Solo flight
Sir — Absence no longer makes the heart grow fonder. A recent study has found that birds, known for their mostly monogamous mating system, tend to ‘divorce’ their partners over long-distance migration. While the failure rate of long-distance relationships in humans is alarmingly high as well, more such partnerships now succeed with the usage of modern means of communication and social media. Birds, sadly, have no such readily available facilities. There is another difference between birds and humans. In avian societies, males are punished more harshly than females for ‘cheating’ on their partners.
Ditipriya Sinha,Calcutta
Act swiftly
Sir — The Khalistani ‘freedom’ rallies held in Berkeley and Toronto and the attacks on the Indian consulate in San Francisco show that the governments of the United States of America and Canada are not doing enough to crack down on religious secessionists (“Missive against separatism to 4 nations”, July 7). New Delhi has previously requested countries with which it has bilateral ties to not give space to Khalistanis. The external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, has now stated that these radical demonstrations will not bode well for India’s partnerships with these nations. Hopefully, India’s unequivocal stance will send a strong message.
Khokan Das,Calcutta
Sir — The governments of the US and Canada must immediately take action against Khalistani supporters. The arson and vandalism at the Indian consulate are concerning.
Jahangir Ali,Mumbai
Just for show
Sir — The shameful incident of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader urinating on a Dalit man reveals the pitiful situation of minority communities in India in spite of the prime minister’s claim of the country being completely free of discrimination. The incident has sparked a heated controversy in Madhya Pradesh. With the threat of unfavourable election outcomes looming over the saffron party, the BJP leader has been arrested and the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has swiftly dramatised the situation by performing public penance. However, it will not be surprising if the accused BJP leader is felicitated after the elections the way Bilkis Bano’s rapists were.
Zakir Hussain,Kazipet, Telangana
Sir — Shivraj Singh Chouhan washed the feet of the tribal man who was urinated on, apparently to express his anguish. The accused BJP leader, Pravesh Shukla, has been arrested under the National Security Act, among other charges. The BJP has, thus, performed a skilled balancing act.
C.K. Subramaniam,Navi Mumbai
Safe and secure
Sir — The Calcutta High Court’s directive to theState Election Commission to retain Central forces in the state even after the declarations of the panchayat election results on July 11 will make people happy(“HC to poll panel: Hopevoters smile”, July 7). Given the violence that has been witnessed before and during the elections, the retention of Central forces will contribute to people’s safety.
Pratima Manimala,Howrah
Parting shot
Sir — Instances of Hindutva violence against minorities are on the rise (“Bible query and assault on principal”, July 7). Such acts of vandalism and violence often go unpunished, emboldening the offenders. The principal of the D.Y. Patil High School has been attacked on the allegation of carrying out forced conversions. The government must take immediate action against the perpetrators of this violence.
Anthony Henriques,Mumbai
