Sir — The Koh-i-Noor diamond is in the news once again. The Archaeological Survey of India has, in response to an RTI query, said that the priceless stone was ‘surrendered’ and not gifted to the British. Irrespective of whether it was gifted or surrendered, the Koh-i-Noor is perhaps better off where it is. The museums in India are in very poor shape. They are hardly the correct place to display something as rare as the diamond in question. If the Nobel Prize medal of Rabindranath Tagore can get stolen, one wonders what would have happened to the diamond.

Roshni Sen,
Calcutta

Shattered image

Sir — There was a time when the name, M.J. Akbar, evoked a picture of all that was glorious about the printed press. Counted as one of the “typewriter guerrillas” in the 1970s and 1980s, Akbar was known for his fearless brand of journalism. However, it seems that most of those who worked in the media with him knew better than to trust this image. It is becoming increasingly evident that Akbar’s exploits were well-known. But this was allowed to remain industry gossip and the man was never hauled up for his actions. In a way, several people are complicit in Akbar’s depredations. This is especially shocking because it is the fourth estate, which is supposed to speak up against social evils.

It is this culture of silence that allows men to exploit women with impunity. Those who dismissed Akbar’s predations as a rite of passage in the newsroom are as much to blame for his behaviour.

Y. Roychowdhury,
Calcutta

Sir — The former minister of state for external affairs, M.J. Akbar, had to resign in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment dating back to his days as a journalist. His resignation will undoubtedly give the Bharatiya Janata Party some political traction before the upcoming general elections. The party faced a maelstrom of sorts over its prolonged silence on the issue. By accepting Akbar’s resignation, the BJP has tried to make its position on the topic clear. This firm stand must be appreciated.

Mohd. Rahmani,
Delhi

Sir — It is heartening that M.J. Akbar was forced to resign from his post as a Union minister. Had he been allowed to stay on in office, it would have defeated the morale of the women who have taken a brave stand against a powerful man. Each woman who gathered the courage to speak up and stand beside the others who were victims of abuse at the hands of Akbar should be lauded.

But, at the same time, it cannot be denied that Akbar was reportedly asked to resign because he was of little political consequence. Had one of the senior ministers been accused of misdemeanour, would the stand of the BJP have been the same?

Suresh Krishna,
Bangalore

Sir — M.J. Akbar may have resigned but with 97 lawyers allegedly fighting his case, one does not see too much reason to be hopeful. He will probably get away and the women who complained will be harassed again.

Rima Roy,
Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — When I started my career, I was staying in a messbari in Burdwan town in the early 1980s. As such, I found the article, “Room with a Few” (Oct 14), by Bitan Sikdar fascinating. However, I missed the name of the author, Premendra Mitra. After coming from Dhaka, he used to stay in a messbari at Gobinda Ghosal Lane. He went on to pen the popular literary character, Ghonada, who lives in a messbari at Banamali Naskar Lane.

Coming back to the piece, while writing about Shibram Chakraborty’s humour, Sikdar translates a sentence from the former’s work. Sikdar notes that the sentence loses its edge in translation. But Sikdar is to partly blame for this. The word, ‘aram’, although not mentioned explicitly is obvious in the sentence, “Muktaram-e theke taktarame shuye suktaram kheye ami Shibram.” Yet there is no mention of this in the translated sentence.

Somnath Mukherjee,
Calcutta