Sting operation

Sir — Natural barriers are common throughout the world — the Himalayas, for instance, keep the cold Arctic winds from entering the Indian subcontinent. But the idea of augmenting artificial walls with natural substances is far less common. The Border Security Force has come up with the innovative plan of installing beehives on the fencing along the India-Bangladesh border to ensure that smugglers cutting the fence are stung by the bees. The beehives and nearby medicinal plants, which will help the bees pollinate, can also generate additional income for the villagers living near the border. One wonders whether similar initiatives of planting flowers or raising bees can be taken along other international borders.

Sounak Sikdar, Nadia

Peaceful polls

Sir — The report, “Traffic to polls, Mizoram is orderly” (Nov 7), reminded me of my visit to Mizoram in 2022 when I saw that traffic on the road was well-organised even in the absence of police personnel. Even the Election Commission of India has now acknowledged the work put in by the volunteer organisation, the Mizoram People’s Forum, to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. Practices followed by the MPF, such as placing a bar on door-to-door campaigns once the poll dates are announced, the arrangement of a common platform for airing questions from voters and regulating the number and the sizes of banners and flags, should be implemented throughout the nation.

Subimal Adhikary, Calcutta

Sir — Over 76% of the people of Mizoram have cast their votes to decide the fate of the ruling Mizo National Front in a largely peaceful election on November 7. But the chief minister, Zoramthanga, seems to want to have his cake and eat it too. His statement that his party’s support for the National Democratic Alliance is issue-based indicates that he wants to distance himself from the Bharatiya Janata Party for its failure to control the violence in neighbouring Manipur. But he has failed to clarify whether he will refuse the BJP’s support in Mizoram if his party fails to get a clear majority once the election results are declared in December. The people of Mizoram should not tolerate this hypocrisy.

Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur

Be humane

Sir — It is shocking that a valued member of the Calcutta Mounted Police, a horse named Voice of Reason, lost its life due to a fireworks display celebrating India’s victory over South Africa at the Eden Gardens. The poor creature seems to have suffered a heart attack. This is a warning bell, especially in the lead-up to Diwali, to take note of the harm that human activity can cause to animals. We should be more humane towards animals while celebrating.

Alok Ganguly, Nadia

Sir — The death of the young, on-duty police horse, Voice of Reason, is a result of the insensitivity of the humans supposedly celebrating a sporting victory. Loud, celebratory music and noisy firework displays affect the sensitive hearing capacities of animals far more than those of humans. Eden Gardens seems to have developed a reputation for such raucous behaviour, with Devdan Mitra exhorting the crowd at Eden to behave in his piece, “Win or lose, show grace, Eden” (Nov 5). It is despicable that one’s celebration turned into a death knell for another living creature.

Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — Voice of Reason’s death is appalling. Witnesses have stated that at least 150 fireworks were set off within five minutes at around 8.30 pm after the India-South Africa match at the Eden Gardens. While officials from the Cricket Association of Bengal have stated that they took permission from relevant authorities, a thorough probe is needed to find the exact reason for the tragic incident.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Wrong focus

Sir — It is high time that the ruling parties in Maharashtra concentrate on governance in their home state instead of installing statues of the Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji, in Jammu and Kashmir to bolster a false sense of nationalism. Does Kashmir have no icons of its own whose statues can be erected?

Amit Brahmo, Calcutta

Heroic exploits

Sir — When Australia were in deep trouble with 49 runs for the loss of four wickets, Glenn Maxwell came to the middle and hammered Afghanistan on his way to a brilliant double century (“Maximum Maxwell”, Nov 8). His brave solo effort not only carried Australia to victory from the jaws of defeat but it also guaranteed them a spot in the semi-finals.

Piyush Somani, Guwahati

Sir — The heroics of Glenn Maxwell who steered Australia out of the woods from a precarious position of 91 runs for seven wickets will be etched forever in the annals of cricketing history. This match will also be remembered for the clueless bowling of the Afghan team — it failed to stave off Maxwell’s wild charge, even though he was badly cramped and out of steam.

Dhananjay Sinha, Calcutta

Sir — Glenn Maxwell was able to smash a number of records during his knock of 201 against Afghanistan, including the first-ever one-day international double century by a team batting second and the first-ever double ton by a batsman who did not open the innings. Afghanistan’s first-ever World Cup hundred, by Ibrahim Zadran, was overshadowed by Maxwell’s achievements.

P.V. Rao Sreelekha, Secunderabad

Sir — Glenn Maxwell has given cricket lovers a night to remember with his marvellous double century.

Rima Roy, Calcutta