Hollow tribute

Sir — The recently concluded Met Gala — an annual fundraising event at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art — has got the world talking about Black dandyism. This year’s theme, ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, was a nod to Black aesthetics. However, the United States of America is witnessing a vast erosion of Black history, an attack on African Studies and the cancellation of arts grants by the Donald Trump-led administration. One wonders whether the celebration of power dressing by mostly White and selective Black elites will achieve anything meaningful in the assertion of Black identity.

Natasha Alexander,Delhi

High alert

Sir — The Centre’s decision to conduct a mock drill, Operation Abhyaas, in 244 civil defence districts across the country on Wednesday was anything but routine (“Home front”, May 8). The last time India underwent such a drill was before the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The modus operandi of the recent drill was to test the preparedness of the nation in light of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and India’s retaliation in the form of Operation Sindoor.

However, with the government dedicating little time to explaining the facets of the mock drill, clouds of uncertainty and apprehension of war seem to have crept into the public psyche. Indians must realise that the mock drill was a rehearsal for safety and not a theatre of war.

Khokan Das,Calcutta

Sir — The measures during the civil defence mock drill included operationalisation of air raid sirens and training of civilians on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack. Other measures were crash blackout, early camouflaging of vital plants and rehearsals of evacuation plans. This was a step in the right direction given the tense situation with Pakistan. It is prudent to keep people abreast of the measures taken during an emergency.

C.K. Subramaniam,Navi Mumbai

Sir — India conducted a mock drill on May 7 to test civil preparedness in anticipation of a retaliation from Pakistan. Now that India has struck back and avenged the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack through Operation Sindoor, the lessons learnt from the mock drill should come in handy in case of any hostile attack.

S.K. Choudhury,Bengaluru

Sir — In light of Operation Sindoor, the effort to carry out self-protection training in schools and colleges is laudable. India faces complex security threats and empowering citizens early on can build resilience. A mock drill does not mean militarisation; instead, it includes awareness, basic self-defence practices, and an understanding of how to act during crises.

Israel is an exemplar of conducting mock assessments of civil preparedness. Faced with persistent threats, it regularly trains its youth in situational awareness, emergency drills, and survival strategies. South Korea, too, embeds elements of civic defence in public life. While the geopolitical contexts may vary, the logic of preparedness is universal.

Gopalaswamy J.,Chennai

Future’s socialist

Sir — Prabhat Patnaik’s column, “Beacon of hope” (May 7), is educative, incisive and pragmatically inspiring. The author has correctly identified the flaws of capitalism, including a global economic crisis, political repression and unprecedented genocidal attacks. He has presented an idea regarding a liveable future for mankind through socialism. Socialism, I feel, will gradually gain prominence in an ever-changing world.

Anupam Neogi,Calcutta

Representational image

Sir — It is astounding that more than three decades after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Prabhat Patnaik remains captivated by the ideology of communism. Patnaik argues that the only liveable future one can visualise for mankind today is a socialist one while ignoring the failures of the economies of Cuba, Venezuela and other socialist countries.

Ajay Tyagi,Mumbai

Perfect timing

Sir — Rohit Sharma’s decision to retire from Test cricket was timely (“Rohit takes his decision, quits Test cricket”, May 8). He has contributed handsomely to Indian cricket. But for the last couple of years, he was unable to deliver his best. The selectors should groom Rishabh Pant to lead the Indian Test team and Suryakumar Yadav should be made skipper for limited-overs cricket.

Atul Krishna Srivastava,Navi Mumbai

Sir — A day after Gautam Gambhir said that the chances for Rohit Sharma playing in the 2027 one day international World Cup depend on his performance, Sharma announced retirement from Test cricket. Last year, he had retired from Twenty20 cricket. His decision also comes days before the squad selection for the Test series against England. It seems that Sharma’s focus will now be on the ODI format. He will strive to win the World Cup in 2027 after narrowly missing out last time.

Dattaprasad Shirodkar,Mumbai