Dark side
Sir — The rise of ‘dark tourism’ reveals the perverse side of human nature. People seek out places hit by natural disasters and other crises to travel to. Human taste for the morbid is on display at the Beverly Hills mansion, which is drawing crowds after being made famous by the Netflix show, Monsters, about two brothers who killed their abusive parents. This voyeuristic interest in other people’s traumas unfortunately does not extend to supporting those who are trapped in abusive environments. In fact, when people suffer from abuse, society often turns a blind eye to it.
Smita Jha, Calcutta
Doubts persist
Sir — It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea seeking that voting in India be done through paper ballots (“SC bins ballot plea, cites EVM ‘double standard’”, 27 Nov). It said that only losers complain about electronic voting machines. This is not a sound argument as the manipulator of EVMs would naturally win elections and thus not complain. Moreover, the idea that EVMs ensure faster election results has been proven wrong many times over.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Sir — A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale has emphatically rejected a plea seeking a return to paper ballots. It has rightly dismissed the contention that EVMs can be tampered with.
K.V. Seetharamaiah, Bengaluru
Sir — Political parties, especially the Congress, routinely blame the Election Commission of India and EVMs for their losses. However, they have no such grievances when they win in elections. This proves the fallacy of their claims.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai
Sir — There is no smoke without fire. The same can be said of claims of EVM manipulation in every election, including the ones in Maharashtra.
Asim Boral, Calcutta
Sir — The Congress’s demand for paper ballots reveals a lack of accountability. It should prioritise policy changes and try to woo voters instead of blaming technology for its losses.
Anshu Bharti, Begusarai, Bihar
Wise decision
Sir — Australian lawmakers should be applauded for banning social media sites for children under 16 years of age (“Aussie law bans social media for under-16s”, Nov 29). Instead of being glued to their cellphones and computers, children should spend those hours playing some outdoor game as this will benefit their physical and mental health. Indian authorities need to also explore similar legislation.
Bal Govind, Noida
Sir — The recently-passed Australian law placing an age restriction on social media platforms will help in curbing the ill effects of social media on children such as stress, feelings of insecurity, obesity, and mental health disorders.
Dimple Wadhawan, Kanpur
Trapped lives
Sir — The recent incident where a temple elephant in Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, trampled a mahout and his relative to death raises questions about the treatment and the care provided to pachyderms in temples across the country. Although these elephants hold a deep cultural and spiritual significance in South India, their lives are filled with stress, boredom, isolation, physical pain, and psychological suffering. It must be ensured that these elephants live in environments that respect their daily needs.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
