Cracking idea

This refers to ‘Delhi’s cracker sale ban gets support from children” by Garima Singh (October 11). Due to sound waves over certain decibel levels, the tympanum gets perforated. Non-auditory effects include interference with speech, reduction in efficiency, and physiological changes such as rise in BP, increased heart rate, and sweating. Therefore the ban should cover all of India.

K Mundanad

Vashi, Navi Mumbai

It may be sensible to ban altogether the manufacture of crackers as the practice is not good from the point of environment and is detrimental to individuals in the industry. The authorities must take a long-term, pragmatic decision and not engage in bit’s and pieces measures.

Vazhuthur Raghavan

Bengaluru

Shocking news

The item, ‘Kobe Steel admits to falsifying production data’ (October 11) is disturbing. Given how Japan values quality, it’s not surprising that the Japanese manufacturing community is shocked. In India, the TVS group’s high standards have set a good example. The value system inculcated in a traditional family business as against the totally professional management now gaining importance but finding itself in one or the other financial scams, is underscored.

RS Raghavan

Bengaluru

Kid-power

NS Vageesh’s ‘Sincerely swachh’ (From the Viewsroom, October 11) reminded me of a student’s experience. While travelling on a local train, he saw a couple leave an empty wafers packet near the window. The student quietly picked it up and put in his bag.

When the couple asked him what he would do with the wrapper, the student replied that he would throw it in a dustbin. Immediately they apologised and took the wrapper back from him. This is how youngsters can bring about change. They would make better ambassadors than celebrities whose photos showing them cleaning clean roads serve no purpose.

Veena Shenoy

Thane, Maharashtra

Follow the leader

The Kerala government’s decision to appoint non-brahmin priests in temples is historic. Though dalits were allowed to enter temples following the Temple Entry Proclamation, they were kept out of the sanctum sanctorum. One hopes the devaswoms at Kochi, Malabar, Guruvayur and Koodalmanikayam will follow the example of the Travancore board. Appointments made by various devaswoms in their schools and colleges also need to be examined.

KA Solaman

Alappuzha, Kerala

Bold move

With reference to crypto-currency, rather than looking at it as an asset class and taxing it, policymakers can devise a method to use it as a standard for all payments. This could be one more bold decision taken by the Modi government, following on the heels of demonetisation and GST.

Thilak Venkatesan

Bengaluru

Premature Nobel

With reference to your editorial, ‘Nobel for Thaler’ (October 11), behavioural economics lies at the cusp of psychology and economics; even Adam Smith in 1759 had based a major book on this. This genre of economics has been useful in pushing acceptance and administration of government welfare schemes.

Already the UK’s Nudge Unit, a behavioural insights team in the government, is losing its shine. Though nudge economics remains seductive, it is becoming difficult to distinguish between behavioural insights that are local from those that are generic in nature. It is hard to tell whether a set of incentives that worked in Gujarat will succeed in Telangana. It is ill-advised to jump to policy conclusions from field experiments in economics that have not been validated elsewhere. This genre may yet provide important inputs to policymaking but we need to be careful about which lessons to learn from it. The subject is nebulous and hence the Nobel for Thaler seemd premature.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

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