Redefine success
Sir — Stiff competition in academics is a sad reality of modern society. In a highly populated country like India, with so many students vying for the limited number of seats available at the best higher educational institutions, it is natural to expect fierce competition. Nevertheless, it is disheartening to see the numerous advertisements published by schools in leading newspapers, proudly listing the extraordinary aggregate marks obtained by their students in the board examinations. These schools, which often claim to nurture ‘winners’, clearly have a very narrow understanding of winning. Underprivileged students who brave numerous hardships to pass their board examinations are equally deserving of public praise, as are those who excel in extracurriculars.
Dhrubajyoti Biswas, Nadia
Hide and seek
Sir — The Gautam Adani saga is getting murkier with each passing day (“Adani probe? What probe?”, May 16). The Securities and Exchange Board of India has now dismissed the claim that it had been investigating companies owned by the Adani Group since 2016 as “factually baseless”. This denial comes after the Central government had, in a written response to a question from the Trinamul Congress member of Parliament, Mahua Moitra, stated that the businessman was under investigation by Sebi. The Supreme Court seems to have had enough and has rejected the Sebi a further six months to complete the inquiry. It has, however, agreed to give it three months’ time.
K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam
Sir — The Central government seems to have no qualms about misleading the Supreme Court and Parliament (“Shock at ‘misleading’ Parliament”, May 16). When demonetisation was announced, it was said that the news had taken everyone in the corridors of power by surprise. Yet, when the legality of the move was questioned in court, the government asserted that extensive consultations had been held with the Reserve Bank of India. Now, Sebi has denied that it has been probing the Adani Group since 2016 — a claim which directly contradicts the information provided by the minister of state for finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, in July 2021 to the TMC MP, Mahua Moitra. These incidents show that the current dispensation has little respect for constitutional norms.
Somak Ghosh, Calcutta
Cautious support
Sir — The Congress’s landslide win in the Karnataka assembly elections seems to have made the Trinamul Congress jittery (“Alert on Congress revival bid”, May 15). The Congress won in Karnataka by continually highlighting issues faced by the common people. It is disingenuous of the TMC to try and play down the Congress’s monumental effort as simply a vote against the Bharatiya Janata Party. The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, should tackle corruption within her party before attacking the Congress.
Jahar Saha, Calcutta
Sir — The announcement by Mamata Banerjee that the TMC would support the Congress in areas where the Grand Old Party is stronger seems to be a positive step towards uniting the Opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls (“Didi sets rider to back Cong”, May 16). However, she has also warned that her support will be conditional on the Congress’s reciprocal support in areas where regional parties remain stronger.
Sadiksha Agrawal, Ujjain
Strong leader
Sir — Ukraine has been able to withstand the Russian onslaught for more than a year largely due to the courage of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Many pro-Russian intellectuals have blamed the West for prolonging the war by providing arms to Ukraine, but the country’s people can hardly be blamed for defending themselves. To this end, Zelensky has sought help from and spoken to the president of China, Xi Jinping, and met the heads of various European nations. Their help with weapons will bolster Ukraine’s hand.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Lethal mix
Sir — A hooch tragedy in the Villupuram and the Chengalpattu districts in Tamil Nadu has claimed more than 20 lives and left scores of people hospitalised. This highlights the ineptitude of the local authorities in preventing such illicit activities. The fact that methanol, a key ingredient of spurious alcohol, is sold openly in spite of being harmful to human health is concerning. Action needs to be taken at the grassroots level to curb this menace.
M. Jeyaram,Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The nexus among bootleggers, politicians and the police must be blamed for the loss of more than 20 lives in Tamil Nadu owing to spurious liquor. Bootleggers often add toxic substances to the illicit liquor that they brew in order to increase their profit margins. Most consumers of such alcohol are the poor who cannot afford more expensive alcohol. The M.K. Stalin-led government should prioritise the safety of the lives of daily wage labourers and put an end to illicit liquor trade in the state.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Good news
Sir — The duck-billed platypus, one of the oldest surviving mammals, has returned to the Royal National Park near Sydney — the first national park in Australia — after several decades (“Platypus back in Australia national park”, May 15). This news must be encouraging for all animal lovers as the numbers of this unique egg-laying mammal have been declining due to habitat loss and poaching in recent years.
Sourav Malik, South 24 Parganas
