Upchuck fee
Sir — The more drinks, the merrier — guzzlers will never disagree. ‘Bottomless brunch’, which includes an unlimited amount of drinks and a never-ending brunch buffet, is a tradition in restaurants in most Western countries. It is also a great way to get one’s money’s worth. But the bounteous servings of mimosa, bacon and pancakes are not for the faint-hearted and the mid-morning hangover can make most people experience severe indigestion. The decision taken by several eateries in California to introduce a $50 ‘vomit fee’ as cleaning costs incurred for all the retching after such brunches is, therefore, welcome. However, while responsible drinking should be encouraged, restaurants should also avoid over-serving to minimise the chances of upchuck.
Nikita Sharma, Delhi
Strained music
Sir — ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’, goes the saying. It seems that the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is not very different from the erstwhile Roman general. At a time when Manipur has been ravaged by ethnic clashes for the past five months, Modi has mentioned the crisis all but once in Parliament and has not found it in his heart to visit the state or extend support to the warring communities. On the other hand, the prime minister has managed to write a new Garba song and promote it on the occasion of Navratri. This highlights Modi’s indifference to the burning crises.
At least 10 Opposition leaders recently met the governor of Manipur to chalk out a lasting solution to the months-long conflict. It remains to be seen whether this will prompt the double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party to wake up and take action.
Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Sir — Several political leaders tend to harbour artistic inclinations. For example, the Roman general, Nero, wanted to be known as a great composer. The former Indian prime minister, A.B. Vajpayee, apart from being a statesman, wrote poems regularly. Now Narendra Modi has penned Garba lyrics for Navratri.
Any work of art should be judged objectively. However, this is not the case with the creative pursuits of powerful politicians as people tend to avoid voicing honest opinions about them. It will thus not be surprising to see sycophants come up with paeans for Modi’s writing skills.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Elusive justice
Sir — Citing the example of Umar Khalid’s unlawful incarceration in his article, “Prisoners of conscience” (Oct 15), Tushar Gandhi rightly states that “[e]very day that he and others like him spend in prison tarnishes the image of India as a just nation.” He also suggests that elected representatives of the ruling regime who foment hatred among communities are exempted from any disciplinary action.
The ruling dispensation has grown fiercely intolerant towards dissenting voices. There are several examples — Ravish Kumar’s resignation from NDTV, the hounding of Amartya Sen by the authorities of Visva-Bharati University, the arrest of the journalists of NewsClick as well as the prosecution of Arundhati Roy under the draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act — to support this charge.
Sujit De, Calcutta
Sir — The bail hearing of Umar Khalid has been adjourned till November 1. This is yet another blow to the scholar who has been in police custody since 2020 in an anti-terror case. Justice delayed is justice denied. The legal system should understand this.
Murtaza Ahmad, Calcutta
Decisive win
Sir — At a time when Afghanistan has been riven with crises like wars, earthquakes and poverty, it was exhilarating to watch the minnow humble the defending champions, England, by 69 runs in the ongoing cricket World Cup (“Afghans’ turn to stun England”, Oct 16). The Afghan victory can be ascribed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s brilliant batting spell — 80 runs off 57 balls — which helped his team set a formidable target of 285 runs for the Englishmen.
As far as the bowling is concerned, the deftness of the Afghan spinners made some of England’s batsmen look distinctly third‑rate. This is a significant achievement for the Afghan team whose only previous success in the World Cup was against Scotland in 2015.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
Sir — Afghanistan deserve to be congratulated for winning the World Cup match against England at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The main causes for England’s humiliating defeat are the lack of depth in their batting and bowling departments and their failure to plug the loopholes. The Afghan bowlers, especially Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Adil Rashid, showed more resilience against the English.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Sir — The Afghanistan cricket team has scripted history by upsetting England’s applecart in the ongoing World Cup. This will significantly boost its morale. The lackadaisical form of the English team suggests that it is not inclined to retain its status as the defending champion. The English players did not seem to be too perturbed after their shocking defeat. They must buckle up if they are serious about reaching the finals.
Srikanth Mahadevan, Chennai
Historic tribute
Sir — Hundreds of women have fought alongside men in the national struggle for independence. However, history recognises only a few of these women fighters. It was thus heartening to learn that the Durga Puja pandal of Dum Dum Tarun Dal has featured back-lit portraits of some of the unsung women revolutionaries from Bengal (“Unsung sheroes make it to Puja pandal”, Oct 15).
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
