Food for thought

Sir — “What’s in a name?” the bard had queried. The short answer would be one’s identity. This is perhaps why Sainsbury’s, the supermarket chain, has decided to rebrand its Chicken Kiev as Chicken Kyiv — opting for the spelling that Ukrainians prefer for their capital city instead of the one that the Soviet Union popularized in the West. When it comes to nations that were once colonized, the restructuring of identity and reclamation of language are especially important. Australia’s Fraser Island took back its indigenous name, K’gari, last year. Zimbabwe, too, distanced itself from its colonial name, Southern Rhodesia, after its independence. It might not seem like much, but Sainsbury’s has given us food for thought.

Arko Roy,
Calcutta

Dated ideas

Sir — According to a report published by the Pew Research Center, nearly 87 per cent of Indians believe that a wife must always obey her husband (“Wife must obey: View of 9 out of 10 Indians”, Mar 4). Around 80 per cent feel that
if jobs are scarce, employers should give men a preference. This is ridiculous. But this mindset was clearly visible during the pandemic when more women lost their jobs than men. Jobs must be given to the most deserving candidate, irrespective of their gender. People must change their orthodox mindset and start treating men and women as equals.

Yashi Bairagi,
Ujjain

Sir — The Pew Research Center survey lays bare the double standards of a patriarchal society. A majority of Indians are in favour of women having the same rights as men but, at the same time, support traditional gender roles. We often do not notice casual sexism. For instance, a career woman is expected to look after the house diligently. Often, she has to ask for her husband’s consent before making choices about her own life.

Given these outdated beliefs, it is not surprising that social evils like child marriage, dowry and domestic violence are still prevalent in the society. Women must be made aware of their rights and encouraged to stand up for themselves. That is one way to combat the deep-rooted prejudices against women.

Kiran Agarwal,
Calcutta

Memorable innings

Sir — March has become a black month for the world of cricket owing to the death of two stalwarts of the game — the leg-spinner, Shane Warne, and the wicket-keeper, Rod Marsh. Warne played a key role in Australia’s 1999 World Cup victory (“Deaths stump cricket”, Mar 5). He ended his career with a formidable 708 wicket-haul from 145 Test matches.

Rod Marsh, on the other hand, played 96 Test matches for Australia and took 355 catches in Test matches. He set what was then a world record for most wicket-keeping dismissals in Test history. His partnership with the fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, was iconic — ‘Caught Marsh, bowled Lillee’ became a legendary phrase in cricket. The contributions of Warne and Marsh cannot be forgotten.

Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly

Sir — Shane Warne’s untimely demise has left the cricket fraternity gutted. Such was his skill that Warne’s first delivery during his Ashes debut in Manchester, 1993, was termed the ‘ball of the century’. Another highlight of his career was the hat-trick in the 1994 Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first Ashes hat-trick in 90 years. Warne’s professional rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar will remain legendary for generations to come.

Murtaza Ahmad,
Calcutta

Sir — Shane Warne’s international debut against India was unimpressive — he took one wicket for 150 deliveries. But he showed promise soon after in a Test match in Colombo, leading Australia to an unanticipated win. He retired with a total of 1,001 international wickets in his kitty. Fortunately, he played at a time when technology could capture the nuances and variations of technique and save them for posterity. He breathed new life into the art of leg-spin.

C.K. Ramani,
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu

Carefully judged

Sir — A couple of months ago, the Supreme Court expressed strong displeasure at the ‘incomprehensive’ way in which the Himachal Pradesh High Court had worded a certain judgment. Now, the apex court has expressed shock over an unprecedented order passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, giving a former director-general of police, Sumedh Singh Saini, blanket protection from arrest in all pending and future criminal cases till April 20. In yet another case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court rapped the Centre and the passport authorities for their “bureaucratic attitude”. Such critical observations reveal an efficient system of checks and balances in the country. The strength of the judiciary is critical to the functioning of a healthy democracy.

Yash Pal Ralhan,
Jalandhar

Sir — Recent judgments of the Supreme Court have restored people’s faith in the judiciary. The courts should be impartial arbiters that follow both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution.

Rashmi Behera,
Calcutta

Costly development

Sir — The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, recently said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centreand the Congress-led Opposition in the state were hampering Kerala’s development. He was speaking of protests against the K-Rail project, which will allegedly displace more than 20,000 families and cause serious damage to the environment. Experts have also pointed out that the project is not economically viable. These factors must be carefully considered before equating the K-Rail with development.

K.A. Solaman,
Alappuzha, Kerala