Food for thought
Sir — This year’s Durga Puja is apparently being celebrated in ‘Shib thakurer apon desh’, the topsy-turvy world from Sukumar Ray’s poem. The Hindu Jagran Manch in Siliguri has urged people to buy biryani from Hindu traders only. The group has claimed that the posters were ostensibly meant for the benefit of Hindu traders during the festive season. But no excuse can cover the blatant communalism of such an advisory. Food has no religion and trade knows no faith. The humble plate of biryani may have Mughal and Persian antecedents, but it has now become more Bengali than basanti pulao. If things must indeed be judged by the religious identity of their seller, then perhaps India should also consider not buying petrol, diesel and oil from Muslim countries.
Sharmistha Ghosal,
Siliguri
Right to protest
Sir — It can be argued that if Parliament is the home, then the street is its doorbell (“Street lives”, Oct 13). Instead of treating Parliament and the protest ground as rivals, the two should be seen as being connected. Perhaps each parliamentary session should begin with a ‘citizens’ petition hour’ in which it addresses the most-signed public pleas, collected online or through local offices. The responses must also be published. This would give protesters a direct channel to voice their concerns, thereby allowing lawmakers to hear the people before they take to the streets. Citizens, in turn, should keep their petitions specific and their marches peaceful.
K. Chidanand Kumar,
Bengaluru
Sir — The Centre’s abracadabra-like trick of denotifying Jantar Mantar as a protest site and assigning different venues as alternatives — these places are farther away from the seat of power — seems quite childish (“Abracadabra Jantar Mantar”, Oct 13). What people have been asking for is not a change of protest venues but a change in the government’s attitude.
Historically, protesters from across the country have been congregating at Jantar Mantar to voice their grievances. Instead of understanding and addressing their demands, the government treats dissenters, protesters and critics as anti-nationals and unleashes State brutality against them. Such an approach does not befit a democracy.
A.G. Rajmohan,
Andhra Pradesh
Sir — Jantar Mantar has long been a symbol of peaceful democratic protests. The Narendra Modi government’s decision to shift demonstrations to Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi raises serious concerns about the accessibility of democratic dissent. Although maintaining public order is a legitimate administrative issue, the arrangements must not make peaceful protest less accessible or effective.
What many feared has now come to pass. Instead of addressing the grievances, the authorities have withdrawn the very venue that has long provided citizens with a recognised platform to voice their concerns, as though closing a protest site could resolve the issues that bring people there.
Vidyasagar Reddy Kethiri,
New Delhi
Sir — Protests against the alleged transgressions by the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, in the national capital have disrupted traffic. Commuters have been urged to avoid non-essential journeys. While the authorities must manage congestion, they should also ensure that restrictions do not disproportionately inconvenience residents.
Dimple Wadhawan,
Kanpur
Sir — The editorial, “Some relief” (Oct 12), highlighted the Supreme Court’s timely intervention against the State’s restrictions on peaceful protest. By ordering the restoration of Metro, railway and internet services, review of road barricades and a curb on illegal detentions, the court reaffirmed that executive authority must remain within constitutional limits.
Brij B. Goyal,
Ludhiana
Sir — The Delhi Police succeeded in preventing many protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar by turning the national capital into an impregnable fortress before the October 10 demonstrations. However, every attempt to silence demands for accountability makes them resonate even more loudly. Gyanesh Kumar must recognise that his refusal to address questions about the Special Intensive Revision exercise is eroding public confidence in the Election Commission of India.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The State’s crackdown on the October 10 protests evoked the Emergency imposed during Indira Gandhi’s premiership. The United Nations’ concern over the mass detention of activists and protesters reflects the reality that domestic unrest has damaged India’s global image as the world’s largest democracy.
Salil Karmakar,
Barrackpore
Sir — It is said that if you pluck a chicken one feather at a time, nobody notices. This is how some people persuade themselves that small wrongs will go unnoticed. But one day, the truth stands exposed. This October, Indian democracy resembles a plucked chicken, stripped of its plumage, as protesters who call themselves ‘cockroaches’ take to the streets.
Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai
Care failure
Sir — Sumit Kumar Vats’s article, “Care manual” (Oct 12), highlighted the harsh reality of elderly care in urban India. With increasing longevity and youth migration, loneliness and illness among the elderly have become pressing concerns. While affluent families can hire caregivers through informal agencies, trained and affordable assistance remains beyond the reach of many. Could the Kolkata Municipal Corporation take the lead in a community-based elderly care system?
Kiran Agarwal,
Calcutta