Sir — It was disheartening to hear that the Democratic senator, Elizabeth Warren, has ended her presidential campaign for the 2020 elections in the United States of America. Not only was she the last major woman Democratic candidate in the race, but her progressive policies, if implemented — she advocated universal childcare and relief for students from loan debts — would have greatly benefited ordinary American citizens. The setbacks to Warren’s campaign and her exit from the race are also symbolic of the deep-rooted sexism in American society, which evidently is still not willing to back a woman running for president.

Deepti Kapoor

Washington DC

Massive risk

Sir — Every year during Holi, our ears are filled with the popular song, “Do Me a Favour, Let’s Play Holi”, from the Hindi film, Waqt. This year, however, we would do well to replace the word, “let’s”, with “don’t”. With the coronavirus outbreak sounding alarm bells in India — the number of cases in the country has crossed 30, and numerous states are preparing for more — it is crucial that we, as a nation, choose to forgo the joys of participating in Holi en masse this year. Experts around the world have advised people to reduce mass gatherings in order to avoid the spread of the disease. The very nature of Holi involves mass participation. As such, the large-scale human contact necessitated by the festival will spell great trouble for the country. Why should we put ourselves and others in harm’s way in this manner?

There have even been calls to postpone the mega sports event of the year, the Tokyo Olympics, in order to contain the global outbreak of the coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, it has now spread to more than 60 countries, infecting more than 90,000 people and taking the lives of over 3,000. A nationwide advisory ought to have been issued by the Indian government to discourage people from participating in any festivities that involve mass contact. Even one or two people with the disease can compromise the health of a large crowd.

Gaurav Agarwal

Guwahati

Sir — In the wake of the 31 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in India, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, should have called for a ban on mass gatherings today. Holi is a festival of joy and socializing, but this year it poses a deadly threat to public health. A single person with the disease attending a Holi gathering can cause a crisis that affects many. Everyone wants to celebrate Holi with gusto, but enjoyment cannot come at the cost of lives.

Rahul Chouhan

Ujjain

Sir — Given the circumstances under which the coronavirus spreads, and with Holi being celebrated today, we should be careful about avoiding mass gathering in our communities, neighbourhoods and malls. Civic bodies should issue advisories as well.

Arun Kumar Baksi

Calcutta

Sir — Holi has always had a darker side, with men using the occasion as an excuse to grope women. Now, however, there is the fear of the spread of the coronavirus through mass contact during Holi. Women’s right to enjoy a festival without being molested has rarely been honoured by the government and Indian society. Will the fear of disease and death finally deter men from behaving boorishly during Holi?

Manav Chaturvedi

Mumbai

Stay the same

Sir — Getting identity proof of any sort issued in India is a laborious task; women who have to change their names after marriage or divorce often have to undergo the struggle more than once. It is high time that the practice of women changing their last names to their husbands’ after marriage were eschewed once and for all. One does not need to share one’s husband’s name to become family; moreover, the process of changing one’s last name involves a whole lot of paperwork and running from pillar to post. Although the practice is not legally binding, many women are forced to do it to please their spouse, his family or society. Both my mother and I had to change our last names on account of a number of personal circumstances. We placed advertisements in two papers, after which we applied for the information to be published in the official gazette of the state government. We will have to apply for alterations in every document already in our possession, thereby undergoing the same struggle multiple times.

Recently, I had to open a new bank account with my new details because the process of documentation was time-consuming and I needed to encash cheques that were issued in my new name. I was only able to open a small savings account with a limit both on deposit and withdrawal amounts. It is frustrating to have to put other important work aside to run to government offices only to find out that the officer in charge of signing and forwarding my papers has either left for the day or is busy. This waste of time, energy and effort can be avoided if women do not feel compelled to undergo the unnecessary act of changing their names. It is also high time that the ‘daughter of’ and ‘wife of’ options were deleted from all forms. Why should we be identified as someone’s daughter, wife or mother?

While some things are finally changing — for instance, one does not have to apply for a PAN card using their father’s name anymore — the speed of such change must be accelerated.

Rifa Deka

Guwahati