New romance

Sir — The rise of remote work and constant connectivity has blurred the boundaries between professional and personal lives, leaving people with little time for indulging in romantic pursuits. But GenZers, it seems, have taken the dating fatigue by the horns. A recent report has shown that youngsters these days are using LinkedIn — a professional networking platform — to find romantic partners. The apprehensions about conventional dating apps are likely to have engendered such a trend. LinkedIn, in this case, is particularly advantageous because it seemingly allows users to track down love interests based on verified professional details. However, GenZers should realise that the trend may be a poor substitute for the good old office romance.

Sanjana Agrawal, Gurugram

Hope and despair

Sir — The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is being undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to propagate the message of social and economic justice and to highlight the injustices — religious polarisation, rising economic inequality, and political authoritarianism — during the decade-long rule of Narendra Modi as prime minister (“Yatra II launched on injustice cry”, Jan 15). The march thus deserves popular support. The promises of acchhe din and amrit kaal made by the prime minister ring hollow for the majority of the population.

The Bharatiya Janata Party exploits majoritarian Hindu sentiments to reap electoral dividends. It shamelessly prioritises religious events — the upcoming consecration of the Ram temple is a case in point — over welfare measures. The BJNY is more of an ideological exercise rather than an electoral strategy. It is hoped that Rahul Gandhi and his comrades will be successful in disseminating their message to the masses.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The Opposition’s INDIA bloc seems to be in disarray as its leaders are unable to shed their personal ambitions and reach a consensus (“Rift rocks INDIA on Yatra eve”, Jan 14). Sectoral clashes among political parties are derailing agreement over key issues — for instance, the Congress and the Left have been demanding president’s rule in the Trinamul Congress-led West Bengal following the assault on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali. Further, both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have been indecisive over seat-sharing in Punjab. Such disunity will make it easier for the saffron party to win the Lok Sabha elections.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Sir — The former Union minister, Milind Deora, quit the Congress and joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena on the eve of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (“Deora quits Congress, bares ‘PAIN’”, Jan 15). This is a huge setback for the Grand Old Party. Deora has complained that his former party did not give importance to his suggestions. Many former Congress defectors had expressed similar sentiments.

In another case, the Congress parliamentarian, Shashi Tharoor, has predicted that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party in the general elections but its seat tally would be significantly dented. The real question is this: will the BJP’s loss turn into the Congress’s gain?

N. Mahadevan, Chennai

For the nation

Sir — The ruling Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan has won a historic third term under the leadership of Lai Ching-te, a China-sceptic. This is an assertion of the country’s sovereignty and a rejection of Beijing’s hardline approach (“Wide arc”, Jan 15). However, this does not mean that China will reduce its interference in Taiwan’s politics. On the contrary, Beijing will likely seek to maximise pressure on Lai and force him to toe its line. Further, the president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, has iterated that Washington is not a supporter of Taiwan’s independence. This seems to be an effort to placate Beijing. India should also keep a close watch on the developments and steer clear of antagonising China in any manner.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Many tongues

Sir — Increased inter-state migration within India has led to people learning different languages besides their mother tongues (“Shared words”, Jan 14). As more people migrate to bigger cities in search of employment, urban centres become the hotspots for the assimilation of home and host dialects. However, India has lost more than 200 languages in the last 50 years. The government should thus take steps to conserve the endangered languages.

Vinay Asawa, Howrah

Sir — India is not a monolithic country. Different parts of the country have distinct linguistic identities. This heterogeneity is crucial to India’s pluralistic ethos. Sub-nationalism gains ground when the indigenous population or the language of any region is accorded step-motherly treatment. The government’s bid to impose Hindi on the non-Hindi-speaking states must be condemned.

Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — The BJP’s brazen attempt to impose Hindi as the national language is evident from the fact that the names of most bills are being rechristened in Hindi. The exclusive budgetary allowances for the promotion of the language are also proof of this.

S. Gokhale, Chandigarh

Long stretch

Sir — Several long bridges in India, such as the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge and the Bogibeel rail-cum-road Bridge, connect the remotest parts of the country. The recently-inaugurated 22-km-long Atal Setu — it connects Mumbai and Navi Mumbai in 20 minutes — will significantly impact the landscape of the region.

M. Pradyu, Kannur