Gossip with care
Sir — Younghoon Kim, a man from South Korea who has the highest-ever recorded intelligence quotient of 276, has said that intelligent people have a greater need for gossip and are more likely to stay on top of happenings in the lives of celebrities and other information of that nature. Research has also suggested that gossiping might strengthen social bonds. Clearly, this much-ridiculed and maligned practice, which is often criticised as foolish, has its advantages. However, the impact that gossip has on those whose lives are being discussed, such as celebrities who have their privacy invaded, must not be ignored. It is crucial that our need for gossip does not override consideration for the well-being of others.
Sharmila Sengupta, Calcutta
Safety concern
Sir — It is shocking that the actor, Saif Ali Khan, was attacked in his own home (“On knife-edge, saved by 2mm”, Jan 18). The attacker has now been nabbed by the Mumbai Police. This is not the first time that a celebrity has been attacked in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Maharashtra. A woman working for Khan also received serious injuries in a scuffle with the intruder. A thorough investigation into the attack is crucial to plug security lapses.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Sir — It is baffling how an intruder broke into Saif Ali Khan’s home in Bandra, which is guarded by security personnel. The actor was seriously injured and is now recovering in the hospital.
Pratima Manimala, Howrah
Sir — The attack on Saif Ali Khan only two months after the murder of the politician, Baba Siddique, raises questions about the efficiency of the Mumbai Police in maintaining law and order.
Bikram Banerjea, Mumbai
Sir — Frequent political interference may have made Mumbai Police incompetent. The murder of Baba Siddique and the attacks on Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan have tarnished the image of the police, even though Saif Ali Khan’s assailant has now been caught. When famous people are not safe in their own homes and offices, how can a common person feel secure?
Zakir Hussain, Kazipet, Telangana
Sir — After the murder of Baba Siddique, shots fired outside Salman Khan’s house, death threats against Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey, Saif Ali Khan has now been attacked by an assailant who broke into his house. How do such security lapses continue unabated? If the wealthy cannot be safe in their own homes, there is no hope for others.
Mangal Kumar Das, South 24 Parganas
Sir — Repeated incidents of security breach in Mumbai raise doubts regarding the efficiency of the government and the police. The attack on Saif Ali Khan should be a wake-up call for the Mumbai Police to tighten its intelligence-gathering network.
M.N. Gupta, Hooghly
Sir — The attack on Saif Ali Khan is the latest in a string of assaults on celebrities and people living in upscale neighbourhoods in Mumbai. In July 2024, two shooters allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang fired shots outside Salman Khan’s house. In October 2024, the former Maharashtra minister and the Nationalist Congress Party leader, Baba Siddique, who was known to be close to Salman Khan, was shot dead in Bandra. Mumbai’s posh localities are clearly unsafe.
Jayanthy Subramaniam, Mumbai
Unfair sentence
Sir — A Pakistani court has sentenced that country’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case (“14yr jail for 72-year-old Imran”, Jan 18). Khan and his wife were found guilty of illegally obtaining lucrative plots of land through a corrupt deal with a property tycoon. It remains to be seen whether a higher court will overturn the verdict, which will impact Khan’s political career. It is unfortunate that the history of political persecution still prevails in Pakistan.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Sir — In Pakistan, it is often the case that a civilian government is propped up for the sake of appearances while the military runs the show. There is a long history of political murders in Pakistan, including the assassination of the nation’s first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, in 1951, the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979 and the killing of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. General Zia-ul-Haq was also killed in 1988 in a helicopter crash. Despite this, Imran Khan contested the general election and became prime minister. Following a rift with the army, Imran Khan was removed from power and implicated in a graft case. He has now been sentenced to 14 years in prison. The length of the sentence despite the National Accountability Bureau’s inability to prove any financial loss is evidence of the military’s intervention.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Sir — The sentencing to 14 years in jail for Imran Khan is the fourth major case in which he has been found guilty. Three earlier convictions have been overturned or suspended. Despite this, Khan remains behind bars with dozens of cases pending against him. This is clearly a political witch-hunt.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Timeless links
Sir — A recent Tinder report predicts, ‘nanoships’ — small, yet meaningful interactions — may well be one of the key dating trends of 2025. While the concept of ‘nanoships’ might seem novel, it merely highlights a timeless aspect of human interaction — fleeting, yet meaningful, connections that have always existed. It is intriguing how such moments of transient intimacy, once ineffable, are now being named. But does naming such connections not diminish their beauty?
Tathagata Sanyal, Birmingham, UK
