True heritage
Sir — Durga Puja is around the corner and so is the pollution of Bengal’s aquatic ecosystems. Each year, despite the best efforts of the municipal councils, rivers and ponds in the state see a rise in toxic chemicals that leach out of the immersed idols. Now that Unesco has awarded the intangible cultural heritage tag to the Puja, perhaps it is time to fall back on Bengal’s rich heritage and create idols using traditional material like clay, turmeric, sindoor, flowers and so on. There is also an age-old tradition that is still alive in some parts of Bengal where Durga is worshipped as ‘Pateshwari’ — here the goddess and her children are not clay idols, rather they are drawn on pats. These steps would truly justify the cultural heritage tag.
Swarnalata Chatterjee, Nadia
Provocative plot
Sir — The new standard map released by China, showing Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh and other parts of India as Chinese territory, has exposed the failure of the Narendra Modi-led dispensation to negotiate with Beijing on strong terms (“Message in China’s map slap”, Aug 30). The Congress has thus rightly underlined the need to confront China during the upcoming G20 summit.
The Bharatiya Janata Party never fails to recall India’s loss against China in the 1962 war and uses it as an instrument to divert attention from key issues of national security. The prime minister is likely to keep his blinkers on where China is concerned, especially given the imminent general elections. But if our national security is being compromised, the people have a right to know.
Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta
Sir — China’s new map including Indian territory comes just before the G20 summit is slated to be held in New Delhi in early September. Sometime ago, China has issued stapled visas to people from Arunachal Pradesh. It had also announced new Chinese names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. These steps reveal its arrogance. China should be dealt with firmly and paid back in its own coin, since diplomatic moves seem to yield no results.
N.R. Ramachandran, Chennai
Sir — Maps that show Indian territory as part of China are not new. But the timing of release of the new standard map by Beijing is intended to belittle India’s stature before the G20 summit and challenge its geopolitical standing. China refuses to accept India’s growing clout.
D.V.G. Sankararao, Andhra Pradesh
Sir — Beijing wants to teach India a lesson for rejecting the normalisation of ties until border issues are sorted. This is the reason for releasing the mischievous map before the G20 summit. China is destabilising the region and raising the risk of war by digging its heels in on disputed claims.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Sir — Rahul Gandhi’s observation that Chinese transgression in Ladakh is an open secret which only the government seems unaware of raises concerns. While the Congress leader’s claim might be blown out of proportion, his demand that India settle such territorial disputes with China publicly cannot be dismissed.
Ladakh is strategically important for India. It is therefore crucial for Indian policymakers to keep a united front and prioritise productive negotiations to safeguard national sovereignty and maintain peace in the region.
Md. Maimul Safui, Howrah
Sir — Chinese forces have ramped up construction of reinforced bunkers and underground tunnels in Aksai Chin, according to data from satellite imagery. The statements made by the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, regarding Chinese incursion in India thus seem to be true.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Sir — Just last week, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, apparently spoke of resolving the border dispute at the BRICS summit. Just four days after that, China released its new standard map, claiming Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin and other parts of India as its own. Yet, whenever the government is asked about India’s territorial integrity vis-à-vis China, it repeatedly assures that everything is hunky dory. Despite provocations from Beijing, India can do nothing except lodge a formal protest.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Sir — Beijing clearly has no intention of restoring the April 2020 status quo in eastern Ladakh where it is estimated to have occupied around 2,000 sq km of Indian territory. The 19th round of India-China talks that took place on August 13-14 ended without a breakthrough. No progress was made at a recent meeting on the question of Chinese troops disengaging from the Depsang Plains and Demchok either. The India-China border dispute is nowhere near being resolved.
Devendra Khurana, Bhopal
Frayed ties
Sir — One look at Bollywood films from the 1970s and 1980s will reveal what a big part Raksha Bandhan played in the Indian family. But life in the 21st century has no time for such sentimentalities. This is why many organisations do not give leave for Raksha Bandhan. Instead of being an occasion when the entire family can come together and celebrate, rakhi has become another chore like online classes or Zoom meetings.
P.V. Srinivas Sreelekha, Secunderabad
Sir — Capitalism has not spared any familial relationship and the bond between brother and sister is no exception. Rakhi used to entail a promise of safekeeping, be it from the brother or the sister. But now it is about buying the latest beard trimmer for the brother or the latest haute couture for the sister. The gendered nature of these popular gifts is worrisome. But what is even more concerning is that the meaning of Raksha Bandhan has been completely lost.
Sneha Maji, Calcutta
