Gut feeling

Sir — Scientists at the University of Maryland have invented ‘smart underwear’ that uses high-tech sensors to track every single fart of the wearer. It is a small sensor that snaps onto any pair of underwear and specifically measures the hydrogen gas that is produced exclusively by gut microbes. Scientists found that the average person passes gas 32 times a day, which is double the amount doctors previously expected. While tracking farts with high-tech sensors sounds hilarious, it actually exposes how poorly we eat and how our gut microbes are clearly struggling to stay balanced.

Ashmita Roy,
Calcutta

Future plans

Sir — The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is the first time that this meet is being held in the Global South. This reveals India’s aspiration to keep itself at the forefront of a technologically-advanced world. There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence is going to disrupt the present world order and give birth to new powerhouses. India should utilise its demographic dividend and put all its energy into the research and development of AI.

D.V.G. Sankara Rao,
Andhra Pradesh

Sir — The question is not whether India can lead the AI revolution but whether business leaders and the government can transform their AI ambitions and the country’s demographic dividend into economic strength. India’s young workforce is adaptable and comprises fast learners. There is thus an immense opportunity.

In this context, it is a matter of concern that even though many jobs will be automated in the future, few organisations have redesigned roles around emerging AI capabilities. The opportunity for India is massive, and we will have to use our demographic dividend strategically so that it propels India to the front of the global AI race.

Bal Govind,
Noida

Fatal laxities

Sir — Two labourers were killed and four others seriously injured after a chemical tank exploded at a factory near Karekatte village near Basaralu in Mandya district in Karnataka. And at least seven workers died in a massive fire at a chemical factory in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi district. The incidents reveal how safety norms are ignored in hazardous industrial establishments. The absence of emergency exits continues to plague major Indian factories, raising questions about whether fire-safety norms and functional firefighting tools are in place at all establishments. Inefficient supervision is the predominant reason behind such tragedies. Procedures for producing dangerous chemicals are rarely followed, and lax law enforcement puts vulnerable workers at risk. The Factories Act 1948 urgently needs strengthening.

Ganapathi Bhat,
Akola, Maharashtra

Stay safe

Sir — The editorial, “Fraud surge” (Feb 16), has rightly highlighted the gravity of cyber frauds in India which forced the Supreme Court to ask the government and the Reserve Bank of India to take steps. It could be helpful if all incoming calls display the name and the place of the caller. It is technically possible and would not cost more. It cannot be brushed off as a privacy concern since the person being called definitely has a right to know who is calling. These days, given the proliferation of telemarketers, it has become difficult to tell fraudulent calls from genuine ones.

R. Prakash,
Dwarka, Gujarat

Sir — The highlight of the latest monetary policy is the RBI’s proposal to compensate customers who lose money in digital frauds up to a sum of Rs 25,000. While it may give some relief to the victims of cyber fraud, it does not absolve the RBI of its responsibility to make payment systems safer.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Wide gap

Sir — The India-Pakistan cricket ‘rivalry’ is beginning to look like a carefully preserved idea rather than an actual contest (“Demolition squad squashes Pak”, Feb 16). The contest between the two nations — or the hype around it — keeps the cash registers ringing and fills coffers with revenue. Once defined as a nail-biting contest, the clash between the two countries now risks being reduced to a spectacle sustained more by marketing departments than by parity. The rivalry must return to what made it compelling. Without that, the contest may remain commercially lucrative, but it will be emotionally diminished.

Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai

Sir — The lopsided contest between India and Pakistan at Colombo in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup only adds to the asymmetry and the widening gulf between the two teams. India-Pakistan cricket clashes are fast losing their sheen and increasingly becoming predictable affairs dominated by the Men in Blue. Team India’s continued dominance over Pakistan reignites an important question: is this cricket rivalry overhyped, propped up by slogans that take inspiration from George Orwell’s quote, “Sport is war minus the shooting”, which was coined to criticise excessive nationalism in sports?

Ranganathan Sivakumar,
Chennai