Hungry hearts
Sir — The health risks of junk, packaged food on the heart are well-known. But who would have thought that it could lead to heartbreak. Recently, a woman in Agra walked out of her marital home in a huff because her husband had forgotten to bring her a small packet of Kurkure on his way back home from work. The woman then proceeded to demand a divorce, claiming that forgetting to bring her the snack was not an isolated incident but indicative of the husband’s changed behaviour within six months of their marriage. Such heartbreak is by no means novel — in 2022, a man sought to divorce his wife because she cooked him only instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is perhaps why the wise ones say that the path to the heart goes through the stomach.
Kritika Koli, Pune
Tepid response
Sir — It is dispiriting to see the low voter turnout in the first four phases of the Lok Sabha elections. In spite of advertisements and social media campaigns by the Election Commission of India, the voter turnout was as low as around 58%
in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, and some 37% in Jammu and Kashmir. Indians do not seem interested in shaping the future of the country. Elections in India are a huge enterprise conducted at great cost to the State exchequer. Unless we cast our vote, we do not have the right to blame the government for failing to provide us with services.
Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur
Sir — Apart from the scorching heat and migration, the low voter turnout in the general elections can also be attributed to a lack of awareness about voting guidelines. Voters, for instance, are not allowed to carry mobile phones to polling booths. Moreover, only original documents are allowed, not photocopies. Voters should be made aware of such rules.
Kantamsetti L. Rao, Visakhapatnam
Choose peace
Sir — The Union external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, recently said that every political party in the country is committed to ensuring that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of India, once again. There is no doubt that the Indian army is more equipped than its Pakistani counterpart. But we cannot ignore the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear State and any attempt to forcefully conquer PoK can result in a full-fledged nuclear war. If India and Pakistan go to war, China will take strategic advantage of the situation and extend its support to Pakistan to destabilise India.
Deba Prasad Bhattacharya, Calcutta
Lucrative deal
Sir — India’s decision to buy heavily discounted Russian oil amidst the Russia-Ukraine war has paid off economically and diplomatically. Eric Garcetti, the ambassador of the United States of America to India, has said that his country ‘allowed’ India to buy Russian oil to ensure that fuel prices do not rise internationally. In a way, this is an admission that the US could not antagonise a key ally. India has managed to balance its ties with both the US and Russia. The US and other Western nations should respect India’s sovereignty.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Locked up
Sir — Bail is an important way of ensuring that no person is punished until proven guilty. But getting bail is a cumbersome process. The decision to grant or reject a bail petition is often influenced by factors other than the merit of the case. A 2022 report estimates that 75.8% of Indian inmates are undertrials. This is a telling number. The 268th report of the Law Commission of India dealt extensively with bail reforms and suggested amendments to the then Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to smoothen the process of getting bail. These recommendations need to be included in the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to ensure fairness in the justice system.
R. Narayanan, Navi Mumbai
Marked shift
Sir — The trajectory of political campaigns has shifted significantly since Independence. In the initial decade, political debates revolved around achieving social equality and progress. However, over the next four decades, there has been a marked shift towards dividing society along the lines of religious and caste identities, resulting in special privileges being granted to some segments. In the past two decades, this trend has become worse with parties increasingly resorting to blame games rather than addressing the real issues. This has disillusioned the electorate.
Md. Imdadullah, Muzaffarpur
Unclear promises
Sir — The Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi, has assured that her party will fulfil the promises made in her party’s poll manifesto. One of these promises is the Mahalakshmi Scheme, which will give women from poor families one lakh rupees a year. But she has not outlined the eligible criteria for this scheme. It is important to define what the party means by a ‘poor’ family. Similar schemes have failed when they were implemented at the state level. The Congress needs to provide clarity on its poll promises.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai
Inspirational career
Sir — The former English footballer, David Beckham, has had a career that none can forget. A documentary about him can inspire present-day English football teams.
Murtaza Ahmad, Calcutta
Treat with care
Sir — An expecting mother can lose her baby if denied medical help and attention on time. Timely medical aid and diagnosis can save lives. The government should ensure that private hospitals treat their patients with care.
Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali
