Soft target

Sir — Employees dressing up in themed attires during festivities is an accepted practice across the world. This Christmas, Zomato delivery agents in India dressed up as Santa Claus to delight customers with surprise gifts. Disconcertingly, some Hindutva activists in Indore forced a delivery agent to remove his Santa costume and then chided him for not dressing up as Lord Rama or wearing saffron clothes while delivering orders during Hindu festivals. One shudders to imagine what an agent would be subjected to if he dressed up as Lord Rams and delivered a chicken burger during Navratri.

Megha Sharma, Indore

Eminent statesman

Sir — The demise of the former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, is a loss for India (“Maker of Post-modern India Manmohan Dead”, Dec 27). He rose from humble origins to reach great heights. He was an honest man and a great economist who devoted himself to reforms. The India-United States Civil Nuclear Agreement will remain the crowning glory of his prime ministership as it not only ended India’s nuclear apartheid but also created a favourable geopolitical alliance.

Debaprasad Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir — Manmohan Singh will be remembered for his rural-centric economic reforms that he achieved by collaborating with the former prime minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao. Singh’s experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India helped him steer the economy as the finance minister in Rao’s cabinet. As a boy who studied under street lamps and then went on to study at both Oxford and Cambridge, Singh was attuned to the needs of the commoners.

Singh never retaliated to the disparaging remarks made about him by the media but was a believer in dialogue and press freedom. His statement, “History will be kinder to me than the media”, rings true now more than ever.

T. Ramadas, Visakhapatnam

Sir — It would not be an exaggeration to say that Manmohan Singh was the blade of grass that bends but survives when the storm comes and not the tree which, despite its tall stature, gets knocked down during a severe storm. This combination of resilience and humility was the hallmark of Singh’s tenure as prime minister (“Meritocracy of lofty decency, steely resolve”, Dec 27). He took on formidable opponents across the political spectrum and managed to win over them.

Gopalaswamy J., Chennai

Sir — With the demise of Manmohan Singh, India has lost a colossus of a leader, a great scholar, and an able economist. World leaders like Barack Obama and Angela Merkel looked up to Singh for advice. Singh took the bold step of liberalising the Indian economy in 1991. His maiden budget ushered in a stock market boom. Despite his achievements, Singh remained humble which is the marker of a true leader.

Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai

Sir — On June 11, 2005, Manmohan Singh had just taken over as prime minister and came to deliver a lecture at the Central Lecture Hall in Leh. After the speech, people thronged to meet Singh and he humbly shook everyone’s hands. I tried to extend my hand but missed the opportunity twice. Singh noticed that and, on my third attempt, smiled and himself caught hold of my hand and shook it. It was an unforgettable experience.

R.S. Narula, Patiala

Sir — Manmohan Singh’s death denotes the end of a rare strain of political leadership marked by intellectual capability. His reforms unleashed India’s entrepreneurial potential and protected the country in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. Singh’s adherence to ethics at the cost of displeasing his allies highlighted his steely resolve.

Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta