Toxic shame

Sir — Women have historically been shamed for virtually everything — for having body hair, for shaving off said body hair; for being too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat. The list is endless. Women continue to be shamed because it works. More often than not, shaming leads to women doubting themselves because the messages used to shame women are often rooted in patriarchal norms that they have been socially conditioned to adhere to. Making women doubt every decision they make can manifest as a constant battle in their minds, which can distort their sense of self-worth in the long run. When one is constantly shamed for every omission and commission, their self-confidence takes a beating, making it easier for them to be tamed and controlled.

Yashodhara Sen, Calcutta

Crisis call

Sir — It was both sad and worrying to know that five students have committed suicide in three years at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (“All night, woes spill over at IIT”, Oct 23). Students these days are under tremendous pressure to perform well in order to meet societal expectations. They are often unable to talk about their feelings or ask for help for fear of being seen as failures. Parents, too, are to blame for forcing children to study medicine or engineering, even when their passion lies in other areas. Students must be allowed to pursue careers of their choice. Parents and institutions should both be more sensitive to the problems faced by students.

Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta

Sir — The suicides at IIT, Kharagpur are tragic because they could have been prevented. The authorities chose to turn a blind eye to the problems being faced by students. Without proper counselling and moral support, students find themselves in a hopeless situation. Ideally, there should be enough counsellors for students. Peer-assisted learning and counselling as well as the introduction of technical education in regional languages could go a long way in preventing suicides.

Vinay Asawa, Howrah

Sir — The student fraternity at IIT, Kharagpur was right to question the management about the latter’s apathy. The authorities must address the students’ concerns.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Show of strength

Sir — By amending the Constitution of the ruling Communist Party of China, the president, Xi Jinping, has established himself as the most powerful leader in the country. He has also filled the Politburo Standing Committee with his close allies. Under Xi’s watch, China has become more aggressive and flexed its military muscles without any qualms. China’s relationship with the United States of America has deteriorated progressively under Xi. However, Xi should be careful. Mao Zedong’s promotion of a personality cult should serve as a lesson for him. His unbridled enthusiasm to cling on to power will not end well.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has completed a decade in China. This is worrying because Xi has warned that China may use force to occupy Taiwan. China is trying to turn the world against Taiwan. Only time will tell if China will do to Taiwan what Russia has done to Ukraine.

Dattaprasad Shirodkar, Mumbai

Rocket science

Sir — India’s heaviest rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark III, injected 36 broadband satellites of a United Kingdombased customer into precise orbits recently, successfully completing a complex mission of many firsts that bolsters the Indian Space Research Organisation’s reputation as a serious player in the commercial satellite market. It is a moment of pride for India. ISRO has brought Diwali to India two days in advance. One hopes that this is the first of many such commercial successes for ISRO.

Navneet Singh Kushwah, Ujjain

Uneven road

Sir — An ambitious plan to construct a ropeway to the Kedarnath temple to provide a safe mode of transport to the shrine has been announced by the government. This is a welcome move. In this context, it must be mentioned that modes of transportation in Sikkim, particularly in Gangtok, require attention too. Irregular helicopter rides and airline services exist from Bagdogra, but they depend on the serviceability of the newly-built airfield near Gangtok. At present, the highway between Siliguri and Gangtok serves as the main transportation link. But it is susceptible to landslides. A ropeway may provide Gangtok with a more versatile transportation link to the plains. There is little doubt that economy and tourism in Sikkim would benefit from the ropeway. Kunal

Kanti Konar, Calcutta

Picture imperfect

Sir — India is a country where there is a different tourist destination for each day of the year. Tourism contributes 5.8% to the gross domestic product of India. With winter approaching, destinations like Shimla, Mussoorie, Manali, Dharamshala and Gulmarg will be flooded with tourists. But this is also a problem. Overtourism has a multitude of negative effects like the deterioration of the environment, price inflation and so on. The government needs to devise policies to deal with the deluge of tourists — adjusting prices to balance demand and supply, dispersing visitors across the cities, limiting the number of licenses given to tour operators or the time of day they can operate.

Tashi Baheti, Ujjain

Sir — Overtourism is dangerous for the environment. It does not care for the local people or the ecology. Tourists care only for an Instagram-worthy selfie.

Rana Sengupta, Calcutta