Love’s labour
Sir — He who treads the path of love walks a thousand metre as if it were only one, or so goes a Japanese proverb. A newly-married man in China seems to be proving this proverb right. He commutes 320 kilometre to and from work daily so that his wife can have a marital home in the region where she belongs and does not lose her sense of security after marriage. But it must be asked how much time the couple is actually getting to spend together given that the man works for eight hours and travels for six hours every day. While it is true that settling into a new city can be difficult, should not love involve both partners being considerate towards each other’s needs? Surely, the couple could find a place they both feel secure in closer to the man’s workplace.
Swati Deshmukh, Mumbai
Path to division
Sir — It seems that the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has not learnt a lesson from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s recent shock at the hustings. This is why he ordered shops on the route taken by the kanwar yatris to display the names of the owners to polarise the electorate (“Faith tag on Muslim trade in UP”, July 19). Hearteningly, the Supreme Court has stayed this order along with a similar one passed in Uttarakhand.
Some places along this route have a sizeable Muslim presence but devotees have never been selective in their patronage of certain shops over others. According to the authorities, the order was issued to avoid unpleasant situations resulting in law and order problems. During this yatra, devotees abstain from consuming non-vegetarian food. An order asking the vendors to state whether they serve non-vegetarian food would have sufficed to avoid skirmishes.
S.K. Choudhury, Bengaluru
Sir — The UP government’s decision to ask eateries along the kanwar yatra route to display the names of the owners is unfortunate. This order was aimed at an economic boycott of Muslims. The government’s claim that it aimed to prevent confusion is hogwash. Will an apple become non-vegetarian if a Muslim vendor sells it?
Zakir Hussain, Kazipet, Telangana
Sir — The day is perhaps not far when the government, besides telling citizens what to eat, will also tell people who to eat it from. Seeds of animosity are being sown among different communities.
Amit Brahmo, Calcutta
Sir — The chief minister of Uttarakhand said that people in his state live in social harmony. If that is the case, why did his government order shops along the route of the kanwar yatra to display the names of the shopkeepers? Was this not a way to target Muslim businessmen?
Fakhrul Alam, Calcutta
Sir — The Amarnath cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd in the mid-19th century. In the 21st century, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand had issued orders to ask shopkeepers along the route of the kanwar yatra to display the names of the owners outside. Can these state governments undo history and deny the communal harmony that used to exist in India?
Romana Ahmed, Calcutta
Veiled jibe
Sir — The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mohan Bhagwat, criticised people who want to become a superman, then a devta, then bhagwan and then the vishwaroop (“Before God, be human: Message from RSS chief”, July 19). This is an indirect attack on the prime minister, Narendra Modi. The latter’s statements about not being biological and stopping the war in Ukraine have made him a laughing stock internationally. Even the RSS seems to have had enough of his self-aggrandisement. But making such abstruse comments publicly will not help. The RSS top brass needs to sit with the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and discuss these issues in person.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
Sir — The Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, was quick to connect the RSS chief’s mocking statements to Narendra Modi. He might not be wrong given that Modi had expressly stated before the elections that he was not biological and instead had been born by divine design.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Dangerous tracks
Sir — Within a month of the Kanchanjunga Express accident near New Jalpaiguri, another train mishap has taken place with the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express getting derailed in Uttar Pradesh and four people losing their lives (“4 killed as train derails in UP”, July 19). The number of casualties could have been higher given the number of bogies that were derailed. It is disheartening that the government does not seem to be bothered about the safety of passengers. The railways minister is too busy criticising the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi to talk about his own ministry’s shortcomings. He should take moral responsibility for these frequent accidents and resign.
M.N. Gupta, Hooghly
Sir — The derailment of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express is the fourth major train accident in 2024. It is unfortunate that Kavach, the anti-collision system developed for the Indian railways, has not been deployed across the country so far. One fails to understand why the railways ministry is not taking steps to upgrade railway infrastructure and train its staff. Indian railways should learn from global practices and ensure the safety of passengers.
Deba Prasad Bhattacharya, Calcutta
Sir — The growing number of train accidents in India is a matter of concern. The Indian railways operates more than 22,000 trains and serves over 24 million passengers daily. The safety of these passengers should be a priority.
Gopalaswamy J., Chennai