United taste
Sir — The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has managed to do what many politicians can only dream of: unite the people of Assam and Bengal in irritation within hours. The vegetarian-only menu of the Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on a Bengal-Assam route is the most ridiculous thing one can think of. In riverine states like Bengal and Assam, fish is not just a staple but an emotion. The policing of plates might work for the saffron party in states in the North, where minorities are routinely bullied into accepting vegetarianism. But it will not work in either Bengal or Assam, both of which go to polls this year.
A.K. Sen,
Calcutta
People’s flag
Sir — The Supreme Court’s ruling in Union of India versus Naveen Jindal affirmed that flying the national flag with dignity is part of free speech. That shift matters because it moved the Tricolour from State control to being owned by citizens. Patriotic symbols gain meaning when people can use them without fear of punishment. The Flag Code of India should guide respectful display and not become a tool for intimidation.
Dimple Wadhawan,
Kanpur
Sir — The right to fly the national flag should never depend on official permission. Yet, governments treat national symbols as their private property. The Delhi High Court and, later, the Supreme Court corrected that imbalance by recognising the Tricolour as being part of civic expression. This is a healthy reminder that patriotism is not a government monopoly. Respect for the flag grows through trust in citizens, not restrictions and threats.
Vijaykumar H.K.,
Raichur, Karnataka
Sir — India often confuses reverence with control. For decades, ordinary citizens were discouraged from displaying the Tricolour other than on specific national days, as if pride required a timetable. A Supreme Court judgment helped break that mindset by linking the flag to Article 19(1)(a). That legal recognition strengthened democracy by expanding everyday citizenship. The flag should remain a shared constitutional symbol, not a badge reserved for officials, rallies, or political messaging.
Avinash Godboley,
Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Sir — The Tricolour is strongest when it belongs to everyone. India’s freedom movement created the flag as a unifying symbol, yet post-Independence rules kept it out of daily public life. The shift from State-controlled display to a citizen’s right is a democratic achievement worth celebrating. The Flag Code of India must remain clear and practical so that citizens know how to display the Tricolour with dignity. Confusion only invites arbitrary enforcement and unnecessary conflict.
M. Pradyu,
Kannur, Kerala
Neutral ground
Sir — South Asia’s leaders underestimate the value of neutral public spaces. Cricket, cinema, and music have long offered ordinary people a way to connect when governments could not. The India-Pakistan break in bilateral cricket after 2008 showed what happens when politics consumes everything. Hostility hardened, and cultural exchange shrank. The current India-Bangladesh dispute risks repeating that pattern. Sporting bodies should defend participation on merit and contracts.
Mohammad Arif,
Mumbai
Sir — The International Cricket Council’s message to the Bangladesh Cricket Board reads like coercion. Replacing Bangladesh with Scotland may be technically within tournament rules but it deepens mistrust in an already tense region. Sport works when it offers predictable standards and neutral enforcement. South Asia is moving in the opposite direction, where political storms decide cricket fixtures and careers. If cricket bodies want legitimacy, they must protect contracts and participation from State-level pressures and online outrage.
K. Ansari,
Calcutta
Sir — Sporting bodies in South Asia should publish clear standards on security assessments, player participation, and contract enforcement. Decisions must be consistent across teams and nationalities, with written reasons and accountability. The ICC should act as a neutral referee, not an amplifier of pressure. This is why the chairmanship of the ICC by the son of one of India’s strongest political leaders casts a shadow of doubt over it. Sport cannot heal every political dispute, but it can prevent societies from losing the few shared spaces where coexistence still feels possible.
Shreshtho Ghosh,
Calcutta
Air is money
Sir — The warning by the economist, Gita Gopinath, at Davos should embarrass India’s policy class into action. Air pollution is treated like a seasonal inconvenience, yet it behaves like a permanent economic leak. It cuts productivity, raises healthcare spending, and shortens working lives. Tariffs can be negotiated, revised, or removed. Dirty air keeps compounding damage every day. If India wants resilient growth, clean air must become a core economic priority, with strict enforcement and measurable targets.
Md. Asad,
Mumbai