Letters to the Editor: PM Aspirants

With the coming parliamentary election in 2024, the political temperature of the nation is gradually rising. All the political parties, both the ruling and the opposition, are gearing up their activities and trying to project someone from their party to be the next prime minister of the nation. In this regard, apart from Modi, the opposition is also projecting Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, Kejriwal, and Akhilesh Yadav for the coveted post without taking their competency and integrity into account. Rahul Gandhi is an exception, as his family believes that being the PM of the nation is their birthright. In Indian politics, everything is possible when a totally illiterate housewife can become the chief minister of a state like Bihar overnight—a state from which we had our first president, Lt. Dr. Rajendra Prasad. My humble request to my fellow countrymen is,’ “Close your eyes and think for at least five minutes in this regard.” The nation needs your best one out of those mentioned above. It is now or never.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Golden duck boy

In cricket, Golden Duck means anyone getting out on the very first ball he faces. It is no doubt a bad moment for any recognized batsman. Unfortunately, in the recently concluded ODI series between India and Australia, Team India had the misfortune of having one middle order batter known for his big 360 hitting abilities, named Suryakumar Yadav, popularly known as SKY, who almost created some sort of world record by scoring a first-ball duck in three consecutive innings. Hopefully he opens up his account in the coming IPL with a hurricane inning.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Kudos to the two boxers

Kudos to boxers Nitu Ghanghas (22) and Saweety Boora (30) for becoming world champions in their respective weight categories in the ongoing Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. While the Commonwealth Games gold medalist Nitu Ghanghas not only outclassed Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altansetseg in the 48 kg final, registering a dominating 5-0 win, but also she has been in indomitable form in the entire tournament, winning her first three bouts by RSC (referee stops contest). Saweety Boora, meanwhile, won the gold via a split verdict in the 81 kg category. In the final, Saweety registered a 4-3 win over China’s Wang Lina. India now has a total of 12 women’s world boxing championship gold medals, with legendary Rajya Sabha MP MC Mary Kom winning six of them. With this victory, the two join an elite list that includes Mary Kom (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2018), Sarita Devi (2006), Jenny RL (2006), Lekha KC (2006), and Nikhat Zareen (2022). Great performances by the duo, which make the nation proud, need to be appreciated and applauded by the country.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

(bkchatterjee9@gmail.com.)

Prosopagnosia

There have been documented after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on those who have suffered significantly from the virus. Vision disturbances, altered taste, and a decrease in perceptive and cognitive abilities are a few. Now, a report in a UK-based journal has linked COVID-19 and a condition called “prosopagnosia” or facial agnosia or face blindness. The study has said that some persons with a past history of long, symptomatic COVID-19 have been diagnosed as having the above condition, which is nothing but “facial blindness,” where the sufferer cannot recognize an individual, even one that he or she sees on a regular basis, by face. Patients with “prosopagnosia” cannot identify their close relatives, either, by face.

They can see the nose and eyes of the person in front but can’t recognize the face or facial expressions. Although the condition is not exclusively related to COVID-19 by any means, as it is known to be both developmental and acquired in roughly 3 per cent of the population, the nature of the condition makes it crippling. Social distancing, avoidance, and acute depression are dangerous offshoots of prosopagnosia. The treatment of “prosopagnosia” is indirect because it is incurable. Briefly, patients are trained to recognize others by their hair, voice, build, eye colour, vocal style, and so on. More research may shed fresh light on the matter.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat,

gbhat13@gmail.com.