Polished feathers
Sir — From the Blackburnian warbler and the Wilson’s snipe to the Lucifer hummingbird, birds have historically been named after both real people and fictional characters. Interestingly, the American Ornithological Society has decided to change all the bird names that have connections to ornithologists and naturalists who were racist and supported the slave trade, including Lewis’s woodpecker and Bachman’s sparrow. These birds will eventually be named according to their physical traits and habitats. The move to liberate science from troubling legacies is welcome. Perhaps scientists should also consider renaming the moth, Neopalpa donaldtrumpi — named after Donald Trump — given the former president’s tarnished legacy.
Jayanta Sen, Calcutta
Spying State
Sir — Several prominent Opposition leaders have complained about receiving notifications from Apple alerting them that their iPhones might have been the targets of “State-sponsored attacks” (“Snoopgate Sarkar: Opp”, Nov 1). The government hacking into the devices of critics and activists in a covert way to dissuade them from their path is condemnable. This harks back to the Pegasus snooping case of 2021 in which several journalists and government dissenters were targeted.
The fresh snooping charges underscore the government’s bid to set up a smoke screen and avoid addressing the major policy debacles ahead of the upcoming general elections. The Supreme Court must urgently address the issue and hold the Centre accountable.
Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta
Sir — The recent allegations of hacking into the iPhones of several Opposition leaders and journalists are not without merit given the emphasis that Apple lays on privacy (“Prying eyes”, Nov 2). Such a perception is bolstered by the fact that the tech giant has not divulged the details of what prompted it to issue the alerts so as to prevent the attackers from adapting to its detection mechanism. It is also noteworthy that no Bharatiya Janata Party leader has received the hacking alert.
A democratically-elected government surveilling its critics is deplorable. The government is constitutionally mandated to ensure the privacy of every citizen as well as adhere to democratic freedoms.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — Even though Ashwini Vaishnaw, the information technology minister, has promised an investigation into the allegations of phone tapping by Opposition parliamentarians, it is no secret that such a probe will be just an eyewash. Charges of surveillance, data breaches and malware attacks by State-sponsored actors spell doom for the democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution.
State-sponsored attacks can be carried out by external States as well. A thorough investigation must thus be conducted to identify the perpetrators.
Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur
Strategic concern
Sir — Bhutan does not have diplomatic ties with China as part of its policy to limit the influence of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. This might change shortly as Bhutan and China are on the cusp of reaching a historic border settlement (“High stakes”, Nov 1). However, the establishment of ties between China and Bhutan will cause significant concerns for India owing to New Delhi’s breakdown of ties with Beijing.
Since the standoff in Doklam — it is located at the trijunction of India, China and Bhutan — in 2017, China has continued to encroach on Indian territories at the border. China gaining clout over Bhutan can be strategically disadvantageous for India.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Sir — India can pose the only real challenge to China’s dominance within Asia. To counter India’s growing influence, Beijing has been repeatedly attempting to undermine India’s strategic interests by wooing its immediate neighbours like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Significantly, a change of guard in Bangladesh
can tip the scale completely in China’s favour in that country. India needs to
be extra cautious of such strategic and political developments in its neighbourhood.
Aranya Sanyal, Siliguri
Flawed system
Sir — In “Mellowing romance” (Oct 31), Saikat Majumdar analyses the dichotomy between the urban student and the provincial student. The article reminded me of the fable about the ‘city mouse’ and the ‘country mouse’.
The education system has not been able to make students confident about the lessons they imbibe in classrooms. It is time that the authorities frame educational policies in line with the open-ended knowledge system advocated by Rabindranath Tagore.
G. Kumar, West Burdwan
Unequal sky
Sir — The aviation sector is witnessing a duopoly of IndiGo and Air India (“Big boys”, Nov 1). This is concerning. Recently, Akasa Air lost nearly 10% of its pilots who terminated their contracts abruptly and moved to Air India Express. Further, the predatory pricing of flight tickets set by the dominant players has edged out newer airlines, leading to a dearth of competition.
Dhananjay Sinha, Calcutta
Special edge
Sir — The Argentine football legend, Lionel Messi, must be congratulated for winning the Ballon d’Or for a record eighth time. This gives him a significant edge over his sporting rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. The award reaffirms the fact that Messi
is the king of modern football.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
