Tongue twister

Sir — Covid-19 has thrown many curve balls at humanity. With the onset of the pandemic, a handful of rare words have crept into common parlance. As the world prepares to tackle another wave of infections from the ‘Omicron’ variant, people are struggling not just with the virulent strain but also its pronunciation. A recent survey found Omicron to be among the most mispronounced words of 2021. The world may remain divided over whether to say ‘Oh-mee-kraan’ or ‘Ah-muh-kraan’, but one hopes that the debates are happening from behind the safety of the face mask. Omicron does not choose its victims based on pronunciation.

Suparna Mullick,
Calcutta

BUNCH ONE

Strong leader

Sir — The death of General Bipin Rawat, the former army chief and India’s first chief of defence staff, in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu came as a bolt from the blue (“Gen. Rawat killed in ‘unfortunate accident’”, Dec 9). His wife and 11 others were also killed in the crash. Rawat will be remembered for his farsightedness and pragmatism when it came to modern-day warfare. During his stint as army chief, Rawat modernized the armed forces. Although high-altitude warfare and counter-insurgency were his forte, his most defining quality was his versatility. This is perhaps why he was made the CDS after the cessation of his tenure as army chief.

Rawat’s untimely demise will be a big blow to India’s defence at a time when we are facing threats from Pakistan and China across the borders. It remains to be seen who is appointed the next CDS, a role which was carved out keeping Rawat in mind.

Chanchal Nandy,
Burdwan

Sir — General Bipin Rawat was a towering figure and his absence will be felt in the times to come, especially when India is not on the best of terms with its neighbours. His death has created a leadership vacuum in India’s defence sector.

Satyajit Chakraborty,
Jalpaiguri

Sir — India has lost a gallant defence chief in General Bipin Rawat. During his tenure, Rawat had tried to control infiltration and smuggling along the border and counter insurgency. His leadership saw the country’s defence soar to its highest limits.

In the light of recent incidents, such as the killing of a colonel of Assam Rifles in Manipur by insurgents and the botched security operation which resulted in the death of 14 civilians and a soldier in Nagaland, can a conspiracy behind Rawat’s death be ruled out?

Jay Prakash,
Jamshedpur

Sir — General Bipin Rawat’s death comes at a time when the integrity and the safety of our nation are threatened along the western, northern and northeastern borders. It is upon the current leadership to ensure that the morale of our jawans is not affected during this crisis.

Anwar Saeed,
Calcutta

BUNCH TWO

Brute force

Sir — The “Iron fist” (Dec 9) of Myanmar’s military junta must be crushed by the United Nations with the help of international pressure. The unjust incarceration of Myanmar’s former state counsellor and Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, needs to be condemned by the global fraternity in no uncertain terms. She has borne trials and tribulations throughout her life with grit and tenacity.

K. Nehru Patnaik,
Visakhapatnam

BUNCH THREE

Equally guilty

Sir — The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has openly flouted Covid-19 norms many times. Recently, there was a controversy about Johnson attending the CoP26 without his mask on, at least for some amount of time. It has now been revealed that 10 Downing Street had a Christmas party last year in spite of Covid restrictions. Allegra Stratton, the press secretary whose revelation about the party went viral on the internet, had to quit (“Party video drops Boris in a mess”, Dec 9).

She is not the first member of the Johnson government to have quit over breaking Covid protocol. If government functionaries are having to resign, why should Johnson be allowed to go scot-free?

Tanima Ghosh,
Calcutta

Sir — The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, should resign. If Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief adviser, and Allegra Stratton, the press secretary, had to resign for flouting Covid norms, so should the prime minister, given that the party was allegedly organized at 10 Downing Street,
his residence. Such dereliction of duty is unacceptable.

Jang Bahadur Singh,
Jamshedpur

BUNCH FOUR

Burning issue

Sir — The government has done away with LPG subsidies since May 2020. Cooking gas is a basic necessity and a steady rise in its price is burning a hole in household budgets. The government must at least offer a proper explanation for stopping the subsidy.

Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai

Sir — The price of cooking gas is making it unaffordable for most people. This will reflect in terms of votes.

Javed Alam,
Calcutta