New wings
Sir — The concept of a scarecrow is not novel. However, a zoo in the United Kingdom has taken this concept a bit further by recruiting people to wear giant bird costumes to discourage seagulls from visiting the zoo and stealing food from visitors. While seabirds can indeed be a nuisance, the idea of humans disguised as birds to drive wildlife away from a zoo is steeped in irony. The avian species might not appreciate this irony, but Britons may find the task of wearing a bird costume and doing pretty much nothing throughout the day too lucrative to pass up on in the middle of recession.
Deepti Singh,Mumbai
On fire
Sir — It is unfortunate that the library in a century-old madrasa in Biharsharif was set on fire by alleged Bajrang Dal members during a Ram Navami procession, destroying about 4,500 valuable books, including rare, handwritten manuscripts in Persian, Arabic and Urdu (“Burnt leaf from Nazi playbook”, April 26). It is evident that the Bajrang Dal, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has a communal agenda and is bent on tearing down anything that does not fit in with its sectarian worldview.
The fact that books which had enriched generations of research scholars as well as lay readers have now been lost forever is deplorable. The incident harks back to the Nazi era when books were burnt to silence dissenting opinions. Moreover, the incident was first reported by the BBC 25 days after it happened, whereas most of the Indian media remained silent. This highlights an increasing passivity among the media.
Jahar Saha,Calcutta
Sir — Religious bigotry has spread its tentacles deep into our society owing to tacit support from the ruling regime at the Centre. Such encouragement enables attacks on minority communities. The incident in Biharsharif was not an isolated one.
In the past, Sanskrit texts have been translated by Persian scholars, indicating multiculturalism and religious harmony in the country. Civil society must ensure that knowledge repositories like libraries are not sacrificed in the name of religion.
Santi Pramanick,Howrah
Justified censure
Sir — India has denounced the United Nations for its apathy towards reforming the Security Council and improving its effectiveness and credibility for developing countries (“UN and MUN gap is shrinking: Angry India”, April 26). The censure is justified as India, along with Africa and Latin America, has increasingly been kept out of the decision-making process at the UN. The global body must remember that India is one of the founding signatories to the UN charter and must be given due importance as the largest democracy in the world.
Sukhendu Bhattacharjee,Hooghly
Law and disorder
Sir — The Gujarat government prematurely released the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case last year. In a similar vein, the Bihar government has tweaked prison rules to release the convicted criminal, Anand Mohan Singh, who had been serving a life-term for abetting the murder of a district magistrate.
The fact that rules have been amended to release those convicted of killing civil servants is reprehensible. Singh was also released on the day of his son’s engagement, which was attended by both the chief minister, Nitish Kumar, and his deputy, Tejashwi Yadav, suggesting a nexus between criminals and politicians.
S.K. Choudhury,Bengaluru
Lap of luxury
Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party has claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has spent a sum of 45 crore rupees on renovating the official residence of the chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal. Although the AAP has denied the allegation, it flies in the face of the party’s anti-corruption plank. But the BJP and the Congress are in no position to attack the AAP since their own leaders have been accused of corruption as well. Kejriwal had once stated that he would never use a government bungalow, vehicle or security. He should stick to his word.
K.V. Seetharamaiah,Bengaluru
Tall leader
Sir — It was unfortunate to learn that the Shiromani Akali Dal stalwart, Parkash Singh Badal, has passed away at the age of 95. Badal had a towering personality and was an embodiment of communal harmony in Punjab amidst its turbulent history. In a career spanning over five decades, Badal successfully navigated the region’s complex politics, keeping his roots firm in rural governance.
Vijay Singh Adhikari,Nainital
Welcome back
Sir — Ajinkya Rahane has been recalled to the Indian squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia (“Rahane’s run gets him a Test berth”, April 26). He had been dropped for his poor performance. But his form in the Ranji Trophy and the ongoing Indian Premier League forced the selectors’ hands.
Samir Das,Cooch Behar
