Out of the box

Sir — Those who have grown up in a house with grandparents must have come across products being kept in the oddest of containers — for instance, a powder case doubling up as a cash box. Interestingly, modern-day advertisers seem to have taken a leaf out of the grandparents’ book. They are using ‘chaos packaging’ — putting products in vessels where they don’t belong, such as sunscreen in a whipped cream container or tampons in an ice-cream tub — as a marketing strategy to pique the curiosity of consumers. However, while grandparents’ reusing of old containers to keep mismatched items stemmed from their mindset of frugality and resourcefulness, ‘chaos packaging’ ends up adding to the non-recyclable plastic waste.

Patrabali Saha, Calcutta

Great choke

Sir — The festival of lights has transformed into an occasion for severe air and noise pollution owing to the indiscriminate bursting of firecrackers (“Big bang”, Nov 4). The responsibility of ensuring the safe celebration of Diwali does not rest solely on law enforcement agencies and the government; it also rests on citizens who disregard laws and civic duties. This year, Calcutta witnessed the noisiest Diwali in recent years with firecrackers being set off even at midnight. These transgressions, the result of policing oversight, highlight the need for greater attention from authorities.

Noise pollution severely impacts physical and mental health, especially of senior citizens and patients. Unfortunately, Indian laws against noise pollution are inadequate and their enforcement leaves much to be desired. To combat this citizens should take small steps, such as using noise-absorbing materials and minimising the honking of vehicles. Festival organisers must restrict their usage of loudspeakers to the prescribed limit.

Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta

Sir — The Supreme Court’s guidelines on the usage of green firecrackers became a casualty this Diwali as around 100 cities reported poor air quality the day after the festival. The apex court has repeatedly observed that a pollution-free environment is a fundamental right of every citizen.

The government’s ostrich-like approach is to be blamed for this public health emergency. Collective accountability is the key to averting the great choke after Diwali every year.

Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta

Sir — Delhi turned into a toxic gas chamber the morning after Diwali, ranking as the world’s most polluted city on November 1. Both Delhiites and law-enforcement authorities were complicit in bringing the capital city to the brink of an environmental disaster.

Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh

Unequal access

Sir — In his column, “Campus closed” (Nov 4), Sukanta Chaudhuri argues that student suicides in Indian Institute of Technology campuses have attracted less public attention than deaths in other educational institutions in India. The socio-economic aspects of suicides within the walls of any institution must be probed. Chaudhuri’s observation that the widespread perception of higher education as a private good has particularly impacted students from marginalised sections warrants introspection from the government.

Few educational institutions — Jadavpur University is an example — have been able to hold their own amidst the current wave of privatisation. But privatisation is a permanent feature of globalisation. The government must find a way around it.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Essential reform

Sir — The mighty Soviet Union implemented perestroika and glasnost, the two reform principles of Mikhail Gorbachev, that aimed to open up the Soviet political system — this led to its collapse (“Glory days are gone”, Oct 31). On the other hand, China, also a communist State, changed itself considerably with the introduction of a market economy by Deng Xiaoping.

Xiaoping’s reform underlined a communism that is tailored to Chinese needs and characteristics. The Soviet Union’s prioritisation of repression over economic imperatives led to its downfall.

Aranya Sanyal, Siliguri

Dark tech

Sir — The dark side of technology is becoming more pronounced each day. The boom in cybercrimes is an example (“Dark digital”, Nov 1). It is necessary to create public awareness about the traps laid by digital fraudsters. The government’s lackadaisical attitude in containing cybercriminals is disconcerting. Cybercrimes pose a considerable hurdle for the digital revolution.

Mihir Kanungo, Calcutta

Diverse violence

Sir — The report, “Workplace violence not always physical” (Nov 4), dwelled upon different types of violence — psychological, sexual, and physical — faced by doctors. The two phrases, “words kill more than bullets” and “the tongue has no bones but can break them”, underline the fear instilled in the minds of medical practitioners when patients’ kin lodge legal complaints or threaten them.

Physical violence at medical institutions is a global concern and its impact on healthcare is being increasingly felt. Laws should be enforced to deal with violence at hospitals.

Jahar Saha, Calcutta

Change for good

Sir — The Bollywood icon, Shah Rukh Khan, who had once admitted to smoking about 100 cigarettes a day, recently announced that he had quit the habit. The deleterious impacts of smoking cannot be overemphasised. Given Khan’s huge army of admirers, one hopes that his revelation will inspire many to give up the lethal habit.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta