Lost and found
Sir — The quiet tragedy of modern navigation is how efficiently it has erased the art of getting lost. Once, a wandering walk demanded intuition, landmarks and the occasional philosophical panic about which turn felt right. Now a blue dot issues orders with the authority of a headmaster and the charm of a cardboard box. The skill of drifting, noticing, misjudging and finally discovering something unexpected has thinned out like an old map folded too many times. A little aimless roaming once kept the mind limber. It seems Google Maps has filed that habit neatly under obsolete, with no appeal process in sight.
Riddhiman Dutta,
Calcutta
Twisted history
Sir — The debate over “Vande Mataram” shows how a song’s life can reflect a nation’s political mood (“Shrill tone”, Dec 11). But Parliament’s discussion on the national song reduced a complex history to partisan claims. Interestingly, Rabindranath Tagore’s separate “Bande Mataram”, written for unity during Bengal’s 1905 partition, received no attention, despite its civic message. Historical nuance vanished under selective recall of the history of the national song. A republic gains little from narrow summaries of songs that once carried collective hope.
Sushmit Das,
Calcutta
Sir — Political leaders continue to frame “Vande Mataram” as a battleground rather than a cultural inheritance shaped by many hands. Rabindranath Tagore’s advice to limit the song to its first two stanzas emerged from a concern for inclusivity. That concern guided the Constituent Assembly when it endorsed the abridged version. Presenting this decision as appeasement misreads the context. It was a safeguard for a plural republic that had just witnessed a traumatic Partition.
K.R. Gagan,
Tumkur, Karnataka
Walk for peace
Sir — A recent padyatra from Varanasi to Delhi highlighted a quiet but determined attempt to reclaim constitutional values through public engagement. Its scale received little media attention. Yet its intention was clear: a reminder that democratic rights require active defence. The walkers met curiosity, fatigue and occasional hostility, but also a genuine hunger for dialogue. Communities linked the Constitution with practical aspirations such as work, welfare and dignity. A society that feels unheard will always respond to sincere listening.
A.K. Sen,
Nadia
Sir — The recent ahimsa padyatra to Delhi revealed an unease spreading through towns and villages. People spoke of rights that appear theoretical, of elected representatives who remain inaccessible, and of a shrinking space for dissent. These are issues that need urgent attention.
Rituparna Dey,
Calcutta
Be humane
Sir — The current argument over the European Convention on Human Rights has become a contest between political pressure and the duty to uphold humanitarian principles. The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, acknowledges that migration today looks very different from 1950, yet this recognition has not yielded a coherent policy. His government’s push to “modernise” protections risks sounding like an echo of populist rhetoric. Any attempt to narrow definitions of torture or family life invites consequences that reach far beyond asylum law. A values-based framework cannot survive constant trimming.
Shehbaz Ahmed,
Calcutta
Sir — Repeated claims that economic migrants exploit human rights protections distract from the long-established reality that economic hardship and political persecution often overlap. Many fleeing conflict also flee poverty created by the same forces. Turning this complexity into an argument for tighter deportation simply avoids examining global conditions. Increased movement is a feature of a connected world, not evidence of widespread deceit. Reducing asylum seekers to a binary of authentic or bogus only fuels suspicion and strips the debate of seriousness.
Monidipa Mitra,
Calcutta
Policy paralysis
Sir — COP30 has confirmed what many suspected: governments appear unable to deliver meaningful climate action (“Clear the logjam”, Dec 11). Three decades of summits have produced warmer seas, poorer harvests and rising economic losses. The latest meeting added little beyond a modest increase in adaptation finance and overdue recognition of Indigenous land rights. Silence on fossil fuel phase-out and deforestation spoke louder than any speech. A system that requires 198 governments to agree will always lean towards inertia. Diplomacy has become a performance that protects the appearance of progress.
Aranya Sanyal,
Calcutta
Sir — Much of the paralysis at COP30 stems from a structural flaw. The consensus rule turns every petro-state into a gatekeeper. The United Nations General Assembly uses majority voting, yet climate negotiations remain trapped by unanimity.
Mahua Mazumder,
Calcutta