MyVoice: Views of our readers 2nd February 2021

Vaccines and virus variants

As more vaccines are being rolled out to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, virus variants popping up worldwide are forcing companies to develop boosters for the disease. The arrival of new vaccines to combat the deadly disease that has killed more than two million people is good news. The bad news is that the virus mutations that confer partial resistance to vaccines and antibody treatments are prevalent in South Africa and Brazil and it may spread worldwide.

Bivalent vaccines will have to be developed to stimulate the immune system against both the original strain and new variants. Or the existing vaccine could be used and booster shots customized to generate antibodies against the new variants.

Venu G S, Kollam

Irresponsible behaviour

Blaming the infiltration of the outside elements for the violence in the Jan 26 tractor rally of the farmers does not wash. Did the farmer unions supply identification tags to the participants while enrolling them? Why did not their volunteers position themselves at the barricades and prevent the participants from breaking them, when the unions were so cocky about their organisational skills?

How come they blame just one person, actor-singer Deep Sidhu, for the desecration of the Red Fort area when a large mob followed him? Why could not the union leaders and activists prevent him? How could thousands of farmers barge into a maze of unpermitted roads and run riot with their tractors and weapons – especially on the Republic Day besmirching it so brazenly – if the intentions and statements of the unions, especially the politically motivated ones, were sincere? How could not their collective might identify and block the infiltrators?

Instead of appreciating the restraint of the police and the government, they are squarely accusing them. It was all an irresponsible, arrogant insidious & pre-meditated game on the part of the richfarmers and their leaders.

Laxhmi Rajyam, Hyderabad

Bring the culprits to book

Dr. Mohan Kanda has rightly identified core issues in stalemate between govt and farmers. Restoration of normalcy is possible once the above core issues are addressed. Secondly The PM is over-emphasising on tricolour, video clip clearly shows the culprit. Administration can bring the culprit to book, instead a campaign is resorted to for various well-known reasons. Contradictory and controversial versions saying genuine farmers procession proceeded on a different route and Red Fort incidents are pre planned to malign farmers as anti-nationals.

G Sivaramakrishna, Hyderabad

Refrain from abusive language

I have been reading The Hans India from the day you launched Delhi edition. I read the column "Legal Circles" and the kind of language and words the author uses are of bad taste. I take strong objection to calling the farmers whether rich or poor as "incurable mad dogs of our Republic". The farmers themselves have condemned the act of violence by a section of farmers and therefore calling the entire community of famers is unacceptable. On several occasions even the advocates indulged in violence, is it right to call the entire legal professional in the same language? The author has the right to disagree and share his thoughts, but he needs to be careful and but should understand the animal which he has referred to in the article is more faithful than many human beings.

S Natarajan, New Delhi

Bravo, Rajappan!

It was indeed a proud moment for persons with physical disabilities (divyang) and nature lovers when Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded Rajappan from Kumarakom (Kottayam district of Kerala) who engages in cleaning the Vembanad lake despite his physical challenges. The PM appreciated Rajappan in his Mann ki Baat address. The PM said the service done by Rajappan, who is half-paralysed, is an example for everyone.

His commitment to cleanliness though unable to walk due to paralysis is truly one to be emulated . Rajappan collects plastic bottles from water bodies and sells them for a living. Through collection of the plastic materials dumped in the backwaters and canals Rajappan has taken up environmental conservation as a mission.

Though this daily routine is a means to earn a living the mission that this individual has taken along with his work is what makes him different from others- save the water bodies from thrash and not to pollute the backwaters ,the gift of mother nature .

His words that he makes enough to live by collecting the plastic materials and at the same time able to clean backwaters and canals makes Rajappan a true environmentalist, a dedicated nature lover and teaches us the message of self- reliance too.

M Pradyu, Kannur