Swansong

Sir — In Australia, the regent honeyeaters are losing their song. Instead of the distinctive warble once associated with them, the male birds now mimic other avian species in their mating rituals. The honeyeaters are not alone. As the world gets louder with the din of human activity, an eerie silence is spreading across natural soundscapes. Humpback whales, for instance, stop singing when ships are nearby. Healthy coral reefs used to be one of the loudest spots in the ocean but with the increasing stress placed on them, they are falling silent and attracting fewer fish. Human noise has thus become the sound of extinction.

Akansha Roy, Calcutta

Mask falls

Sir — Mukul Kesavan writes about a growing Western/European solidarity in the face of the Israel-Palestine conflict in his article, “Behind the mask” (Nov 26). But, in my opinion, the conflict marks a turning point in the unravelling of Europe’s role in the world. There has been a baffling cacophony of voices from the region, from aid for the Palestinians being suspended and then restored to ambiguous messaging on the need for Israel to defend itself within the limits of International Humanitarian Law.

The crumbling of European unity over the Israel-Palestine conflict may ultimately be a footnote in the long history of diplomatic failures in this tragedy. With courageous and coherent leadership, Europe could have played a far more constructive role in this matter.

Tathagata Sanyal, Birmingham, UK

Sir — Germany’s unfair and uncritical support for Israel is based on the country’s historical guilt for perpetrating the Holocaust (“Behind the mask”). In recent weeks, Germany has been one of the most vocal European nations in its support for Israel. Its response to pro-Palestine demonstrations across the country has been particularly harsh, sometimes involving the use of violent tactics against protestors. Holding the future generations of a people collectively responsible for the crimes of previous generations can be malicious. It may even lead to the perpetration of crimes or, in this case, support for criminal activities. Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu is doing to Palestine today what Adolf Hitler did to European Jews.

Amarjeet Kumar, Hazaribagh

Sir — Mukul Kesavan has rightly identified the faces behind the masks in the West but he did not touch upon India’s dubious position on the Israel-Palestine crisis. India has always supported Palestinian rights. Yet, it has refused, time and again, to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas’ attack on Israel was dastardly, but it was also an act of desparation given Israel’s constant disregard for the two-State solution. Can Hamas’ use of violent means not be compared to what Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose propounded during the freedom struggle?

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Right rises

Sir — The fact that a far-Right politician who peddles offensive anti-Muslim views has triumphed in the Dutch general elections is dismaying indeed (“Going Dutch”, Nov 25). But too much is being read into the less than overwhelming success of Geert Wilders. His party won just 37 out of the 150 seats in the Dutch Parliament. Wilders faces an uphill struggle to form the government. His pledge to slash immigration is legally and morally impractical, and probably politically unsustainable. Wilders knows this and is thus already softening his stance and speaking of ‘restrictions’ instead of bans.

Sujit De, Calcutta

Sir — Geert Wilders had once defended the former Bharatiya Janata Party member, Nupur Sharma, for making Islamophobic comments. He has now vowed to become the prime minister of the Netherlands after securing a narrow victory in the general elections. Asim Ali thus hit the nail on the head with the ideological comparisons he draws between the far-Right in India and the Netherlands in “Going Dutch”. This is part of a larger trend of far-Right politicians and parties growing in influence across Europe, from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy.

P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab

Selective love

Sir — Social media is awash with lamentations about the wire fox terrier — its claim to fame comes from its fictional counterpart, Snowy, the faithful companion of Tintin — being on the verge of extinction. These days, dog breeds go in and out of fashion based on TV shows, Instagram reels and even advertisements. For example, a popular ad of a telecom company led to a spike in the breeding and sales of pugs in India. Such trends are inimical to the animals, who are bred in inhumane conditions and then have to face a lifetime of difficulties. There is little point in lamenting over the Snowys of the world when there are so many loyal companions languishing without care.

Sohini Majumdar, Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — The consistent slide in Calcutta’s air quality does not bode well for the city’s elderly population.

B.N. Das, Calcutta