Think again
Sir — Fashion trends can evolve in interesting ways. A new trend which claims to be body positive is wearing ‘unbuttoned jeans’,where the pants remain unzipped and the waist of the jeans is folded down the sides. It is meant to be comfortable— skinny jeans canbe quite unforgiving if the wearer gains the slightest bit of weight. This, however, begs a simple question. Is it not better for influencers to push clothing brands to expand the sizes of products rather than take a smaller article of clothing and make it work? Such half-baked claims of commitment towards body positivity must be called out.
Meghna Navarre, Ahmedabad
Desperate move
Sir — The Russian president,Vladimir Putin, has ordereda partial mobilisation of citizens for the Russian military deployed in Ukraine.The diktat is being seen as a desperate attempt to accelerate the war effort in the face of defeat (“First Russian military call-up since WWII”,Sept 22). This is a risky political move as a countrywide conscription could diminish domestic support for the war. Almost eight months afte rRussia began its aggression against Ukraine, Putin’sgoals — which include the demilitarisation of Ukraine— remain largely unfulfilled. Moreover, two of Russia’sneighbours, Sweden and Finland, have joined the Western military alliance, NATO, in anticipation of an attack. With the latest call for escalation, it seems that the war has entered a dangerous phase.
S.S. Paul,Nadi
Sir — In a challenge to the West, Vladimir Putin has issued a veiled threat of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. This is alarming. Russia is one of the five nuclear-weapon states. Nuclear warfare must be avoided at all costs. During the recentShanghai CooperationOrganisation summit, the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, criticised the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rebuked Putin. World leaders must continue to push for the de-escalation of the crisis.
D.V.G. Sankararao,Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh
Ugly spat
Sir — The tussle between the governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan, and the chief minister of the state, Pinarayi Vijayan, has takenan ugly turn. Khan recently accused the Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front government of coercing him to assent to the administration’s erroneous decisions.In response, Vijayan said that Khan was acting as an agent of the Centre and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which belies the neutrality of his position.A public spat between two constitutional functionaries
is unseemly. The charges should have been raised in an appropriate forum.
M. Jeyaram,Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Welcome step
Sir — The decision of the Supreme Court to live stream all Constitutionbench hearings from September 27 is welcome.The top court had agreed to pleas for live-streaming court proceedings in 2018, but no arrangements were made till now. During the Covid-19pandemic, the courts had no option but to commence virtual hearings.Several high courts— Gujarat,Odisha and Karnataka, among others— telecast their proceedings on YouTube. Live streaming will be especially helpful for litigants and witnesses who are unable to attend hearings in person. This will considerably reduce instances of adjournment. Further, this will increase television viewership and make people more aware of judicial processes.
Khokan Das,Calcutta
Correction
In the book review,“Restoring a dying planet”(Sept 24), the byline erroneously read Anurag Anamitra Danda. The correct byline is Anamitra Anurag Danda. We apologise for the error.
