Eat to live

Sir — The recent Karva Chauth celebrations in India abounded in irony. In Hardoi, a husband reportedly stabbed his wife who was fasting for his long life a dozen times while she was offering her prayers. Would her fate have been any different had she fasted for her own long life instead? Interestingly, two women inmates implicated in murdering their husbands were also allowed to fast and observe Karva Chauth — whose long life, one wonders, were they praying for? If Indians paid as much attention to what they consume instead of what not to eat, both men and women may have had longer lives.

Tanishtha Chowdhury, Mumbai

Unfair battle

Sir — The contest for its top post has turned the spotlight on the Congress (“Kharge sends a message from Bellary”, Oct 16). However, one cannot help but observe that the election is actually for the second-most important post as it is clear that Rahul Gandhi will be pulling the strings of the party irrespective of who becomes the president. There is also legitimate concern that the Nehru-Gandhis are covertly supporting Mallikarjun Kharge. Shashi Tharoor, on the other hand, seems to have been abandoned even by the group of dissenters called G-23.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Fill the cracks

Sir — At least 10 houses near Bowbazar have developed cracks owing to water seepage during work in the East-West Metro tunnel. This is the third time something like this has happened. This indicates a failure on the part of Calcutta Metro to learn from its mistakes. The matter should be investigated by an independent agency and ameliorative steps taken.

Arun Kumar Baksi, Calcutta

Risky choice

Sir — India is the world’s biggest importer of palm oil. Many everyday products have palm oil in them. Palm oil is less expensive and has a lower production cost than other oils. But regular consumption of palm oil, which is known to contain a lot of saturated fat, can raise harmful cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease. The government should thus outlaw the use of palm oil in food products at once.

Vijaykumar H.K., Raichur

Big gamble

Sir — Sunil Gavaskar was absolutely right in saying that if the Indian men’s team loses the Twenty20 World Cup, it will not be for lack of preparation (“Cup full of confidence for well-prepared team”, Oct 16). But T20 matches are always a gamble. Even minnows like Namibia could cause upsets. Moreover, the Indian team is already on the backfoot with the untimely injuries of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. The team should play with confidence.

N. Mahadevan, Chennai

Too late

Sir — Dengue cases are on the rise in Calcutta. Holding high-level meetings at this point are not of much use. The damage has already been done. The reasons for the growing number of cases are not far to seek. Mosquito breeding sites abound in the city — water accumulated in ditches and drains are not cleaned on time, garbage is dumped everywhere, the drainage system is poor and suffers after the lightest rainfall and so on.

Amit Brahmo, Calcutta

Heritage site

Sir — Kumartuli is an inextricable part of Calcutta’s heritage. It not only manufactures clay idols for various festivals in India but also regularly exports them overseas. The place has preserved traditional craftsmanship and symbolises the sincere dedication and meticulous hard work of the artisans who transform bamboo, wood, clay, jute and hay into awe-inspiring statues. These skills at Kumartuli have been passed down through the generations but have also kept pace with the times. It is definitely a heritage site that will continue to inspire countless generations with outstanding work.

Saikat Kumar Basu, Calcutta

Skewed vision

Sir — A recent study published in the journal, Science, claims that the earth may have already passed through five dangerous tipping points owing to the 1.1°C of global heating caused by humans to date. This should not come as a surprise. Calls for developing and transferring technologies to support action on climate change have naturally become louder worldwide. But the degree of dependence on technology that exists is alarming. Technology alone is unprepared to deal with the challenge, which requires a societal overhaul and a zero-emission strategy.

Parul Chauhan, Ujjain

Parting shot

Sir — Earlier this year, the United Nations published data to show that India would surpass China to become the world’s most populous country by 2023. We need to move from a family planning approach to a family welfare one, focusing on empowering men and women to make informed choices about their fertility.

Paniya Kanji, Calcutta