Colour conscious
Sir — The TV series, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, has drawn the ire of fans for casting people of colour, apparently because the original canon does not permit this. It is ironic that fans who are ready to suspend disbelief for magical, light-emitting trees and shooting-star creatures draw the line at the skin colour of actors. One wonders if they will ever realise that non-white people existed throughout the history of our species and,as such, can reasonably exist among other, completely made up beings. If racism is to be countered, more shows should opt for colourblind casting to normalise it.
Piyali Das,Calcutta
Rich legacy
Sir — Queen Elizabeth II has passed away at the age of96 (“The Queen is dead”, Sept 9). She had the distinction of being the longest-reigning monarch in British history.Her reign spanned 70 years and saw major changes both in the United Kingdom and the world. She also endured several family troubles with stoicism. The global outpouring of praise for her and grief at her passing reveal her importance and impact. However, there is no denying that the queen never acknowledged or expressed remorse about the atrocities inflicted by the royal family on indigenous people or its role in the slave trade. It is also true that the monarchy has become anachronistic and must be abolished.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The late Queen ElizabethII was an embodiment of grace. She held fort through some tough times. Her family life, too, was fairly turbulent. Yet, she rarely faltered.To borrow the words of mark Antony from the play,Julius Caesar, she was ‘the noblest Briton of them all’.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Sir — To function in an otherwise normal democracy,a hereditary monarchy requires that the citizenry accept a bit of fiction —namely that one family, standing above politics, can represent the nation and its values. That takes a bit of work, especially in the most scrutinised royal house of them all, the Windsors,that reigns over the United Kingdom and 14 other commonwealth realms. Few families have had as many public scandals and as much tabloid scrutiny.It is a good measure of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning queen ever,that she will be remembered less for any of that than for playing her part so well,with such dignity and for so long. In many ways, more through demeanour, propriety, steadfastness and unwavering service — and simply by being there for so many years — Queen Elizabeth II came to define the constitutional monarchy in Europe for much of the world.As her country’s greatest playwright once wrote of the final of another queen: “It is well done, and fitting for a princess/Descended of so many royal kings.”
Ratan Maheshwari,Calcutta
Right choice
Sir — Apple Inc. is planning to shift the manufacturing of iPhone 14 out of China owing to geopolitical tensions between Beijing and the United States of America. Manufacturing iPhones in India will cut down the cost by saving tax on importing units from other countries.This strategy will also reveal India’s potential as a manufacturing hub.
Ashwini Tomar,Ujjain
Parting shot
Sir — It is wonderful that the transport department is introducing ferry services to two popular tourist spots — Belur Math andDakshineswar — from Millenium Park as part ofa package tour (“Launchtrips to Belur Math, Dakshineswar”,Sept 9). In the course of the five-hour-long trip, travellers will get to witness the evening aarti and prayers at those two places of worship. The service is sure to be hugely popular from its inception.
Sourish Misra,Calcutta
