Back in style
Sir — All that glitters might not be gold and all that is dull might not be worthless. Jet, one of the oldest and most lightweight gemstones that is sought after for its dull and matte texture, is making a comeback in the fashion world. No less than Queen Victoria once sported jet jewellery with her mourning attire. But the gem fell out of fashion sometime after World War I. While it is exciting that a historic gemstone is now back in vogue, jet is mined like most other gemstones but is far more rare a find. A spike in demand could lead to a concomitant surge in mining practices that are not just ecologically harmful but also detrimental to the health of the humans who are engaged in them. Be they glittery or dull, the antecedents of all gemstones is blood red.
Dhruva Sinha, Calcutta
Faith fodder
Sir — The allegation by the Telugu Desam Party head and chief minister of Tamil Nadu, N. Chandrababu Naidu, that lard, beef tallow and fish oil were mixed in the laddoos offered to Balaji at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh left devotees anguished (“Poll ghee on Tirupati laddoo fire”, Sept 15). While the company that supplied ghee — the alleged source of adulteration —to the temple has been changed, the allegation started a political slugfest as Naidu blamed the former chief minister, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, for the adulteration. The Bharatiya Janata Party jumped on the bandwagon of communal politics to appease its saffron vote bank before several assembly elections. The issue has assumed dangerous proportions and threatens to disrupt communal peace. While Naidu was quick to point fingers at Reddy, he is yet to provide clarity regarding the latter’s role in this adulteration. The Centre should ensure an unbiased inquiry into the matter instead of fanning the fires.
Zakir Hussain, Kazipet, Telangana
Sir — The charge of adulteration against Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple has offended many Hindu devotees. It is one of the richest temples in India and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the temple, should have been more careful about the ingredients in the prasadam instead of trying to cut costs. Nandini, a company based in Karnataka, had been supplying ghee to the TTD till last year when the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government stopped sourcing it over pricing issues. The TTD should have procured its supplies from government-run cooperatives or milk unions.
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bengaluru
Sir — The manner in which N. Chandrababu Naidu utilised the controversy regarding the contamination of the Tirupati laddoos for political mileage is disheartening. Naidu’s claims can potentially trigger communal riots. He has blamed the Y.S.R. Congress, which was formerly in power in the state, for this. The Y.S.R. Congress has denied complicity in the matter and has claimed that Naidu created the scandal to distract people from the current misrule in the state. The TTD prepares and distributes about three lakh laddoos daily to the devotees at the temple, earning nearly Rs 500 crore from the sale proceedings annually. Regardless of the truth in the allegation, the TTD’s reluctance to obtain ghee at a higher cost — the seller was changed last year to cut costs — is unacceptable. It betrayed people’s trust by not checking the quality of the ghee used in the laddoos.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
Sir — Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s letter to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, urging swift action against the baseless allegations made by N. Chandrababu Naidu regarding the allegedly adulterated laddoos served at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is timely. Naidu’s claims that Reddy is involved in this scandal must be properly investigated to put the minds of devotees at ease. Politics should not stoop so low as to make fodder out of people’s faith.
N. Sadhasiva Reddy, Washington D.C., US
Sir — A Gujarat-based laboratory has confirmed that the laddoos distributed at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple were contaminated by animal fat. This led to accusations and counter-accusations between N. Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. While an impartial investigation might solve the problem, the devotees have lost their faith in the temple authorities.
Janga Bahadur Sunuwar, Jalpaiguri
Sir — The fiasco surrounding the laddoos served at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is a grim reminder of the rampant adulteration of many items that we consume, including milk, spices, medicines and packaged food. The government needs to be proactive regarding the adulteration of food items as many traders are ready to risk public health to make a quick buck.
Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Different picture
Sir — Saikat Majumdar rightly pointed out that the election of women leaders makes a negligible difference in the lives of women (“Deceptive myth”, Sept 19). Moreover, while visiting a pandal last year, Majumdar saw the goddess’s idol right next to an angry, homeless woman — symbolising how people worship female deities while simultaneously remaining apathetic to women’s plights. The government and our society often uphold the myth of nari shakti and yet fail to ensure safety for women.
Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly
Sir — Festivals like Durga Puja are mere excuses for the rich to flaunt their wealth without caring about the glaring disparity between them and the underprivileged people. The so-called sarbojonin Durga Puja is far from being inclusive and allows only the privileged people to enjoy it. A vast majority of poor people remain isolated from these festivities.
Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta
