Raw deal

Sir — Scientific inventions have made life easier. But eccentric social media trends are forever ready to shatter such age-old truths. For instance, a growing number of influencers these days have been promoting the raw consumption of natural products such as milk. If a recent wellness craze is to be believed, unpasteurised milk not only boosts the immune system but also prevents dairy allergies and improves digestion. The collective anxiety about ultra-processed food items, it seems, has led to many embracing the trend. While nature’s essence does lie in its purest form, there is a reason why milk is heated — to eliminate harmful pathogens and increase shelf life. Evidently, the wisdom of social media influencers is not to be trusted.

Binita Pakrashi, North 24 Parganas

Deep cracks

Sir — In his column, “Multiple fractures” (June 1), Ramachandra Guha highlights the fault lines that have been plaguing Indian polity. Significantly, these fault lines have existed for decades but have deepened with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ascendence to power since 2014. The saffron party has been using these cracks to reap electoral dividends. Unfortunately, India’s ranking on the democracy index has taken a beating with global rights groups downgrading the country to an ‘electoral autocracy’.

While the prime minister, Narendra Modi, has been making tall claims about India being the ‘mother of democracy’, the ground reality is that there has been a gradual erosion of democratic freedoms in the country. Critics of the ruling regime are branded ‘anti-nationals’ and are subjected to prolonged incarceration
without bail.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Sir — “Multiple fractures” by Ramachandra Guha correctly elucidates the deficiencies of the party system in India, the corruption of the political leaders, and the backsliding of democracy. However, it is unfair to compare India’s political system with that of Great Britain, which has been a parliamentary democracy since the 19th century. India needs more time to pass the test of a successful democracy. The fact is that India has fared better as a democracy than most other countries that gained independence from the British raj.

Satish Gupta, Calcutta

Shameful ignorance

Sir — It seems that the prime minister, Narendra Modi, has either lost his mind or is trying to stir up controversy (“Modi’s experiments with truth and Gandhi”, May 30). During a recent media interview, Modi claimed that nobody knew of Mahatma Gandhi until the film, Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough, was released in 1982. It is abominable that the leader of a country is this ignorant. M.K. Gandhi is the Father of the Nation and has been revered by global icons like Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, Rabindranath Tagore, Nelson Mandela and others.

Gandhi’s visits to most foreign countries were extensively covered by the newspapers of those countries. Gandhi gained significant recognition for his fight against racism in South Africa before he returned to India to participate in the freedom struggle. Modi’s statement indicates his disrespect for Gandhi’s contributions as well as his lack of awareness about Indian history.

Ashim Kumar Chakraborty, Guwahati

Sir — I was shocked to read about the prime minister saying that people would not have been aware of Mahatma Gandhi had it not been for Richard Attenborough’s film.

Incidentally, I was curious about how much my driver knew about Gandhi and asked him whether he had watched the film. He replied that even though he had not heard of the film, it is unlikely for any Indian to not know about M.K. Gandhi, who spearheaded India’s independence struggle and whose picture appears on Indian currency.

Amitava Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — Narendra Modi has made inflammatory comments throughout this election. His recent remark on M.K. Gandhi is an example. Such a statement not only puts him in a pickle but also raises concerns about his mental well-being.

While Modi emphasised the need to cherish Gandhi’s contributions, several of his party members have indulged in hero-worshipping Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse. Equally baffling is that Modi, who never misses an opportunity to exploit Gandhi’s stature on the international stage, is rejigging historical facts to mislead his own countrymen.

Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta

Impactful image

Sir —The Israel-Hamas conflict has been raging on for the past seven months with no signs of abetment. Even though it was Hamas that had started the conflict with the surprise attack on Israel, the Benjamin Netanyahu government is responsible for dragging on the war, vowing to not stop until Hamas has been obliterated.

The southern Gazan city of Rafah has emerged as the new flashpoint. An Artificial Intelligence-generated image of tents housing displaced Palestinians with the words, ‘All eyes on Rafah’, has gone viral on social media. This is but a symbolic protest as both sides have been defying orders of peace.

Amit Brahmo, Calcutta

Sir — War tactics have changed in recent years. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has become a battle of managing public perception. The ‘All eyes on Rafah’ image depicting a tent camp in Rafah ravaged by Israeli bombings has been doing the rounds. As a counter to this, Tel Aviv released a poster portraying a Hamas militant standing in front of a baby with a gun and the words, ‘Where were your eyes on October 7?’. These are impactful images communicating the brutality inflicted by both sides.

Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur