Captive creatures
Sir — Elephants are the only wild animals that can be legally owned by a private individual in India — an anomaly that needed to be corrected. Instead, if the wildlife (protection) amendment bill, 2021 has its way, it would be legal not just to own but also trade in elephants. It is shocking that plans are afoot to undo five decades of protecting elephants by legitimizing illegal networks of elephant trade. Clearly, the treatment of captive elephants as cattle — a derogatory and exploitative category for any animal — has not changed since before Independence. This is a matter of great shame.
Srimanta Bhattacharjee,
Calcutta
Old tricks
Sir — The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has cautioned citizens against voting for his rivals. He has warned that doing so would turn Uttar Pradesh into Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala (“Yogi’s ludicrous federal swipe just before poll”, Feb 11). The chief minister’s message, coming just a few hours before polling started, seems like a desperate attempt to polarize the electorate.
Interestingly, Kerala, Bengal and Kashmir have performed much better than Uttar Pradesh on several developmental indices. Under Adityanath, UP’s performance as far as per capita income, education, law and order and so on are concerned has been dismal. The last-minute message indicates that the saffron party is wary of a possible backlash from farmers in the election results and trying its usual trick of sowing divisiveness.
S.S. Paul,
Nadia
Sir — On the eve of the assembly elections in five states, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, predicted a one-sided win for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Even the Union home minister, Amit Shah, boasted that the BJP would win more than 300 seats in Uttar Pradesh. If the party was indeed confident of its victory, why did Yogi Adityanath need to warn people that terrorists would take over the state if the BJP lost? It is evident that Adityanath cannot ask for votes on the basis of his work and is now resorting to polarization as a last-ditch effort.
Jang Bahadur Singh,
Jamshedpur
Sir — Yogi Adityanath deriding other states in order to influence voters is objectionable. It is time the people of India vote the BJP out of power. The rule of the saffron party has only led to the deterioration of cultural values and bred negativity in society.
Somnath Das,
Calcutta
Evergreen sound
Sir — Today is World Radio Day. The magical sound of the radio has offered us everything from information to entertainment since long before the television was invented. Even now, when modern innovations abound, the radio has not lost its charm because of its ability to bring people together. Generations have grown up listening to radio shows such as Jaimala, Bhule Bisre Geet, Hawa Mahal, Chhaya Geet and the famous Bianca Geetmala hosted by the iconic Ameen Sayani, who mesmerized listeners with his articulation. In today’s fast-paced world, listening to radio can rejuvenate one mentally.
M. Pradyu,
Kannur
Sir — The radio still has a niche audience and can serve as a platform for dialogue. Perhaps the All India Radio, which is known for its contributions to the fields of education, agriculture and entertainment in the past, can be overhauled in order to make it relevant for the current generation.
T.S. Karthik,
Chennai
Sir — Radio has definitely stood the test of time because of its universal appeal. But the nature of content on radio has changed a lot. The present generation is more interested in FM radio, where radio jockeys entertain listeners, mostly with music and conversations related to it. But radio should not remain restricted to just that. Private radio channels, too, should broadcast news as well as other informative content apart from music.
Vidushi Bhatt,
Nainital
