Wind beneath the wings
Sir — In a major victory for wildlife conservationists, New Zealand has been able to restore the population of the takahe bird that went extinct in the 1890s owing to the advent of European colonisers and their carnivorous pets. After the takahe resurfaced in 1948, eggs were collected and nurtured and the birds were gradually reintroduced into national parks and sanctuaries. A recent survey revealed that 60% of the 338 Indian avian species that were studied are declining. New Zealand’s success thus holds out hope for India too. Conservationists are not the only ones who can resurrect dwindling bird species. People can do a lot for birds like chorais and tuntunis simply by allowing them to nest without breaking these fragile dwellings.
Shilpa Basak, Malda
Divergent views
Sir — Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, has triggered a political row by equating Sanatana Dharma with dengue, malaria and coronavirus and by adding that it should be eradicated (“1-election chanters who don’t know India”, Sept 4). Sanatana Dharma is a Sanskrit term that can be loosely defined as “eternal religion”. B.R. Ambedkar had argued that it adhered to Brahminical theology and created caste divisions in society.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s partisan politics has turned religion into a matter of discontent among people. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment might not be correct, but it is the Centre that is to be blamed for politicising religion.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Sir — The Tamil Nadu minister for youth welfare and sports development, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has hurt the sentiments of Hindus by comparing Sanatana Dharma to diseases. Proponents of Sanatana Dharma, such as Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda, have spoken about it being a religion of tolerance that can expand all over the world. Even India’s G20 motto, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, is a sanatani mantra. Politicians should refrain from insulting the beliefs of people.
Diganta Chakraborty, Hooghly
Sir — Sugata Bose has described Sri Aurobindo’s definition of the term, Sanatana Dharma, as “large as life itself” and highlighted the need to understand it properly, lest the concept is usurped by the ‘Hindutva brigade’ (“Sugata on Aurobindo’s religious views”, Sept 3). In his letters, Aurobindo expressed his views against any religious orthodoxy since this pushes followers into an abyss of backwardness. He had rejected his image as a Hindu yogi and was known to freely dine and associate with members from other religious communities. Aurobindo had also dissociated his ashram from any form of Hindutva and solely focused on ‘truth’ and spirituality.
Sujit De, Calcutta
Sir — Sanatana Dharma has existed for centuries and Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remark exposes the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s failure to respect and understand people’s faith.
C.K. Subramaniam, Chennai
Sir — The BJP is using the row regarding Sanatana Dharma to mislead and divide people. Udhayanidhi Stalin has called for the eradication of the rigidity, dogmatism and caste-based discrimination that is perpetrated in the name of religion. Rational Hindus must fight against the religious bigotry prevalent in Hinduism instead of misinterpreting political statements as an incitement for genocide.
Amit Brahmo, Calcutta
Waste of time
Sir — The purpose behind convening a special session of Parliament is still under wraps (“Agenda specialist sets up agenda mystery”, Sept 1). A special session of Parliament would have been purposeful had it addressed the situation in Manipur. The prime minister’s reticence has made matters worse in that state.
Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Sir — What is the point of a special session of Parliament if there is no Question Hour or Zero Hour, where the Opposition can raise questions or issues of public importance? The government might as well have passed unilateral ordinances on whatever bill it plans on forcing into law. It is not as if the government allows or entertains debate during the regular sessions of Parliament. The sham of convening a special session was absolutely unnecessary.
Aditya Banerjee, Gurugram
Repeated trauma
Sir — Victims of sexual assault often have to go through an additional round of trauma in courtrooms, especially in lower courts, where prejudiced defence lawyers ask agonising questions. Speedy trials must be delivered in such cases. Pre-recorded cross-verifications of the victims can be used to eliminate the need for the victims to attend each hearing.
Arka Goswami, Durgapur
Grim reminder
Sir — There have been 12 deaths in Odisha from lightning strikes. These should serve as a reminder to the government to take immediate action against climate change, which increases the occurrence of lightning storms.
Tirtha Bala, East Midnapore
Evergreen icon
Sir — The Bengali movie industry has had several gifted actors but nobody can match the immense popularity of the mahanayak, Uttam Kumar. Many Bengalis celebrated the 97th birth anniversary of the legendary actor on September 3 by attending film festivals and binge-watching his blockbuster movies. Uttam Kumar will always remain a Bengali icon.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
