Absurd  response  to  Chinese  intrusion
SIR, India’s response to the latest Chinese intrusion into Ladakh was almost comical. However, it was more than compensated by your lead story, "Chinese troops re-enter Ladakh" (10 July). Indeed, the government’s reaction was hilarious. Please note the points of absurdity ~ the area is not accessible from the Chinese side though there are roads leading  to the region. But somehow they ~ and not we ~ managed to move in. The cameras didn’t function, and this perhaps facilitated their disappearance.  Incidentally, they returned after a protest was lodged. Last year, PLA soldiers were airdropped, and they dismantled the storage tents of our Army and ITBP.  What did we do about it?
It is a fact of history that various parts of South Asia have been claimed by China irrespective of the rulers (dynastic, nationalist or socialist) as its ‘lost territory’. It has relentlessly tried to ‘retrieve’ these areas. This once again begs the question ~ what are we doing? Isn’t it comical that we still call India a  ‘sovereign’ and ‘independent’ country despite our failure to defend our territory?
Pericles had once said: "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it". Do we belong to that category?
Yours, etc., Sucheta Ghosh, Kolkata, 10 July.
SECURITY OF SHRINES
SIR, The serial explosions in Bodhgaya threatened the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, considered the holiest in Buddhism.  India may not have the Bamiyan Buddhas, but it boasts treasures that are equally priceless.  This has been the first terrorist strike in Bihar and the target is a Buddhist shrine, situated at the spot where Gautama Buddha  is said to have attained enlightenment.   The modus operandi and the timing suggest that the operation was carefully planned so as not to result in severe damage and casualties.
According to the government’s version, it was a terrorist outrage, perpetrated in retaliation  to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims by Buddhists in Rakhine district of Myanmar. If the blasts were intended to serve as a warning, there may be more to come. It is obvious that there is little or no coordination between the security agencies of the Centre and Bihar.   The protection of shrines is direly imperative. But this is India, where only certain politicians are entitled to Z-plus security. 
Yours, etc., Achyut Mukherjee, Howrah, 10 July.
IT’S FREE
SIR, The citizens of India have been promised ‘free food’, ‘free health care’, free education’ , ‘free home’ and so on. I wonder where the money will come from as these are positive ‘dis-incentives’ to work  in order to earn one&’s keep. The most surprising aspect of the welfare handouts is that the citizens don’t have ‘job security’ as that will make the political parties insignificant and irrelevant.
Yours, etc., Saroj Mukherjee, Kolkata, 9 July
BLESSING IN DISGUISE
SIR, Romit Bagchi&’s article, “Jyoti Basu: A lost opportunity” (9 July) is a delightful read.  But perhaps he has forgotten to mention a point. The CPI-M took the right decision when it prevented Jyoti Basu from becoming the Prime Minister. Swami Vivekananda had once remarked that “religion is the heart of our nation”. But Communists are atheists. They neither believe in god nor in religion. Had Basu become the Prime Minister, he would have been a God-defying PM for a God-loving and God-fearing country. Therefore, what he had called a “historic blunder” was actually a blessing in disguise.
Yours, etc., Aranya Sanyal, Siliguri, 9 July.
CHANGE IN DESIGN
SIR, I was bewildered this morning when I realised that the look of my paper had changed. When I started reading my beloved The Statesman, I had the same feeling of satisfaction that I have enjoyed for more than 20 years. Though "change is the only constant", as they say, I somehow wish to read my old The Statesman, which is distinctly different from the others.
Yours etc. Dipan Roy, Kolkata, 2 July.