Whimsical love

Sir — Life on the street is harsh for all cats. But it is especially tough for black cats that are shunned due to superstition. It is encouraging to know that after the success of the Academy Award-winning Latvian animated film, Flow, which has a black cat as its protagonist, animal shelters around the world have seen a surge in the adoption of black cats. However, this optimism may be misplaced. After the release of 101 Dalmatians, there had been a surge in the adoption rates of this breed but the adopted dogs were abandoned soon after. While it is nice that black cats are at last finding loving homes, adopting pets entails great responsibility and must not be done on a whim because of a trend.

Barsha Roy, Calcutta

Unfree speech

Sir — On March 24, the Mumbai police registered a first information report against the stand-up comedian, Kunal Kamra, for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde (“Humour war”, Mar 26). Subsequently, members of the Shiv Sena damaged the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai, where Kamra’s show was filmed, as well as the hotel on the premises of which the club is located. The fact that a Shiv Sena member of Parliament, Naresh Mhaske, issued a warning to Kamra saying that he would be chased by party workers no matter where he was in the country is simply outrageous.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Sir — The vandalism unleashed by Shiv Sainiks at the Habitat Comedy Club is reprehensible. It is a matter of grave concern that in spite of several judicial verdicts against State encroachment on the freedom of speech and expression, India has continued to see a steady erosion of this right. Since dissent is a cornerstone of a democracy, any effort to muzzle criticism should be called out and nipped in the bud.

M. Jeyaram,Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Sir — Several democratic rights in India are increasingly at stake, especially the freedom of speech and expression. Indian courts have seldom curbed the right to parody prominent personalities. Kunal Kamra’s satire might seem offensive but is certainly not actionable under the law. Politicians participate in public life and must know that they will always be subjected to such humour and criticism. They must learn to laugh off such jokes without taking offence. Comedy has always been more than entertainment — it serves as a mirror to society’s flaws and absurdities.

Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai

Sir — In India, certain kinds of speech are freer than others. The worst kind of abuse and hatred is freely traded on social media and television channels. There is no political will to stop it. Yet extreme restrictions are imposed on comedians, who are routinely criticised, attacked, or prevented from organising shows.

Outrage in India is inextricably tied to political and religious sensitivities. A lot of this intolerance stems from the ruling party at the Centre. But all parties are guilty, in varying degrees, of suppressing free speech when it suits them. To defend the principle of free speech, one must be willing to stand up even for the rights of those who have said something that one finds offensive or objectionable.

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai

Sir — No country gives complete freedom to its citizens. The State will always find ways to impose restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression, usually citing security concerns. For instance, in 2023, the government had notified the formation of fact-checking units to monitor allegedly fake news. The Bombay High Court had expressly declared this as a threat to freedomof speech and democracyand shut down the plan. But what has happened in the context of Kunal Kamra is more dangerous as the mob does not wait for judicial pronouncements to inflict damage.

Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur

Crucial network

Sir — It is heartening that normalcy has been restored at Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, after it was shut down owing to a fire (“Flights resume at Heathrow”, Mar 23). Millions of passengers and a large number of flights pass through the airport every day and prolonged closure would have caused untold woes across the globe. It thus goes to the credit of the airport staff that the premise was made operational in less than a day.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly

Sir — The sudden closure of Heathrow Airport due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation exposes a critical vulnerability in modern infrastructural systems. Heathrow Airport’s complete shutdown serves as a stark reminder of how heavily modern life depends on complex and interlinked transport networks. When one component fails, the consequences are felt globally. Airports like Heathrow function as vital nodes in global connectivity. Resilience as well as rapid recovery capabilities must be built into every aspect of infrastructure planning.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — Flying entails the ability to take split-second decisions. While pilots deservedly grab the limelight, air traffic controllers and airport ground staff have equally important roles to play in the smooth movement of air traffic. They are the unsung heroes of the aviation world. This was proved, once again, during the closure of Heathrow Airport.

Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh

Sir — Airports should be built to tackle emergencies not only on their premises but also in their surroundings.

Bishwanath Kundu, Calcutta