Tired cliché

Sir — Swifties looking for Easter eggs in the artist’s works is not new. Taylor Swift’s latest song, “The fate of Ophelia”, has got her fans speculating whether her take on the Shakespearean heroine was actually a chronicle of her love story with Travis Kelce. There is justification behind this conjecture. While in the original story, Ophelia goes insane and dies after she’s dealt blow after blow, Swift shows the character being saved by a knight and gives her a happy ending. But one wishes that a 21st-century subversion of a Shakespearean tragedy was not just about an alpha male coming to the rescue of his beloved.

Aheli Das,
Gurugram

Vindicated

Sir — Upholding a Calcutta High Court order, the Supreme Court recently cleared the decks for the revival of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in West Bengal (“Top court lifts Centre block on Bengal NREGA”, Oct 28). The top court’s verdict came after Bengal’s protracted legal battle against the Centre’s arbitrary stoppage of funds under the scheme on account of allegations of irregularities.

The verdict vindicates Mamata Banerjee’s stand against the Centre. The high court had reasoned that allegations of corruption cannot be the grounds for the stoppage of funds. Similar allegations of misappropriation of MGNREGA funds have been reported from several other states, including those governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Yet, the 100 days’ job scheme was only completely halted in Bengal. The Centre’s politically motivated move against Bengal has been rightly denounced by the judiciary. However, the Supreme Court’s judgment should not be seen as a clean chit to Bengal. Those responsible for corruption must be brought to justice.

S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru

Sir — MGNREGA is one of the globally appreciated welfare schemes (“Rural relief”, Oct 30). The initiative enables rural workers to sustain their livelihoods, thereby vitalising the rural economy. Such an important scheme is being gradually sidelined by the current regime. There is a need to increase the budgetary allocation, the number of work days and wages under MGNREGA. If rejuvenated, this scheme will have immense benefits in terms of triggering demands to increase production and employment.

A.G. Rajmohan,
Andhra Pradesh

Between the lines

Sir — Donald Trump seems to have mastered the art of speaking enigmatically without baring his true thoughts. World leaders are best advised not to take anything he says at face value. The president of the United States of America recently described Narendra Modi as the “nicest-looking guy” and “as tough as hell”. This may be an intimation of intimidation disguised in glowing terms. Similar compliments by him to the Indian prime minister in the past have been followed by unreasonable tariffs against India. Trump’s latest remarks can be seen as an attempt to try and cajole Modi into agreeing to the US-India trade deal.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — Early this year, the Donald Trump-led administration in the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports, of which 25% was due to New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Trump’s compliments to Narendra Modi may convey his softened stance about New Delhi. But the US president is a mysterious person who changes his stance every now and then. So it is very difficult to believe what he says.

D.P. Bhattacharya,
Calcutta

Meteoric rise

Sir — The meteoric rise of Zohran Mamdani as the frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race renders a critical truth to politicians around the world — listen, do not lecture. Mamdani emphasises a new style of policymaking, one that entails a leader knocking on voters’ doors, carefully listening to how they wish to be governed, rather than lecturing them on how they should be governed. This shift in attitude is imperative in today’s increasingly volatile and sensitive global order. As George Orwell once said, “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.” Let this be the guiding light of policymaking.

Shrestho Ghosh,
Calcutta

Label them

Sir — The Centre has proposed draft rules that require mandatory labelling of Artificial Intelligence-generated content on social media platforms. This is a timely and necessary step. There are widespread concerns about fabricated content, which is increasingly indistinguishable from authentic material. Deepfake cases have risen manifold in India. During the 2024 general elections, fake videos of politicians were disseminated across social media platforms, eroding public trust and posing risks to democratic integrity.

Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai

Sir — The Delhi High Court order asking Google to curb AI-generated videos of Sadhguru highlights a serious gap in India’s cyber laws. India needs to criminalise the creation and dissemination of Deepfakes.

Vijaykumar H.K.,
Raichur