Thirsty lessons
Sir — Indians do not have enough water to drink. But that is not the reason why Indians do not drink enough water. A survey by an NGO in Calcutta has found that the problem of Indians drinking less water starts early: in school. Children in schools are rarely allowed to drink water without the teacher’s permission. Unfortunately, the latter often treat a request to drink water as wilfulness or truancy on the part of the students and, as a result, do not grant them permission to take a sip. This develops a lifelong habit of drinking less water. Surely, if breathing does not require permission nor should drinking water.
Srijita Sur, Calcutta
Divided house
Sir — The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, Tejashwi Yadav, stole the show while participating in the debate during the floor test in the Bihar assembly (“Nitish wins trust vote and khela”, Feb 13). His attack on the chief minister, Nitish Kumar, was well-thought-out and eloquent. Yadav also took the Union home minister, Amit Shah, to task for his assertion that the doors of the National Democratic Alliance had been shut for Kumar forever before accepting the latter into the NDA fold once again. Yadav must be lauded for saying that he does not mind joining the masses of Bihar to share their joys and sorrows alike while pursuing a path of struggle to achieve public welfare.
P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab
Sir — Nitish Kumar and the NDA sailed through the floor test in the Bihar assembly. Surprisingly, it also received three votes from RJD members of the legislative assembly who refused to toe the party line. There should be an investigation into why these RJD MLAs chose to go against their party. But the NDA government is unlikely to allow this.
Subhranshu Roy, Patna
Spot the link
Sir — The article, “Hidden link” (Feb 14), highlighted how the rise of neofascism is linked to neoliberalism. According to Prabhat Patnaik, neofascism has been strengthened by the weakening of the working class. But the rise of fascist powers does not depend on the weakness of the working class alone. In India, for instance, the rise of fascist powers has coincided with the growth of the middle class. The so-called wealthy and educated middle-class in India is indifferent to the anti-people policies of the dispensation and the unconstitutional measures that it has adopted in the last decade.
On the other hand, people belonging to the lower sections of society have been turned into religious fanatics. Despite lacking the basic necessities of life, they support the ruling party in the hope of seeing India being turned into a Hindu rashtra.
Yousuf Iqbal, Calcutta
Sir — The economist, Michał Kalecki, someone whose theories were extensively quoted by the ‘father of Indian liberalisation’, Manmohan Singh, had predicted that neofascist regimes will be repressive towards the working class, intelligentsia and dissenters. This is exactly what is happening in New India, where religion is being used as a ploy to create divisions and repress those who go against the government.
Subhash Das, Calcutta
Winning habit
Sir — If winning the coveted World Cup was an art, the Aussies would be the greatest maestros (“Defeat redoubled, colts too lose Cup to Aussies”, Feb 12). The wounds of November 2023 were reopened when India lost the Under-19 World Cup to Australia. The Aussies now have six World Cups, four U-19World Cups, two Champions Trophies, one T20 World Cup and one World Test Championship to their credit. Australia knows how to raise their game to the highest level when it matters. India seems to lack the nerves that it takes to win a World Cup final.
Bal Govind, Noida
Sir — The Indian U-19 cricket team has been crushed by the Australians in a humiliating defeat at the final of the U-19 championship. The young team failed owing to a lack of application and poor shot-selection. It is a pity that India has not learnt the art of consistency. The killer instinct required in the final of a World Cup was missing in India. This is something both the seniors and the juniors must improve on.
M.N. Gupta, Hooghly
Sir — The Australian U-19 team must be congratulated for its memorable victory against India in the World Cup. In spite of adverse weather, the Australians clearly dominated the game. The Indian batsmen crumbled under the pressure of the scintillating performance by Australian bowlers.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Sir — The Australian U-19 team deserves to be crowned champions of the world given the record target it set for India. Although Indians are second to none in cricket, they always flounder in the finals. Is it coincidental that Australia never panics in the final of a big tournament? Even when the chips are down, the Aussies don’t lose their cool and work as a well-coordinated team. This is why they have the number of wins that they do.
P.V. Srinivas Sreelekha, Secunderabad
