Failure of science

With reference to Power of prayer, (August 8) there has been similiar studies on Tibetan Buddhist monks as well as experts on yogic meditation. Though many scientists refuse to be convinced by such evidences, it proves that man is something beyond matter, beyond cells and glandular activities. Science has confined itself to the senses, an area in which scientists are very comfortable. They also cling to logic and reason, tools that have not always helped them in many crucial areas. Science won’t go very far unless it begins to think in new lines. Scientists have to embrace a new consciousness to get an inkling of what goes on in the spiritual world. Mankind has suffered by discarding spirituality as mere superstitions.

Jagannath Chatterjee
Bhubaneswar

Skill is the key

Abraham Thomas’s replantation of the mutilated face of Sandeep Kaur (An Indian doctor’s triumph, August 15) was simply amazing. It proves that medical science is not only technical innovations coming up every now and then, but also human skill, concentration and patience. It’s sad that most of the medical practitioners have forgotten this fact and are encouraging the business of gadget-makers by recommending costlier tests to fleece hapless patients.

Arjun Chaudhuri
Bhowanipur

Not so symbolic

This refers to Enigma of language (August 1) in which the author has shown how Bangla scores over other languages for its sound symbolism. The concept of onomatopoeia is also prevalent in other Indian languages and even English. However, it still beats me why most of the names for objects don’t have any rhyme or reason. For instance, the names ‘rose’ or ‘sky’ don’t have any logic. If there was a little more link between words and objects, language learning would have been an easier task.

Sunaina Ghosh
Jadavpur