Modern poet
Sir — When we think of the poet, Gulzar, timeless classics like “Dastak” and “Aadmi bulbula hai” come to mind, as do lilting notes of ghazals. We certainly do not think about TikToks and non-fungible tokens. However, this legendary poet has reinvented himself by collaborating with Kulturemint to create NFTs of some of his renowned poems, such as “Samundar”, “Lal haveli” and “Baarish”. It is refreshing for fans like us to see this illustrious poet and lyricist, whose writings have the unique ability to tug at our heartstrings while making us think, adapting himself to the times.
Vivek Raha, Gurugram
Crucial audit
Sir — The Election Commission of India wants to include a pro forma in the Model Code of Conduct and make it mandatory for political parties to account for the promises that they make in their pre-poll manifestos (“EC push for poll promise scrutiny”, Oct 5). This is practical as promises made before elections must be compatible with financial resources available to the exchequer. The information on budgetary provisions should be made available to citizens. Earlier the Supreme Court had directed the EC to form an expert committee to decide the fate of ‘freebies’. But the EC had recused itself saying that such a move would be an ‘overreach’. Attempting to give voters an idea about how poll promises may be financed is a heartening endeavour by the EC.
Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly
Sir — The controversial issue of political freebies has reared its head, once again. The indiscriminate announcement of freebies has grave effects on the economy. The EC has thus proposed to direct political parties to inform voters about the financial impact of the promises they make in their manifestos. Political parties have no right to squander taxpayers’ money for political gains.
K.V. Seetharamaiah, Bengaluru
Sir — While the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is quick to condemn ‘freebies’ when other political parties offer them, he has no qualms about extending the free ration scheme to lure prospective voters. Modi has often claimed that the nation has progressed only after 2014. If 80 crore people are dependent on free rations for survival, how is it progress?
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Myopic plan
Sir — The Centre has made a serious mistake by deciding to do away with the many awards and fellowships granted by various ministries, departments and even private institutions for achievements in science. The prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize given to young scientists has not been awarded yet. About 200 such awards will be replaced with a few national awards of ‘high stature’, tentatively titled Vigyan Ratna. This is like adopting a ‘one nation, one award’ policy. There should be multiple awards and honours of various kinds at different levels to reward scientists and researchers. The government’s new policy is short-sighted and will do a lot of damage to scientific research in the country.
Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta
Glorious ride
Sir — It is encouraging to learn that the hugely popular boat rides on the Ichhamati river on Vijaya Dashami were allowed this year after being suspended for the last two years owing to the pandemic (“Boat rides back for immersion”, Oct 6). The boats were flagged off from both the Indian and the Bangladeshi banks of the river, with the Indian boats departing from Taki. Both devotees and boatmen wait eagerly for this day throughout the year. Devotees get to witness the spectacular immersion of Durga idols from both the countries and boatmen earn some extra money on this day.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
