Letters to The Editor — October 19, 2026 - The HinduPublished - October 19, 2026 12:24 am ISTCalm communicationOne careless announcement can turn a hall full of devotees into a scene of panic, because a crowd often follows the loudest voice, not the wisest one (Front page, October 18). Every pandal or place of gatherings should therefore have one trained ‘Voice of Calm’ — a designated announcer equipped with a script of simple, pre-approved messages for emergencies involving rain, overcrowding or fire. No one else should be allowed to use the microphone during an emergency. Pandals should have clearly marked entry and exit routes, kept free of stalls and parked vehicles, along with a fixed crowd limit, a rain contingency plan and adequate lighting. The police, fire services and organisers should conduct a drill. A festival should be remembered for its devotion, not its dangers.K. Chidanand Kumar,BengaluruThe tragedy at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal highlights a grim and recurring pattern in India’s crowd management. This year, the festival carried high emotional and political stakes, yet it ended in disaster when sudden heavy rain, mixed with confusing announcements and blocked exit routes, triggered a fatal stampede.This is not an isolated incident. Even without casualties, the 2015 Deshapriya Park chaos — sparked by the world’s tallest Durga idol— served as a stark warning that we failed to heed. In a nation of 1.47 billion people, a growing need for escape has turned religious gatherings into massive, ostentatious spectacles. When you mix over-crowdedness and mindless hurrying with the modern distraction of mobile photography, you create a powder keg waiting for a spark.Financial relief cannot replace lost lives. Investigations must look past administrative damage control and address the root cause: we drastically need systemic and modern crowd-control protocols to ensure that faith does not cost lives.Bidyut Kumar ChatterjeeFaridabad DevaWhen two stalwart music directors dominated Kollywood, Tamil film composer Deva made his mark with gaana songs. Besides hits such as “Autokaaran” from Baashha and “Vanthenda Paalkaran” from Annamalai, his melodic compositions included “Sivappu Lolakku” from Kaadhal Kottai, “Manam Virumbuthey” from Nerukku Ner and “Nilavai Kondu Vaa” from Vaali. His music showcased his versatility. Today’s music directors should revive the emphasis on melody.A.V. Narayanan,ChennaiMusic director Deva was bestowed the title ‘Thenisai Thendral’ by ‘Mellisai Mannar’ M.S. Viswanathan and right through his five-decade-long career he proved himself worthy of the sobriquet that inevitably came before his name in a film’s title cards. A multilingual composer, Deva worked in films in all the four South Indian languages though most of his work was in Tamil films. He was responsible for introducing the gaana genre of music to mainstream cinema and initially most of the numbers were rendered by him. His collaboration with marquee stars like Rajnikant, Kamal Haasan, Vijay and Ajit were all memorable and Mr. Rajnikanth especially benefited immensely from Deva’s chartbusters in films such as Annamalai, Baasha’ and Muthu. The soft-spoken, deeply religious musician has left an indelible imprint on Tamil cinema and his compositions are certain to stand the test of time.C.V. Aravind,BengaluruPublished - October 19, 2026 12:24 am ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }