Letters to THE EDITOR: Convocation and award

Convocation and award

The convocation coat given to the graduates in the name of award is just a cheap piece material with a combination of repulsive colours. The students are expressing their grievances by claiming themselves as the victims of convocation ceremony as they have contributed a handsome amount of money for it. It is not only about the money, 'emotion' also matters. It is the dream of students to feel that they have graduated through the respected ceremony of convocation. Why are the authorities playing with the students' emotions? I request the Government to look into the matter so that such practices don't get repeated in the future.

Hiyanjalee Rangra,

Gauhati University.

Let's learn to accept rather than expect

As board examinations are going on, sometimes it seems that the parents, especially the mothers, are more nervous than the child. Being parents, we are the best mentors of our children. We know them better than anyone else, having seen him or her grow up in front of our eyes. However, to become more anxious regarding their examination may create an unsuitable environment for their study. Although we may feel tense, we must not express our apprehension to our child as it will have a negative impact on his/her productivity and performance. We must be calm around our children so that they absorb the calmness and study efficiently with a relaxed mind.

We parents should also stay off the media platforms and digital gadgets as much as possible. Assuring to be with them in all kind of situations is one of the best supports. However, children must be taught to give their best efforts from the very beginning of their preparation for any kind of examination. Simultaneously, parents must not impose their own aspirations to their kids .On the other hand, they should feel that they are ready to accept rather than expect.

Sikha Gogoi,

Jagiroad.

Be proud of dhoti-kurta

Actor Pankaj Tripathi once was invited to mentor a batch of budding actors in an institute. After the play ended he was asked to give his opinions about it and then he said that he noticed an actor slid his hand inside the pant pocket while he was delivering his dialogue, this is something we have picked up from English films where we see suave detectives or be-suited antiheroes do so mainly because most western countries are cold and so they do it to keep their hands warm. We need not do it in a hot country like ours. Dhotis are not only our cultural garb, it is also convenient in a country like ours. I never wore a dhoti before but the other day I wanted to give it a try, mainly influenced by one of my teachers who used to come to the university in a Royal Enfield Desert Storm with his dhoti fluttering in the wind. We should never be ashamed of accepting our culture and should never think that it is "uncool" to wear a dhoti or a kurta.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur

WHO's wrong data

India and the World Health Organization (WHO) are at loggerheads over the latter's new estimation of mortality rates in India. The truth will never be known even by the Central Government, because the State Governments did the data collection and reporting. If there is under reporting at the source it will only flow down. But millions of deaths can't be hidden. There is some truth in the WHO report, but I want to remind it that nobody can hide millions of deaths and that too in a country where Covid-related deaths are compensated by States. The bottom line, however, is that the application numbers are not anywhere near WHO's numbers. Incidentally, data from 11 States, which together account for 75 per cent of the country's death burden, shows that the total number of applications made for compensation is less than twice the combined death toll in these States. In Gujarat, the number of applications is over 10 times the death tally, but in Kerala the applications are less than the recorded deaths. The WHO numbers would also imply that the Covid-19 deaths per million population in India is 3,448, instead of 384 according to the official death toll. The global average for deaths per million is about 804. In India, barring Goa, Kerala has the highest deaths per million population, of about 1,950 people, which is supposed to be one of the best States in keeping records. These all clearly indicate that WHO's facts and figures not only about India's Covid toll of 4.7 million, but also other countries have created a big question mark. Hence, even after a few million deaths more than actual Government data in India, the WHO's data was rightly rejected by the Modi Government as 'lacks academic rigour'.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad – 121005.