Flat flavour

Sir — Cooking is an art and, like any art form, it requires time, effort and imagination. These are as essential as the ingredients that go into preparing the food. For instance, the amount of time taken to cook daal bukhara is directly proportional to its taste. Moreover, each dish is flavoured by the imagination of its chef. But most restaurants serving hundreds of meals in a few hours have neither the time nor the luxury of imagination. This is why most Indian food served in restaurants, no matter which corner of the country it is from, is made from the same base sauce using onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic. This homogenisation has ruined the diversity of many local cuisines in India and led to the equation of ‘Indian food’ with food from the north of the country.

Tathagata Mondal, Calcutta

Spirited speech

Sir — The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, spoke the truth when he said that Hinduism does not teach fear or spread hatred (“‘Hindu samaj is not RSS/BJP thekedari’”, July 2). The Bharatiya Janata Party has created an atmosphere of fear in the country by misusing the State machinery. Thus far, all major decisions have been taken unilaterally without consulting the Opposition. This attitude has encouraged the perpetration of violence in the country. Rahul Gandhi’s argument that such a party cannot call itself Hindu is right. He will certainly try to keep the BJP’s arbitrary governance in check.

Sudhir G. Kangutkar, Thane

Sir — The BJP government got its first taste of real criticism from the Opposition in the Lok Sabha through Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the motion of thanks to the president’s address (“Two speeches”, July 3). The leader of the Opposition left the Treasury benches rattled with his passionate speech. He even questioned the Hindu credentials of the BJP. But the Congress should not go overboard and try to engage in constructive and meaningful debate. The dignity of the Opposition must be maintained.

Amit Brahmo, Calcutta

Sir — In his speech in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi rightly pointed out that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP and Naren­dra Modi do not represent the entire Hindu community. This is borne out by the BJP’s defeat in the Faizabad seat — Ayodhya falls under it — and Modi’s reduced vote share in Varanasi. Clearly, not all of the Hindu vote bank backs the BJP.

The BJP has accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the Hindu religion. But it must ponder its own actions — the Ram temple was inaugurated before the Lok Sabha elections in the absence of and without the consent of the four shankaracharyas. This shows that the BJP uses Hinduism as a poll plank.

Nilutpal Maitra, Howrah

Sir — The prime minister has called the behaviour of the leader of the Opposition “infantile”. But the argument made by Rahul Gandhi is a resounding slap on the face of an irresponsible political leader who only cares about counting his days to occupy the chair but fails miserably again and again.

Anandambal Subbu, East Mumbai

Sir — The speech made by Rahul Gandhi, highlighting that all religions preach non-violence and fearlessness, will motivate thousands of Indians. The message that his speech has sent out is this: strong bonds among communities will help India weather any crisis before it.

Jakir Hussain, Kanpur

Sir — Both the leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, respectively, raised some pertinent points in Parliament. Neither the prime minister nor the Union home minister had any logical response to their queries. A strong Opposition is crucial to the functioning of democracy. The latest election results seem to have strengthened the Opposition. Rahul Gandhi has matured enough as a politician to take on the Treasury benches.

Tapan Dutta, Calcutta

Sir — If Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about Hinduism in the Lok Sabha were indeed intended to appease Muslim voters, he risks alienating vast sections of the electorate. He also undermined the principle of secularism. Politicians have a responsibility to foster harmony and understanding among different communities rather than resorting to divisive rhetoric for electoral gains.

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha, Kerala

Sir — The spirit of demo­cracy seems to have returned to the Indian Parliament if the speech of the leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is anything to go by. His stirring speech for­ced several BJP leaders, including the prime minis­ter and the Union home mi­ni­s­ter, to get up and speak. Yet, what Narendra Modi said was alarming. He said, “Democracy and the Constitution have taught me to take the leader of the Opposition seriously.” Does this mean that he did not do so earlier?

Rahul Gandhi stole the show by asserting that the BJP, the RSS and Narendra Modi do not represent the Hindu samaj. He made it clear that people’s issues were of paramount importance for the Opposition. The Modi government found itself on the back foot.

Prem Sharma, Barnala, Punjab

Sir — It was amusing to see the Narendra Modi-led government run for cover after a spirited speech in the Lok Sabha by the leader of the Opposition. The usually bombastic Union home minister asking the Speaker for protection was especially funny. In response to Rahul Gandhi’s fiery argument, the prime minister could only resort to personal attacks. The government is clearly finding it difficult to handle the more robust Opposition. Perhaps it will not last its full term if the Opposition keeps up its onslaught.

Kalyan Ghosh, Calcutta

End of an era

Sir — Wimbledon 2024 marks a generational shift — Roger Federer has retired and Rafael Nadal is on a valedictory lap and not playing. Novak Djokovic is playing but still recovering from a knee surgery. At what is set to be his Wimbledon swansong, Andy Murray will only compete in the doubles segment. The stranglehold of the ‘Big Four’ on tennis has loosened. The stage is set for the next era of tennis greats.

Khokan Das, Calcutta