LETTERS

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23

Crucial information

Your cover story on decline in fertility rate in the country was an eye-opener (‘India’s fertility drop’, May 23). So many lifestyle and environmental factors have contributed to infertility in men and women, who should watch out for factors that affect their ability to reproduce. After all, it is not something to be ashamed of.

 

It was good that you mentioned about endocrine-disrupting chemicals that affect our ability to reproduce, which, frankly, I was not aware of.

 

We should know that to give birth to a child is a divine act. I am sure your cover story will set alarm bells ringing and force people to take corrective steps.

 

Narayanan Ramachandran,

On email.

 

the emotional trauma that young couples undergo when there is a delay in child birth is traumatic. It is here that the natural process takes an artificial route.

 

It is time for all of us to introspect and do things that will help us lead a healthy and long life.

 

M. Nagarajan,

On email.

 

Congratulations to THE WEEK and Pooja B. Jaiswal on a comprehensive cover story on a topic left on the sidewalk, unattended to, or infrequently visited.

 

The male factors contributing to infertility, for long, were given a secondary approach, especially in India, where people are overwhelmingly confident of a man’s fertility prowess.

 

Most men carry an immobile life partner (mobile phones) in the pockets of their trousers. Many studies have shown the adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the frequent use of cellular phones and by the proximity of the instrument to the male reproductive organ.

 

In Kerala, there is a socio-economic element which adds to existing problems. Most men—who work in the Middle East and are sole breadwinners—come home for only one or two months in a year. So, the wives are left to visit gynaecologists and undergo rigorous investigations and preparations prior to their husband’s arrival, akin to how paddy fields in Kerala are prepared for the next seasonal crop.

 

I am glad that THE WEEK has devoted ample space for this poorly visited area in health care.

 

T. Koshy Cherian,

On email.

 

The exhaustive analysis of the factors contributing to infertility was enlightening. In the past, early marriages and a disciplined lifestyle ensured healthy progeny. Apart from the reasons you mentioned, exposure of young people to pornography, leading to frequent seminal discharge, results in sharp decline in sperm count in males and ovarian disorders in females.

 

Only a disciplined lifestyle can ward this malady off.

 

B. Gurumurthy,

On email.

 

Jagmohan cared

[Former Jammu and Kashmir governor] Jagmohan liked honest and efficient officers (‘PMO Beat’, May 23). He grieved when militants killed my brother-in-law, A.K. Raina, who was deputy director of food and civil supplies in Srinagar. On learning that Raina’s mother, who was in Jammu, had left for Srinagar despite heavy snowfall, Jagmohan instructed IGP Srinagar to request her to return to Jammu, as he wanted to meet her. When Raina’s mother arrived at the Raj Bhavan, Jagmohan touched her feet in front of Ved Marwah, the security adviser.

 

My wife and I were in Dehradun. When we arrived in Jammu the next day, we learnt that Raina’s wife, who was a school teacher in Srinagar, had already been posted to Jammu under express orders from the governor.

 

Within hours of our arrival, we were told to take over a government bungalow, which a retired DIG was illegally occupying. He was forced to vacate it for Mrs Raina.

 

Jagmohan, probably, penned something in the files, which helped Raina’s son get a medical seat later. He always remained in touch with Raina’s children. Rare are such sincere administrators who value efficient civil servants. God bless his soul!

 

Pran Koul (retired major general),

Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

 

The Kamal conundrum

Your report on Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) captured only one side of the story (‘Scripting a flop’, May 23). The failure of the MNM has several causative factors other than the personal leadership style of Kamal and the alleged lack of democracy in the party.

 

J. Jayalalithaa endeared herself to Brahmins by moving the AIADMK away from the rational or atheistic policy of the parent Dravidian ideology, a shift initiated by her mentor MGR. She also managed to retain MGR’s vote bank by projecting herself as his true successor. In addition to the support of a large number of rural and urban women voters, Jaya cleverly garnered support through a hidden soft corner for the BJP and the Hindutva ideology. Kamal took pride in his supposedly atheistic credentials and anti-BJP position. He was replicating, in essence, the DMK position without DMK’s organisational structure or its long political legacy.

 

Kamal did not fit into any kind of caste equation necessary for political success in Tamil Nadu. He chose to contest from western Tamil Nadu, where caste played a role in determining the outcome this time.

 

Sasisekaran Thyagarajan,

On email.

 

Government has failed

It is not the fading charm of Narendra Modi, but the disenchantment of a large percentage of voters across the country with the BJP and its parent organisation, the RSS (‘The bug and the glitches’, May 16). Right from the start of the second term, this government has systematically flouted constitutional norms, and subverted and misused all institutions.

 

V.H. Subramoney,

On email