Magic words

Sir — One of the biggest casualties of these testing times has been human relationships. Statistics show that forced togetherness induced by lockdowns deepened pre-existing fault lines and led more couples to break up. But help may be at hand. Pope Francis has disclosed that using the three words, ‘please, thank you and sorry’, more often could be the secret to a lasting relationship. The three magic words may be significant for couples around the world. But merely saying these words will not help. As with anything else, words must be backed up by actions if they are to have an impact.

Arunima Ghosh,
Calcutta

Stark contrast

Sir — Within just 14 years of Independence, as many as five Indian Institutes of Technology had been set up under the stewardship of the former prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Yet, Narendra Modi recently declared at the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur that the first 25 years after Independence had been wasted (“IIT means: I, I and That’s it!”, Dec 29). It is disheartening that Modi used an educational institute to spew his hatred against Nehru. The latter laid the foundation for most of the infrastructure that India enjoys today.

In contrast, the current regime has crippled the banking system, airlines and railways and ushered in unemployment through its flawed initiatives. Its primary contribution to India has been causing polarization.

Kajal Chatterjee,
Calcutta

Sir — The first convocation address at IIT Kanpur by Jawaharlal Nehru and the 54th convocation address by Narendra Modi are contradictory. While Nehru’s address was visionary, Modi’s focus was on castigating the first prime minister and discrediting the country’s progress in the first 25 years of Independence. But the present situation of India is not the best — the economy is in a shambles and the government is in a tight spot, most recently over its mismanagement of the pandemic as well as its failure to curb Chinese aggression along the LAC.

Jahar Saha,
Calcutta

Strict vigil

Sir — The third wave of Covid-19 seems to be upon us. According to experts, children will be most vulnerable this time around. This is alarming. The government must take steps to prevent this. Special care must be taken of the underprivileged children. Taking basic precautions such as wearing face masks and maintaining hygiene are the least we can do to teach our children.

Jayanthy S. Maniam,
Coimbatore

Sir — As Covid-19 infections rise again, India must take concrete steps for its prevention. Lockdowns affect many people, especially daily-wage earners, and cannot be treated as the only solution. The government must expedite administering both booster shots and vaccination for children. The healthcare system must take into account the needs of the poor, who are always the worst-affected.

Ramesh G. Jethwani,
Bangalore

True picture

Sir — A Dalit girl in Amethi was beaten up by upper caste youths; the incident is condemnable (“UP police wake up to torture of Dalit girl”, Dec 30). But this is not new — 34 cases of atrocities against Dalits are registered in Uttar Pradesh daily and 135 cases of violence against women. These statistics puncture the tall claims made by the chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, about the improved law and order situation in the state. They also reveal that casteist, parochial attitudes continue to affect the marginalized communities in spite of laws to protect them.

N. Sadhasiva Reddy,
Bangalore

Sir — Amethi is the constituency of Smriti Irani, the Union minister for women and child development. Irani claims to be a champion of the downtrodden and of women’s rights. One wonders what she has to say about the cruelty meted out to the Dalit girl in Amethi.

Kakoli Das,
Calcutta