Readers’ comments: Scroll should use the official rupee symbol. It’s not even a BJP-era invention

India went through great trouble to internationally adopt the official rupee symbol – ₹. One would imagine that a publication of Scroll’s standing would be able to use it correctly. It is not even a BJP-era invention, so it need not trigger Scroll’s usual fear of “all BJP action bad”.

Before taking up the burden of correcting everyone and yelling about the sky falling in each article, perhaps the editors could begin their actual job – editing properly. – Sachi Poudyal

‘Propaganda’ on Bangladesh barrage

The writer took the example of India suspending the water treaty with Pakistan (“As Bangladesh approves Padma Barrage, India must confront failure of its Neighbourhood First policy”). But some things should have been included, like multiple wars raged by Pakistan, thousands of terrorist attack on Indian civilians by Pakistan and how the country is still taking a bigger share of water flowing from Indian territory.

By assuming that India will do the same to Bangladesh, it means that Bangladesh might also make same the mistake like Pakistan did of terrorist attacks and waging war. If this is the case, then Bangladesh will face the consequences.

Why doesn’t the article give the full picture. The dam will be good for Bangladesh so they are building it. But India has in fact shown a lot of patience and still was backstabbed. This not journalism but bolstering your propaganda and agenda on readers. – Vishu, not your member and never will be

Detention of children going to madrasas

This report is heart-wrenching (“How false trafficking charges led to detention of hundreds of Bihar children going to madrasas”). Since the BJP government came to power, there has been an increase in the double standards against the Muslims of the country.

The treatment of the innocent madrasa children should make anyone worry. How can the police ask if innocent children are becoming “terrorists”? This environment is a warning bell for the future of the country and the survival of its secularism and integrity. – S Mujahid Husain

Bengal seats and vote counting

These allegations are not founded on the truth but on some presumptions (“How slow counting of votes in Bengal helped BJP win a lost seat from Trinamool”). Nowhere in the report have I read that the vanquished candidate is contemplating an election petition. We should remember that the nature of all candidates is the same. The defeated candidate should file an election petition challenging the counting process and election result. – SK Paul

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Interesting assessment but not what I would call a deep dive (“In half the seats BJP won in Bengal, total SIR deletions outnumber victory margin”). The SIR deletions were in two categories: 1) Absent shifted, Dead, Double, which formed almost 60 lakh, and 2) 27 lakh voters whose appeals could not be heard on time.

I would like to see how many of these voters are there across constituencies, the Hindu-Muslim ratio among them and what would have been the outcome and in how many seats if they all had been allowed to vote, and we assume they would have voted for the Trinamool Congress. – Manoj Mohanka

The hard ‘na’

It is obvious that both forms of “na” are part of the barakhadi and I have observed that the “hard” na is more prevalent in the south compared to the north (“Rejoinder: The retroflex, like the Marathi ‘na’, has little do with caste”).

I grew up in Mumbai and the hard na was used quite commonly – and we did not live in a brahmin-only community. As for the name Pranav, I have never heard it pronounced with the soft na.

I remember there used to be a television serial called Amchi Maati Amchi Manse where people from different regions of Maharashtra would sit together and talk in their own dialects.

I do admit dialects that can and are used as indicators of caste and class, which was the entire premise of the famous movie, My Fair Lady. – Gururaj A Rao

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In our house, we have different pronunciations – I was brought up in Chennai and speak tamil but my wife and relatives have not studied Tamil properly, so their pronunciation is bad. Where does caste come into all this? – Vishwanath Giriraj
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I am very happy to read the rejoinder. ln Kannada, mahaprana sounds are now regarded as obsolete and elitist. The phonemic element is disregarded.Why lndians mispronounce Ganesha is a mystery. – Vimala Rao

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Thank you for addressing this. – Vibhor Deshmukh

Praise for books, poems

What an honest, touching chapter. I enjoyed reading it whilst stuck waiting in Bengaluru traffic. Gratitude in abundance (“‘A butterfly will still be beautiful’: Ruskin Bond, 92 today, writes about his wartime childhood”)! – Joya Lall

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Readers of Ruskin Bond's books are accustomed to his old, smiling face. Most who love him are uncomfortable to come across the frail, tired face of Bond at 92. It would be appreciated if readers find his face at a younger age with this beautiful article. – Prabhas Lahiri

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I am speechless (“‘I’m fine, because that’s what the world wants to hear’: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih’s lament for Gaza”. The poems show poet Nongkynrih's capacity as a poet who is “too full of the milk of human kindness." His dissenting voice speaks for itself. He is one of the best poets writing in English in India right now. – Somnath Barui