Battle for survival

• Sir - I recently read that while two snakes may belong to the same species, their venoms differ, both in composition and in toxicity, based on which area the reptiles are from. When we were young, snake sightings were common in the countryside. Most of these snakes have been driven out because the water bodies where they lived have been drained for construction purposes. There is an irrational fear among humans as far as snakes are concerned. Like all other animals they will not attack unless they feel threatened.

Yours faithfully,

Puranjit Sanyal, Kalyani

New patriotism

• Sir - In his article, "The patriotism of paranoia" (April 29), Ramachandra Guha has rightly pointed out that today's self-proclaimed patriots do not understand the open-minded, reflective and self-critical patriotism that was bequeathed to us by the likes of Rabindranath Tagore and M.K. Gandhi.

However, the brand of sycophantic journalism that Guha mentions in his article is not new. Since ancient times, historians often used their accounts to show their patrons in a positive light. As a result, such narratives are myopic rather than being factual recollections of incidents. But in the age of technology, in spite of attempts by the obsequious media to stop it, truth spreads at the pace of light. Those in power, and their goons, may be able to shut the mouths of independent media in the country or dictate what citizens should eat and drink, or how they should style their hair. They may even use brute political force to justify lynchings as desh and gau bhakti. But they will find it impossible to throttle the international press, The New York Times in this case, or malign eminent historians like Guha, who will continue to speak the truth.

Yours faithfully,

Sambhu Nath Chowdhury, Hooghly

• Sir - The problem with the votaries of Hindutva is that they often fail to grasp the essence of the Hindu religion. There is an urgent need for Hindus to unite against such misrepresentation of their faith. Food habits differ on the basis of region; it has little to do with religion. For instance, most Bengalis are fish eaters, because fish is available in abundance in the area. Hindu radicals try to portray all Hindus as vegetarians as opposed to people from other religions who are meat eaters. Majoritarian ideas like these will alienate large sections of the community who eat meat. Such fundamentalists are spoiling the image of Hindus and that of India.

However, Ramachandra Guha, in his article, "The patriotism of paranoia", wrongly targets the initiative taken by Prasar Bharati to set up a high-tech digital platform to "challenge the 'anti-India' narrative in foreign media". Slogans that do not respect the unity of India, like the kind allegedly raised by the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and people in Jammu and Kashmir, cannot be tolerated in the name of freedom of expression. It is essential that the actions of a few are not taken as a sign of the dominant sentiment in the country by the foreign press. The enterprise of the Prasar Bharati should thus be lauded.

Yours faithfully,

Sudip Narayan Ghosh, Calcutta

Parting shot

• Sir - The veteran film-maker, K. Vishwanath, has been honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Vishwanath has impressed and entertained audiences with his unique ability to combine music and dance with social issues in his cinema.

Yours faithfully,

K.A. Solaman, Kerala