Take that
Sir — Each action has an equal and opposite reaction. After employees around the world woke up to the wiles of the corporate world and started ‘quiet quitting’ — doing the bare minimum required by their roles — businesses are now hitting back with ‘quiet hiring’. This involves eschewing the traditional route of hiring new talent for vacancies and, instead, identifying eager-to-please, existing employees who can be lured into accepting more work — ‘going beyond the call of duty’ in HR-speak — with the promise of promotions and other rewards. Ironically, this kind of overburdening of employees is only likely to increase their burnout, leading them to quiet quit or, worse, actually resign. Perhaps it is time for some ‘quiet reflection’ instead.
Sanjana Gupta, Delhi
Free the mind
Sir — India has been independent for 77 years. Unfortunately, there are few in this country who understand the true meaning of independence. Most of those who participated in the freedom struggle have now passed away or are too old. Those born in independent India do not realise how hard the nation had to fight to gain independence. Moreover, people think nothing of insulting those who experienced immense hardships to win us this independence. The founding fathers of the nation would have been heartbroken to see the many unfreedoms that shackle the India of today. Celebrating Independence Day is of little use when the mind is so fettered. This day has become nothing more than an occasion for political parties to gain mileage.
S. Kamat, Mysuru
Sir — India’s Independence Day coincides with the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, the philosopher who preached religious pluralism — “I have written clearly that the coming of so many religions to India was part of her spiritual destiny and a great advantage for the work to be done.” People in both India and its neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh must remember that hate hinders a country’s progress. Sri Aurobindo had rightly said, “If they (Hindus and Muslims) fight, neither are likely to gain but both to lose, even perhaps giving an opening to a third party as has happened before in their history.”
Sujit De, Calcutta
Sir — For many Indians, August 15 is a day of celebration. But for some, it is a reminder of the atrocities that were committed during the lead-up to the “stroke of midnight”. The wounds of those cruelties are still raw and continue to fester in both India and Pakistan. Unless the traumas of Partition are addressed in a way that is restorative, non-accusatory and politically neutral, they will continue to haunt the country. Even though the present generation has not experienced the horrors of that sundering of the nation, they carry in them an inherited anger that colours their perception of communities. This anger is what political parties exploit to create communal tensions.
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bengaluru
Sir — On its 78th Independence Day, India stands tall as one of the world’s emerging economies with an advantageous demographic dividend, a vibrant democracy with enthusiastic participation in elections, and a diverse polity. But it also faces humongous challenges. Its people live in a more chaotic world where cooperation and liberal trade relations have taken a beating and where climate change is a hurdle. The emergence and the consolidation of a dominant political force that seeks to centralise power and homogenise the idea of India threaten to unravel the constitutional recognition of diversity and inclusion as the means for overall progress. Economic progress through inclusive growth has slowed down. Meanwhile, there is an exacerbation of inter-state disparities, with southern and western India delivering better outcomes in education, healthcare and thoroughgoing economic growth than other regions. These challenges will only be exacerbated with time unless urgent steps are taken to address them.
D.B. Bhattacharya, Calcutta
Unfair practice
Sir — In a landmark ruling last week, Amit P. Mehta, a judge of the US Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, ruled that Google had abused its monopoly over the internet search business. The last such ruling was against Microsoft in the 1990s, when it bundled its browser as the default in its Windows-based devices, thereby crowding out Netscape, the original pioneer in browser technology.
Simply punishing Google for its past offences is not enough. It must be restrained from similar conduct in the future by ensuring that a new generation of companies can compete fairly not just in the search market but also in new markets. That sort of remedy would return the antitrust law to its historical role as a form of industrial policy that restrains monopoly to promote economic growth and innovation.
N. Viswanathan, Coimbatore
Spot the talent
Sir — India could not improve on its medal haul from the Tokyo Olympics — it had got seven medals last time; in Paris, it has settled for six. On the medals tally, it slipped from 48th to 70th place owing to the absence of a gold medal. Indian sports needs to go into a huddle. The spending on elite athletes was generous but not so on scouting for new talents or encouraging those who are yet to prove themselves. Athletes should be trained so that they do not melt down under pressure. Being on the threshold of the podium is not an achievement in itself.
Kamal Laddha, Bengaluru
Sir — Much is made of India’s poor medal tally at the Olympics owing to its large population. But just 1.4% of its land area bagged 66% of its medals. This reveals just how much talent remains undiscovered. Efforts must be made to scout every remote corner of India.
Gopalaswamy J., Chennai
