A dog’s life

Sir — It takes courage to accept criticism, but even criticising can be an equally courageous act — especially if it is directed against Marco Goecke, the former head of Hanover State Opera’s ballet company. He dealt with criticism in the least constructive way possible by smearing dog faeces all over the face of a critic who had described his show as ‘boring’. While it is no secret that having a pet can be good for emotional stability, Goecke has shown just how versatile animals can be when providing pet parents with emotional catharsis. After all, his dog kindly produced the weapon of choice for Goecke. Perhaps theatres, art galleries and so on should now carry ‘Beware of Dog’ boards to warn off wary critics.

Shaon Roy, Calcutta

Aim high

Sir — The successful launch of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-D2, which carried three satellites — an eight-kilogramme one developed by schoolgirls from all over the country, a small payload developed by an American software company, and a conventional earth satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation — is yet another momentous feat of the country’s premier space research agency. With the space industry poised for a three-fold expansion in the next two decades, largely propelled by small satellites that are useful in fields as diverse as education, defence, earth sciences, emergency-related data services and smart power grids, no stone should be left unturned to make India a leader in the small satellite-driven space economy. The transfer of SSLV technology to private players, which ISRO promises to do, holds the key for India to become a significant stakeholder in the space economy.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Outplayed

Sir — The Indian men’s cricket team has won the first Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Nagpur. While Australians complained about the pitch, Indians occupied the crease and showed their mettle both with the bat and the ball. Ravichandran Ashwin took a five-wicket haul to end the Australian second innings. The Australians lost not because of the pitch but because of their ineptitude with straight deliveries and the skill of the Indian bowlers.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly

Neutral stance

Sir — A. Raghuramaraju highlighted an important conundrum in India’s foreign policy in his article, “Unique position” (Feb 13). He correctly said that India has to defend its policy of non-alignment even if it achieves a leading position globally. In this regard, it must be mentioned that the foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, deftly dealt with questions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict from a foreign scribe who tried to put India on the spot. The article was absolutely right in saying that the confidence underlying Jaishankar’s tact arose from the nonbinary neutral space that India has historically occupied.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Nostalgic medium

Sir — World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13 as a reminder of what this incredible invention has offered us — information, entertainment, instructions and so on. Generations of Indians have grown up listening to Akashvani and Vividh Bharati programmes, such as Jaimala, Bhule Bisre Geet, Hawa Mahal and Binaca Geetmala. These days, TV and OTT shows have overshadowed the craze for radio programmes. However, radio lovers will vouch for the fact that few things are as relaxing as a radio show. FM radio has done its part to popularise the medium by presenting the shows in a stylised way for the modern generation. Radio jockeys play a vital role in making the radio attractive for the youth.

M. Pradyu, Kannur

Poor condition

Sir — Over 600 people took part in two different mini-marathons conducted by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation along with Virudhunagar Hindu Nadars Senthikumara Nadar College to promote public transport systems that could protect the environment and reduce traffic congestion. But no amount of mini-marathons can improve the public transport system in Tamil Nadu, especially in Chennai. Although successive governments have promised to introduce water transport and clean the Cooum river, these goals have remained unachieved. Merely criticising the Centre for poor roads cannot absolve the state of its responsibility to improve the public transport system.

N. Mahadevan, Chennai

Fatal design

Sir — An 84-year-old man died recently after crashing into the glass door of a shop in Chavakkad, Kerala. Many stores and malls use minimalist glass panels that appear completely transparent without any stickers or markers. It becomes hazardous, especially for the elderly, who might accidentally bump into these doors without noticing them. Owners of establishments must be alerted to compulsorily use signs or stickers on the doors to avoid such mishaps.

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha, Kerala

Strategic alliance

Sir — The merits and demerits of an arranged marriage as opposed to a love marriage have been the subject of never-ending debates. As marriage is believed to be the coming together of two families, arranged marriages still hold sway. Even these bigcelebrity weddings that grab eyeballs for their exotic destinations, costumes and so on are, at the end of the day, arranged marriages. Strategic coupling to increase the brand value of couples is the theme that underlies all celebrity weddings, be it of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt or that of Siddharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani.

Malini Goswami, Serampore