Brazil’s choice
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory in Brazil’s election highlights both democracy’s resilience and the formidable challenges facing elected leaders (Page 1, October 27). Democracies cannot afford endless ideological battles between the right and the left while citizens struggle for employment, affordable health care and peace. Regardless of who governs, statesmanship demands confronting global economic realities rather than exploiting public anxieties for electoral gains. Victory at the ballot box is merely the beginning. Delivering dignity, security and opportunity is the true test of leadership. Political parties worldwide must introspect.
Brij B. Goyal,
Ludhiana, Punjab
The headwind turned tailwind win of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is a sure sign of the sturdy will of people wedded to democracy to quell the right-wing wave in South America. It is also a strong sign that the wind is blowing against the machinations of U.S. President Donald Trump in South America. Overall, the wins in Brazil and Serbia are signs of change globally.
Ayyasseri Raveendranath,
Aranmula, Keralam
Vanishing paddy fields
The debate over the decline of Keralam’s paddy fields must go beyond blaming the restrictive provisions of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, or the bureaucracy implementing it. The large-scale conversion of agricultural land has been driven by rising land values, urbanisation, changing employment patterns and the declining viability of traditional paddy cultivation.
The State cannot escape responsibility.
Restrictions on land conversion should have been accompanied by measures to make cultivation economically sustainable and protect wetlands. Rising labour costs, fragmented holdings, labour shortages and increasing demand for housing have made paddy farming less attractive. A meaningful assessment must examine the policies that permitted land conversion, who benefited and what measures were taken to protect food security, biodiversity, groundwater recharge and flood regulation. Keralam needs a balanced policy that protects farmers’ livelihoods and the environment while accommodating legitimate development needs.
T. Ravindranthan,
Chennai
Fragile hill ecosystems
It is deeply shocking that the pristine Nilgiris district continues to bear the brunt of nature’s fury during every monsoon (October 26 and October 27). The loss of greenery, the felling of trees and an indiscriminate construction of commercial complexes, resorts and lodging houses continue unabated, aided by faulty administrative policies and vested interests. Tourism must not be promoted at the cost of environmental destruction.
V. Johan Dhanakumar,
Chennai
Examination centre ordeal
I am writing to highlight the difficulties faced by medical aspirants due to the arbitrary allocation of examination centres. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) conducts the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) twice a year. Despite years of experience in conducting the examination, AIIMS continues to face problems in allocating examination centres and informing candidates about them.
Examination centres are allotted less than a week before the test, often in distant locations, causing considerable inconvenience to aspirants. Candidates from one end of a State are assigned centres at the other end. For instance, a friend from Kozhikode, Keralam, was allotted a centre near Thiruvananthapuram, close to the Tamil Nadu border. The difficulty of arranging travel at such short notice has made the candidate consider skipping the examination altogether.
Another friend from Thiruvananthapuram was allotted a centre in a small town about an hour from Kannur. Unfamiliar with the location, she has been forced to seek a parent’s assistance, resulting in a loss of income for the family. Some aspirants from Thrissur have been allotted centres in Kozhikode, while candidates from Kozhikode have been assigned centres elsewhere. I, too, have been allotted a centre in Kozhikode despite being from Thrissur, and am struggling to arrange travel and accommodation.
Such last-minute allocations make it difficult to secure train tickets and affordable accommodation. With the INI-CET registration fee itself amounting to ₹4,000, the overall cost of appearing for the examination could reach ₹10,000 for some candidates.
It is surprising that, despite rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and technology, AIIMS continues to follow such an inconvenient allocation process. In comparison, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which conducts the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Postgraduate Courses (NEET-PG), has made efforts to allot centres close to candidates’ home addresses and inform them of the examination city well in advance.
Unlike NEET-PG, INI-CET does not allow candidates to choose preferred examination cities, offering only States as options. The difficulties faced by aspirants in Kerala raise concerns about the situation in larger States such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, where travel distances could be considerably greater.
Despite repeated complaints and media reports, the problem persists. This issue needs to be investigated and brought to the attention of the authorities. The difficulties faced by young medical aspirants also reflect the wider frustrations of India’s youth. A transparent, fair and candidate-friendly system of examination centre allocation is urgently needed.
Siddharth R.,
Thrissur, Keralam
The neglect of humanities
I wish to draw attention to the growing neglect of Bachelor of Arts (BA) courses and humanities education in society. Many students who pursue BA degrees go on to become principals, deans, university officials, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, politicians, teachers, journalists and administrators. Their contributions demonstrate that humanities education can provide a foundation for meaningful careers and positions of responsibility. Yet, BA students are often questioned about their choice of degree and made to feel that their education is less valuable than technical or professional courses. Another serious concern is that some colleges do not offer BA programmes, while others provide limited subject choices. This raises questions about whether educational institutions and policymakers are paying sufficient attention to the availability and development of humanities programmes. Technical education and practical skills are important in today’s world. However, humanities and social science subjects such as history, economics, political science, sociology and journalism are equally essential for understanding society, governance, culture and human behaviour. A balanced education system should encourage both technical knowledge and an understanding of society rather than treating them as competing fields.
BA graduates can pursue careers in the civil services, teaching, research, journalism and various government departments, subject to the relevant eligibility requirements. Given their contributions to public administration, education, policymaking and national development, the negative attitudes towards humanities students are unjustified. The government, universities and colleges must strengthen humanities programmes, appoint qualified teachers, expand subject choices and ensure fair access to educational and employment opportunities. Recruitment policies should also recognise humanities qualifications wherever relevant. Educational institutions, policymakers and society must reconsider their attitudes towards BA students. No student should be judged by the degree they pursue, and no field of education should be neglected without recognising its contribution to society. A nation needs not only technical experts but also historians, economists, journalists, teachers, administrators and thoughtful policymakers. Neglecting the humanities means overlooking an essential component of education and national development.
Shashi G.,
Bengaluru