Rare sight
Sir — A woman at leisure is a rare sight. While it is not unusual to spot a woman reading by herself in a city cafe, this is mostly an urban phenomenon common among the affluent. Women from marginalised and impoverished backgrounds are too busy trying to make ends meet and run the house to have time for leisure. For men, being idle is a choice — a right they earn by virtue of being the breadwinner. For women, finding guilt-free time to do nothing is unusual and being idle is equivalent to being worthless because in economic terms, caregiving and managing the home are unpaid labour. Gender inequality is often imagined in terms of money, property, power and rights but rarely in the context of time and its ownership.
Nikita Singh, Mumbai
Let the past be
Sir — It is intriguing that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre has decided to observe June 25 as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas, marking the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 (“Murder Day bait on Emergency”, July 13). While there is no denying that the calling of the Emergency was a black day for India, to term it a murder of the Constitution is too harsh. More so since the Emergency was declared according to a constitutional provision. The government should reconsider its decision of introducing the Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas.
The Constitution has become a bone of contention for political parties. The Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, spares no opportunity to flaunt a copy of it and now, clearly, the BJP is staking its claim. Alas, the spirit of this great book is rarely upheld.
D.V.G. Sankara Rao, Andhra Pradesh
Sir — The declaration of June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas is an attempt by the BJP to rub salt into a decades-old wound. It is not as if the BJP’s track record is without blemishes — demonetisation, the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the floating of electoral bonds are just some instances of its misgovernance. The BJP repeatedly harping on the Emergency is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Past mistakes should not be repeated. There is no point in using the Emergency to try and corner the Congress. The BJP should let bygones be bygones in the interest of the nation.
Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Sir — There is no doubt that the Emergency left indelible scars on the body politic of India. But commemorating its imposition as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas is like scratching old scars. It is evident that the BJP is trying to whip up hatred in the name of commemorating an unfortunate past incident.
Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur
Sir — The Emergency was not anti-constitutional as Article 352 of the Constitution allows the imposition of such a measure. The fact that the electorate forgave Indira Gandhi is clear from her re-election to power with a majority in 1980. Yet the BJP continues to flog a dead horse to sweep the ills plaguing India at present under the carpet.
Instead of dwelling on events that happened decades ago, the party in power at the Centre should ponder its treatment of citizens like Stan Swamy and Umar Khalid. Moreover, if one is to talk about anti-constitutional activities, what does the BJP have to say about the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 without any consultation with the people of Jammu and Kashmir? How about the suspension of 146 members of the Opposition or the targeting of certain members of Parliament for questioning the government? Are these the traits of a government that upholds the Constitution?
Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta
Sir — While the Centre has announced June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, the Congress has said that an undeclared Emergency is in place in India under the leadership of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. Both stances are rather extreme.
Romana Ahmed, Calcutta
Uncertain future
Sir — The members of NATO gathered in Washington D.C. to mark the 75th anniversary of the body (“In a new age”, July 13). The celebration was tinged with apprehension given the ongoing war in Ukraine and domestic political challenges in the United States of America and the European Union. There are reasons to doubt Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance if he comes to power in the US. But even if he did not upset the NATO applecart, can the mercurial leader be trusted when the chips are down?
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Batsman’s game
Sir — Ramachandra Guha made a piquant comparison between batters and bowlers in his article, “Ashwin’s bat” (July 13). Whether or not batters are the blue-eyed boys or girls of cricket can be a matter of debate but it is a fact that a majority of the captains of the Indian men’s cricket team have been batsmen. It seems that batters are trusted more as leaders even though there is no reason to believe that bowlers cannot be good captains.
Amit Brahmo, Calcutta
Sir — The article, “Ashwin’s bat”, was right on the money. Ravichandran Ashwin is an unsung hero of Indian cricket. Ramachandra Guha is absolutely right in saying that many bowlers would have proved to be better captains than their batter colleagues. The Australian spinner, Shane Warne, for instance, was a shrewd captain in the Indian Premier League. But even he never got a chance to lead Australia.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai
Sir — Even if a bowler takes six wickets to vanquish the opponent, it is a match-winning sixer hit in the last ball that becomes the lead story the next day. Bowlers are like homemakers who never get any credit no matter how hard they toil.
A.P. Thiruvadi, Chennai
