Look back with regret

Sir — There have been 191 more arrests on New Year’s eve this year than last year (“New Year cuffs”, Jan 2). The 86 per cent increase in arrests is a strong indicator of where the city is heading. It would not be wrong to argue that the increase in drinking among the youth is responsible for the rise in drunken brawls and in crimes associated with them. Calcutta is no longer a safe city for women. The claim of Calcutta being an ‘oasis of peace’ has fallen flat on its face. The last decade, in fact, has been the worst in the history of Bengal and its people.

Yours faithfully,
Debasish Chatterjee, Calcutta

Lost voice

Sir — The demise of Suchitra Mitra in the year of Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary has left a void in the cultural firmament of Bengal. The state needed people like her in this age of intellectual bankruptcy. Her enthralling and inspiring rendition of Tagore’s song, “Ekla chalo re,” could have rejuvenated the half-dead Bengalis.

Yours faithfully,
Govinda Bakshi, Budge Budge

Sir — Suchitra Mitra is no more. She will be sorely missed. Daughter of writer Sourindra Mohan Mukhapadhyay, Mitra had her primary training in music under Pankaj Mullick. She went to Santiniketan, where she took her training under Sailaja Ranjan Majumdar, who headed Sangeet Bhavan. However, she blossomed as a singer under Santidev Ghosh, who groomed her in his gharana. Mitra, like many others of her age, remained a staunch leftist till her death. The songs written and composed by Salil Chowdhury are believed to have had a major influence on her. As a member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association, she would sing at any function or meeting organized by the Left. The music institution founded by her, Rabitirtha, is one of its kind. Mitra insisted that in order to become a singer, one has to understand the meaning of the songs.

I live in Faridabad, part of the national capital region. I was pained to see that not enough space was devoted to her in either the print or the electronic media.

Yours faithfully,
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir — The death of Suchitra Mitra is a huge loss for Rabindrasangeet lovers. Mitra was a living legend. When she sang, “Aamar sonar Bangla”, she broke the boundaries between east and west Bengal. Mitra was adored by the Bengali community on both sides of the border.

Yours faithfully,
Ashim Kumar Chakraborty, Guwahati

Sir — With the death of Suchitra Mitra, an era has come to an end. She was the last of a generation of traditional exponents of Tagore’s songs. With her grace, vocal strength and characteristic rendition of Tagore’s melodies, she raised herself to a level very few Bengalis have been able to reach. Yet she was aware of the changes in the world of music. She was proactive in the creation of fusion music — be it with Amjad Ali Khan (Tribute to Tagore, 1990) or other classical musicians.

Yours faithfully,
Ranesh Ch. Dey, Calcutta

Clarification

Sir — The report, “Salute fells fake IPS officer” (Jan 7), says that the impersonator, Md Hayed Khalif, has told the police that he was working as an engineer with Gammon India at Kochi, Kerala. We do not have any employee of this name on our rolls either at Kochi or elsewhere.

Yours faithfully,
Vijay Vancheswar, Group Head, Corporate Communications, Gammon India Ltd, Mumbai