Myth busted

Sir — In Prisoners of the Sun, Captain Haddock needed just a single pint of whiskey to recover from a fatal frostbite while travelling through the treacherous Andean mountains. Further, legend has it that stranded trekkers in the Alps would find help from a Saint Bernard that would show up wearing a neck cask containing brandy. These tales perpetuate the notion that drinking alcohol makes one feel warm in freezing temperatures. But scientists have now shattered this myth and said that guzzling ale actually lowers the body temperature and impairs the ability to shiver, thus increasing the risk of hypothermia. Such medical myths, though, would hardly prevent tipplers like Haddock from chugging booze when the temperature drops even a wee bit.

Manjari Sen, Calcutta

Privileged few

Sir — Gopalkrishna Gandhi deserves plaudits for penning the column, “Three-letter status” (Mar 24). The use of the terms, ‘Very Important Person’ and ‘Very Very Important Person’, to allude to the privileged status of a select few individuals goes against the essence of egalitarianism that is the cornerstone of a democratic society. The ‘VIP culture’ is a shameful continuation of the feudal mindset and is exploited by politicians and bureaucrats to gain unfair advantage.

However, most ordinary people, too, jump at the slightest chance to avail of the undue benefits of VIP status. This is evident in the way people frantically source VIP passes to gain access to the famous Durga Puja pandals, international cricket matches and other important events.

Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — When asked about her prime ministerial ambitions after winning a landslide victory in the 2016 Bengal assembly elections, the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, had candidly said, “I am a LIP [Less Important Person], not a VIP”. This is a memorable statement as it echoes the moral high ground of a true mass leader.

Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh

Divided plate

Sir — Attacks on individuals’ culinary habits and nutrition rights have become commonplace under the ruling dispensation (“Purity and danger”, Mar 24). This is creating deep fissures in society.

The desire for vegetarianism and purity in food and the segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items stem from deep-rooted discriminatory practices. Zomato’s now-scrapped green uniform policy for agents delivering vegetarian food has highlighted the evil of caste-based prejudices.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Sir — Zomato, India’s largest food delivery company, has taken the right decision by rolling back its arbitrary proposal to introduce green uniforms for those delivering food to vegetarians. The colour coding and the segregation of the fleet is a reflection of a divisive mindset that is being perpetrated by the right-wing ecosystem. Further, a policy for adhering to pure vegetarianism is implausible in a country where 35% of children suffer from stunting due to lack of nutrition.

Asim Boral, Calcutta

Battle lines

Sir — In a welcome development, India has issued a strong protest against Germany over the foreign ministry spokesperson’s remarks on the arrest of the Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case (“Deputy envoy summoned for Berlin’s Kejri remark”, Mar 24). Underscoring India’s democratic credentials, the German foreign ministry had iterated that the “presumption of innocence” should be applied to Kejriwal (“It’s war”, Mar 25).

India is a vibrant and robust democracy with the rule of law. Foreign countries expressing opinions about India’s domestic matters is unwarranted. New Delhi has thus justifiably slammed Berlin for undermining India’s judicial process with its “biased assumptions” about India’s “internal matter”.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal on graft charges comes as a massive blow to his anti-corruption stance. Although beginning his political career with Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, Kejriwal floated his own political party and went on to occupy the seat of Delhi chief minister. However, the anti-graft crusader and several of his cabinet members now stand accused of corruption by the Enforcement Directorate. Such ironies considerably destroy public faith in politicians.

M. Srikanth, Chennai

United stand

Sir — It is heartening that the INDIA bloc has announced a protest rally at the Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to preserve India’s democracy. A united stand by the Opposition was the need of the hour. India is gradually turning into an authoritarian State.

Opposition leaders are being arrested by Central agencies without substantial proof, political parties are left with frozen bank accounts and dissenters are being made to undergo subjugation. This is a dangerous time for Indian democracy.

Iftekhar Ahmed, Calcutta

Another time

Sir — The column, “Green pages” (Mar 25), by Prarthana Sen brought back happy memories of public libraries that formed an integral part of our frugal upbringing. A refundable deposit of five rupees was enough to borrow a book from such lending stores. Alas, these libraries gradually disappeared with a dip in reading habits and the onslaught of digital books and social media. It is unfortunate that frugality has become passé.

Shibaprasad Deb, Calcutta