Stark
irony
Sir — Women’s empowerment comes with a side of terms and conditions. At a high-profile women’s empowerment event at the Shri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi, a 19-year-old student was prevented from joining the Union minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, on stage, allegedly because she wore a sleeveless attire. For an event centred on the theme of nari shakti, the undermining of the woman’s right to liberty is glaring. Clearly an empowered, young generation of women is a top priority only as long as strict dress codes set by mostly men are adhered to. The irony could not be
more stark.
Anandi Ghosh,
New Delhi
Unfair move
Sir — The editorial, “The motive” (April 16), offered an incisive critique of the government’s push to operationalise the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, an effort which failed to get a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. While enhancing women’s representation in politics is imperative for the republic, the timing of the implementation had raised serious concerns. The move to delink the delimitation exercise — this bill too has been rejected by Parliament — from the census risked undermining the representation of states that have successfully implemented population control. In the future, regional imbalances and sub-quotas for marginalised groups need to be considered to ensured that such initiatives are truly democratic.
Vidyasagar Reddy Kethiri,
Warangal, Telangana
Sir — The issue of uneven population growth must be handled carefully to ensure that each state is proportionately represented in the Lok Sabha. The concerns of the southern states are genuine. Whenever the delimitation exercise takes place, it should not be based purely on the size of a state’s population. This would punish states
that sincerely implemented family planning. Reducing their parliamentary representation would disturb the federal structure, which is already under strain. While the delimitation exercise is inevitable, it must prioritise national interests over political expediency. The success of the women’s reservation bill would depend on this exercise as well.
A.G. Rajmohan,
Andhra Pradesh
Train them
Sir — On the one hand, khap panchayats are efficient as they have a strong hold over the local community (“Deep roots”, April 15). On the other hand, these extra-judicial bodies are deeply prejudiced. They are almost always all-male in composition and thus doubly biased against women. However, at present, when the judiciary is overburdened with lakhs of pending cases, khap panchayats can be effective when it comes to resolving minor disputes. There is a caveat though. Since the khaps’ idea of justice is not in line with that of the Constitution, major reforms and corrective measures will be needed to make it an effective subset of the judiciary. This would include formal training and democratic election of member of the khaps.
Vinay Asawa,
Howrah
Silent epidemic
Sir — The habit of using earphones for hours — for work, travel, entertainment, and gaming — has increased in recent times. In fact, earphones have become a necessity. But constant exposure to loud noise damages the delicate cells inside the ears. This is seriously affecting hearing ability and if precautions are not taken on time, it may lead to major health risks in the future. This impact is especially noticeable among young people. Additionally, the availability of noise-cancellation earphones has led to a rise in accidents due to reduced awareness of one’s surroundings. If young people do not take precautions now, their earphones will soon be replaced by hearing aids.
Dattaprasad Shirodkar,
Mumbai