Letters to The Editor — February 9, 2026

Watch your ears

The article, “Loud music may damage your hearing before you realise it” (‘Science’ page, February 8), has the right note of caution for a society that has normalised noise as celebration. The harm caused is silent, gradual and often irreversible. Yet, in India, loudspeakers continue to blare at weddings, festivals, political rallies and neighbourhood functions, turning residential areas into captive auditoriums. This is no longer music or pleasant sound, but public nuisance, where decibel levels become a crude display of power rather than joy or devotion. The right to peace, sleep and health is forgotten, with little regard for children, the elderly or the sick. Culture cannot be an excuse for civic cruelty. Noise is pollution.

M. Jameel Ahmed,

Mysuru

UPSC online application

I wish to highlight certain difficulties faced by candidates during the online application process for the UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, the notification for which was released on February 4, 2026. There were problems related to the uploading of photographs and signatures. This year, the Commission introduced a new format and revised specifications for these uploads. As this was the first time the updated format was implemented, many candidates faced confusion despite making sincere efforts to adhere to the instructions. There were glitches while uploading photographs and signatures, repeated upload failures, unclear or distorted previews, and discrepancies between the uploaded image and the final submission view. Given the high stakes involved, it would be fair to provide a limited correction window for photographs and signatures, as is the practice in other national-level competitive examinations.

Gayathri B.,

Chennai