In a new light

Sir ? In his article, ?The miracle maker? (July 24), Ashok Mitra pays tribute to Tapas Sen and his art. Before discussing Sen, Mitra makes a comparison between 19th and 20th century Bengal, and calls the Bengal Renaissance ?imitative? of the colonizer?s culture. There is no doubt that the 20th century witnessed the flowering of some of the greatest geniuses that Bengal has ever known, Tapas Sen being one of them, but that should not be reason enough to dismiss the achievements of the past decade as a ?disorganized collage of activities?. The success of 19th-century writers and reformers cannot be properly evaluated if one does not take into account the prevailing conditions of the time ? superstition, religious dogmatism, casteism ? and the constant battle that had to be waged against them. One should give Rammohun Roy, Bankimchandra Chatterjee, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar and Henry Derozio the credit that is their due.

Mitra says that ?enlightened Bengalis? satisfied their ambition for self-rule by sending ?obsequious petitions? to the Crown. A colonized people, he says, subsists on illusions. Illusions may be bad for the health of society, but what about imagination? It is because the 19th-century stalwarts had the imagination to foresee the developments in Bengali culture in the years to come, that they could inspire their successors with a sense of purpose. Had these men not prepared the ground, the 20th century Bengal renaissance, which Mitra talks about, would not have happened at all.

Yours faithfully,
Asok Dasgupta, Calcutta

Sir ? Ashok Mitra tries to belittle the contributions of 19th-century Bengal social reformists and cultural icons. According to him, the Bengali bhadralok, a creation of the Permanent Settlement, were ?under the overarching influence of European ideas?. For Mitra, the real outburst of creativity in Bengal happened only in the middle of the 20th century as ?radical doings were matched by radical thoughts?. Mitra should be congratulated for offering such a revolutionary rereading of history. In a West Bengal ruled by his brethren, Mitra?s re- commendations can even become guidelines for amendments to be made in school history books.

Yours faithfully,
Manoj Kumar Basu, Calcutta

Sir ? The sweeping generalizations Ashok Mitra makes are most often irrelevant to his argument. This is true for his article on Tapas Sen as well. To say that every luminary in the sphere of art, culture, sports or science in the Sixties and the Seventies was an icon is to make a false generalization. Bengal has witnessed colossuses in the fields of art and literature in the past and there will be more in the future. The second half of the 20th century cannot be refashioned to appear as a renaissance simply because the men of culture established contact with the masses. Such statements only expose the leftist sentiments of Mitra which colour each of his articles.

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Pal, Batanagar

Sir ? One wonders why an article, which is meant to be a tribute to the late Tapas Sen, should have only the last few paragraphs dedicated to him. It would have been better had Mitra concentrated more on noting the achievements of Sen than on making unnecessary comments.

Yours faithfully,
S. Mukherjee, Calcutta

Shameful display

Sir ? The apex court?s notice to the Central and state governments questioning the use of public money for the glorification of political leaders through advertisements is a timely step (?SC frowns on glory ads? July 29). On the occasion of the inauguration of every railway link or welfare measure, huge advertisements with photographs of the relevant minister and his deputies are splashed over national and local dailies. This is done despite the fact that the ministers are hardly ever connected with the implementation of the project which is conceived and given shape to by officials in association with the technical team. Indians should be happy if the Supreme Court notice brings to an end the sycophancy that has become a characteristic of the country?s political system.

Yours faithfully
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Sir ? The statement by an official of the ministry of information and broadcasting that Rs 200 crore has been released to the print media for advertisements by various wings of the government indicates the wastefulness of the Indian administrators. The petitioners, Manzoor Ali Khan and Rohit Pandey, could have made their case stronger by questioning what the ministers, whose birthdays are celebrated so pompously, have contributed to the Indian economy. In a country where people do not have enough money for cremating the dead, leave alone celebrating births, the practice of commemorating birthdays of political leaders is shameful. It is surprising that the leaders themselves have never objected to the custom. If the Indian ministers have some sense of propriety, they should put a stop to the practice.

Yours faithfully,
Surajit Das, Calcutta

Sir ? Will the apex court?s notice sent to Central and state governments be enough to stop elected representatives and their cronies from misusing state funds? Unlikely. If their pictures are no longer published, politicians will find some other way to celebrate the day.

Yours faithfully,
J. Chatterjee, Calcutta