Comb through

Sir — It was fascinating to read that the oldest written sentence in the world is about lice in people’s hair and how an ivory comb could be used to root them out (“Lousy histories”, Nov 12). The sentence, with 17 Canaanite alphabets, was inscribed on a comb instead of a rock tablet or papyrus. As far as the popular imagination goes, one would think that written material in ancient times would refer to grand tales of animal hunts or the position of stars in the night sky. While lice are not comparable to these events in grandeur, it is clearly a pesky problem that has afflicted humans since time immemorial. Moreover, the thought of people who lived over 30,000 years ago having a bad hair day will certainly spice up boring history lessons.

Girish Chopra, Pune

Power struggle

Sir — The Supreme Court has condemned the Central government for its continued delay in confirming judicial appointments (“SC warns sit-tight Centre on judges”, Nov 12). It is shameful that the apex court is being forced to call out the government publicly. The law minister, Kiren Rijiju, recently made scathing attacks on the collegium system, deriding it as “opaque” and involving “intense politics”. But it would be disastrous to the democratic system of checks and balances if the power of selecting judges to the higher courts is also left in the hands of the government.

Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai

Sir — It is disheartening to read that the Centre has been delaying the appointments of several judges to top posts in spite of the collegium reiterating its recommendations. The Supreme Court has rightly criticised the Union government for using non-confirmation as a tool to force the collegium members to “withdraw their consent”.

Soumyojyoti Dey, Calcutta

Time for rewards

Sir — It is laudable that the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to consider regularising the services of the doctors who had been employed contractually during the pandemic. The selfless services rendered by these ‘contractual’ physicians who risked their lives and the health of their families should be rewarded. One hopes that the state government honours the court’s wishes at the earliest.

Shalini Gerald, Chennai

Risky promises

Sir — Ahead of the Gujarat elections, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced 300 units of free electricity for every household, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for women in addition to Rs 3,000 for every unemployed youth till they find gainful employment. In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have offered sops of their own (“Cong woos Gujarat with welfare”, Nov 13). Voters should understand that these freebies have a detrimental impact on the local economy.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Crucial links „Sir — It is worrying that of the five and a half million known insect species, 40% are going extinct, according to scientists (“A fading buzz”, Nov 13). A global scientific review approved by the United Nations Environment Programme has revealed that the mass extinction of insects — the rate of their extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals — may lead to a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”. Apart from being an important source of food for birds, reptiles and even humans, insects also play a crucial role in pollination. It is imperative that we take steps to preserve insect populations as the fate of humans depends on them.

H.N. Ramakrishna, Bangalore

Sir — Earthworms and pollinating bees are crucial for human survival and both are dying. More than three-quarters of global food crops, including fruits and vegetables, as well as coffee, coconut and almonds, rely on animal pollination. The decline in pollinating insects owing to crops that are drenched in pesticides and chemicals which kill all insects is creating an imbalance in nature. Without insects there to pollinate and earthworms present to turn the soil, agricultural productivity will only keep declining.

Soham Dutta, Calcutta

Doubtful verdict

Sir — The recent acquittal of the three convicts accused of raping and murdering a 19-year-old girl in Delhi in 2012 is shocking. The Delhi High Court had, on a previous occasion, described the case as “rarest of the rare” and sentenced the rapists to death. The claim that the prosecution failed to “prove charges beyond reasonable doubt” sends the message that rapists can outsmart the system after committing heinous crimes.

S. Kamat, Alto Santa Cruz, Goa

Still strong

Sir — Although counting is still on in several key seats in the mid-term elections of the United States of America, it is clear that the ‘red wave’ of the Republicans has faded. Despite drawing widespread criticism for pushing new laws on climate change and gun control, losses seem relatively low for the incumbent president, Joe Biden, and the Democrats. Americans seem to have reaffirmed their faith in democratic pluralism.

Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Sweeping change

Sir — The Board of Control for Cricket in India is said to be planning an overhaul of the men’s cricket team after its exit from this year’s Twenty20 World Cup (“Changes on the way to plug holes”, Nov 12). Can the BCCI leave out world-class players like Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav who are over 30 years of age? Dismantling the squad cannot be the answer after one bad performance, even if it came in a big game.

Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai