Opinion Letters to the Editor

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New Look
I have been a loyal reader of The Indian Express since my college days. The fresh layout will certainly put IE on a par with contemporary international standards. The new typefaces bear a touch of uniqueness, as anyone will be able to identify IE now from a distance. The section recalling the IE edition 40 years ago is exciting.

However, please refrain from publishing disturbing images, at least on the front page. I am a survivor of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake and front-page pictures should not open the wounds in the reader’s subconscious.
— Xitij U. Shukla , Anand, Gujarat

Being Ready
The Indian government has responded promptly to the disaster in Nepal. However, no measure of speedy response can substitute for proactive safeguards to restrict damage. No Indian city has of late been struck by a severe quake. But, given the large populations that live in our cities and also our poor urban planning, preparing for disaster scenarios makes sense. Since the Latur earthquake, there has been greater emphasis on making buildings earthquake resistant. However, doubts persist as to whether town-planning officials ensure that builders follow official standards.
— Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

CPM, Reconsider
Newly elected CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury has rejected the idea of forming an alliance with the Congress. The Left’s external support was largely responsible for sustaining the UPA government till they parted ways over the contentious Indo-US nuclear deal in 2008. Will the comrades not reconsider their stand, given the threat posed to “secularism” by the growing influence of the “communal” BJP? After all, the Congress’s faith in secularism cannot be doubted.
— Arun Malankar, Mumbai

Tenet Bound
Tahir Mahmood’s article ‘For all the Shah Banos’ (IE, April 27) illustrates the need to resolve religious disputes based on the tenets of the Constitution. The Supreme Court said that Article 25 protects religious faith but not religious practice. India shows the practical functioning of a pluralistic state, comprising  multiple communities. If every religious community is allowed to administer its adherents regardless of constitutional principles, we may soon head for entropy. Protecting the state against entropy demands confining one’s activities within the broad constitutional framework.
— Akash Singh, Lucknow