Show humanity:

Apropos of the report “WFP’s appeal to let trucks deliver food to the hungry” (THT, Nov. 15), the Nepal Transport Union (NTU) must allow the trucks to ply freely as they are carrying food for drought victims in the Mid- and Far-West regions, as well as for the Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal. No strike can be justified if it ends up starving thousands. The NTU members may have their grievances but there are better ways of addressing them. They cannot starve people just to push their demands. I hope sanity prevails. Anyway, the government cannot afford to remain a passive spectator.

Ashish Sigdel, via e-mail

Appearances:

Sagun Shrestha’s Midway piece “Invaluable treasure” (THT, Nov. 13) was a sensible one. Pomp and show has become the modern society’s norm. Those who cannot keep up feel humiliated. How does one’s appearance matter, anyway? Like Shrestha, I too, recall my teacher saying: “Never judge a book by its cover. Being well dressed does not necessarily prove that you are intelligent.” Students should pay more attention to expanding their mental horizons than to what clothes they wear and what gadgets they possess.

Samikshya Ghimire, via e-mail

Strict terms:

International financial institutions like the World Bank have, over the years, been very generous to Nepal. It would be even better if they also showed greater flexibility in disbursing their funds. Their rigid conditionalities often conflict with the priorities of the countries getting their aid.

Jeevan Singh Gurung, via e-mail

Living legend:

Brian Lara’s 33rd century in Test cricket against Pakistan in Lahore last Wednesday was a treat. His achievements speak for themselves, putting him right up there with the all-time greats. The 37-year-old southpaw has smashed every record in Test cricket. His record test score of 375 stood nearly for a decade before it was finally broken by Australia’s Matthew Hayden. But Lara reclaimed it soon afterward with an unbeaten 400 against England, thus

becoming the first batsman in Test history with this record. It is no coincidence then that he also holds the highest first-class Test score of 501. Though Lara is nearing retirement, he’ll continue to wow his fans during the remainder of his career.

Abishek Tuladhar, via e-mail

New calendar:

I agree with Tara Bhattarai’s letter “New calendar” (THT, Nov. 14) that we should adopt the Gregorian calendar from January 1, 2007. The old calendar based on Vikram Sambat is

outdated. Following the April Revolution, the government should complete another revolution with this switchover.

Bhai Kaji, Kathmandu

Add pages:

THT is undoubtedly the best-selling English daily in Nepal. It is already popular among the youth. It would become even more so if it included more scholarly articles. Retain the current pages, but add more pages for the benefit of serious-minded readers.

Nawami Baral, Illam