Dishy fish

• Sir - In Bengal, monsoons are synonymous with the hilsa or the ilish maachh. Bengalis wait eagerly all year round to sample delicacies made with this fish. Any Bengali worth his salt will swear by piping hot khichudi and ilish maachh bhaja to beat the blues on a damp, rainy day. But the path to enjoying the hilsa is not free of thorns, rather, fish bones. Deboning the hilsa can be a task, even for adept fish eaters. But the Bengali's favourite fish is in danger of going extinct owing to overfishing. Heed must be paid to consumption patterns. Hilsa should only be consumed during the monsoons and care must be taken to not eat small fish. This will allow the fish time to breed.

Sourish Misra,

Calcutta

Motor mouth

• Sir - Nothing can be more preposterous than the comment made by the Union minister, Jayant Sinha, that he was "honouring the due process of law" by garlanding individuals convicted of lynching a man in Jharkhand. His comment and action are as condemnable as the act of the lynchers; he is, after all, an elected representative, and, as such, should speak responsibly.

Sinha's actions are not isolated events. Recently, the Bharatiya Janata Party member of parliament from Godda, Jharkhand, said that he would foot the legal bills of those arrested for lynching Muslim cattle traders. Other BJP leaders are also known for making vicious comments against the minority community. These are clear signs that the polarization campaign being waged by the saffron party is coming to fruition. That the prime minister of the country maintains silence on such issues instead of throwing the errant ministers out indicates that he is complicit in this grievous plan. The situation in the country is worrying.

S.K. Choudhury,

Bangalore

• Sir - Jayant Sinha's conduct was unbecoming. Another BJP leader, Giriraj Singh, went a step forward and visited imprisoned culprits accused of inciting communal violence during Ram Navami celebrations. Lauding those accused of heinous crimes or turning a blind eye to such violations have become the norm under the present National Democratic Alliance government. As a result, there has been constant threat to life and property of several minority communities.

One fails to understand what such mischief mongering will achieve. Can a traditionally secular country be turned into a Hindu polity? The aim is to destabilize peace and internal stability in the country. It is high time the prime minister took stringent action against irresponsible leaders.

Jayant Mukherjee,

Calcutta

Be kind

• Sir - Article 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution lays down that it is the duty of every citizen to "protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures". It is thus heartening that the Uttarakhand High Court has declared that all members of the animal kingdom, including avian and aquatic creatures, are legal entities. Even more reassuring is that the court banned various torturous acts that are often inflicted on domesticated animals. This will strengthen the hands of those who are fighting to protect the rights of animals.

Abhijit Roy,

Jamshedpur

Parting shot

• Sir - Time and again, it has been reported that women are harassed and even killed because they have given birth to female children. Even in educated families, women are wrongly held responsible for the sex of the child. The government should do a lot more to educate people across classes that first, it is the father's gene that decides the sex of the child and second, even the father does not have control over which chromosome he passes on.

As it is with many other issues, a lack of awareness is the root cause behind the woes that women have to face for birthing girl children. Knowledge can be spread through Asha workers and local healthcare providers. Medical professionals in big cities too should remember to enlighten expecting parents about this.

Chitra Esther Polycarp,

Mumbai