Stress buster

Sir — Most people would agree that being buried alive is one of the most stressful experiences that an individual can have to face. Russians would disagree. Many Russians are opting for mock ‘live burials’ as a form of therapy to confront their stress and anxiety. Perhaps one can sympathise with the Russians’ desire to escape life if one considers the grim reality of life in that country. Compulsory conscription, high inflation as a result of global sanctions and the absolute lack of freedoms are just some of the challenges before Russians. Is it any wonder, then, that death seems less stressful to them than life?

Anusua Padhi, Calcutta

Stick together

Sir — The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alli­ance held its third con­clave in Mumbai last week (“Focus on early seat-sharing”, Sept 2). It included 68 representatives from 28 political parties and decided to fight the general elections together as far as possible. The core issue of seat-sharing will apparently be discussed at the earliest. The coming together of Opposition parties will make a difference in the polls but INDIA needs to work on a common minimum programme and work out seat-sharing equations as soon as possible. More important, it must stay united, which is most difficult given the tricks of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which will not only employ State agencies at its disposal to deter the Opposition but might engage in horse-trading too.

D. Bhattacharyya, Calcutta

Sir — Formulating a common minimum programme and discussing seat-sharing arrangements were the primary objectives of the third INDIA conclave. However, only a 14-member co-ordination committee has been formed to confer on seat-sharing. The differences of opinion among regional parties and the weaknesses of national parties like the Congress will make this difficult.

Jayanta Datta, Hooghly

Sir — The success of INDIA should not be judged only by what was achieved at its Mumbai meeting, ra­ther by the steps that the BJP government took to divert attention from the summit. A day before the conclave, the government slashed the price of cooking gas and, during the meeting, the proposal of ‘one nation, one election’ was floated. These measures reveal that if INDIA manages to stick together and work out a seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP has reason to be worried about its majority in Parliament.

Senjuti Das, Calcutta

Sir — INDIA should not have a logo. The members of INDIA already have well-known logos and a new logo will only add to confusion for voters. This will end up eating into the vote share of the alliance and, given the situation in the country, each vote counts.

Tauqueer Rahmani, Mumbai

Sir — While the heads of the various regional parties that are part of INDIA may see the importance of a united Opposition, it is unlikely that other local leaders will feel the same way. It must be ensured that localised campaigns are not carried out that go against the interests of INDIA. In this context, it was encouraging to read that Abhishek Banerjee of the Trinamul Congress has stopped attacking the Left and the Congress in his speeches.

Debadipta Sinha, Calcutta

Solar sojourn

Sir — It is a matter of great pride that the Adit­ya-L1 solar mission has been successfully launched (“Journey begins for space perch to observe Sun”, Sept 3). Yet, it was strange to see the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, S. Somanath, visit a temple to pray for the success of the project. This does not bode well for the promotion of a scientific temper. The naming of the landing site of Chandrayan-3 Shiv Shakti by the prime minister is also disturbing. India is a secular country and no religion should be highlighted in an achievement that belongs to all citizens.

Anwar Saeed, Calcutta

Sir — After Chandra­yaan-3’s success, Isro is now heading towards the sun with the Aditya-L1 mission. Unlike missions to the moon, which are mainly focused on exploring resources available for a possible human settlement, solar missions are a purely scientific endeavour. These successes reaffirm Isro’s ability to contribute to every aspect of planetary science.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Incomplete picture

Sir — In his article, “Op­pen­heimer in Japan” (Aug 30), Uddalak Mukherjee writes about the “post-apocalyptic reflections on the bombing.” Such reflections were often based on photographs. But when people — especially Americans — think of photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they imagine mushroom clouds or think of a bird’s eye view of a bombed-out city. Much less known are images taken by Japanese photographers that tell grittier tales. Photographs of mushroom clouds inspire awe and fear, which is far removed from the shock that the victims felt. A bird’s-eye view of the ravaged cities is what the bombers’ perspective would have been. It does not reflect the minutiae of life.

Yashodhara Sen, Calcutta