Quirky skills
Sir — Corporate job postings usually require advanced educational degrees and experience in resumes. However, Topmate, a Bengaluru-based consulting firm, has been turning heads with its job advertisement for Chief Dating Officer which lists quirky requirements for the role. For instance, candidates must not only be well-versed in the modern dating culture but must also have gone through the experience of being ghosted and survived at least two situationships and one break-up. If the candidate is adequately compensated for the role, perhaps having a broken heart might pay off.
Abhishek Ghosh, Pune
Friction points
Sir — In a recent telephonic conversation with the prime minister, Narendra Modi, the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, suggested that India increase its procurement of American weapons to establish a fair bilateral trading relationship ("US pushes Modi on 'fair' trade ties, migrants", Jan 29). The American president has also threatened to impose tariffs on Indian goods.
The issues of illegal immigration from India to the US, the imbalance in trade ties, and the threat of tariffs have opened new pressure points in the Indo-US relationship ("Itchy spots", Jan 31). The two sides must iron out their differences.
Debaprasad Bhattacharya, Calcutta
Sir — Donald Trump is a shrewd businessman. The US is one of the few countries with which India enjoys a trade surplus and Trump is determined to correct that imbalance. In Trump's upcoming meeting with Narendra Modi, the American president is likely to pressurise the latter to procure more defence equipment from the US to balance the deficit.
India is in no position to challenge the US. It must not only secure its interests but also strengthen ties with the US. It remains to be seen how India manoeuvres its way out of a rock and a hard place.
Vivaan Jain, Ujjain
Sir — Donald Trump thinks of diplomacy in purely transactional terms. The White House’s statement that India should increase its procurement of American-made military equipment seems to set the agenda for the upcoming meeting between Narendra Modi and Donald Trump. But India cannot be forced to buy more weapons than it requires to boost America's business. Sticking to his policy of 'India First', Modi must iterate the statement he made at the G20 summit: "This is not an era for war, but for dialogue and diplomacy."
This will definitely put the apparent 'bromance' between Modi and Trump to the test. Both leaders should find common ground on issues like immigration, H-1B visas, tariffs and investments to sustain a mutually beneficial partnership.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Red alert
Sir — The editorial, "Get ready" (Jan 29), sounded a timely caution. In the absence of concerted efforts to address climate change-induced disasters, countries must equip and train themselves to face the same.
One of the effects of climate disasters is the declining enrolment in schools and colleges. Steps must be taken to improve education facilities and standards as well as economic conditions to reduce the impact of the climate crisis.
A.G. Rajmohan, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Historic milestone
Sir — It is heartening that the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched its 100th rocket on Wednesday ("Isro’s 100th rocket launch from Sriharikota", Jan 30). This marks a milestone in India's space research. The GSLV-F15 rocket is the maiden launch of this year. One hopes that more such achievements are in store for ISRO.
S. Sankaranarayanan, Chennai
