The antihero
Sir — A hero’s disguise often shrouds his identity in mysterious anonymity despite such noble deeds as catching anti-social elements, aiding the police and helping restore law and order. However, a young couple in Delhi recently donned the costumes of Spiderman and Spiderwoman not to fight crime but to flout traffic laws. After a video of them performing dangerous stunts on a motorcycle went viral, the Delhi Police booked the two culprits. Upon being caught, the man claimed that being arrested was on his bucket list. While the choice of costumes may seem odd for a pair whose intention is to get arrested, this incident shows that even heroes can have dark sides. After all, even heroes are humans under their costumes.
Rakhi Menon, Noida
Old ties
Sir — Bilateral ties between India and Israel have always been affected by the domestic politics of the two countries as well as larger geopolitical issues (“Illogical”, April 29). While Indian leaders were not insensitive towards the need for justice and security of the Jews, they were determined that it should not come at the cost of Palestinians. India’s policy towards Israel was influenced by the sentiments of its Muslim population, which supported the Palestinian cause. The sympathies of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, seem to be with Israel even though India officially backs the two-State solution. Israel’s ongoing conflict against Gaza will test Modi’s diplomacy.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Sir — A better assessment of the situation in Israel vis-à-vis Palestine was expected from the Union external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar. Under Indira Gandhi’s leadership, India had backed Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader who led Palestine to a peaceful agreement with Israel. India’s stance regarding Palestine and Israel has remained the same over the years and Jaishankar should acknowledge that.
K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam
Tipped scales
Sir — Despite the ongoing strain in their relationship, India remains economically dependent on China. A recent report by the Global Trade Research Initiative stated that India had imported more than $100 billion-worth of goods from China in the last year. Indian industries depend heavily on Chinese resources. This makes one sceptical about initiatives, such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, taken by the Narendra Modi-led government. The growing rivalry between India and China makes it crucial for India to address this dependence.
Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur
Fix the system
Sir — The alleged suicide of seven students in Telangana after the declaration of intermediate examination results is a grim reminder of the ills plaguing the Indian education system. According to the National Crimes Record Bureau, around 13,000 students took their lives in 2022. Competition among peers and the weight of parental expectations cause depression in students.
Our school education system, which encourages rote learning and forces students to join coaching centres, is dehumanising and needs an immediate overhaul. Flexible evaluation mechanisms coupled with round-the-year support systems that help students cope with stress are the need of the hour.
M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Crop crisis
Sir — Cotton yields have come down due to a virus attack in the Vidarbha region (“The demon seed of Vidarbha”, April 29). This must act as an eye-opener for agricultural scientists and the government. If cotton yields remain non-profitable, farmers will have to migrate to cities in search of jobs. High input costs and lack of price security are taking a toll on the cotton economy. Election campaigners must highlight this issue. The state of the nation’s farmers is a far more important subject than temples and religion.
Amit Brahmo, Calcutta
Sir — Climate change is leading to warm and wet weather conditions that cause outbreaks of plant viruses. Recent research analysing pathogens affecting over 5,000 wild and agricultural plants from 1984 to 2019 found that the incidence of viral disease increased sharply with rising temperatures. Heavier rainfall was also linked to the spread of viral disease among plants.
Arka Goswami, Durgapur
Green way
Sir — A green taxonomy is a framework to assess the sustainability credentials and possible ranking of an economic activity. This includes the green bonds introduced by the Reserve Bank of India to encourage foreign investors to fund environment-friendly projects in India. According to the World Bank, emerging economies like Fiji, Egypt and Malaysia are also adopting green bonds in an attempt to enter the green finance market. This is commendable. Green bonds were first developed in 2008 by a group of Swedish pension funds seeking tradable and liquid assets that were climate-friendly.
Dimple Wadhawan, Kanpur
Beat the heat
Sir — At the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri, air-coolers, pedestal fans, water jet sprays, sprinklers and bamboo sheds are being deployed to help animals and birds beat the heat. The supply of electrolytes in the animal enclosures has been increased to keep them hydrated (“Heat shield for Bengal Safari Park animals”, April 29). It is laudable that the park authorities have left no stone unturned to provide the animals with some comfort in this scorching heat.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
