Lost leisure
Sir — Is N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, wiser than the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle? The end of labour, Aristotle had argued, is to gain leisure. Murthy, on the other hand, seems to believe that labour is all that there is to life and advocates 70-hour work weeks. Greece, the land of Aristotle’s birth, seems to have put its faith in Murthy rather than the sagely philosopher. The government there is implementing a new six-day work week in the hope of breathing new life into its economy, which is yet to recover from the worst financial crisis that Europe has seen in decades. Greece already has the longest working hours in all of Europe. One must ask if an enlivened economy is worth a life devoid of leisure and pleasure.
Pratima Dutta, Calcutta
Equal rights
Sir — The Supreme Court’s ruling affirming that Muslim women, too, are entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is a momentous step towards gender justice. Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih rightly emphasised that maintenance is not charity but a fundamental right of all married women regardless of their faith. The court has strengthened social and economic security for Muslim women. This ruling sets a precedent that will ensure progress and inclusivity.
Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta
Sir — The landmark judgment of the apex court asserting that a Muslim woman has the right to seek maintenance from her former husband will hopefully end religious discrimination in matters of alimony. The verdict is a reminder that the Constitution promises equality irrespective of religious and other identities. The court has rightly decided that the issue of gender justice is not antagonistic to the freedom of religion.
M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The Supreme Court’s verdict regarding alimony for divorced Muslim women is significant because many women in India are dependent on their husbands. Women who are divorced or abandoned by their husbands face several challenges. Many divorced women never remarry, thus alimony paid for just three months after the divorce — the iddat period according to Muslim personal law — is not sufficient.
Amrapali Roy, Jamshedpur
Safety first
Sir — In his article, “Terminal decline” (July 17), Arghya Sengupta argues that the press and the government forget accidents that take place within a short period of time. He is absolutely right. His point about Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning as the railways minister after two tragic train accidents is also pertinent. But is the government listening?
Sanjit Ghatak, Calcutta
Sir — A preliminary audit of Delhi airport’s Terminal 1, following a roof collapse that left one dead on June 28, has highlighted the need for a thorough inspection of the structure. This would take up to three months, forcing all flight operations to continue from the other two terminals. This might seem like a hassle, but it is of utmost importance to ensure that lives are not lost owing to lax safety measures.
M.C. Vijay Shankar, Chennai
Merciless onslaught
Sir — The world seems to have turned away from the massacre of defenceless Palestinians in the killing fields of Gaza. On Saturday, Israel attacked a refugee camp in Muwasi, Khan Younis. Tel Aviv deployed fighter jets and drones against unarmed refugees living in tents. At least 90 people were slaughtered, and some 300 injured in what was supposed to be a ‘safe zone’ protected under international law. The Muwasi massacre was followed by an attack on a refugee camp in Nuseirat in which at least 17 people perished.
Yet, most Western countries stand staunchly by Israel while it murders innocents. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is cunningly pretending to talk peace while mercilessly pounding Gaza at the same time. A return to the pre-October 7 status quo is impossible. When the dust settles, either the Palestinians will secure freedom and dignity or Israel will succeed in its mission of ethnically cleansing them from their homeland.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Green aid
Sir — The roll-out of a tree ambulance equipped with 26 different tools recently in Cooch Behar to treat ailing plants is heartening (“Tree ambulance rolls out in Cooch Behar”, July 16). Many trees will undoubtedly benefit from this service. Such tree ambulance services should be launched across West Bengal.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
Sir — It is delightful that Paryabaran Sanrakshan, an organisation in Cooch Behar, has introduced an ambulance service to save and conserve trees. Benoy Das, a member of Paryabaran Sanrakshan and an employee of the Archaeological Survey of India, should be thanked for his dedication to saving trees. If more tree ambulances are introduced all over Bengal, the green cover in the state will increase and pollution decrease.
Shyamal Thakur, East Burdwan
Fruit in peril
Sir — Mango production in West Bengal has taken a hit owing to prolonged hot weather. This is evident from the fact that mangoes from Bihar, especially Bhagalpur, have flooded the market.
Fakhrul Alam, Calcutta
Sir — The earliest mentions of mangoes in the Malda belt can be traced to the Pala dynasty that ruled modern-day Bengal and Bihar from the 8th to the 12th century. It is a shame that this fruit is now disappearing owing to climate change.
Deba Prasad Bhattacharya, Calcutta