Just praise

Sir — Receiving compliments can be nothing short of an ordeal for some people, often leading to uncomfortable responses or awkward pauses. Take, for instance, the Chinese. Compliments are so frowned upon in their culture that Chinese children are trained to never speak about their accomplishments. However, this has slowly begun to change with China increasingly embracing the ‘praise culture’ — a defining aspect of the American way of life. The Chinese have now started to shower each other with compliments even during casual greetings and encourage their wards to solicit plaudits from one another. Perhaps the heads of the US and China, enduring rivals, should lead the way in this regard and achieve a thaw in the relations.

Deepti Sen, Calcutta

Bitter spat

Sir — The bitter feud between the National Democratic Alliance and the INDIA bloc over the nomination of the pro-tem Speaker was avoidable (“INDIA MPs to snub Mahtab assist role”, June 23). The ruling coalition appointed the Bharatiya Janata Party member, Bhartruhari Mahtab — he has served seven terms in the Lok Sabha without a break — as the pro-tem Speaker, bypassing the eight-time Congress parliamentarian, Kodikunnil Suresh.

Even though Suresh’s streak in the Lok Sabha had breaks, once in 1998 and then in 2004, he is still the senior-most member of the current House, which, according to the convention, makes him the ideal candidate for the post of pro-tem Speaker. The government should have respected parliamentary norms and exercised fairness in its decision-making.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Sir — By parliamentary convention, Kodikunnil Suresh, who is serving his eighth term in the current Lok Sabha, should have been appointed the pro-tem Speaker. The reasons for the NDA government overlooking Suresh are not hard to seek. Was it because Suresh hails from the Dalit community? Or was the decision to appoint Bhartruhari Mahtab a reward for the former’s defection to the saffron party from the Biju Janata Dal before the general elections? The government’s attempt to breach an unquestioned parliamentary norm at the very beginning of the current session is portentous for democracy.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sour ties

Sir — The heads of the government from several South Asian countries attending the swearing-in of Narendra Modi does not necessarily indicate warm ties between New Delhi and its neighbours (“A gradual decline”, June 21). Even though the then prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, attended the swearing-in of the first Modi government in 2014, Islamabad was not invited to the subsequent oath-taking events in 2019 and 2024 owing to the souring of relations between the two neighbours.

India’s presence in larger multilateral groups such as the G20, the SCO and BRICS cannot detract from the necessity for strong relationships with its neighbours. New Delhi’s dominance in the SAARC may have been the reason for the group’s diminished importance. India must thus see to it that its partners get greater space in the ASEAN and the BIMSTEC to ensure the sustainability of these regional coalitions.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Sleep matters

Sir — The editorial, “Eyes wide open” (June 23), was intriguing. With a ‘sleep adviser’ accompanying the Indian athletes at the Paris Olympics, they will be able to deliver better performances. This can increase the chances of India improving its medal tally than last time.

An analysis has highlighted that socially disadvantaged classes get less sleep than the wealthy. This shatters the myth once voiced by Narendra Modi that while the poor enjoy sound sleep, the rich run from pillar to post buying sleeping pills.

Sanjit Ghatak, South 24 Parganas

Sir — The Olympics is the most prestigious sporting event in the world. It is thus common for contenders to suffer from performance anxiety and lose sleep. Hearteningly, the Indian Olympic Association has roped in a sleep adviser for the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics. India is the second-most sleep-deprived country in the world. The government should take proactive steps to mitigate this health crisis.

Bal Govind, Noida

Strategic steps

Sir — During the recent India visit of the Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the Centre announced its decision to send a technical team to Dhaka for the conservation and management of the Teesta river (“Delhi’s Teesta offer to scuttle China ambition”, June 23). India’s decision can be seen as an attempt to reduce Chinese influence on Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh should continue with the cordial talks and not let China interfere in their bilateral issues.

Abhijit Roy, Jamshedpur

Inspirational tale

Sir — The article, “Land of milk and money” (June 23), which was on the making of the iconic film, Manthan, revived cherished memories for many belonging to my generation. Shyam Benegal’s film — it depicted the success story of Gujarat’s dairy farmers — highlighted the realities of rural India. One hopes that the younger generations also find inspiration from the film.

Amit Brahmo, Calcutta

Prized fish

Sir — With the annual ban on deep sea fishing lifted, the fishermen were able to return with a big catch of hilsa. This is good news for Bengalis who impatiently wait for the monsoon to prepare delicacies like bhapa and paturi.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta