Sir — It is worrying that there are shops outside schools across the city which sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. This would not have been possible without the patronage of people in high places. It is illegal to sell tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions. How can a society call itself progressive if its law enforcement bodies remain inept and corrupt? Poor or ineffective implementation of rules and regulation is equivalent to lawlessness.
Even though school authorities and parents are aware of the existence of such shops, they are helpless as the police do not take necessary action. Adolescence is an impressionable age, and the youth easily fall prey to the bad habit of consuming harmful tobacco products. Schools should educate students about the long-term health risks associated with smoking and consuming tobacco products through frequent workshops. Parents and teachers should keep a strict watch on the activities of school children.
Kiran Agarwal,
Calcutta
Sir — Schools, colleges and universities are places where the future of the country is moulded. Young people, of an impressionable age, see people buying and smoking cigarettes around these places. This will make them curious about cigarettes, consuming which might seem like tasting adulthood to them. Even if shops that sell cigarettes are present near schools, it is the responsibility of citizens to abstain from buying from these places or smoking in the vicinity of educational institutions. This would also automatically force the shops to shift elsewhere.
Indranil Majumdar,
Calcutta
Kameez with jeans
Sir — It does not take newcomers to the Bharatiya Janata Party time to develop saffron spots. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear Moushumi Chatterjee, a recent recruit of the BJP, thunder that women would be better off wearing Indian dresses. The concept of personal choice eludes Chatterjee and her bosses even in this day and age. Does Chatterjee know that the ‘heritage’ that she seeks to ‘preserve’ is premised on the notion of autonomy? Indian women and men are free to dress in the manner they choose. Their sartorial choices are none of Chatterjee’s business.
Koel Mukherjee,
Calcutta
Cherish the idea
Sir — We, the people of India, will be celebrating our 70th Republic Day this year. Indians have many reasons to be proud: we are the world’s largest parliamentary democracy, our Constitution is the longest one to be written. Moreover, several amendments have ensured that the Constitution has kept pace with the times.
But today when I read the Preamble to our Constitution, I wonder if its spirit is being upheld in the country. Liberty — of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship — has fallen prey to fundamentalism. Radical fringe groups run riot across the country while the government remains a mute spectator, unwilling to take them to task owing to the fear of losing their vote banks. Justice — social, economic and political — remains a mirage. Not only are some segments of society at risk of being pushed into the corner, but economic inequality is also so high that 73 per cent of country’s wealth is reported to be controlled by one per cent of its population.
Hoping for fraternity is futile in today’s divisive atmosphere, wherein communal harmony and brotherhood are fast fading. How then can an Indian be proud this Republic Day?
Hemant Kumar,
Ambala City, Haryana
Sir — Republic Day is the time to remember the great sacrifices that led to the creation of the free country that we now live in. The freedom and democracy which we have received from people who fought and gave their lives for it should be valued every single day, not just on special occasions. This would only be possible if all Indian citizens did their bit for the country. It does not take much, simple steps enshrined as fundamental duties in the Constitution can be followed to make India a better place.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai
