New rules
Sir — Gen Z is rewriting the rules of office communication. Recently, a company manager took to Reddit to share her bewilderment at receiving a message from the newest hire, a zoomer, asking her if she could scroll reels on her phone since she had no task at hand at that moment. The post sparked a heated debate. While most criticised the laid back attitude of Gen Z towards everything, others were up in arms against the corporate culture, which tries to extract maximum productivity from employees by keeping them slaving even when there are no tasks. What is interesting though is that the free time during office hours, once used to connect to colleagues and in other meaningful activities, has now been replaced by the drudgery of doom scrolling.
Debarghya Majhi,
Mumbai
Mass discontent
Sir — Thousands of Americans have been pouring into the streets under the banner, ‘No Kings’, to voice their concern at what they perceive to be a drift toward authoritarian rule under the president, Donald Trump (“Growing anger at Trump finds a ‘No Kings’ outlet”, Oct 20). The nationwide demonstrations are being supported by organisations like the American Civil Liberties Union and draw inspiration from the anti-British uprisings that birthed the United States of America. Several events in recent months, such as the government shutdown, deployment of federal forces in Democrat-run states, and a crackdown against undocumented migrants, seem to have triggered the mass protests.
Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai
Sir — The ‘No Kings’ protests in the US against Donald Trump’s authoritarianism have reignited the democratic spirit of the nation. Millions marched under the slogan, ‘In America, we have no kings’, in defence of freedom and constitutional order.
Such a mass protest echoes similar movements elsewhere, notably the Gen Z uprising in Nepal and the demonstrations in Bangladesh in July last year, demanding transparency and reforms. India, too, seems to be heading on a path of similar public discontent. The government must respond through transparency, job creation, and dialogue, embracing democracy, not coercion, to preserve stability.
R.S. Narula,
Patiala
Comic device
Sir — The climate crisis is serious, but our messaging need not be dull (“Laugh to survive”, Oct 18). As the planet warms up — the political will to combat global warming is lacking — humour might succeed where fear has failed. The study by Aaron Sachs suggests that dark comedy can help people confront disaster without becoming paralysed by it.
History offers many examples where oppressed communities used wit to expose injustice and stay resilient. The climate movement could take a leaf out of these historical precedents. A clever cartoon or a satirical sketch may engage more minds than another catastrophe forecast. In a world that often feels absurd, humour may be one of the most honest and effective tools we have left.
K. Chidanand Kumar,
Bengaluru
Sir — The editorial, “Laugh to survive”, cited several historical precedents, such
as the abolitionism and the civil rights movements in the US and the suffragette struggle, to highlight the bond between humour and survival during dark times. Satire, humour and irony can create public awareness that can be channelled to lodge a mass movement about climate change.
Jahar Saha,
Calcutta
Political comeback
Sir — The Trinamool Congress leadership took a significant decision on Friday towards politically rehabilitating Sovan Chatterjee, the former Calcutta mayor and cabinet minister, by appointing him as the chairperson of New Town Kolkata Development Authority (“New Town post comeback for ex-city mayor”, Oct 18). Chatterjee, once considered close to the TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee, is the first non-bureaucrat chairperson of NKDA since the body was founded in 2009.
The return of a former heavyweight into the TMC fold may alter equations within the party. It may also face challenges in dealing with the turf wars among the satraps in the Behala-Tollygunge-Maheshtala belt.
Khokan Das,
Calcutta
Sir — Sovan Chatterjee has made a political comeback, rejoining the TMC and being appointed as chairperson of the NKDA, replacing the former chief secretary, Alapan Bandopadhyay. Chatterjee left the TMC in 2018 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and contested the 2021 state elections on a BJP ticket. His latest appointment can be seen as a prelude to a more significant party role in the 2026 assembly elections.
S.S. Paul,
Nadia
Deserves a relook
Sir — Mukul Kesavan’s article, “On selection” (Oct 19), which articulates that the selectors of the Indian cricket national team must have faith in specialist batters and bowlers, was bang on target. Of late, there have been controversies surrounding Indian team selection. Many talented players like Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja were overlooked. Politics seems to have crept into the selection committee’s decision-making.
Vinay Mahadevan,
Dubai
Sir — The selection trend in Indian cricket seems to favour a player who can chip in over players who are masters of their craft. This leads to situations where the team lacks a batsman who can anchor a collapsing innings or a bowler who can be trusted to break a dangerous partnership in the middle-overs. A specialist provides a clarity that is currently missing in the current squad.
Fateh Najamuddin,
Chennai