Clock switch

Sir — The phone alarm not going off in the morning is an oft-repeated excuse employees tend to give for being late to work. iPhone users, too, it seems, are prone to this. Recently, social media has been inundated with complaints about iPhone alarms automatically turning silent, causing users to snooze through the ringing alarms. Apple has conceded that the faulty alarm is the result of a bug. While this may prompt office bosses to sympathise with latecomers, employees can perhaps switch to the old-fashioned physical alarm clocks to avoid being late.

Nirjhar Dey, Calcutta

Poisonous words

Sir — It is distressing to witness the leader of the largest democracy in the world stoop to the lowest level of indecency to garner votes (“Modi prejudice flows unchecked”, May 8). During his recent campaign, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, accused the Congress of perpetrating “vote jihad” against him and urged the electorate to pick between the Congress’s “vote jihad” and the “Ram rajya” ushered in by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

This is the second time this election season that Modi has made such bigoted remarks. It is clear that the BJP has failed to produce concrete examples of real development in the 10 years that it has been at the helm. The party is now desperately falling back on its polarising tactics to sway the electorate against the Opposition. Further, the continued silence of the Election Commission of India in response to these hate speeches does not augur well for the democratic framework.

Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta

Sir — With reports from the ground suggesting the absence of a ‘Modi wave’, the prime minister recently exhorted the electorate to give the BJP more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha. This, he reasoned, would prevent the Congress from putting a “Babri tala” on the Ram temple in Ayodhya, reintroducing Article 370, and implementing reservation for Muslims by depriving the other marginalised sections. It is unfortunate that Narendra Modi has nothing to show in terms of the work done by his government in the past 10 years.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Stunted growth

Sir — The article, “Shackled science” (May 8), by Biju Dharmapalan highlights the critical issues concerning scientific policymaking and the deep-rooted prejudices affecting science education in India. There have been significant strides in various branches of science, including Artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum technologies, in recent years. But the ascendant scientific development has not been accompanied by mitigatory measures against challenges like misinformation, data theft, cybercrime, and others.

Effective policymaking must be undertaken to implement scientific education in schools. Furthermore, students should be encouraged to practise critical thinking in order to counter the advancements of AI-driven automation that threatens to replace routine jobs.

P.K. Mitra, Calcutta

Nuclear risk

Sir — On sensing perceived threats from France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, Russia recently announced its plans to conduct military drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons (“Putin orders tactical N-weapon drills”, May 7).

The possibility of nuclear warfare among the major nations must be considered with utmost seriousness. The catastrophe of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War is still fresh in public memory. Both the West and Russia must, therefore, desist from issuing threats about using nuclear weapons.

Brij Bhushan Goyal, Ludhiana

Sir — The use of chemical weapons, whether against military personnel or civilians, is strictly forbidden by international law. The US state department recently asserted that Russia used the choking agent, chloropicrin, against Ukraine. The use of chemical and biological weapons by any country engaged in conflict is detrimental to human survival and can cause environmental damage beyond repair. The International Criminal Court should take cognisance of the US’s claims and bring Russia to book if they are proven true.

D.P. Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Strike a balance

Sir — Air India Express has cancelled more than 100 flights since Tuesday owing to the protest by a section of the cabin crew against the alleged mismanagement of the Tata Group (“AI Express cancels 100 flights”, May 9). The disruption has left hundreds of passengers in the lurch, leading to chaos at the airports. Swift action is required to address the grievances of the protesters.

The protests come at a time when AI Express is in the process of being merged with AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India. The aviation industry should strike a balance between addressing the well-being of the crew members and implementing long-term strategies for sustainable growth.

Khokan Das, Calcutta