Precious winks
Sir — Parenting is exhausting and can lead to burnout. Significantly, parent penguins seem to have found the perfect balance between parenting demands and self-care: a recent study has found that chinstrap penguins nesting in the bustling breeding colonies of Antarctica have mastered the art of four-second micro-sleeping while watching over their eggs and chicks, amounting to an astonishing 11 hours of total napping in a day. It seems that human parents can learn some hacks from their animal counterparts instead of investing in criminally expensive parenting classes and workshops.
Sajjita Manjhi, North 24 Parganas
First steps
Sir — The fourth meeting of the INDIA bloc concluded in Delhi on Tuesday with a broader consensus among leaders to stop the Narendra Modi juggernaut (“INDIA shuns PM face”, Dec 20). The alliance partners deliberated over key issues, including seat sharing. But it steered clear of choosing the prime ministerial candidate. This is a prudent decision given that the general elections are still months away.
In a surprise move, the INDIA leaders, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, endorsed the Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, as the national convener of the alliance. However, Kharge respectfully turned down the nomination, asserting that humbling Modi’s ‘arrogance’ at the hustings was more important than choosing the prime ministerial candidate at this stage. Further, the fixture of a deadline to decide on the seat-sharing formula is an indication that the Opposition is gearing up to take the fight to the saffron camp.
P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab
Sir — At a time when the INDIA leaders were meeting to organise strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the West Bengal unit of the Congress was at odds with the Mamata Banerjee-led administration over the murder of a Congress worker.
The Congress spokesperson, Soumya Aich Roy, vehemently opposed any truck with the Trinamul Congress at the grassroots. Such rifts will destabilise the INDIA group. The Opposition parties must iron out their differences to present the alliance as a credible alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ananda Dulal Ghosh, Howrah
Distasteful act
Sir — Kalyan Banerjee, the suspended Trinamul Congress member of Parliament, was recently seen in a video mimicking the vice-president, Jagdeep Dhankhar, during the protest against the suspension of MPs on the Parliament premises (“Dhankhar mimicry ‘insult’”, Dec 20). The Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, was seen recording Banerjee’s act on a mobile phone. The incident surpassed all limits of civility and must be condemned. This will give the Bharatiya Janata Party further ammunition to denounce the Opposition.
Jahar Saha, Calcutta
Sir — Kalyan Banerjee’s mimicry of the vice-president is not a one-off incident. Political leaders are often found ridiculing their rivals. This kind of conduct does not befit elected representatives. Moreover, Banerjee’s mimicry of the vice-president in Parliament in support of other suspended members makes a mockery of the temple of democracy.
However, Jagdeep Dhankhar’s retort that Banerjee’s mimicry of him was an insult to the Jat community is preposterous. It seems that Dhankhar is playing the victim card to gain political mileage.
Vinay Asawa, Howrah
Few plates
Sir — While India may be on the way to becoming a five trillion dollar economy, it continues to perform poorly on key development and health indices (“Plate of worry”, Dec 19). The Indian government’s usual response to such global indices, which expose India’s failures, is denial. On the other hand, the global ratings which show the prime minister’s rising popularity are unfailingly celebrated. This exposes the double standards of the ruling dispensation. The findings should prompt the government to make the necessary policy changes.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Sir — About 74.1% of Indians were unable to get access to healthy food in 2021, according to the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023: Statistics and Trends report. This belies the prime minister’s promise of a developed India by 2047.
Another report revealed that 35% of children suffer from stunting. This shows that despite the government guaranteeing subsidised food for 810 million people, poverty remains a crucial roadblock in development. The government must tackle the twin challenges of hunger and poverty.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Iconic number
Sir — The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to retire the iconic number 7 jersey in honour of the former captain, M.S. Dhoni. This is a fitting recognition of his immense contributions to Indian cricket that include three International Cricket Council championships.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai