Flexible hours

Sir — Narayana Murthy might keep championing a 70-hour workweek but this scheme has few takers. Even the typical 9-to-5 work hours are proving difficult to enforce. The journalist, Ellen Scott, recently pointed out that more people are adopting ‘chronoworking’ wherein a person schedules work according to his or her productive hours, which, in some cases, can also be midnight. As the younger generation in the workforce prioritises mental health, it would be wiser for companies to opt for flexible timings. After all, karoshi — the Japanese word for death by overworking — should not become the norm.

Sushmita Chatterjee, Jalpaiguri

Fragile alliance

Sir — The state of the Opposition alliance is distressing (“Gone rogue”, Feb 29). If internal feuds and desertions continue, the INDIA bloc will not be able to provide a viable alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party. If members within the alliance keep succumbing to pressure from the saffron party, the INDIA coalition might crumble before the general elections. However, the BJP’s desperation to break up the Opposition alliance also hints at its nervousness, which is leading it to turn to unethical means.

The BJP’s priority should be to improve the standard of living in the country and the Opposition leaders should focus on sticking to their ideals instead of falling prey to unfair means. Both sides should get their acts together.

P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab

Sir — Defections can bring down governments, as was seen in Maharashtra in 2022 and in Bihar recently. But cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections putting elected governments in peril — as has happened in Himachal Pradesh — is relatively rare. Although both BJP legislators and those from the Opposition cross-voted, the former’s gains in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh overshadow the embarrassment it suffered in Karnataka.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Partial picture

Sir — Sachin Tendulkar’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir took on a political colour when he tweeted in praise of the prime minister, Narendra Modi (“Tendulkar ‘agrees’ with Modi”, Feb 29). Tendulkar had the privilege of visiting the snow-capped mountains and beautiful valleys and enjoying the hospitality of Kashmiris. But he was not exposed to the militancy in the region or the plight of the Kashmiris. He might be promoting the ‘Naya Kashmir’ narrative but the reality is that the Centre has failed Jammu and Kashmir.

Fakhrul Alam, Calcutta

Sir — Sachin Tendulkar’s amazement at the beauty of Kashmir is justified. However, it is ironic that he gave Narendra Modi the credit for helping him discover the fact that “there is so much to see in our nation”. Did he really not know that in spite of living in India for five decades? Tendulkar also remained oblivious to the pains that Kashmiris have to deal with regularly. If Tendulkar’s boast about ‘Naya Kashmir’ after the scrapping of its special status in 2019 and its demotion to a Union territory is indeed true, one must ask why assembly polls are yet to be conducted there since 2014.

Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta

Clear bias

Sir — It is disheartening that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have not been given central contracts by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The decision is unfair and partial and could instead have been sorted out through a tête-à-tête between the board and the players. Hardik Pandya, too, has not taken part in domestic matches despite these being a part of his contract. The BCCI should maintain uniformity in its treatment of players.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly