it is encouraging that they are now opening up in Calcutta as well.
Kiran Agarwal,Calcutta
Iconic street
Sir — May 2 marked the 102nd birth anniversary of the legendary film-maker, Satyajit Ray. Many admirers of Ray visited his former residence on Bishop Lefroy Road and paid their tributes to him on the special day. The street is one of the most famous in Calcutta, adorned as it is with posters from his vast repertoire of movies.
Sourish Misra,Calcutta
