Pet peeves
Sir — Pet ownership in India can be troubling business. Besides the lack of proper healthcare facilities — especially in public healthcare centres — and infrequent vaccination drives for pets, travelling with them — if it is at all possible — can be an expensive affair. Indian Railways is trying to address this problem with a proposal to allow special online tickets for dogs and cats. While this seems like a step in the right direction, the process remains tedious. In case of a squeamish co-passenger, the pet will have to be kept in the guard coach. While human passengers can get refunds on tickets, pets have no such luck. Even the boy wizard, Harry Potter, had to keep his pet owl in a separate compartment; what hope do we then have of doing otherwise?
Deetipriya Das,Calcutta
Tilted portrayal
Sir — It seems unfair to justify the screening of The Kerala Story as a fictionalised account (“Free fiction”, May 9). It is more of a distortion of truth to suggest that there is communal hatred in the otherwise peaceful state of Kerala. Inter-faith marriage is a common occurrence in any diverse community. Women should not be deprived of their marital autonomy by branding inter-religious marriages between Hindus and Muslims as love jihad. In this context, the remark by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, about the “ugly truth” of terrorism that the film allegedly portrays is nothing but communal propaganda.
G. David Milton,Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — Recent films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story focus on saffronised narratives instead of actual facts. Unfortunately, such one-dimensional films, which propagate hatred towards minorities, are on the rise. The makers of these films should not be given the licence to misuse democratic freedom and disturb the sensitive fabric of Indian society.
Kajal Chatterjee,Calcutta
Sir — Hearteningly, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has ordered a ban on the screening of The Kerala Story in order to avoid inciting communal tension in the state (“Mamata govt bans The Kerala Story”, May 9). Other states should follow suit to avoid incidents of violence.
Bhagwan Thadani,Mumbai
Sir — It is unfortunate that even though the film, The Kerala Story, was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification, West Bengal has banned it. The onus of maintaining law and order during the screening of any film is with the state government. Viewers have the right to criticise a film based on its content but the government must not curb the freedom of expression.
Diganta Chakraborty,Hooghly
Lax laws
Sir — Within a month of the shooting in Cleveland, Ohio, Texas has witnessed a similar incident, resulting in at least eight deaths (“8 die in Texas mall shooting”, May 8). The paucity of stringent gun control regulations in the United States of America is the reason for such shootings.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Stiff competition
Sir — Open Network for Digital Commerce, a government-backed platform, has started operating in select states and might finally end the duopoly of the two delivery apps, Zomato and Swiggy. ONDC allows market flexibility by letting restaurants sell their products directly to the consumer with a nominal commission and no delivery fee — so far — for its service.
Amarjeet Kumar,Hazaribagh, Jharkhand
Go digital
Sir — The Indian judiciary is gradually going digital and bulky legal files will soon be a thing of the past. The Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, S. Muralidhar, has announced that the state will soon have 100 more ‘paperless’ courts in order to make the judiciary “self-reliant”. The Orissa High Court’s initiative is commendable.
Muzakkir Khan,Mumbai
Stay dry
Sir — The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation should prepare to deal with the persistent problem of waterlogging in Mumbai during the monsoon. Places like Kalyan, Vithalwadi and Badlapur become water-logged every year. Other municipalities should also remain alert so as to prevent accidents owing to poor drainage.
Sudhir Kangutkar,Thane
Crowded land
Sir — India recently became the most populous country in the world. We are overexploiting our resources and struggling for space even as unemployment continues to plague the youth. A bigger population also poses challenges to governance. Yet, political parties are afraid to address this issue in order to safeguard their vote banks.
Saikat Kumar Basu,Calcutta
In the shadows
Sir — The scientist, Rosalind Franklin, was overshadowed by her male peers (“The Dark Lady of DNA”, May 8). Although James Watson and Francis Crick were only able to decipher the structure of DNA by studying a picture taken by Franklin on an X-ray diffraction machine, her contribution remained unacknowledged. Science, along with history, has not been kind to women.
Basab Chaudhuri,Calcutta
Royal recognition
Sir — Priyanka Mallick, a fashion designer from Hooghly, was invited to the ‘Coronation Big Lunch’ in London for designing a brooch for King Charles III and a dress, hat and shoes for Queen Camilla. She could not attend it, but she did go to the coronation reception at Taj Bengal hosted by the British consulate. This is a memorable moment.
Murtaza Ahmad,Calcutta
