In last week's episode of Indian Summers, the bereaved American socialite is consoled by the suggestion that the urn containing her brother's ashes might be repatriated. I lived in India from 1934 to 1945 and briefly in 1951. Not once did I hear of a westerner being cremated. Most Hindus were cremated on a pyre and there were no crematoriums. I have revisited India over the years and, at least in the cities, the burning ghats have now been superseded by modern crematoriums.
John Rigby, East Sussex, in The Daily Telegraph
Restaurant service is better in the US with no mandatory 20 per cent tip on food. Why? Because of the way Americans tip and, more importantly, the simple premise that the staff deserve to be rewarded based on what they actually do on each and every day they show up for work. Not what they or the restaurant promises. Like most Americans, I almost always tip a minimum of 20 per cent, including for the wine. On rare occasions, I tip less than 20 per cent if ‘service’ is bad. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had the discretion in Europe. Service in the US is better because the customer gets to vote with his/her wallet....
Paul Smith, California, in FT Weekend
For me, Richie Benaud was the doyen of all commentators, particularly because he understood the value of silence. Today's commentators prattle endlessly, inanely about all sorts of trivia and irrelevant historical allusions.
Mike Turner, Middlesex, in The Guardian
