The year in a word

Sir — Merriam-Webster has declared “authentic” as the word of the year, a term that encapsulates, in one form or another, the zeitgeist of the past year. According to the publisher, 2023 represented a kind of crisis of authenticity with people searching for things untouched by Artificial Intelligence. The word, ‘authentic’, means something that is accurate or authoritative. Yet, the concept itself can be slippery. Is a photograph made from film more authentic than one shot on a digital camera? Is the new Beatles song less authentic because it takes the help of AI to extricate John Lennon’s voice from an old recording? Given that our collective handle on reality has become ever more tenuous, an elusive word for an abstract ideal is a fitting choice for word of the year.

Smriti Singh, Gurugram

Suspended voices

Sir — Four days after the suspension of 14 members of Parliament (13 of them from the lower House), 82 Lok Sabha members and 45 Rajya Sabha members were suspended for the same ‘offence’: demanding a statement from the Union home minister, Amit Shah, on the security breach in Parliament (“Animated Suspensions”, Dec 19). This underlines the Bharatiya Janata Party’s intolerance for dissent. Informed debates on matters of public importance have become a thing of the past and important bills are being rushed through without adequate parliamentary scrutiny. The BJP’s attempt to create an Opposition-mukt Parliament does not bode well before the upcoming general elections.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Sir — Ideally, the government should have made a sua sponte statement on the security breach in Parliament — outlining how it was handled and what precautions were being taken against it — and debated with the Opposition on this. Instead, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the chairman of the Rajya Sabha expelled a record number of MPs on charges of disruptive conduct. The fact that one MP was initially suspended even though he was not present in the House confirms that disciplinary actions were taken with scant regard for rules and conventions. Both the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Union home minister, Amit Shah, made statements regarding the security breach to the media. Why could not they have done so in Parliament? The Centre has been misusing suspensions, expulsions and privilege motions against the Opposition members more frequently. This deprives the voters of representation in the House. The current suspensions should be withdrawn and the government should welcome a debate on the security breach.

Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta

Sir — It is unfortunate that prominent leaders from the ruling dispensation who boast about Indian democracy abroad fail to appear in Parliament to respond to the queries raised by MPs. The Lok Sabha Speaker’s refusal to take action against the BJP MP, Pratap Simmha, for sponsoring the passes for those accused of breaching parliamentary security is an instance of clear bias. The suspension of the Opposition MPs can perhaps rally the INDIA bloc to take collective action ahead of the 2024 polls. But the suspension of elected leaders on baseless accusations undermines the stature of democracy in India. The government must learn to face reality instead of engaging in whataboutery.

Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta

Insensitive stance

Sir — The Union minister for women and child development, Smriti Irani, seems apathetic towards the plight of women who require menstrual leave. Several countries allow three days of paid period leave for female employees. Irani has claimed that women should be treated as equal to men without understanding that the differences in their physiologies demand different approaches for the two genders. Menstrual leave must be made compulsory.

A.K. Chakraborty, Guwahati

Sir — Menstruation is not a handicap, Smriti Irani recently thundered in Parliament. She is right, it is not. But dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia and polycystic ovary syndrome are medically recognied ailments. These are on the rise along with other lifestyle diseases. Women are not only expected to bear the excruciating physical pain and discomfort that these ailments cause but also to carry out their usual chores with a smile. Further, Irani says that men and women are equal. Besides the fact that this is simply untrue biologically, by her logic, men should also pull their weight around the house. Menstrual ailments should be treated on a par with other ailments and since only women menstruate they deserve extra leave allowance.

Yashodhara Sen, Calcutta

Rally for unity

Sir — In a bid to regain political favour in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has launched the Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra. The Congress hopes that it can replicate the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to win over the electorate in the heartland state, especially western Uttar Pradesh’s sizeable Muslim voter base. For the yatra to be as successful as the former one, regional parties should extend their support to the Congress.

M.T. Farooqi, Chennai

Sir — The Congress’s aim of fostering inclusivity through the Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra is admirable. The yatra will also remind people that the responsibility of building harmony in a community is shared.

S.M. Rafik, Mumbai

Unhealthy reality

Sir — Nitya Nanda’s article, “In poor health” (Dec 18), accurately assesses the situation of Indian healthcare. Despite official data, the ground realities in both public and private hospitals are grim. The government must increase its investment in healthcare.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam