Valuable vocation
Sir — In Kota’s Gumanpura, three thieves recently made away with Rs 36 lakh in cash and, get this, a household cook. While stealing a cook might appear bizarre, it will seem less so if one considers the food that is served at most of the coaching institutions in this city. One report from 2017 shows that the dal served at a leading coaching centre was 85% water, 8% spices, 5% lentils and 2% grit. This was accompanied by paper-thin rotis and packaged snacks. If this is what students who have gruelling study schedules are being served, is it any wonder that it is not other valuables but cooks who are being stolen?
Priya Dasgupta, Calcutta
Selfish step
Sir — When the outgoing president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, announced a complete and unconditional pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing two federal criminal cases, he helped cement Donald Trump’s much-repeated argument that the American judicial system is rotten, politicised and in need of an overhaul (“Hunter pardon makes Biden Trump’s hunted”, Dec 3). What else are people to make of the hypocrisy of a president who had promised that he would “never interfere in the dealings of the justice department” and had sworn even six weeks ago that he would not pardon his son? He has just given the incumbent president, Trump, and the Republican Party the ammunition they needed to justify pardoning the orchestrators of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Asim Boral, Calcutta
Sir— From wrongfully charged death-row inmates to coloured people serving long prison terms for drug offences or non-violent crimes, the inequities of the US justice system and who it punishes are grave and well-documented. Yet Joe Biden thought that it was his son who needed to be pardoned first. Donald Trump has promised to accelerate mass deportations of prisoners and carry out a spree of executions, including for drug-related offences. In this light, Biden’s pardon for his son is even more shocking and shameful.
Bal Govind, Noida
Sir — In the aftermath of the recent US election and the collapse of Centrist and Left governments in many countries, liberal politics faces a challenge and a question: why are voters who once supported such parties abandoning them? A part of the answer may well lie in the widening chasm between the talk of equality of opportunity and the reality of selective justice that governments led by such parties practise. In the US, Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son and the lack of criticism from his own camp cemented voters’ bitter views about so-called liberals.
T. Ramadas, Visakhapatnam
Poisoned morsel
Sir — Two women from the Kandhamal district of Odisha died after consuming mango kernel gruel and fermented rice. Six others who had consumed the same had to be hospitalised. It is not uncommon for rural people in the area to eat mango kernel gruel when they cannot venture into forests to supplement their diet. The public distribution system has impacted the availability of ragi, which used to be the staple for tribals. They also cannot afford vegetables and depend on foraged produce. Tragedies like this can be avoided if the government creates job opportunities near villages.
Madhab Das, Bhubaneswar
Blind spot
Sir — Do social media users truly understand what they are signing up for? Terms of services are notoriously hard to comprehend and few people bother to read them before clicking ‘accept’. But they have a wider resonance at a time when social media’s role in politics and society is under greater scrutiny.
Sujit De, Calcutta
