Healthy clash
Sir — Healthy rivalries are equally fun and necessary. They can have surprise benefits as well. Take, for instance, the showdown between the two films, Oppenheimer and Barbie, both of which are to release in the theatres on July 21. The stark differences between the content and the tone of the two films — one is a serious war biopic while the other is about the fun and campy life of the iconic doll — have polarised film buffs to such an extent that a portmanteau of the two titles, ‘Barbenheimer’, has become viral, flooding the internet with debates, memes and merchandise. Such double features have proven to be good strategies for ensuring box-office success. Given the declining footfalls in theatres, such a strategy is needed now more than ever.
Darshana Mitra,Calcutta
Rightward tilt
Sir — The discernible shift towards right-wing ideology in Europe is not a new phenomenon (“The Right rises”, July 16). Over the past few years, authoritarianism and conservativeness have been creeping into European politics, undoing most of the democratic gains made after the Second World War. Britain, for example, voted for Brexit in 2016. Germany has also been leaning towards stricter policies to sustain its industrial dominance. But Europe is not an exception. The United States of America swung rightwards when it voted Donald Trump to power in 2016.
India, too, has tilted towards majoritarianism under the aegis of the ruling dispensation. It is urgent to protect our democratic credentials. The two back-to-back crises, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, have highlighted the importance of inclusivity and unity in global politics.
R. Narayanan,Navi Mumbai
Sir — The centre of power in Europe has witnessed a shift — from the old members, such as France and Germany, towards the eastern members (“The Other”, July 14). The division between West and East Europe is visible from their different policy responses to the ongoing war in Ukraine — while West Europe is intent on retaining trade relations with Russia, East Europe has become increasingly dependent on NATO for security against an aggressive Moscow. The deep fissure can pose considerable challenges to the functioning of the European Union.
Arka Goswami,West Burdwan
Crucial card
Sir — In a welcome move, the advisory commission of the president of the United States of America recently approved the recapturing of about 2,30,000 green cards in family and employment categories which have stayed unused since 1992. This will benefit a large number of individuals waiting to get American citizenship.
As of 2020, there were nearly 4.2 million people waiting for green cards, with an average waiting time of six years. The latest decision will, therefore, reduce backlogs and remove bureaucratic hurdles.
Dattaprasad Shirodkar,Mumbai
Divisive remark
Sir — The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has blamed the vendors belonging to the Miyan Muslim community for the escalating prices of vegetables in the state. Sarma’s remark was derogatory and must be condemned. It was clearly an attempt to polarise people along religious lines. Elected representatives should act responsibly while making public statements.
H.K. Isha’ati,Mumbai
Flawed plan
Sir — A male cheetah died in Kuno National Park last week. This raises the death toll of the felines to eight since they were reintroduced to the Indian grasslands last year (“Killer cocktail: Collars, wet weather and flies”, July 16). Experts have opined that a combination of factors, such as skin irritation caused by neck collars, heavy monsoonal rains, and maggots, killed the last two male cheetahs. This shows that the cheetahs have not been able to adapt to India’s climatic conditions. The survival rate of the cubs has also been very low. In such a situation, the government should rethink the reintroduction programme.
Alok Ganguly,Kalyani
Quiet approach
Sir — The editorial, “Sound of silence” (July 16), reflects the approach advocated by William Wordsworth towards reading poetry. Wordsworth wrote that poetry “takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” One can fully get a grasp on a subject by silently reading in the lap of nature. The calmness helps with concentration and the absence of hustle and bustle soothes the mind and body.
It is for this reason that Rabindranath Tagore built Santiniketan amidst nature. Unfortunately, such relaxing green spaces are vanishing from cityscapes owing to urbanisation.
Aranya Sanyal,Siliguri
Fairytale win
Sir — Markéta Vondroušová must be congratulated for becoming the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon in women’s singles by beating Ons Jabeur (“Crusher of fairy tales wins Slam & a bet”, July 16). With this, Vondroušová has joined Jana Novotná and Petra Kvitová as the only three Czech women to win the Wimbledon title. Her victory crushed Jabeur’s dream of becoming the first African woman to win one of the four major Grand Slams.
It must be noted that a second wrist injury had got the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist sidelined from professional tennis a year ago. Vondroušová’s victory is thus nothing short of a comeback.
Khokan Das,Calcutta
Sir — The manner in which Markéta Vondroušová won the Wimbledon was remarkable. But Ons Jabeur’s losses in three Grand Slam finals have been disheartening.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,Faridabad