Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Declaring holidays

Sir, — This refers to the letter by Sipra Basu (April 23) in response to the article `A fortnight of Sundays' ( April 16 ), by Inder Malhotra. Prof. A. Ananthanarayanan, who retired as principal of the Calicut Medical College, related the following experience:

"Peering through microscopes for long hours was routine when working on a thesis for doctorate in London. Vision weary, we used to stare at the building across the street for a few minutes. Once I saw the Union Jack flying halfmast, and enquired why. The curt reply was, "Oh, the king is dead, long live the Queen". That was Elizabeth II, the present Queen of England.

The occasion for this remark was the demise of an ex-VIP of ours. The Government declared a two-week mourning and that, "all government offices and educational institutions will remain closed for three days as a mark of respect for the departed soul."

P.K.R. Warrier,
Thiruvananthapuram

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