Pale reflection

Sir — In Satyajit Ray’s Hirak Rajar Deshe, Hirak Raja erected a monumental statue of himself as an exercise in self-aggrandisement. Real-life satraps are not immune to such narcissism either. For instance, Nana Akufo-Addo, the outgoing president of Ghana, recently unveiled his statue to honour the completion of 80% of the promises he made to the people before taking office. However, a majority of Ghanaians have mocked the installation as “self-glorification”, demanding that it be torn down. While it remains to be seen whether Akufo-Addo’s statue meets the same fate as Hirak Raja’s, perhaps there is a lesson here for the Indian prime minister who is walking down a similar road, having already named the largest cricket stadium in India after himself.

Deepankar Sanyal, Delhi

Treasure trove

Sir — I wholeheartedly agree with Gopalkrishna Gandhi that Rabindranath Tagore 1861-1961: A Centenary Volume, which was brought out by the Sahitya Akademi, is a gem of a collection, matched in brilliance only perhaps by The Golden Book of Tagore (1931) edited by Ramananda Chatterjee (“The gold standard”, Nov 10).

Gandhi also mused that the editor of this volume has remained anonymous. However, upon scrutiny, I found that the blurb on the inner flap of the outer cover of the book mentions that this volume has been planned under the guidance of an editorial board of distinguished scholars. Instead of cherishing anonymity, acknowledgement should be accorded where it is due.

Debapriya Paul, Calcutta

Reality check

Sir — Sunanda K. Datta-Ray busts the myth about the much-hyped friendship between the president-elect of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in his column, “More of the same” (Nov 9). The apparent ‘bromance’ between the two leaders might not translate to better bilateral ties. Datta-Ray refers to the roller-coaster relationship between Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to substantiate his argument.

During his first presidency, Trump had threatened India with retaliation if New Delhi failed to ship hydroxychloroquine to the US. India thus should not get carried away by Trump’s flattery.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Sir — During his first presi dential campaign in 2016, Donald Trump had asserted that he was a “big fan” of Hindus and India. The video clip of this incident resurfaced during his 2024 election campaign. Many Indian Americans have voted for Trump this time.

It must be noted that in 1893, the Indian spiritual leader, Vivekananda, delivered an iconic speech on Hinduism at a conference in Chicago. It beggars belief that Trump, a convicted felon who once mispronounced the name, Vivekananda, has great love for Hindus. His statement was just a ploy to woo the Indian-American electorate.

Amitava Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — Only those who adhere to far-Right, conservative politics are celebrating Donald Trump’s return to power in the US. Trump’s second stint in the White House may be marked by reversals of key progressive agendas: first, Trump may pull out of the NATO treaty, jeopardising Europe’s security amidst Russia’s aggressive overtures; second, given Trump’s bonhomie with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the US might stop the military aid to Ukraine; and, third, the Republican president-elect might take the US out from the global climate pact.

Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur

Futile attempt

Sir — Major world powers, including the United States of America, China, the United Kingdom, France and India, have not sought speaking slots for their heads of state at the ongoing Conference of Parties 29 meeting in Baku (“Heavy cloud”, Nov 12). This shows a lack of political commitment to fight climate change. CoP29 is expected to arrive at a deal that will boost funding for climate action in developing countries. With the key players, which are also the biggest carbon emitters, missing, it is premature to expect that the summit will have a meaningful outcome.

Bal Govind, Noida

Sir — Against the backdrop of the ongoing climate conference in Baku, the National Green Tribunal has imposed a penalty of Rs 6.93 crore on the Panipat Thermal Power Station for causing air pollution and soil contamination. The tribunal’s message is loud and clear: those who violate laws and cause damage to the environment will have to pay hefty compensation. Regular monitoring and strict implementation of laws can deter industries from poisoning natural resources. A zero-tolerance approach against environmental polluters should be prioritised to ensure humanity’s survival.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — At the beginning of CoP29, the president-elect of the 10-day summit warned that “We are on a road to ruin”. The prospect of limiting the global temperature rise seems bleak, as is evident from the deteriorating state of the planet and the climate disasters resulting from unabated emissions.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Self harm

Sir — There has been an increased number of suicides in Kolkata Metro lately. Since its inception in 1984, the Kolkata Metro has witnessed numerous suicide attempts. A lackadaisical effort to put in place a robust suicide prevention system is responsible. Guardrails, which were only recently installed at the Kalighat station as a preventive measure, are either inadequate or are not properly placed, thereby causing hindrance in crowded situations.

Mangal Kumar Das, South 24 Parganas