Yellow fever

Sir — Metanil yellow is the principal non-permitted food colour used extensively in India. It is applied in place of turmeric or saffron since it costs much less than either. Its pH level is 1.5-2.7. Experiments conducted on rats have shown that long-term consumption of metanil yellow causes damage to the liver, kidney and brain. This research indicates that this highly toxic chemical can harm the human system too. What are the controllers of drugs and food in India doing?

Yours faithfully,
Niamul Hossain Mallick, Katwa, Burdwan

Fruits of knowledge

Sir — Why do we celebrate religious festivals? In the context of Calcutta, I think the answer would be, to play loud music, to burst crackers and to drink alcohol on the streets. Of course, amidst all this revelry, there is an idol lying somewhere. I am pretty sure that the concerned god can feel the troubles the common resident of the city faces but even he is unsure of doing anything about it, given the way the city adjusts itself to all sorts of menaces.

If we celebrate Saraswati Puja in this way —with loud music being played well above the decibel limit meant for residential areas, from 8 am in the morning till midnight, and continuing for at least five days — I wonder how the blessing of the goddess of learning is going to help students, especially those who have their board exams right round the corner.

The picture remains more or less the same for all festivals in and around the city. I am a student myself. I keep planning my study schedule by looking up the calendar and marking the days of festivities. I can easily foresee that on these dates, I would not be able to study. Is this the ‘progress’ that is talked about everywhere in this state? To be honest, I do not see much progress other than in the progressively rising volume of the music being played on the streets during each festival.

Yours faithfully,
Anurag Somani, Calcutta

Sir — We pay homage to knowledge by worshipping the goddess of learning. In many families, kids are formally introduced to the alphabet through the ceremony of hatey khori held on the day of Saraswati Puja. But on the day of this year’s puja, certain Bengali channels paid ‘homage’ to Goddess Saraswati by defining the festival as “Bengal’s Valentine’s Day”. It was emphasized that Saraswati Puja is meant for “lovers” — it is the day of “free mixing”.

Thanks to philistine Bollywood and the lewd advertising campaigns meant to titillate the public, free mixing of boys and girls has become the ‘in-thing’ today, throwing all thoughts of precaution and morality to the winds. Couples getting cosy in public places have become an eyesore. Even a few years ago, holding hands was the ultimate fantasy of couples. But nowadays, young boys and girls not only sleep unhesitatingly with their partners but many have casual sex with friends or acquaintances just for fun. By engaging in such ‘bold’ acts, they imagine that they are being very ‘modern’ and ‘liberal’. But actually they are ruining their own lives and upsetting the equilibrium of society in the process. Dreaded diseases like AIDS are on the rise. Innumerable girls are committing suicide after being subjected to blackmail by their ‘lovers’. Marriages are breaking because of increasing incidents of extra-marital relationships.

In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the media to make the youth aware of the deadly consequences of free mixing.

Yours faithfully,
Kajal Chatterjee, Sodepur