Looking forward to Sunita’s visit

Apropos of ‘Looking forward to hosting you: PM to Sunita’; NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are back after spending nine difficult months in space. Both waved and smiled as they emerged from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down off the coast of Florida. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called her India’s most illustrious daughter. It would be an honour for us if she visits India, her father’s birthplace. Her grit and perseverance will inspire everyone.

Vinod Johri, Delhi

Kalpana Chawla missed

An enthusiastic PM Modi’s post on X said, “Welcome back, #Crew 9! The earth missed you…” following the safe return of Sunita Williams. It was a historic triumph of perseverance in the unforgiving expanse of space, testing the limit of human endurance, adaptability and resolve. Amid the euphoria, our hearts go out to Karnal’s Kalpana Chawla, whom we lost in 2003, along with six other crew members, when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry, 16 minutes before its scheduled landing.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Truce plan not comprehensive

The interaction between Presidents Trump and Putin is a positive step forward, but it has fallen short of securing a comprehensive ceasefire the world is hoping for. Putin’s refusal to halt broader hostilities, while continuing to demand an end to military aid for Ukraine, suggests a strategy of halting the war on his terms. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s willingness to agree to an energy truce demonstrates a commitment to a diplomatic solution, but it is understandable that Kyiv will not accept one-sided concessions. For any real progress, negotiations must ensure that Ukraine’s sovereignty is respected and that any ceasefire includes protection for civilians, not just of strategic infrastructure. If this limited agreement is to be a first step toward peace, it must be followed by meaningful and enforceable promises.

Rukma Sharma, Jalandhar

Limitations of military solution

Refer to ‘Truce in tatters’; three years of violence in Gaza, interspersed with periodic ceasefires and eventual resumption of hostilities, underscore the limitations of a military solution. Renewed international effort is needed to solve the Palestinian problem. Given the good intentions and concerns worldwide, the matter should be resolved sooner than later. We are living in a globalised world and people living in any part of the world can feel the pain of their brethren rendered homeless in strife-torn areas. The cries of the suffering humanity should be heard to bring about an appropriate end to the impasse.

Jagvinder Singh Brar, Patiala

Trump’s disruptive policies

With reference to ‘Why the stock markets are in turmoil across the world’; the chaos can be laid at the door of Trump’s disruptive policies. Share prices in America have plunged drastically. Even the shares of Elon Musk’s Tesla are down by a staggering 50 per cent since December. This would naturally have a domino effect at the global level and therefore it is not surprising that the majority of the markets are down worldwide. The bad news for India is that the new entrants have panicked and exited the markets. However, markets have recovered in recent days. It remains to be seen if the downward trend has been reversed or this is just a dead cat bounce, a brief recovery in the price of a declining stock.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Curb communal riots

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called the Nagpur clashes ‘planned and premeditated’; this claim has been seconded by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. The all-important question is: How did the Home Ministry fail to gauge the situation well in advance and take pre-emptive steps, especially when the RSS headquarters are in Nagpur? One can only hope that communal riots are nipped in the bud and not allowed to spread to others parts of the country.

Tharcius Fernando, Chennai