Hot and cold

Sir — Climate change has, for long, been wreaking havoc on the mating rituals of the animal world. The temperature changes caused by global warming and the resultant impact on mating seasons have thrown the ecological balance out of whack, leaving some species less inclined to mate and thus pushing them towards extinction. But humans have continued to overpopulate the planet, unperturbed by the rising heat. This could soon change. A new survey has confirmed past research, which showed that rising temperatures bring down birth rates globally. After all, physical touch can feel repul­sive when one is drenched in sweat and praying for some respite from the heat. Global warming is, ironically, cooling the bedroom.

Ditipriya Singh, Calcutta

Same old spiel

Sir — Much of the prime minister’s Independence Day speech was a reiteration of what he has been saying since 2014. His continued attack on corruption and dynastic politics no longer inspires trust in the public. If he has not been able to rid the country of these ills after almost 10 years in power, it is a reflection of his inability, unwillingness and even complicity in the corruption.

Kamal Laddha, Bengaluru

Sir — During his Indepen­dence Day speech, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, said that the situation in Manipur is improving. It is unfortunate that the leader of the country is unaware of the situation in the state. Moreover, Modi’s speech sounded like an election campaign, the likes of which the nation has been hearing for the last 10 years. The prime minister has destroyed the significance of the Independence Day speech.

One hopes that on the next Independence Day, the prime minister’s ‘140 crore family members’ send someone else to the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Dubious support

Sir — In his article, “Why Amit Shah is wrong” (Aug 13), Karan Thapar has cor­rectly pointed out the faux pas committed by the Union home minister when he spoke about the ongoing Manipur crisis in Parliament. Shah claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party has not taken action against the chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, as he is cooperating. But, in reality, it wants to appease the majority Meitei community that Singh represents. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, has, once again, stepped away from ‘raj dharma’ for electoral benefits.

Prabhakar Bhattacharya, North 24 Parganas

Sir — The state government in Manipur would have undoubtedly been dismissed by now had it been headed by an Opposition party. However, Amit Shah has continued to extend his support to N. Biren Singh despite the latter’s role in fomenting tension in the state. Singh’s blatant favouritism towards the Meitei community is fuelling communal fires.
Ten Kuki members of the legislative assembly from Manipur, seven of whom
are from the BJP, have called for a change of leadership. The ‘double engine sarkar’ is an embarrassment in that state.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Stoking tension

Sir — The horrific communal clashes in Haryana’s Nuh ensued after provocative hate speeches were made against Muslims. These clashes claim­ed several lives. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is now gearing up to resume the yatra (“Hindu groups to restart yatra from strife-hit Nuh”, Aug 14). This decision was taken at a mahapanchayat where other abhorrent demands against the Muslim community were also put forward. Even 76 years after Independence, we have failed to strengthen our social ties and have turned more intolerant than our colonial masters.

Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta

Be curious

Sir — In “Spirit of enquiry” (Aug 14), A. Raghuramaraju writes that out-of-the-box thinking can transform India into a vibrant and inclusive community. India is a land of plurality and religion must not choke its growth by forcing it to cling to a traditional world order. Every age brings new schools of ideas to question existing dogmas.

Educational institutions should encourage curiosity. Political parties, too, should make space for newer candidates to support the spirit of enquiry instead of trying to drown marginalised voices with majoritarian sentiments.

Brij Bhushan Goyal, Ludhiana

Sharp drop

Sir — The Russian ruble reached its lowest value since the early days of the war in Ukraine as Moscow increases military spending and Western sanctions weigh heavy on its energy exports. This led Russia’s central bank to hold an emergency meeting to review its key interest rate, which was hiked by 3.5 percentage points to 12%. The ruble strengthened to 98 to the dollar following the announcement after falling to 102 rubles to the dollar. This was the lowest level that the ruble had sunk to in almost 17 months. But hiking policy rates will not solve anything. It might temporarily slow the pace of depreciation of the ruble, but unless the war sanctions are removed, there is not much hope for the Russian economy.

Shanthi Ramanathan, Ghaziabad

Rejected lesson

Sir — The chief minister of Karnataka, P.C. Siddaramaiah, has declared that the state government will scrap the National Education Policy from the next academic year. The NEP — implemented in the state by the erstwhile Bharatiya Janata Party government — faces opposition from students, parents and teachers as it had introduced an experimental syllabus with the objective of imparting communal education to the students, according to Siddaramaiah.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai