Gradual decline

• Sir - Having grown up in the 1960s, I share Chandrima S. Bhattacharya's concern about the survival of the Bengali language ("Bengali famine", Oct 22). Languages perish; in recent years, a number of languages have become extinct. But it must be remembered that the decision to learn or not learn a language is primarily an economic one. In order to augment their chances of earning a living, Bengalis once shunned Sanskrit in favour of Persian. Similarly, the learning of English and Hindi instead of Bengali is encouraged now. The fact that a knowledge of English helps one's job prospects has worsened the problem. The importance of a language in economic terms determines whether people will want to study it.

Tapan Pal,

Batanagar

Pleasant change

• Sir - The Supreme Court judge, D.Y. Chandrachud, has rightly said that patriotism can never be imposed on individuals ("Centre faces anthem music", Oct 24). Cinema halls are places for enjoyment, not for exhibiting patriotism. It is wrong to force movie-goers to stand up when the national anthem is being played.

It is decidedly unpatriotic of the ruling class to forcefully impose its ideology on the people. It is also deeply ironic that corrupt politicians who do not perform their duties demand patriotism from ordinary citizens.

Sukhamay Biswas,

Calcutta

• Sir - It is heartening to know that the Supreme Court has said that standing up in cinema halls while the national anthem is played is not mandatory. Respect for the country can never be made a compulsion and playing the national anthem in any random place is certainly no way to make sure that people love their country. Instead, a good education system which educates youngsters about the rich cultural heritage of India can go a long way in instilling patriotic values.

Kiran Agarwal,

Calcutta

Wrong target

• Sir - The Tamil movie, Mersal, which was released recently has been embroiled in a lot of controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party has raised objections to certain scenes in the film where the male protagonist reportedly criticizes the government for levying the hefty goods and services tax but not providing adequate medical treatment to the people. Things took a turn for the worse when the national secretary of the party, H. Raja, tried to give the matter a communal spin by talking about the religion of the lead actor, Vijay.

If the government is unable to protect film-makers from goons, it also has no right to harass them. One is prompted to recall the violence caused on the sets of the film, Padmavati. If the Central Board of Film Certification passes a film, no minister has the right to object to it.

S.S. Paul,

Nadia

• Sir - H. Raja's allusion to Vijay's religion was underhanded. He accused the actor of campaigning against the government. However, the popularity of Vijay's controversial film, Mersal, has foiled Raja's attempt to invoke communal hatred.

Raja attacked Vijay by making a copy of the actor's voter identity card - on which his full name, Joseph Vijay, is written - public. Why should anyone's religious leanings be invoked when he criticizes the government? Such callous leaders should not be given a free rein.

K.A. Solaman,

Alappuzha, Kerala

• Sir - A lot has been said about the demand for the removal of certain scenes from the movie, Mersal, that referred to the GST. But it should be understood that the GST is nothing but a cluster of different taxes. The film-makers are also wrong about medical treatment in India. Free treatment is provided to all in government hospitals. It is only private medical care that is costly, not only in India but elsewhere in the world. Rahul Gandhi reportedly tweeted that cinema is an expression of Tamil culture. But how can baseless criticism in cinema be connected to Tamil culture? Criticism is good only when it is constructive.

Sravana Ramachandran,

Chennai

Parting shot

• Sir - The problem of fraudulent professionals in India is growing ("Madras HC axe on 700 'fake' lawyers", Oct 27). It is important to ascertain the veracity of the claims made by people before hiring them. The institutions to which these professionals are affiliated seem to have failed miserably to carry out proper background checks. If this practice continues unabated, India's image as a provider of quality services will be tarnished.

Dipak Thakker,

Mumbai