Bitter taste

Sir — In a tropical country like India, summer is far from pleasant in most places. One of the few things that make Indian summers enjoyable and worth looking forward to, besides seasonal fruits like mango and litchi, is ice cream. While most people know that ice cream can be unhealthy and lead to diabetes and obesity if eaten in excess, what is less known is that it can also lead to poor sleep and nightmares. A recent study has found a strong link between disturbed sleep and consumption of dairy products, including ice cream. With high temperatures and humidity already making it difficult to get a good night’s sleep during summers, it is advisable — regrettably — to give sweet treats like ice-cream a miss right before bedtime.

Rakesh Gautam,
Delhi

Bloc matters

Sir — The 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which ended with a broad declaration on global and regional issues, certainly impressed those who see BRICS as a powerful institution capable of upending the global order (“One view”, July 9). However, the forum is riddled with several contradictions. Its call to save the World Trade Organization, for example, is a sad cry in the wilderness, especially with the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, changing the rules of the world of commerce with his tariffs and leading members of BRICS queuing up in Washington to negotiate bilateral trade deals. That said, one cannot be oblivious to the potential that the BRICS forum has to shape global governance.

M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The BRICS grouping originally consisted of five countries but it has now expanded its membership to 10. Its newest member is Indonesia and membership is sure to expand even further with time. It is encouraging that BRICS as a geopolitical group is growing stronger. Holding productive discussions on Artificial Intelligence, multilateralism, global governance reform, sustainable development, terrorism, commitment to United Nations Security Council reforms, dialogue and diplomacy, BRICS has assumed global significance as a group. Therefore, India’s membership in BRICS has strategic benefits given its role in the Global South.

Kirti Wadhawan,
Kanpur

Sir — The US president, Donald Trump, has potentially imposed an additional 10% tariff on BRICS countries, including India, calling them “anti-American”. India’s silence on this topic has been conspicuous, raising questions about its role in BRICS. In fact, India is being seen as a ‘Trojan horse’ in the group of nations.

Trump had described the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa grouping, with five other allied nations, as “dead”. While Russia, China and Iran reacted critically to Trump’s threat, India maintained a suspicious silence. Brazil, Russia, China and Iran have been vocal about the need for an alternative to the dollarisation of their economies and emphasised the urgency of trading in their local currencies while India has been advocating moderation. This is because India fears China and feels the need to maintain a certain proximity with the US. This has cost the nation credibility within the group and internationally.

Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai

Sir — Donald Trump’s proposed additional 10% tariff on BRICS nations — a penalty for criticism of US policies — rebrands economic retaliation as foreign policy. But in taxing dissent abroad, he inadvertently invoices his own people at home. Tariffs, after all, do not dock in foreign ports — they land at checkout counters in the US. The critic may be punished in rhetoric but it is the American consumer who pays in cash. Add to that a 25% tariff on its allies, Japan and South Korea, and what we have is less trade strategy and more loyalty test. Delayed deadlines do not soften the blow. In this theatre of transactional diplomacy, applause is tariff-free, but disagreement comes with a price tag.

Gopalaswamy J.,
Chennai

Sir — In the wake of Donald Trump’s threat to impose additional tariffs on BRICS nations, the possibility of the latter acting as a bulwark for global transformation seems weak. As long as the domination of the dollar prevails over the global economy, BRICS’s call for reforming the Bretton Woods system is far-fetched. For India, the security challenges presented by China are a bigger problem than the US’s hegemony. Moreover, the bloc’s denunciation of Israel’s strikes on Iran opposes India’s regional calculations. As power centres shift, India must prioritise pragmatic, multi-polar engagement.

Vijay Singh Adhikari,
Nainital

Bad idea

Sir — The West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president, Samik Bhattacharya, has urged the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to set aside political differences and form a “grand alliance” with the BJP ahead of the 2026 assembly elections to dislodge the ruling Trinamool Congress from power in the state (“Samik invokes Basu to oust TMC”, July 7). He might have forgotten that Jyoti Basu had once told Atal Bihari Vajpayee, “Your party is a party of uncivilised and barbaric people.” Reacting to the proposal, the senior Congress leader and former Union minister, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has said, “When did Indira Gandhi take up arms?” Everyone needs to be united against the communal forces of India as they want to change the country’s Constitution, form a Hindu rajya, and threaten the ideals of unity and equality.

S.S. Paul,
Nadia

Sir — Samik Bhattacharya was foolish to reach out to the Congress and the CPI(M) for a united political battle against TMC in next year’s assembly polls. Both parties have naturally rejected his appeal.

Murtaza Ahmad,
Calcutta