Climate change for real

Apropos of the editorial ‘Combating climate change’ (Feb 17), the problem of climate change has assumed alarming proportions. Already India is bearing the brunt as rain patterns have changed drastically. Ominous warnings from scientists are becoming louder and shriller, predicting a catastrophe. Add to it the fact that worldwide efforts to reduce emissions are not getting simpler. Man has been endowed with reason, but has proved to be a destroyer and not a creator. Forests are disappearing, rivers are drying up, wildlife is becoming extinct, all because of greed. Developed countries will have to be active to take immediate action to combat climate change.

Tarsem S Bumrah, Batala

India must gear up

Apropos of ‘The coronavirus impact’ (Feb 17), India is experiencing economic slowdown and unemployment is increasing. The country should rise to the occasion and invest more and more in lucrative fields like telecom, textiles, electronics, garments and festival-based items. The UK, US, Germany and France are major trade partners of China. India should seize this opportunity to boost its economy.

GIAN P KANSAL, AMBALA CITY

Clean mind first

Menstruation is a natural process and incidents like stripping girls to check menstruation is shameful (‘3 college staffers suspended in stripping case’, Feb 17). We are living in the 21st century but the mindset of our society is regressive. It has nothing to do with impurity. Purity comes from the heart and mind, not the body. Even the incident of girls being told to take a pledge on Valentine’s Day against falling in love is bizarre. All this must stop. We are promoting clean India campaign, but we should first clean everyone’s mind about such taboo, stigma and secrecy.

Maroof Qureshi, Chandigarh

Shameful incident

The news (‘3 college staffers suspended in stripping case’, Feb 17) is shameful. More obnoxious is that the college used to stress that menstruating students should not sleep on beds and eat in the dining area. The government needs to keep a check on the norms laid down by colleges and take action against them. There should be uniformity in policy and rules.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Care for the elderly

Apropos of ‘Empty nest syndrome and abuse ‘ (Feb 17), my heart fills with sorrow when I see the young generation engrossed in chasing their happiness and being self-centred. They forget that their present will also turn into past. Togetherness is the key to happiness. Parents sacrifice their prime raising up children and giving them the best facilities with their hard-earned money. The apocalypse of the joint family system is disappointing — Khandron se dhalti umron ka/ Darvaje par nazron ka pehrah/ Jab dastak nahin koi deta hai/ Deh jati hain veeran imaratein. Let us teach our younger generation to value parents.

Aruna Dogra Sharma, by mail

Caste system here to stay

Refer to ‘Let quota continue, but assessment required’ (Feb 17); the caste system will never end. It is being strengthened day by day, not because of reservation, but due to the attitude of upper caste people toward SC/ST/OBCs. Upper caste population is about 25%, and at the topmost level of every field, its concentration is nearly 95%. In the private sector, too, the condition is bad. Still, the upper caste people oppose reservation. Instead, they should surrender their share for the welfare of the less privileged. Toppers from every community should be selected on the basis of the ratio of their population. The concept of creamy layer is baseless.

Om Parkash Sandhu, Naya Nangal

Religious functions

Of late, Kurukshetra is drifting towards organising religious festivals and festivities which do not find any mention in any scripture, or in the known history of Kurukshetra. Lakhs of rupees are being extravagantly wasted. Spending public money on professional dancers does not have any religious sanction. Even during the reign of Harshwardhan, which was the glorious period of Kurukshetra’s history, such pseudo-festivities do not find any mention. The sanctioning authorities should verify whether a particular festival has any religious significance. The budget and expenditure on such extravagant festivities should also be examined.

HS Sinha, KuruKshetra

Not the same exam

Refer to the middle ‘A different era, different board exam’ (Feb 5); the times have changed since. In the board exams that I sat for, in the late seventies, copying was rampant. From the principal to the superintendent to teachers and invigilators, all were involved. Failure does not matter. You can still get a fake certificate. There is bungling in answersheets, and sometimes, marks are raised for a ‘fee’. What a downfall! Where is the country headed?

Akhilesh, Hoshiarpur

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