Feelings on paper

Sir — There has been a boom in journal writing during the pandemic. Not only does keeping a journal help increase mindfulness, concentration and organizational skills but it also promotes creativity and self-care. Be it stream-of-consciousness-style journaling, where one has to write a few pages without thinking much, or art journaling, wherein people use paints, stickers, quotes and other creative elements to create a visual narrative, the cathartic effects of this activity on mental health are significant. It can often help process difficult emotions and trauma. Given the prohibitive costs of therapy, keeping a journal can be an inexpensive way of taking care of one’s mental health.

Paromita Sinha,
Calcutta

Wrong idea

Sir — The Trinamul Congress leader, Saugata Roy, recently said that even a single crime committed against women in West Bengal is shameful because the chief minister is a woman (“‘Shameful’ on Saugata lips”, April 15). He was referring to the alleged gang-rape and death of a minor girl at Hanskhali in Nadia. Such a statement is unfortunate for several reasons. First, he, too, is a member of the ruling party and, as such, equally responsible for upholding law and order in the state. Second, do male chief ministers have less of a duty to ensure women’s safety? The state government should strive to get to the bottom of the incident and punish the culprits instead of engaging in political mudslinging.

Arun Gupta,
Calcutta

Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party’s decision to form a ‘fact-finding’ committee to visit Hanskhali in connection with the alleged gang-rape and death of a minor girl is bewildering. The Calcutta High Court has already entrusted the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The BJP’s plan seems to be an effort to embarrass the state government. The situation demands sensitive handling at all levels so that the criminals can be swiftly arrested and stringent punishment meted out to them.

Debasish Chatterjee,
Calcutta

Sir — Do crimes against women cease to exist in places where women are in powerful administrative positions? At the time of the December 2012 gang-rape case in Delhi, Sheila Dikshit was the chief minister of the national capital. The statement made by Saugata Roy, thus, does not hold any merit.

The BJP is asking for the imposition of president’s rule in the state. One may ask why such demands were not made when the Hathras or Unnao atrocities came to light. It is disgusting to see political parties exploiting such tragedies for electoral benefits.

Kajal Chatterjee,
Calcutta

Timely warning

Sir — The Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, recently visited the Wagah border, the Partition Museum and Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab. He asked the people of India to be vigilant against “divisiveness”, which destroys peace and progress (“CJI caution against ‘division’”, April 15). His comments are timely; the sangh parivar should pay heed to them. Given the amount of venom that has been injected into India’s social fabric, only a miracle can now revive a sense of brotherhood in the country.

Romana Ahmed,
Calcutta

Difficult task

Sir — Sitaram Yechury has been re-elected as the general-secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for the third consecutive term. He has been entrusted with the onerous task of reclaiming the party’s lost space in India’s political landscape. The CPI(M) has seen a massive decline in its voter base. Currently, it has three members in the Lok Sabha. In spite of multiple electoral debacles, the CPI(M) has continued to put up a spirited fight against divisive forces and majoritarianism. However, its influence on the political narrative of the country has been limited. The CPI(M) leadership has said that it will strive to form a joint secular front for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But the party has a long way to go before that.

M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Uncertain future

Sir — The authorities responsible for protecting the country’s coastline should take immediate steps to prevent further damage to this ecologically fragile area (“Troubling tide”, April 15). The degradation of India’s coastlines is not only causing irreversible damage to the marine ecosystem but it is also dangerous for humans. It will lead to crop damage, increased flooding and wipe out human settlements.

Suparni Haldar,
Calcutta

Dubious trick

Sir — The ace spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has said that the tactical move, ‘retired out’, will be more common in the future. The International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India should prohibit such gimmicks that kill the spirit of the game.

N. Mahadevan,
Chennai

Sir — Ravichandran Ashwin’s proclivity for and defence of techniques like ‘Mankading’ and ‘retired out’ are worrying. Such tactics are against the spirit of the gentleman’s game. The ICC should see to it that the vocabulary of cricket is not polluted by such tricks.

T.A. Singh,
Delhi

Parting shot

Sir — It is wonderful that devotees were allowed to visit all of Belur Math on Poila Baishakh (“Devotees throng Math, temples”, April 16). This is a first since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The distribution of the afternoon bhog — a big attraction for visitors — was also resumed.

Sourish Misra,
Calcutta