India shines at Cannes

With reference to the editorial ‘Cannes acclaim’; it has been a glorious week for Indian cinema, with Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light securing the prestigious Grand Prix at the 77th edition of the festival. The global reception of the film shows that there is a market for innovative storytelling that is not inhibited by the goal of profit-making. The grand event reinforced cinema as a unifying global force. Indian filmmakers and artistes deserve kudos for scripting history at the festival. Sustained support for our films and the promotion of works of Indian artistes are essential to expanding India’s presence on the global stage.

Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

PM must address burning issues

Refer to PM Narendra Modi’s interview ‘Current Punjab leadership mirrors ideology of urban Naxals…’; the Prime Minister has been giving one interview after another in print and electronic media amid the General Election. But there are certain burning issues that the PM has yet not been pressed on. His BJP has had a hand in the toppling of state governments led by rival parties. Besides, it has been observed that the crimes of all tainted Opposition leaders who cross over to the saffron party are forgiven. These are some of the many issues — including the electoral bond scheme and the Opposition’s accusations of a quid pro quo between donors and recipients — that Modi should be confronted with in his interviews.

Arun Hastir, Gurdaspur

Criminalisation of politics

Apropos of the news report ‘No govt job for kin of terrorists, stone-throwers in J&K: Shah’; this is a welcome proposal. But this should be implemented throughout the country, not just in the state-turned-UT. Besides, such conditions should also apply to politicians. A leader with a criminal background must not be allowed into the political arena. That is the most effective way to clean up the political ecosystem in the country. Corruption runs deep in the system, and it won’t be uprooted until and unless every citizen shows zero tolerance to graft.

Col RS Narula (retd), Patiala

Children need parents’ support

With reference to the article ‘Let’s assure our children they are not commodities’; parents must stop imposing their decisions on their children. All students must have the freedom to pursue a career in a field of their choice. Now, more than ever before, youngsters are facing intense pressure to succeed. From doing well in board exams to landing a high-paying job, it is common for parents to have high expectations from their kids. But when a youngster fails to live up to the unreasonable demands of his family members, it causes them agony. Parents need to understand that our children need our support to grow in life.

Harkawaljeet Kaur, Mohali

Rein in dummy admissions

Apropos of ‘Let’s assure our children they are not commodities’; the author has rightly highlighted the challenges being faced by students these days. It is common for parents to compare their kids to other children in order to push them to do better. But it can cause them to develop mental health issues. Besides, the growing trend of dummy admissions needs to be checked. Students are being enrolled at schools where they don’t need to attend most classes so that they can devote most of their time to preparing for competitive exams. The significance of regular classroom teaching for the overall learning and physical and mental wellbeing of children cannot be emphasised enough.

Krishan Bhatia, Hansi

Caught in the rat race

Refer to the article ‘Let’s assure our children they are not commodities’; in this age of cut-throat competition, well-meaning parents often push their children into the rat race, hoping that they would end up with well-paying jobs. But youngsters, who often fail to bear the burden of expectations, instead fall into a state of depression. Many of them, who can’t find a way out, feel compelled to take the extreme step. It is high time that parents started valuing their children for who they are. Every individual is born with some sort of skill or talent. Parents, who are duty-bound to support their children, must understand this.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

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