Sleepless

Sir — As if people were not stressed enough, it seems they must now lose sleep over sleeping time. A recent poll found that up to 51 per cent Indians sleep for four to six hours only. This seems to be a cause for concern — studies have shown links between sleep disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, lifestyle changes ushered in by the pandemic — working from home has robbed many of their precious slumber — have led to nightmares for many. On the other hand, a study in Washington revealed that less than 4.5 hours and more than 6.5 hours of sleep could cause cognitive decline. How can one get any rest — the main reason why one needs to sleep — if one has to worry about timing sleeping hours to a tee?

Rishav Sengupta,
Calcutta

Bitter loss

Sir — The manner in which the Bharatiya Janata Party won all 20 urban body polls in Tripura is laudable (“BJP bags all 20 urban bodies”, Nov 29). It amassed almost 99 per cent of the 334 seats. The results, however, may not exactly be good news for democracy — the Trinamul Congress has alleged intimidation and rigging.

Focus on infrastructure projects in Tripura yielded a clear victory for the BJP. It is a pity that the Bengali sentiment did not work for the TMC. With the BJP’s victory, one expects more policies for people’s welfare. Otherwise, the electorate must not hesitate to vote the party out.

Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly

Sir — The celebratory mood of the TMC since it emerged as the main Opposition party in Meghalaya proved rather short-lived. The party registered only 20 per cent of the vote share in the Tripura civic polls. The TMC should gracefully accept the people’s mandate instead of attributing the BJP’s total sweep to rigging and intimidation. After all, it rejected a similar charge by the BJP following the West Bengal assembly elections.

That the TMC won just one seat even in a Bengali-majority state demonstrates that Mamata Banerjee’s appeal remains confined within the boundaries of her home state. By setting her eyes on Goa and inducting members from other parties, she has made no secret of her political ambition. But it is unlikely that it will be fulfilled soon. Banerjee should instead focus on her role as chief minister of Bengal, which continues to lag behind in several development indices in spite of great potential.

S.K. Choudhury,
Bangalore

Sir — Winning or losing is part of any game, including elections. It is shocking that after its miserable loss in Tripura, the TMC has termed it a ‘murder of democracy’. The same could be alleged about the TMC’s thumping victory in the Bengal elections. Politicians should learn to be graceful enough to admit defeat.

N. Mahadevan,
Chennai

Sir — The results of the Tripura polls show that the TMC has a long way to go before it can make its mark in the national arena. It should strengthen its organizational base before the Goa elections if it wants to avoid a similar fate in the western state.

Shyamashree Ghosh,
Calcutta

Grave injustice

Sir — The story of Kevin Strickland, a man who spent 40 years in prison for a crime he never committed, is heart-rending (“$1.3m for man jailed wrongly for 40 years”, Nov 29). Such travesty of justice is not uncommon, but Strickland’s case truly stands out. The amount of money collected for him will take care of his material needs, but no one can give him back the precious days of youth that he lost behind the bars.

Sanjit Ghatak,
South 24 Parganas

Sir — The gesture of Kevin Strickland’s well-wishers — over a million dollars have been collected for him — must be appreciated. But this is not enough. This case has revealed how unjust the justice delivery system itself can be. An investigation should be launched in order to find out how a person could be left imprisoned for 40 years — Strickland lost the best years of his life — and the errant be punished.

Sourojit Sen,
Howrah

Fight back

Sir — It is shocking that data from the National Family Health Survey-5 has revealed that at least 30 per cent Indian women have said that husbands beating up their wives is justified. The situation seems worse in three South Indian states where above 75 per cent women gave this response.

There are laws against domestic violence in India. Yet, many women would not use them to seek justice. This is due to lack of education and awareness among women. The ministry of women and child development surely needs to do a lot more to reduce such crime. The government should announce large-scale awareness programmes, expand helplines and encourage women to become financially independent.

Tarun Patidar,
Ujjain

Sir — Even in the 21st century, many women believe that men have the right to misbehave with them. The fact that 30 per cent Indian women think that husbands may beat up their wives for any imaginable reason shows that women’s empowerment in the country remains a far cry.

The roots of patriarchy run deep. Women must be made aware that they are not their husbands’ possession. Schools, families and friends should help inculcate this among all women. At no cost must abuse be tolerated.

Ipshita Gupta,
Delhi

Sir — It is worrying that women are led to believe that they can be abused by their husbands. The reasons are mostly related to conforming to social norms. This must change at once.

Suman Choudhury,
Calcutta