Spring mascot

Sir — Spring is in the air, and the brainfever bird — kokil — is making it known to all of Calcutta. The problem is that the bird, given its feverish mind, can no longer distinguish between night and day. Calcuttans, therefore, are often woken up by this seemingly deranged bird cooing in its shrill voice in the middle of the night. But it isn’t the cuckoo that should be blamed. Light pollution — the city stays lit up even in the dead of the night — is known to induce such confusion among avians as well as nocturnal species. Perhaps Calcutta should contemplate its own Dark Sky Reserve, if only to give the kokil’s voice some rest.

Dipita Sen, Calcutta

Be wary

Sir — The Pentagon recently shot down a Chinese balloon that was floating over American skies. Although Beijing claimed that this was a research balloon collecting meteorological data, the allegations of espionage levelled by the United States of America cannot be ignored. India, too, should be wary of such spying. It is thus heartening that the government plans to spend Rs 1,800 crore to fund seven new battalions of the IndoTibetan Border Police. This will mean that approximately 9,000 more personnel will be guarding the Indo-China border.

Rohit Pandey, New Delhi

Timely lesson

Sir — The renowned Swedish tennis player, Björn Borg, has perhaps taught Indian politicians a much-needed lesson in humility. The player refused to be felicitated by the chief minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, as the latter arrived late to an event organised by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association. Borg’s refusal has left Bommai embarrassed. This should teach other tardy politicians a lesson in punctuality.

M.C. Vijai Shanker, Chennai

Amazing discovery

Sir — Astronomers have made a surprising discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope. They have spotted six giant galaxies that are too hefty for their age (“Found: 6 giant galaxies science cannot explain”, Feb 24). According to the current understanding of the universe, it came into existence with the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. The recently discovered galaxies were possibly created when the universe was about half a billion years old. Such organised star clusters so early on seem unlikely. The team of scientists which discovered these galaxies feels that this discovery may change our understanding of cosmology models and galaxy formation.

Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Calcutta

Bittersweet news

Sir — The news that an anonymous donor from the United States of America has given 1.4 million dollars for a life-saving drug for a 16-month-old boy in Kerala is bittersweet (“Rs 11.5cr for ailing kid”, Feb 22). While this selfless act restores our faith in humanity, it also reveals a glaring gap in the market for life-saving medicines at regularised prices. The lives of many Indians depend on charity as they cannot meet the astronomical prices of medicines.

Sujit De, Calcutta

Vulnerable birds

Sir — Penguins are one of the most threatened groups of seabirds, with half of their 18 species listed as either vulnerable or endangered. It is imperative to find a way to keep them under close human surveillance in order to save them.

Jayanthy Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai

Parting shot

Sir — It is heartening that Kovalam beach and its adjacent stretches will soon be reconstructed with additional facilities to attract more tourists (“Beach facelift”, Feb 24).

Sourish Misra, Calcutta