Lost time
Sir — Necessity is the mother of invention. But a new wristwatch launched last week seems to have proved this adage wrong. Wristwatches were invented so that people could tell time without putting in much effort. But the new watch is a modified sundial with a compass; the wearer has to first orient it in the correct direction and then depend on the sun’s rays to tell time. Not only are there similar quirky wristwatches — some have the numbers upside down, others have tiny planets instead of hands — there are also smartwatches that can be used to do everything, from calling people to measuring calories. It beats reason that a device meant to tell time now makes people lose precious minutes with all these hassles and distractions.
Karthik Suman, Bengaluru
Ugly battle
Sir — Videos recently released by the Aam Aadmi Party seem to suggest that its member of Parliament from the Rajya Sabha, Swati Maliwal, is lying about having been assaulted by the Delhi chief minister’s aide, Bibhav Kumar (“Maliwal ‘face of BJP plot’: AAP”, May 18). Her body language as she leaves the chief minister’s residence does not seem to be that of a woman who had been physically assaulted. Maliwal’s allegation seems to have been made at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She will have to face the music if she has falsely implicated Kumar. The AAP has also claimed that Maliwal may have acted this way for fear of an old Anti-Corruption Bureau case being used against her. The perception that Maliwal has been used as a political pawn by the BJP to derail the AAP’s campaign can go against the saffron party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The alleged physical assault of the AAP MP, Swati Maliwal, by the aide of the Delhi chief minister has become a flashpoint for rival parties to challenge the moral high ground taken by the AAP. The harrowing account presented by Maliwal in her first information report is troubling. Unverified videos targeting Maliwal that have been circulated by the AAP have further muddied the waters. Arvind Kejriwal, who has been a vocal advocate for women’s rights, is being accused of hypocrisy. How he handles this crisis will determine whether the AAP can retain its credibility when it comes to fighting for gender justice.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Sir — Swati Maliwal’s accusation of having having been assaulted seems to be true. If this is the state of a sitting MP, the less that is said about the plight of other women in the country the better. Her case should be fast-tracked and, if the accused is proven guilty, he should be punished severely.
Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai
Sir — The aide of the Delhi chief minister, Bibhav Kumar, has filed a police complaint against Swati Maliwal, who has accused him of assaulting her. Kumar claims that Maliwal breached the security of the Delhi chief minister’s residence and created a ruckus. This strife within the AAP will act as an advantage for the BJP.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Lip service
Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party has remained a dominant political force in spite of its many failures in governance because many Hindus — rather Hindutvavadis — are of the opinion that the “BJP has put [Muslims] in their place” (“A split image”, May 16). The BJP claims to be a party of ‘nationalists’; yet its only obsession is to denigrate Muslims. So much so that the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister published selective demographic data to suggest that India’s Muslim population is growing. If the BJP only believes in a nationalist identity, then how do statistics about the Muslim population even matter? Are Muslims not Indian citizens too? The BJP must stop paying lip service to Bharat Mata and the Constitution.
Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta
Unsafe space
Sir — The assault on the Congress candidate from North East Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, is a slap on the face of democracy. It is disgraceful that he was harassed while campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. One wonders what the Delhi Police, which operates under the aegis of the Union home minister, Amit Shah, has to say about this incident. It is unfortunate that the security of a candidate is at stake in the national capital.
M.N. Gupta, Hooghly
Pricey connection
Sir — Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, has advocated a significant tariff hike, citing the rates in other countries (“Airtel MD pitches for hike in tariffs”, May 16). However, India’s per capita income is lower than many other countries. Most of us are addicted to mobile phones. An increase in tariffs is thus unlikely to drive customers away.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Precious records
Sir — Kazi Nazrul Islam’s birth anniversary is around the corner. It is heartening to learn that Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol is digitising some of his works with support from the British Library (“Varsity to digitise Nazrul’s manuscripts and shellac records”, May 18). The initiative includes the digitisation of 13 volumes of the poet’s notebooks, totalling about 1,200 pages, and shellac records with his voice. This initiative is highly commendable.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
Transformed scene
Sir — The monsoon will soon make its presence felt in India, refreshing its landscapes. It is the perfect time to explore different activities like trekking, camping and water sports. Several destinations, such as Goa, are transformed by the monsoons.
M.R. Jayanthi, Chennai
