Win or lose, Rishi Sunak has won hearts, not just in Britain, but across the world. I think Sunak’s Indian heritage is of no concern to the average Briton. They are going to judge Sunak on his skills and abilities (‘A midsummer Battle for No 10’, August 7). Liz Truss may have the edge and is more experienced, but Sunak is going to be the smarter choice for tougher times. It is not correct to say that Sunak’s wealthy background will go against him. Even if he loses this time, Sunak is sure to become the prime minister of Britain the next time.
Sivadasan Menon,
On email.
As he reached the final hurdle, there was great hope of Sunak becoming Britain’s next prime minister. As the former chancellor of exchequer, he had promised to improve the British economy.
Sunak’s marriage to Akshata Murthy, daughter of Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, raised hopes of an Indian-origin couple living in 10 Downing Street. Truss has a fair chance to lead as she has modelled herself after Margaret Thatcher, the former British PM.
B. Gurumurthy,
On email.
Sunak has a promising future in British politics, no matter what the immediate result is. He is a capable leader who knows how to find solutions. Though Sunak commands good support among the British establishment, racism is always present in the UK in some manner or the other, and there will be a section of voters who will not want Sunak to be prime minister. I feel Sunak is more talented and capable than Kamala Harris, the other Indian-origin world leader.
Tigin Thomas,
On email.
Two words in Anita Pratap’s article on Sunak seemed biased and irrelevant. She said, “Sunak’s accent is British, but his face, skin and culture are Indian.” The words ‘face’ and ‘skin’ are bigoted. I need a moment to process that.
Praveen Thimmaiah,
On email.
India’s role?
The crisis in Sri Lanka is not going to end anytime soon—it will take at least five to six years. Political stability in Sri Lanka would depend a great deal on how strong the opposition is (‘War of the roses’, August 7). Sri Lanka would need genuine help from countries like India to tide over the crisis. This is the price that Sri Lanka has paid for cosying up to China. I also feel that India has had a hand in worsening the crisis in Sri Lanka, just to make the government [in Sri Lanka] realise that India is their only true friend.
Sourav Tyagi,
On email.
Why the fuss?
There is a big hullabaloo over actor Ranveer Singh’s nude photographs (‘Meanings in the raw’, August 7). Earlier also people have been photographed in the nude, but that was accepted by society. After all, any actor has full right to showcase his body in any manner. Let us not make a fuss about it.
Shweta Chaudhary,
Delhi.
We have so many things that are bothering us as a nation. If an actor wants to go naked, it is his or her choice, isn’t it? Why give it so much attention? This is the problem that we constantly face as nation. We don’t know our priorities.
Vrinda Gopi,
On email.
Gaining sympathy
After the Enforcement Directorate questioned Sonia Gandhi, the BJP government at the Centre has put the Congress in a quandary (‘Grilling the Gandhis’, August 7). But, most likely, Sonia will not be arrested as that will lead to a sympathy wave in her favour, especially in the north Indian states. Indira Gandhi gained sympathy after she was arrested in the 1970s. It is in our nature to sympathise with leaders.
Suraj Kumar,
On email.
Pick right issues
Of late, THE WEEK is not choosing issues important to the common man as cover stories, or even for current events articles. Today, Indians are crushed under unprecedented price rise, inflation, unemployment and anti-people goods and services tax rates for essential food items like rice, wheat, cereals and milk products. GST has become a monster, which has spread from the cradle to the grave.
Saseendran C.K.,
On email.
Apology from THE WEEK
We deeply regret that we published an inappropriate illustration of the Lord Shiva and the Goddess Kali in a scholarly article, titled ‘A tongue of fire’, written by the eminent writer Bibek Debroy in THE WEEK issue dated July 24, 2022. There was an unfortunate error of judgment on our part in reproducing this illustration, and we solemnly affirm that there was no mischievous or malevolent intent behind it.
The illustration was taken from the visual image company Getty Images, which describes it as a Kangra painting from Himachal Pradesh, circa 1820.
We are genuinely sorry that it has hurt the sentiments of many of our readers and others. We humbly offer our sincere apologies for publishing the illustration and have since removed it from our website.
THE WEEK has always been committed to balanced and responsible journalism, eschewing sensationalism. THE WEEK has respect for religious faith and beliefs of our country.
V.S. Jayaschandran
Editor-in-Charge, THE WEEK