Winged visitors
Sir — Alfred Hitchcock left an entire generation squeamish about avians with his film, The Birds. Real seems to mirror the reel in the Argentine town, Hilario Ascasubi, which has been invaded by thousands of parrots owing to deforestation in the surrounding hills. They bite on the town’s electric cables causing outages and are driving residents crazy with their incessant screeching and pooping. Images show hundreds of birds perched on electric cables silhouetted in the dusk, eerily reminiscent of scenes from Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller. But can humans really blame birds for creating a nuisance when anthropogenic activities like deforestation, unsustainable urban planning and poor waste disposal methods are what have driven birds to invade human habitations?
Divya Sinha, Calcutta
Age of darkness
Sir — Authorities at a school in Uttar Pradesh killed a child as part of a black magic ritual for the prosperity of the school (“5 arrested for school child sacrifice”, Sept 28). The police have arrested five people in connection to the crime. A section of India continues to be steeped in prejudice and superstition even in the twenty-first century. In Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay’s novel, Kapalkundala, the heroine, Kapalkundala, had to save the hero, Nabakumar, from being sacrificed by a tantrik. A century later, nothing seems to have changed. This exposes a deep rot and a lack of humanitarian values in society.
Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly
Sir — One cannot expect citizens to be free from superstitions and belief in pseudoscience when some higher education institutions in India have introduced courses on astrology, reincarnation and out-of-body experiences. Recently, members of the All India Peoples’ Science Network spoke against Indian Institutes of Technology teaching students subjects that have no scientific backing. The Indian education system has clearly provided enough reason for people — the authorities of the school in Hathras who sacrificed a child for ritualistic practice, for instance — to stay superstitious.
Supriya Bose, Calcutta
Sir — The killing of a child as part of a ritual sacrifice in Uttar Pradesh proves that some people in our country are still living in a primitive era. It seems that the authorities of D.L. Public School require schooling in modern belief and science. The school authorities should be thoroughly investigated and duly punished so that other children do not come in harm’s way. Guardians too must be wary of sending their wards to schools run by religious fanatics.
Shyamal Thakur, East Burdwan
Realistic watch
Sir — In the film, Mahanagar, although Arati quit her job in solidarity with her friend, Edith, who had been fired, it is her husband, Subrata, deserves plaudits for offering her moral support despite both of them being unemployed and in a financial crisis (“Pivotal bond”, Sept 29). Thus Arati and Subrata truly deserve to share the screen in the closing scene of the film. In his column, Mukul Kesavan dubbed Subrata’s boss,
Mr Mukherjee, parochial since he promised Subrata a job as both of them came from Pabna. But most Indians harbour affections towards others belonging to their state, religion and even caste. Rarely do people lack personal biases against others, like the ones Mr Mukherjee had regarding Edith who belonged to the Anglo-Indian community. Just like Mr Mukherjee, top politicians in our country are responsible for spreading narrow, divisive sentiments in India.
Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta
Sir — Calcuttans have a nostalgic relationship with trams. Unfortunately, they might have to resort to watching films like Mahanagar to reminisce about them, especially since the city will soon have to bid adieu to trams. While trams may become a thing of the past, Satyajit Ray’s portrayal of the city life has hardly changed in the sixty-one years since the film was released — jobs continue to be scarce and the mahanagari, Calcutta, still offers little solace to its people. One hopes that friendships like the one between Arati and Edith continue to flourish and that some day trams be resurrected by an environmentally-aware government.
Samaresh Ganguly, Calcutta
Single lives
Sir — The trend among women to avoid marriage is on the rise globally. Women are choosing not to marry due to various socioeconomic factors. Some 45% of women between 25 to 44 years of age will remain unmarried by 2030. Increased rates of literacy among women are partly responsible for them shunning marriages. This makes one think — were women only marrying owing to their lack of social awareness and their economic dependence on men? While young people can choose to stay alone, as they get older they will need assistance. The booming geriatric industry can attest to that.
Shantaram Wagh, Pune
Fear factor
Sir — Research has found that the amygdala is larger in the brains of conservatives than in those of liberals. This begs the question: are people with larger amygdalas inclined towards a conservative ideology or do conservatives develop bigger amygdalas as their fears increase (“Larger fears”, Sept 28)? It also needs to be investigated whether fear-mongering by peddling fake information makes the amygdala grow. For example, despite studies that prove that states ruled by the saffron party or its allies have a higher fertility rate for Hindus and that the fertility rate of Muslims has gone down in India, the irrational fear of ‘Hindu khatrein mein hai’ has persisted. Some people cannot look beyond the web of deceit woven by the powers that be. Perhaps that too is an effect of an overgrown amygdala.
Sujit De, Calcutta
