Dying art
Sir — Small talk — a way of striking up conversations in order to avoid awkward silence — is integral to interactions. However, a 2022 survey showed that only 54% of employers are of the opinion that their employees are proficient in professional chitchat. This is why many American colleges have recently started courses to help students unmute themselves. But instead of spending money on such expensive courses, one might find it easier to read Dale Carnegie’s books on influencing people. But given that fewer youngsters are into reading these days, perhaps they would need a separate boot camp on reading.
Souparno Dey, North 24 Parganas
Glimmer of hope
Sir — A temporary ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Palestine to facilitate the exchange of 50 Israeli hostages, who were abducted by Hamas during its attack on October 7, for 150 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails (“Israel, Hamas in deal to pause war”, Nov 23). The resumption of the passage of crucial humanitarian aid will provide much-needed respite to the thousands of innocent civilians who have been bearing the brunt of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza. However, more needs to be done to ensure the complete cessation of hostilities on the ground.
Tel Aviv should realise that the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinians for an independent home cannot be crushed through force. Hamas, too, must understand that further retaliatory actions will only lead to higher civilian fatalities. The global community should work together to accomplish the elusive two-State solution to ensure peace between the two countries.
M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The temporary pause in the Israel-Hamas war is the biggest breakthrough since the attack on October 7. The four-day ceasefire will offer succour to the people of Gaza who have been ravaged by continuous Israeli bombardment. The efforts of the United States of America, Egypt and Qatar in helping the two warring sides reach an agreement should be applauded. However, the resumption of the Israeli airstrikes is inevitable once the ceasefire ends. Hamas would also utilise this pause to strategise and may counter Israel with renewed vigour. The peace negotiators should keep working on a permanent settlement.
Bal Govind, Noida
Sir — Israel has been shifty about the temporary pause in the war with Hamas. The ground invasion of Gaza continued in full force even as the announcement of the tentative truce was being made. While the exchange of hostages and the disbursal of humanitarian aid are welcome, the postponing of the killings will do little to end the hostilities.
Only a permanent ceasefire, not a temporary truce, can bring peace to the region. The deal brokered by the US would have made greater sense if there was a provision for Israel and Palestine to exchange all their prisoners.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The prime minister, Narendra Modi, had said at the G20 meet, in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, that the killing of innocents must be stopped. This seems farcical given that he has not found time to address the conflict that has been raging in Manipur.
Sukriti Sinha, Calcutta
Biased view
Sir — The article, “Shared mantle” (Nov 22), by Arghya Sengupta highlights the difference in the government’s celebration of the birth anniversaries of Jawaharlal Nehru and Birsa Munda. However, Sengupta fails to elaborate on the contributions of the tribal activist which are no less than that of the first prime minister of the country. This was disappointing.
Ganesh Sanyal, Nadia
Stark difference
Sir — When the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, accused India of playing a role in the murder of the Khalistani activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the ministry of external affairs issued a scathing reprimand of the Canadian government. Dozens of Canadian diplomats were ordered to be deported from the country and New Delhi stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens. However, when the United States of America recently said that it had thwarted an assassination plot against a Sikh separatist on American soil, raising concerns that the Narendra Modi-led government was involved, most of the Indian media remained silent.
The MEA, too, has been dillydallying on issuing an official statement on the matter. This stark difference in India’s treatment of the US and Canada is deplorable. The Indian government should address the allegations as soon as possible.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Popular star
Sir — Shah Rukh Khan topped the recently released Internet Movie Database list of the most popular Indian stars of 2023. The actor had two major film releases this year, Pathaan and Jawan, which broke most box-office records. The badshah of the Hindi film industry deserves to be lauded for emerging as the numero uno on the list.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
