Go local

Sir — One of the raging debates in the culinary world — whether pineapples go with pizzas — seems to have been temporarily settled. The American fast food giant, Domino’s, recently pulled out of the Italian market after failing to conquer the birthplace of pizzas. One of the reasons for leaving was the preference for homegrown recipes over Americanised versions, like the Hawaiian pizza that has pineapples as a topping. While it is common for people to modify traditional recipes from foreign countries to suit their taste buds, food chains must consider local sentiments to avoid accusations of culinary distortion.

Pranesh Nigam, Gurgaon

Grave incident

Sir — In a shocking incident, a head constable of the Central Industrial Security Force opened fire on the premises of the Indian Museum in Calcutta, killing one of his colleagues and injuring another (“Shooting at Indian Museum”, Aug 7). The perpetrator alleged that he was subjected to mental torture by his colleagues, leading to the crime. This comes on the heels of a constable of the Calcutta Police indiscriminately firing his service weapon in the Park Circus area, killing a passer-by and injuring two others. These incidents have raised concerns about the mental health condition of those entrusted with firearms. Armed personnel should be provided with regular counselling and efforts must be made to reduce job-related stress. People working in the army or the police force must not become threats to public safety.

Sneha Maji, Calcutta

Second chance

Sir — In the article, “Hidden agenda” (Aug 11), G.N. Devy argues that the sangh parivar’s efforts to revive Sanskrit is part of its larger agenda to establish a Hindu rashtra. However, the call for rejuvenating Sanskrit must not be viewed unfavourably. Sanskrit was the language of the Vedas, Upanishads, the works of Kalidasa and countless other ancient Indian texts. We must welcome such endeavours.

Sanjit Ghatak, South 24 Parganas

Sir — The revival of Sanskrit has become a primary goal of the Hindutva brigade. There is an indisputable connection between Sanskrit and casteism — for centuries the knowledge of Sanskrit was confined to the Brahmins which prevented it from becoming the language of the masses. Eventually, Sanskrit came to be replaced by modern Indian languages. The study of Sanskrit should be confined to literary pursuits.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Welcome step

Sir — It is heartening that the Central government has decided to remove the upper and lower limits on domestic airfares from August 31 ahead of the festive season (“Airfare caps removed”, Aug 11). The restrictions were put in place at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to protect passengers from paying exorbitant prices. It is hoped that this decision will provide a much-needed fillip to the aviation industry — it has been adversely affected by global restrictions on flying. While there is a chance that airfarescould be hiked, this is also an opportunity for low-cost carriers to offer lucrative discounts and expand their business.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Sir — The decision of the civil aviation ministry to remove price caps on domestic flights will lead to arbitrary pricing. This will particularly affect the elderly population. The government has already done away with concessions on railway fares for senior citizens. The removal of restrictions on airfare is likely to increase their burden. The government must be mindful of the hardships faced by India’s elderly population.

M.C. Vijay Shankar, Chennai