Taste of unity

Sir — Nothing transcends political and cultural boundaries like the love of food. India and China might be at loggerheads, but that has not been able to suppress the appetite for Chinese food in this country. However, the cuisine has become such an integral part of India and gone through so many transformations that it cannot really be called ‘Chinese’ food anymore. If an Indian comes across authentic Chinese, he or she may feel that something is amiss. The same could be said about the Tibetan momo, the Lebanese shawarma and the Italian pasta. Food crosses borders and is promptly assimilated. It is thus safe to say that taste buds do not care for imaginary lines drawn on man-made maps.

Swagata Bhowmik,
Calcutta

Sage advice

Sir — The advice given to the police and other Central investigative agencies by the Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, to be autonomous is not new (“CJI to police: Be loyal to statute, be independent”, April 2). Unless the investigative agencies are truly immune to the executive’s influence, they cannot function without bias. It was heartening that the CJI was vocal about this issue in his address at the D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

K. Nehru Patnaik,
Visakhapatnam

Sir — The CJI recently pointed out that the credibility of the CBI has come under a cloud in the last few years. He attributed this to the CBI’s “actions and inactions”, adding that it should try and reclaim social legitimacy and public trust.

Once called a “caged parrot” by the apex court, the CBI seems to have become a political tool, often used to attack the Opposition. As a result, many states, including West Bengal, have withdrawn general consent to the CBI for investigating cases. The agency should strive for independence.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Upper hand

Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party now has 101 seats in the Rajya Sabha. No party has touched the three-digit mark in the upper House since 1988-1990 period. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 117 members in the 245-member House.

Many are of the view that the upper House should be dissolved because the lack of consensus there can stop a bill from being passed into a law. The NDA’s improved tally in the Rajya Sabha will, one hopes, facilitate the smooth passage of bills.

K.V. Seetharamaiah,
Bangalore

Hasty decision

Sir — The higher secondary examination is an important milestone in a student’s life. The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education has lessened its stature by introducing home-centre exams. This new system has been opposed by a section of educators. One can hardly expect fair invigilation at home centres. The council is risking the future of students.

Shyamal Thakur,
East Burdwan

Creative triumph

Sir — The editorial, “Bach versus bombs” (April 2), was moving. Impromptu performances of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonin Dvorak in war-torn Ukraine is a triumph of human creativity over violence.

This is reminiscent of the work done by Godfrey Harold Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan during the First World War, when the grounds and buildings of the University of Cambridge had been placed at the disposal of the War Office. While students were perishing in the battlefields of Europe, the two scholars devoted themselves to research in pure mathematics. The value of their work has outlasted that futile conflict by decades. Likewise, during the Second World War, Bertrand Russell produced his monumental History of Western Philosophy, which is one of the greatest books of the 20th century. Creativity has long been the most civilized response to the insanity of war.

Somjit Datta,
Calcutta

Costly formula

Sir — Electoral fates in Tamil Nadu have often been decided on the basis of freebies, with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam competing to hand out sops. Just last year, the chief minister, M.K. Stalin, announced a waiver for gold loans obtained by pledging up to a gross weight of 40 grams in cooperative sector banks. From gold and washing machines to free bus rides and jobs, freebies come in many forms in Tamil Nadu. The state is known to spend an inordinate amount of money on these doles. This is especially alarming at a time when Tamil Nadu is in dire financial straits.

Jayanthi Subramaniam,
Coimbatore

Be careful

Sir — Covid-19 cases may have declined in India, but it is too early to relax all preventive measures. It is thus a pity that Maharashtra has made mask-wearing in public optional. Many are yet to take their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The government should reconsider its decision.

N. Mahadevan,
Chennai

Sir — Some states have dispensed with the norm of wearing masks in public. Although there has been a drop in infection rates, the coronavirus has rapidly mutated in the past. States cannot afford to be complacent. Scientists have already predicted a fourth wave of infections — countries like China have seen a rise in cases recently. A new variant called XE, which is more virulent than Omicron, has been found in the United Kingdom. While restrictions cannot be imposed indefinitely, we need to resign ourselves to the new normal.

Venu G.S.,
Kollam, Kerala